Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Diamond & James, aka Jesse James and Shirley Diamond, unite for a timeless collaboration that will swell the heart. First introduced by the late Harvey Scales, Jesse and Shirley's partnership flourished over time while Shirley, an educator from Atlanta, balanced her performing career with teaching, always showcasing her talents on weekends and school breaks. She has graced stages alongside music icons like Atlantic Starr and Bobby Bland, proving herself to be a versatile talent with notable releases like 'You Don't Have To Be Sad, To Sing The Blues' and 'Strong Woman'. This one 'You Don't Know Who You Sleeping With,' is a duet produced by Felton Pilate that highlights their enduring musical synergy and dedication to their craft.

Review: Jai Alai is only a relatively young label but its first 11 releases have all been of great quality. This new one features a pair of pearlers from Jaheim Hoagland, a US r&b singer with some 480 odd credits to his name dating from the year 2000 onwards and including several solid albums. 'Just In Case' has a classic soul sound with buttery smooth vocals and plenty of male yearning over sophisticated production. On the flipside is 'Diamond In Da Ruff' which rides a nice deep hip hop beat and has great interplay between vocalists as a tender flute adds further depth to a real smoocher of a song.

Review: Jesse James makes a welcome return to Soul Junction with a single led by his inventive re-imagining of Fred Neil's classic road-tripping anthem, 'Everybody's Talking At Me'. In James' hands, backed up by a fully decked out Motown-ready band, the track becomes an uplifting stomper with a dazzling arrangement from Willie Hoskins. It was originally recorded in 1971 during James' self-financed session at Searra Sound Studios in Berkeley. On the flip, James revisits one of the tracks from his 1990 album Looking Back, given an outing on 45 for the first time.

Review: An iconic soundtrack to a classic blaxploitation flick, JJ Johnson and Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things turned a collective head when they simultaneously composed their core themes for Willie Dynamite, directed by obscure director Gilbert Moses. This ineluctable screen treat stars Roscoe Orman and Diana Sands in a quintessential portrayal of early '70s New York pimping, with the central character's foibles giving rise to a latent conscience when he comes into contact with a young social worker. As is often the case with the blaxploitation genre, Willie Dynamite begins with the lead character cruising down the streets of New York in some kind of fancy car, and 'tracked by the central theme: the theme of Reeves' 'Willie D' is clear as day, lyrically portraying D's hustle as 'magic', "never treating two girls the same", "it's no different from any other industry". 'Keep On Movin' On' contrasts this with a note of modesty, signaling the movie's inevitable tonal shift; nor should you miss the B-side instrumentals 'Willie Chase' and 'Parade Strut'.

Review: Carlton Jumel Smith earned himself the title Mr Soul, being one of NYC's foremost exponents of a faithful sound which keeps the Motown flame alive. Having released a couple of singles on Timmion last year as well as linking up with Dojo Cuts on Colemine, now Smith is stepping out on Mocambo with the riotous party starter 'Keep On Swinging', a heated affair with sassy brass, overdriven guitar licks and the man himself holding it down with a killer vocal turn. 'Hope' on the flip is a funkier number which calls to mind classic Curtis Mayfield, not least thanks to that sprightly percussion section. Great modern soul music which knows where it's coming from.