BILLY VALENTINE: The Universal Truth (Flying Dutchman/Acid Jazz)
By now there can’t be too many serious soul folk who don’t know about this album , ‘Billy Valentine and the Universal Truth’. Over the last several months it’s been flagged up by a...
RANDY CRAWFORD: ‘You Might Need Somebody: The Warner Bros. Recordings (1976-1993)’ (SoulMusic Records)
Blessed with a softly distinctive, immediately recognizable voice, Georgia peach Randy Crawford has never been one for histrionics or indulging in gallery-pleasing melismatic curlicues lifted from the gospel and R&B music playbooks. Like fellow...
GEORGIE FAME: Yeh, Yeh: Get Away: Hall Of Fame (BGO)
UK reissue specialist label BGO has released 1,499 albums. For their landmark 1,500 edition, label bosses wanted something a little special, so they’ve decided to turn their reissue spotlight on a real UK music...
TRISTAN; Seven (Isolde Records)
TRISTAN is a Dutch soul and funk band. At the core are drummer, Sebastian Cornelissen and bassist Frans Vollink who came together in the early noughties via a mutual love of soul and funk....
VARIOUS: Loma Northern Soul (Kent)
Loma is one of those magical, mystical US record labels. Like Golden World, Ric Tic, Mirwood, Wand, Okeh and Brunswick they have a very special cachet with serious soul collectors. And rightly so. Each...
BRIAN THOMAS; On The Bone (www.brianthomastrombone.com)
Despite an almost 20 year career, ‘On The Bone’ is jazz trombonist BRIAN THOMAS’ first album as a leader. They say good things come to those who wait and if you dig proper, old...
WILLIAM BELL: The Man In The Street (Kent)
Over the years the team at Ace Record’s Kent imprint have carefully and respectfully curated the venerable Stax back catalogue. They’ve released a slew of memorable compilations and reissued plenty of single artist sets...
OCTOBER LONDON; The Rebirth of Marvin (Death Row Records)
If you’ve been listening to soul radio lately (not too many stations out there are there?!!!), you’re bound to have heard music from this particular album. Tracks from ‘The Rebirth of Marvin’ are being...
WILL DOWNING; Pieces (Sophisticated Soul)
WILL DOWNING is rightly nicknamed “The Prince of Sophisticated Soul” but on the evidence of his brand new album/EP, this concise 7 tracker that is ‘Pieces’, he could equally be called “The King Of...
