Review: Nothing by Louis Cole, a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley, blends classical orchestration with dance music, pop, and jazz, showcasing Cole's unique and ultra-flexible production style. The album features 17 tracks, 15 of which are brand new, avoiding orchestral renditions of his hits and instead presenting fresh compositions. The lead single, 'Things Will Fall Apart,' highlights Cole's feather-light vocals over an exciting orchestration of funk percussion, strings, horns and barbershop backup vocals. Recorded during live performances, Nothing captures the energy and emotion of Cole's multi-date sold-out European tour with the Metropole Orkest. The project emphasises Cole's desire to create music with deep emotional impact while remaining straightforward and accessible. Cole meticulously mixed the album himself, ensuring his pure vision was realised.
Review: Beatitudes is an album of ten instrumental hip-hop tracks inspired by 20th century gospel recordings. Produced by one J Rocc (known as the acclaimed DJ and turntablist for Madlib's many shows), the album is a departure from the artist's smudgier, beatsmith affairs. Each track is as smooth as a baby's forehead, and/or as pleasing as a wild fig dropped into one's mouth by an attentive servant on a hot Verona day. Gospel samples whirl around like ghosts, haunting each beat, which in turn sound wonkier than an array of unoiled see-saws. The album's cover is an homage to the mysterious cult artist known only as Harvey, known for designing many surrealist-religious gospel album covers from the 1960s onwards.
Review: The Jackson 5 were a legendary American pop band consisting of famous musical brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson. Managed by their father, Joe Jackson, the group achieved great success in the 1970s and were much loved amongst younger audiences. They had plenty of chart hits and several of them went on to have great solo careers, of course. Their eighth studio album, G.I.T.: Get It Together was released on September 12, 1973, under the Motown label and now gets reissued on limited red vinyl with an insert.
Review: Most people will recognize Brian Jackson as the most important collaborator with Gil Scott-Heron - between them the pair laid down a mesmerising new kind of soul which resonates in its influence and brilliance to this day. Jackson went on to work with scores of legends of Black American music, but this new album is something altogether his own. Working with Daniel Colias from Phenomenal Handclap Band, Jackson revived a long-dormant solo project from the 70s and brought it to fruition in a set of ascendant soul cuts which speak to Jackson's mighty legacy while offering something wholly contemporary. 'All Talk' bursts with jazz funk and boogie flourishes, while 'Path to Macondo / Those Kind of Blues' takes a more introspective trip into Jackson's illustrious musicality. Forget reissue culture for a minute - here's a bonafide legend still doing it in the here and now.
Review: The late king of pop sees his most defining album - and the best-selling album of all time - reissued once more. It's got everything you could possibly want: 'Beat It', 'Thriller', 'Billie Jean'... on its 40th Anniversary, this one gets a repress by our friends over at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, who have endeavoured to make this version perhaps the best-sounding to ever be set to wax. Of course, the legacies of kings must be preserved in the best format possible, even if their own waking lives lead them to ruin...
Review: Millie Jackson's classic soul album It Hurts So Good has gone down in time as a shining example of what many hardcore soul fanatics might call 'deep soul'. Darker and more austere than the usual idea of soul at large, deep soul was known for its added grit and pain behind the beltings and breakbeats. Millie Jackson had this yet-nascent formula down to a T. Active in the early 70s and beyond, Jackson released It Hurts So Good as a testament to the test of love, an analogy for life itself. Yes, it hurts, but the pain is worth it when balanced out by the glorious highs. Heartbroken but jubilant, Jackson's sound is refined and always full of energy, occupying a juxtaposition between lyricising about crying and loss, and laying the fonk on thick, groovy and plentiful. The overall sound, firmly rooted in both the funky and tearjerky camps, is that of 'getting on with it'.
Review: Jesse James, the revered cult soul man, delivers once again with 'Back On Top Again'. Despite his lack of recognition in his home country, James is celebrated across the UK and Europe for his authentic, old-school Southern soul sound. Now in his 80s, James continues to impress with this latest offering, maintaining the high quality seen in his previous releases with Soul Junction. The album features soulful mid-tempo grooves reminiscent of classic Malaco-style Southern soul, with tracks like 'Another Love Lay Over' and 'Keep It On The Hush Hush' standing out as highlights. James's cover of Harvey Scales' 'I'd Be A Fool 2 Fool Around On You' is particularly exceptional, showcasing his soulful vocals and emotive delivery. With tracks like 'I Lost My Baby On Facebook' adding contemporary commentary and 'What Happened To The O-O Wee' providing sonic variety, Back On Top Again is standout example to James's enduring talent and commitment to the soul genre. It's soul as it was and soul as it should be.
Commodores - "Girl, I Think The World About You" (4:34)
Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Once You Get Started" (4:27)
Johnny Hammond - "Fantasy" (7:26)
Ramsey Lewis - "Whisper Zone" (3:01)
Leon Ware - "What's Your Name" (4:12)
Ashford & Simpson - "Stay Free" (5:24)
Kleeer - "Tonight's The Night" (7:12)
Dexter Wansel - "I'll Never Forget (My Favourite Disco)"
Sister Sledge - "Pretty Baby"
Jose Feliciano - "California Dreamin'"
Dexter Wansel - "Life On Mars"
Lalo Schifrin - "Theme From Enter The Dragon" (main Title) (2:17)
Marvin Gaye - "Here, My Dear" (2:49)
Patrice Rushen - "Music Of The Earth" (3:52)
Brian Blessed - "The White City" (part 3) (10:39)
Review: The Late Night Tales series is an absolute bastion of late-night parties back at yours after a heavy club session, or maybe even on a Sunday morning to welcome you to a day of being hungover. Everyone who is everyone had made their entry over the years and used the chance to show off a different side to their sound and that is just what cosmic disco funkster Jamiroquai did when he stopped up. Now his fine choices get pressed up to four sides of vinyl for this fine reissue.
