Tag: Soul
British-Ghanaian soul singer, songwriter, and producer Andrew Ashong joins forces with one of the most innovative and influential UK broken beat artists over the past two decades in keyboardist and producer Kaidi Tatham to release a brilliant new EP, titled Sankofa Season.
Earlier in the year, London’s Cordial Recordings put out a full-length album featuring previously unreleased material recorded in the 70s from an Oakland based funk and soul group Family of Swede, titled Family Album. Due to high demand and heavy rotation from Gilles Peterson and others, the long version of the brilliant soul track “Set You Free”, which was originally only included on the CD version, has been released as a twelve-inch single.
“Do you remember?” … Over the years, September 21st has kind of unofficially become Earth, Wind & Fire Day due to the opening lyrics to their 1978 smash disco-funk hit “September” where bandleader and founder Maurice White references this exact date: Do you remember the 21st night of September? / Love was changing the mind of pretenders /
While chasing the clouds away.
The London-based reissue label Discs of Fun and Love is quickly making a strong name for themselves with some incredible and worthy seven-inch soul reissues. Their third and latest release features the obscure 1981 funky soulful gem “Summer Love,” written and produced by illustrious jazz musician Prince Billy Mahdi Wright, and sang by Maggie “Mandisa” Epting.
Soul-jazz legend Roy Ayers, who made his mark in the seventies and early eighties with classic recordings like He’s Coming, Ubiquity, Red Black & Green, Vibrations, Everybody Loves The Sunshine, and so many others, has teamed up with Los Angeles based producers/multi-instrumentalists Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (of also Tribe Called Quest) to release a brand new album on the newly formed Jazz Is Dead label.
The mysterious group SAULT took 2019 by storm with two breakthrough albums 5 and 7. Over time, we have learned that this foward-thinking eclectic UK-based collective consists of producer Dean “Inflo” Wynton Josiah, vocalist Cleo Sol, and rapper/vocalist Melisa Young (aka Kid Sister). The trio has appropriately on Juneteenth, put out their third album Untitled (Black Is), which a powerful and timely release that speaks directly to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Numero Group has unearthed and recently released what looks to be the final demo material ever recorded from the now legendary seventies-era soul group 24-Carat Black, simply titled III.
Nottingham-based soul singer Yazmin Lacey has continued to make waves within the UK scene over the past few years, releasing a number of great EPs including 2018’s When The Sun Dips 90 Degrees and her debut Black Moon in 2017. She has just released a brilliant new five-track album, titled Morning Matters.
During the same week that we remember and celebrate the late great soul legend Marvin Gaye, who was born on April 2, 1939 and tragically passed on April 1st, 1984, Tamla records will be releasing, for the first time on vinyl, a collection of outtakes from his incredible 1972 soundtrack to Ivan Dixon’s film Trouble Man.
Edinburgh’s Athens Of The North have put out a brand new double vinyl compilation titled Disco With A Feeling featuring many of the label’s most sought after 7inch reissue releases and highly obscure dancefloor gems.
Founded by Maurice White in 1969, the iconic funk and soul group Earth, Wind & Fire are considered by many as one of the greatest bands of all-time. The legendary group, that originated out of Chicago and then re-located to Southern California, has sold over 90 million records and received numerous prestigious awards, including being named to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. On a personal note, EWF was my first favorite groups when I was a young kid and has had a major influence on me ever since.
Luv N’ Haight has recently released a welcomed seven-inch reissue featuring two hard-to-find soul selections from Detroit’s Dee Edwards.
A collection of music that Marvin Gaye recorded in 1972 was released on vinyl for the first time this past Friday on a posthumous album titled You’re The Man.
