Last year we welcomed a new kid on the modern soul compilation album block. The Reel People collection, ‘Soul Love 2104’, was a superb set – pulling together most of the scene’s big tunes and mingling them with a few exclusive remixes. It was every bit as good as any of the genre brand leader ‘Soul Togetherness’ albums and the good news is that the Reel People people have just unleashed a new, 2015 volume and the quality is right up there with last year’s set.
This new 20 track collection has been put together with the same commitment and passion of 2014 and the compilers follow a similar recipe, combining moods and flavours, familiar and not so well-known.
Those who look to these sets for big dance tunes will love Noel Gourdin/Hil St Soul’s ‘No Worries’, Joe Buhdha’s ‘Feel Right’ – a great vehicle for the ever-lovely Terri Walker and Chokolate’s good time groove, ‘Wide Open’. Best of the dancers though is the still ultra popular ‘Don’t Cha Wanna Dance’ from Cool Million with, of course, Marc Evans on vocals.
If you want to slow it down a tad try ‘Shangri-la’ from James Tillman or ‘Feel Free’ from Brandon Williams with input from the legendary Frank McComb. Contemporary soul is represented by Jarrod Lawson’s ‘Sleepwalkers’ (a great track though Jarrod’s not quite taken off as many people predicted) and there’s a touch of the unexpected via Domu’s insinuating ‘Don’t Hide’.
Most of the tunes will be familiar to followers of the modern soul scene but having them packaged like this cranks up the collective impact and you will come across a few things that might have slipped under the radar… like No Excuses’ from Eloni Yawn and Paris Troon. And there’s also one big exclusive tune….a great cover of Donny Hathaway’s ‘Back Together Again’ from Tony Momrelle with Chantae Cann taking the Roberta Flack role. Big Tony takes few liberties with such a classic…. he simply (as ever) give his all and tightens up the beats to create a proper modern floor filler.
(BB) 4/5
