By common consent one of the year’s best soul albums has been JOE LEAVY’S ‘Soul On Fire’. The eleven tracker proved that the California soul man is a real contender and throughout the album you could hear the influence of many soul greats – people like Luther Vandross, Peabo Bryson, Will Downing, Phil Perry and Marvin Gaye. At the end of the day, though, Joe showed that he was (indeed is) his own man and if you doubt that and missed the long player (how you manage that!!!) then give Mr L’s new single a run out.
Tune in question is ‘Too Much Love’ and I was going to say it was one of the LP’s highlights – but every single cut was a standout in its own right! That said ‘Too Much Love’ is a wonderful exploration of the complexities of love, delving into the highs and lows that come with giving and receiving an abundance of affection. The happy, infectious melody echoes the sentiments and Joe delivers with just the right amount of soul and passion. When the ‘Soul On Fire’ album was released in the summer we said that ‘Too Much Love’ was a good ‘un – nothing since has made us change our minds!
Learn more about Joe Leavy and his music via our exclusive interview with him… https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/interviews/his-souls-on-fire-joe-leavy-qa/
