The annual BLACKPOOL LUXURY SOUL WEEKENDER has come and gone but, as ever, it leaves a wonderful legacy – the annual EXPANSION RECORDS LUXURY SOUL 3 CD BOX SET. This year’s collection was launched at Blackpool with full retail from January 12th. You can pre order here – https://www.firstexperiencerecords.com/product/luxury-soul-2025-various-artists-cd-album-triple-35-tracks-pre-order-in-stock-12-01-25-unmissable/?fbclid=IwY2xjawHIGUZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcmFWNW38Csra-0Ig82m8fwbwx8baZT1CaXyzb4B9z-1M_eoKFdK_e-WIA_aem_5bPiL15m49sSVYFN8NGQDg
Right now one of the album’s focus cuts is a lovely ‘I Love You’ from Diplomats of Soul. You’ll probably know that at the core of this collective DJ Mike Allin and Expansion’s very own Ralph Tee and they’ve been making music together since 2006 when they covered Donny Hathaway’s ‘Someday (We’ll All Be Free)’. Their ‘I Love You’ is another quality cover – the song was originally released in 1975 by Weldon Irvine and more recently Dee C Lee covered it on her 2024 album, ‘Just Something’. The Diplomats team pay the tune plenty of respect. The sweet lead vocal’s down to Natalie Duncan and it’s enhanced with a lovely flute solo. The production’s spot on – but you’d expect that with Bluey Maunick at the controls.
The Diplomats’ ‘I Love You’ was available on limited edition 7” earlier this year with a repress imminent, but the Luxury Soul collection is the only place you’ll get it on CD.
