Juno Recommends Soul March 2021

Review: Over the last five years, few contemporary soul artists have more successfully blurred the boundaries between '60s soul, vintage funk and gospel than Michelle David and regular backing band Gospel Sessions (a studio outfit helmed by her producers and collaborators Onno Smit and Paul Williamson. 'Yes I Am', David's first single of 2021, continues where her previous work left off. It sees her delivering a soulful, super-sweet lead vocal atop a wonderfully retro-sounding soul backing track that reminded us of the similarly inclined work of Durand Jones & The Indications and Timmion Records stalwarts Cold Diamond & Mink. The A-side full vocal take is our pick of the pair, though the accompanying instrumental is also predictably good.

Review: Athens Of The North serve up a mighty fine taster of a singles LP that is due to drop soon of Brief Encounters most popular modern and disco sounds. Both the tunes here are stone cold classics licenced direct from the band. 'Get A Good Feeling' is all big horns and rolling rhythms, disco flourishes and squelchy bass. On the flip, the tone changes completely with the heart aching balladry of 'Just A Little Notion'. Falsetto vocals are off set by warmer backing singers, pained wind leads ring out and spoken word sections bring the intimacy.

Review: Late soul singing sensation Sharon Jones has a collection of her finest coves all pulled together in one essential album here. It's chocked with classics from the off with 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours' filled with big soul vibes, Motown production and funky guitar riffs to die for. 'What Have You Done For Me Lately' is a cover of a Janet Jackson tune that actually lead to a legal battle over who write it first and is a more raw and hard hitting tune. 'Rescue Me' is painfully short but super sweet, with a funky and tropical world vibe reimagined beneath big horns and lung busting vocals from Sharon.

Review: You'll find few jazz-funk era rays of sonic sunshine better than 'Give Me The Sunshine', the career highlight of relatively short-lived American soul band Leo's Sunshipp. It originally opened their 1978 debut album, We Need Each Other, but later became something of an anthem throughout the UK on the jazz-funk and rare groove scenes. If you don't already own a copy, you should cop one of these reissues. The full six-minute version of the track featured on the A-side is little more than a languid bob through sun-soaked pastures full of liquid bass, simmering strings, whistling synth lines and a smooth, ear-catching lead vocal. Also worth a listen is flipside 'Back For More', a more up-tempo modern soul club cut that's not quite as incendiary but every bit as alluring,

Review: Bobby Oroza has spent many years being a vital sideman to many projects in the Finnish music scene. Over the last couple of years he has increasingly stepped out with his own concerns, mostly on the notorious Big Crown label. It is there he returns once more with two more blue eyed soul gems that are utterly ageless. His falsetto voice is the crown jewel on both tunes as it floats by with devastating purity and emotion. On 'I Got Love' the tumbling rhythms and wah wah guitars encourage you to lay back and gaze at the stars. 'Loving Body' then gets even more lovably lazy and louche as it melts your heart.

Review: The non stop Mr Bongo crew have another winner on their hands with this reissue of 'Die Happy' originally from 1976. Al "Man" Muntzie And The Embraceable only put out two tunes and this is one of them. It was written by Joe Quarterman with Elliot Adams on bass and after the pair recorded a demo it was taken to Al Muntzie who liked it so much they all went to the studio to record it properly. The tune hits a perfect sweet spot between modern soul, funk, and proto-disco and has a fantastic bassline that really stands out. Flip it over for an instrumental version.

Review: Jason Joshua & The Beholders mark their big and bold debut on Mango Hill here. Their first single is a story of passion fuelled love that works at home, in headphones or in da club. "With 'Rose Gold' I wanted to bring back that real Latin soul vibe that is missing in soul music these days," says frontman Jason Joshua, and he has sure done that. The gorgeous vocals are strained and pained in pleasing ways, the longing instrumentals heighten that feeling and you can't help but get swept up in his angst. 'Are You Ready' is a more powerful and political funk anthem dedicated to lives lost at the hands of the police. Turn this one up loud.