Review: Initially available solely on tape cassette in 1975, this album has undergone meticulous remastering and is now offered for the first time as a download and on a limited edition double album. This release marks John Taylor's third venture as a bandleader, succeeding his debut, 'Pause, And Think Again,' issued by Turtle Records in 1971. The sextet lineup features Stan Sulzmann, Kenny Wheeler, Chris Pyne, Chris Laurence, and Tony Levin, with Norma Winstone contributing her vocals on the debut.
Review: The always excellent Be With turn their attention to Samuel Jonathon Johnson and his fantastic 1978 album "My Music", which was the only full length he put out. The smooth vibe you get from the cover art alone says a lot about the music the man recorded: steamy, downtempo soul, romantic disco and lots of strong laden gems to warm you and a loved one through. The well known "What The World Needs Now Is Love" is a slow motion soul soother, while "Sweet Love" is pure positivity and "You" brings gorgeous orchestral disco funk fusions that brim with vitality. His own libidinous spoken word vocals add loveable sleaze to "Just Us" and makes for one of many highlights.
The Place You'd Most Want To Live (interlude) (1:12)
Lord Have Mercy (3:59)
Sadie (2:56)
I Want You (4:19)
Wait Til I Get Over (2:46)
That Feeling (4:27)
See It Through (interlude) (8:49)
See It Through (4:51)
Someday We'll All Be Free (feat Skypp) (0:46)
Letter To My 17 Year Old Self (4:11)
Review: Best known as a titular member of Durand Jones & the Indications, a group whose signature soulful sound has seen them reach international audiences, Wait Til I Get Over marks Jones' first foray into solo work. Using this as an opportunity to delve into the more personal, storytelling potential of solo artistry, the record is firmly situated in his hometown - Hillaryville, Louisiana - a town initially founded as a form of reparations to previously enslaved African Americans. The first single to be released from the album, Lord Have Mercy, travels through Jones' family history, recalling his grandmother's memories of moving to the town as a child, via cathartic, wild and raucous vocals. This is a release that masterfully bridges the internal conflict of feeling connected to a place that's at once home but also a historically complex space for its African-American community. Note this edition is a limited gold and blue pressing exclusive to Juno.
The Place You'd Most Want To Live (interlude) (1:11)
Lord Have Mercy (3:51)
Sadie (2:52)
I Want You (4:00)
Wait Til I Get Over (2:47)
That Feeling (4:21)
See It Through (interlude) (4:43)
See It Through (3:54)
Someday We'll All Be Free (5:37)
Letter To My 17 Year Old Self (2:34)
Review: Best known as a titular member of Durand Jones & the Indications, a group whose signature soulful sound has seen them reach international audiences, Wait Til I Get Over marks Jones' first foray into solo work. Using this as an opportunity to delve into the more personal, storytelling potential of solo artistry, the record is firmly situated in his hometown - Hillaryville, Louisiana -; a town initially founded as a form of reparations to previously enslaved African Americans. The first single to be released from the album, Lord Have Mercy, travels through Jones' family history, recalling his grandmother's memories of moving to the town as a child, via cathartic, wild and raucous vocals. This is a release that masterfully bridges the internal conflict of feeling connected to a place that's at once home but also a historically complex space for its African American community.
The Place You'd Most Want To Live (interlude) (1:11)
Lord Have Mercy (3:51)
Sadie (2:52)
I Want You (4:00)
Wait Til I Get Over (2:47)
That Feeling (4:21)
See It Through (interlude) (4:43)
See It Through (3:54)
Someday We'll All Be Free (feat Skypp) (5:37)
Letter To My 17 Year Old Self (2:34)
Review: Normally found recording with his band The Indications, on this new record for Dead Oceans Durand Jones goes solo to explore a more idiosyncratic dimension to his Southern soul. Wait Til I Get Over is a highly personal record which finds Jones digging deep into his roots growing up in Louisiana, reflecting on his ancestry and delivering a potent black music which draws on gospel, rock n' roll and soul and pushes those fundamentals into exciting new places. It's a record to feel with every fibre of your body, with Jones' grit-edged but oh-so-sweet voice at the centre.
Review: Durand Jones & The Indications earned lavish praise for their eponymous 2016 debut album, with critics comparing it favourably to conscious soul sets of the 1970s from the likes of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. This belated follow up is, if anything, even better, with the group's core offering - tight instrumentation and super-smooth vocals from the hugely talented Jones and drummer Aaron Frazer - being complemented by silky string arrangements, warm brass and lyrics that flit between social commentary and glassy-eyed, loved-up bliss. Highlights include "Morning In America" - a kind of 2019 update to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" - the super-sweet vocal harmonies of "Don't You Know" and "Long Way Home", a lilting look at homesickness blessed with the twin attractions of swooping strings and a killer bassline.
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (3:00)
Here I Am Baby (3:16)
What Have You Done For Me Lately? (2:46)
Take Me With U (2:51)
Inspiration Information (3:59)
Giving Up (3:05)
Rescue Me (2:22)
In The Bush (3:28)
It Hurts To Be Alone (2:56)
Trespasser (2:38)
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.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.