Review: Neo-soul chanteuse Bette Smith is an upcoming talent who lends her tones to the blistering blues guitar work of Kirk Flecther here. The pair take on a cover of The Rolling Stones' classic tune 'Brown Sugar' and do it with real gusto. The drums smash hard, the guitar riffs are big and angular and the vocals re delivered in sleazy fashion. The Tone's quirky pop dance hit 'Dance Monkey' then gets covered don the flip and turned into a psyched out bluesy guitar number with big vocals. It's a unique rework that makes this a collectible 7".
Review: Dynamite Cuts have got another red hot bit of funk on their hands here with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express the subject of this reissue of two of his most blissed out sounds. The first is a magic cover of Marvin Gaye's timeless 'Inner City Blues' from his most iconic album, What's Going On. In this outfit's hands the groove becomes a little more deep and languid, with funky guitars and steamy vocals sinking you into a real romantic vibe. The second is an original tune, 'Voices Of Other Times,' that explores more uplifting soul vibes.
Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Band - "If There's A Will There's A Way" (3:36)
Harvey Mandel - "Baby Batter" (3:40)
Review: Climactic, psychedelic soul and blues brilliance by Don Covay, co-written by Donny Hathaway and backed by a proto-Balearic sweetmeat on the B, Harvey Mandel's 'Baby Batter'. The A-side was originally released one year after (1972) the B-side (1971) on the American Janus label, and the tracks provide a palpable contrast, drawing on the same idiom yet approaching it with remarkable difference. Covay's lyrics are, thematically, overflowing with determination, despite the psychic conflict at the track's heart. Is there any resolution? "The sweeter you, look, mama... the bitterer you treat me..."
Review: Miami's Far Produce are fresh faces, but their sound is full of respect for times past, building on classic soul jazz by bringing it a modern instrumental twist. Led by two Studio City, CA natives - Addison Rifkind on guitar and Michael Duffy on drums - Fat Produce deliver a veritable cornucopia of fruits and groceries to chew on here. 7" A-sider 'Sticky Beets' turns our inners red, as we're led to imagine chowing down on the perfect beetroot yield and the funky euphoria that inevitably follows ingestion of such a delicacy. B-sider 'Son!', meanwhile, draws on an amalgamation of several Bay Area-inspired grooves - Duffy is a walking rhythmic encyclopaedia - set against an improvised, on-the-fly groove first laid down by Rifkind, whose hook-worthiness is unmistakable here.
Review: Long-faced Boston blues trio GA-20 deliver a swampy, bluesy take on Dolly Parton's classic, 'Jolene'. While the original Parton number's lyrics dealt in the instantly-memorable theme of a queen bee stealing the singer's beloved - "just because you can" - the original song could nonetheless be accused of obscuring the melancholic feel of the lyrics, by lending them an uptempo dance backing. GA-20 might be credited with fixing that problem here, stripping things back to a lilting blues plod, convincingly reworked into a vintage, boxy, sepia-toned context.
Review: A new raw, bluesy punk-garage EP from Mick Hampshire - a zoomed-out existential musing on life, dealing in geological process, speck-of-dust sublimes and personal breaking points. Drawing on Hampshire's well-gained experience as the leading member of garage rock four-piece Mickey & The Milkshakes, Mick now goes rogue, dashing the cream shake to the floor, and turning his hand to a mendicant, roughshod, rock-relief style of blues. In 2022, armed only with his Grimshaw semi-acoustic guitar - unamplified - Mick sang and strummed through these four home-recorded, perhaps phone-recorded jams in an unnamed back room. The result is an honest and grievous sound, reaching its exasperated but shoulder-shaking climax on 'When You're In This Mood'.
Los Chicos Tristes (feat Jensine Benitez - El Michels Affair remix) (2:41)
Review: Ahead of their new album Sonido Cosmico, Hermanos Gutierrez return with a smouldering single which shows off their affinity for wistful guitar soliloquies on a short n' sweet 7". The brothers' sound is rooted in 1950s Latin American rock n roll, all quivering tremolo and languid reverb as a casing for their mesmerising melodies. 'Low Sun' captures that melancholic moment as the day shortens in evocative fashion, making this a record primed for sentimental moments aplenty whether you're playing the record for yourself or an audience of kindred chillers who appreciate Balearic vibes hailing from the Southern Hemisphere.
Review: Greg Jolly's 1981 jam 'It's Getting Sweeter' is the subject of this new tidy reissue on US label Enjoy. It's a real deep funk classic that has a lo-fi feel and vocals full of love and passion from both the male lead and the sweet female backers. The chords and drums are gently persuasive and it's a great way to ease yourself into an evening. This 45rpm is backed with 'Love Is' which picks up the pace and has a more funky and propulsive beat with acrobatic falsettos up top finishing it in style.
Review: London's BDQ Records has got more gold here from the superb vocal talent that is Lydia Jane. Her smoky tones come across these two stylish mod-jazz gems starting with the titular 'Sweetheart' which has lazy and slow motion grooves with some lovely reverb-heavy guitar lines reign out next to Jane's sensuous jazz delivery. On the flip is 'Loser' which has a more upbeat feel with 60s tones to the vocals as the swinging drums and feathery snares all add extra depth. A lovely 7" here for fans of all styles of soul.
Review: Ohio-based instrumental organ trio Parlor Greens, known for their blend of soul, funk and blues, return with a new 7" that follows their acclaimed debut from 2024. Side-1 features 'Driptorch', which is driven by crunchy drums from Tim Carman, funky guitar riffs by Jimmy James and Adam Scone's expressive Hammond organ. The track delivers a high-energy, groove-filled adventure. On Side-2 ,'200 Dollar Blues', introduces a fresh, mid-tempo instrumental. This blues shuffle highlights James' searing Stratocaster solos, complemented perfectly by Scone's soulful organ work. Their interplay exudes a raw, electrifying energy, while Carman's steady, dynamic drumming grounds the track, making this one for fans of deep soul and blues.
Review: Spasibo Records present a fresh 7" by the Vicious Seeds, hailing from St. Petersburg. With vibraphonist Pavel Chizhik taking centre stage (Chizhik isn't usually a member of the band), 'Village Hassle' makes for a cleverly collaborative rare groove and instrumental reggae-soul release. The titular A-side flaunts Chizhik's vibraphone via the mix alone, fleshing out its low-end elements against a driven instrumental backbeat; 'Monthly Rainfall', meanwhile, goes for all-out slow-jammed soul by way of cross-sticked snares and offbeat chord plucks run through short-release springs.
Review: Spasibo Records introduces a new 7" vinyl by St. Petersburg outfit the Vicious Seeds, this time on yellow and green wax. In an unconventional move, vibraphonist Pavel Chizhik takes the spotlight and the result is that he truly enhances the band's signature sound. 'Village Hassle' offers a unique blend of rare groove and instrumental reggae-soul - the A-side highlights Chizhik's vibraphone prowess, intertwining it with a dynamic instrumental backbeat. On the flip side, 'Monthly Rainfall' delves into a soulful journey, characterized by cross-sticked snares and offbeat chord plucks which create an atmosphere reminiscent of slow-jammed soul with a contemporary twist.
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