In a little over ten years the Tru Thoughts label has established itself as a leading purveyor of quality indie music across a range of genres; though, it’s my guess that label head boy, Robert Luis doesn’t recognize genre boundaries – he simply goes for the good groove… the proof is in the this new 2 CD 24 track compilation of the label’s current material. There are lots of highlights, but, soul-wise we’d need to go for the remixes of two Kylie Auldist tracks. Both ‘In A Week, In A Day’ and ‘One Goodbye’ featured on the Aussie soulstress’ last LP – ‘Made Of Stone’ – but the new tweaks offer fresh perspectives (no wonder they’ve already been big on the 12″ circuit). Ashley Beedle gets to re-work ‘In A Week, In A Day’ and he slows it down just a little to create a fab, lilting mid-tempo swayer with the killer chorus hook quite intact. The Flevans remix of ‘One Goodbye’ is different again… hugely percussive, it would be right at home at the Rio carnival where any of the famed samba schools would be grateful for the rhythms. Other goodies on the album include a pair of remixes on Lizzy Parks tracks – ‘Forever And A Day’ and ‘All That’. Eric Lau’s treatment of the former is edgy while the Natural Self mix on the latter will please any one missing new Amy Winehouse material. The rest of the album offers a whole mixed bag of flavours. Quantic’s ‘Tell It Like You Mean It’ is a classy chiller, Lanu’s ‘Beijo Do Sol’ goes into souful house territory, while, as you’d expect. Quantic’s Combo Barbaro’s ‘Cancao Do Deserto’ is a big slice of Latin jazz. Then, Up Hygh’s ‘Be Known’ offers a new hip-hop twist; Azaxx’s ‘Play Again’ is built on broken beats; while the instrumental take on Lizzy Parks’ ‘Forever And A Day’ is sweepingly cinematic; then there’s Aussie faves, the Bamboos with a – for them – restrained ‘Move On’. There’s lots more besides and though the set clearly won’t be everyone’s cup of soul tea, if you like things eclectic and adventurous, you’ll find lots to like here.
(BB) 3/5
