Cultures Of Soul US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: While putting together last year's brilliant Tokyo Nights - Female J-Pop Boogie compilation, Cultures of Soul commissioned boogie revivalist Saucy Lady to record fresh covers of two of her favourites from the set. The Japan-born American has predictably done a bang up job. We're particularly enjoying the vocal and instrumental covers of Minako Yoshida's "Town"; while both contain a few contemporary touches - the beats are naturally closer to house than the '80s original - the synths, vocals and production touches are all faithful to the Saucy Lady's source material. She slows things down a little on the flipside, pushing her vocals to the fore on a gentle and rubbery cover of Toshinobu Kanesaka's "Honey Bee". Superb stuff, all told.