Review: Seattle label Light In The Attic Records is proud to present a reissue of material from Nancy Sinatra's most prolific period between 1965-1976, with 23 tracks including her revered collaborations with Lee Hazlewood. Sinatra's performance of 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin'' became her signature tune. The pair began a three year run of successful recordings, with 'Sugar Town,' 'Some Velvet Morning,', 'Summer Wine' as well as the James Bond theme 'You Only Live Twice' being just a few. She also worked with songwriter Mac Davis, producer Lenny Waronker and arranger/producer Billy Strange on the album.

Review: It is said that the vocalist here, Laurene LaVallis was still studying in school at the time when she discovered auditions were being held by local producer Wyman Jerome Taylor. She had always sung in choirs and so went along with a record of her own. She duly won over Taylor and was later invited to his home studio record the two tracks here. She sings over sampled sounds replayed by Taylor's synth and sure does impress with her heartfelt tones, especially as she was only 16 at the time. Because of that she never went on to tour but leaves a fine legacy on Detroit label Tronic with these two timeless and raw soul cuts.

Review: The Albina Music Trust preserves music from an under documented era in Albina and the Greater Portland area's history. Their next release is a previously unreleased reel-to-reel session by Portland's disco/funk outfit Slickaphonic. This classic has been rescued from a basement "and returned to the conversation in which Albina's legacy music belongs." Recorded in 1975 at Recording Associates by engineer Bob Stoutenberg, it has been carefully mastered by Gus Elg. From the James Brown influence on soul power number 'Doin it', you'll be wooed by the lead singer's impassioned performance on the romantic 'I Don't Wanna Be Lonely Tonight' and be utterly blown away by the tight musicianship on the groove of 'Back Into My Life Again'. Members of the band are said to be still active in the city's club circuit.

Review: The Kent label takes it back to 1967 for this gorgeous soul nugget from The Exits, a US soul group from Los Angeles who made only four singles, but who made a huge mark. Their sound married late-'50s doo wop with mid-'60s soul and that is captured on 'You Got To Have Money,' with its swinging drums and feel good vocal harmonies. Flip over this reissued 7" for 'Under The Street Lamp,' a slower, twirling, uplifting soul stirrer that cannot help but raise your mood.

Review: From soul to disco, pop to balladry, Athens Of The North can do it all, and often much better than most. Another exhibit to back that up now comes in the form of this 7" from Isabr'm and his 'If I Had You.' It's a straight up bit of boogie fire, with soul overtones good enough to suit the L850 plus you will pay if you try to get an OG copy. Next to that superb a-side is 'Nothing At All' on the flip, a sombre track with aimless sax leads conveying a sense of romantic loss.

Review: The Soul Monsters imprint has dipped into the back catalogue of premier Motown legends and chosen two killer covers of songs first made famous by other artists on the iconic soul label's roster. On the A-side you'll find their storming version of Stevie Wonder hit 'Uptight (Everything's All Right)', a take that's just as stomping and horn-heavy as the more familiar original, with the added bonus of smoother soul vocals from the ladies and first time on 7 inch vinyl. Turn to the flip for their interpretation of Barrett Strong hit 'Money (That's What I Want)', a more fuzzy and sax-laden affair of a song that was famously also covered by the Beatles on With The Beatles.

Review: If you're in the mood for some gently summery reggae-soul to warm you on cold winter nights, we'd heartily recommend this tidy new single from Tarrus Riley, son of legendary Jamaican vocalist Jimmy Riley. 'Love is Stronger Than Pride' is breezy, musically positive and gentle, with Riley delivering a slick and emotive lead vocal over a backing track rich in toe-tapping reggae grooves, subtle organ motifs, twinkling synth sounds and, most surprisingly, some rather lovely Spanish guitar motifs. It comes accompanied by a flipside 'Version' mix that's not all that dubbed-out, but nevertheless does a great job in showcasing the track's sunny and heart-warming instrumentation.

Review: The excellent Miles Away label once again does a fine job in transporting us exactly that distance away from our own reality with this latest slice of 7" soul heaven. Little is known about Rita, who recorded these - her only singles - back in the 1970s. Joyce's vocals on 'Dancing Close' are subtle but stirring, while the tight, percolating drum grooves and funky riffs sooth the whole experience. On the flip is the more upbeat 'Back Home Again,' a less sentimental tune and one with a more strident groove that is a perfect vehicle for Joyce's sweet sweet vocals.