Forever Living Originals Schallplatten & CDs

Review: 29-year old Simbiatu Ajikawo aka Little Simz had a breakout year in 2022 that saw her complete a sold out tour and win some big awards (Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit) as well as the public's affections. She takes a bold left turn here with 'No Thank Yowl, an album of defiant punk rock that is sleek and dynamic and serves as a "two-fingered salute to conformity and fame". It's a confident record from an artist at the top of her game, all recorded with her go to collaborator Inflo. She says, "emotion is energy in motion. Honour your truth and feelings. Eradicate fear. Boundaries are important."

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight dent on the edge, otherwise in perfect condition***


2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert catapulted British rapper Little Simz into the big leagues. It's not an understatement to say that Simz became the artist to watch out of nowhere, instantly becoming a fan and critic favourite, crashing into the top 5 of the albums charts, collecting Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit Award wins. NO THANK YOU is yet another delicious left-field turn for 29-year-old Simbiatu Ajikawo, sleek, succinct and utterly propulsive, it's Simz' defiantly punk rock, two-fingered salute to conformity and fame, and all the expectations and restrictions that come with it. Recorded with her regular collaborator Inflo, this is Simz at her most free, daring and spontaneous - a notion that should leave fans lightheaded with joy.

Review: The mysterious Sault troupe is back with a call to action and revolutionary soul soundtrack that really bangs the box. "Ain't nothing gunna keep us silent" the lead singer yelps on 'Stop Der', which is an immediate banger after the soothing ambience and closely mic-ed whispers of the opener, which muse on what it means to be black. The rest of the record is a hard hitting mix of crisp drums and empowering vocals, with elements of classic soul as well as contemporary jazz colouring the grooves. This is powerful music with an even more powerful message.

Review: Along with the likes of Today & Tomorrow and Untitled (God), Sault are giving their five-deep album drops from late 2022 a more ceremonious release now. The music is too deep and rich to vanish into the melee of digital data streams, and each album's distinct qualities benefits from its own space to inhabit. On a mission from God and steeped in a raw, 70s kind of sound which shirks studio slickness in favour of absolute reality, on Earth this British outfit take themselves into realms of spiritual jazz atop their keen instinct for funk. The drums tumble, the chants murmur, and there's just no arguing with the power of the ensemble and their in-the-room vibe.

Review: Today & Tomorrow is yet another superb album from the Sault collective headed up by Dean Josiah Cover AKA Info. Not much else is known about them but there sure is a hell of a lot of music to get stuck into. This album was dropped as one of five last year - alongside 11, AIIR, Earth and Untitled (God)) - all for free and all on the same day. That is a mad thing to do and you might think they can't all be good albums, but they are. This is another lo-fi soul masterpiece from one of the best bands of our time.

Review: The mysterious London-based music collective Sault are in the process of reissuing their first five albums on vinyl, in full, after they were released as a free digital download in late 2022. AIIR is among the lesser-cited of the quintuplet bunch, being a five track EP and sequel to their sixth album AIR. Providing a rapturous counterpoint to that album while building on its choral themes, this LP could consist of anything from outtakes from the making of AIR to true reprises; it's hard to tell. What we do know is that the music here would have been as equally suited to the high-flung parabolae of grandiose mid-century American filmmaking as it now is for the modern music lover. Pieces like 'Still Waters' and 'God's Will' - with their divine harp flourishes, choirs of angels, and complex string and timpani movements - are evocative enough to recall sublime pastoral classics like Watership Down or A Matter Of Life And Death - not just UK music royalty.