Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Soul Liberation was formed by a former gang leader turned preacher known as Tom Skinner. The band was born from his ministry having been a backing band for his revival style Crusades and this, Who Are You, is their second album. It's a direct lien to the soul sounds of the past but with modern produciton touches and is the sort of soothing, life enriching record that we all need in our lives from time to time. The band toured non-stop for two decades, channelling plenty of gospel influences and elements from their Christian music scene into universal songs of love with dashes of funk along the way. This is the first ever reissue of the record.

Review: BBE Music continues to delve into the exceptional back catalogue of Detroit's Strata label. Overall, there's not a huge amount there, with just ten albums released during the imprint's tenure. Nevertheless, what's there has plenty worth diving into, not least the stunning cover designs by iconic jazz poet John Sinclair - aesthetics to set the mood, make no mistake.
Sphere's Inside Ourselves was the third record put out on the platform. Recorded live at the Detroit Institute of Arts on 28th June 1970, and like much of the Strata stuff, this is about boundary-free jazz that captivates and compels the listener as much as it seems to entrance and possess those playing it. Indicative of the overall standard that came out of the camp itself, collective memories of Sphere themselves seem hazy, but John Dana, Jimmy Peluso, Keith Vreeland, Eddie Nuccilli and Larry Nozero made up the outfit, so props to them.