Soul Recommendations July 2017

Review: Acid Jazz has pulled off something of a coup here by persuading legendary '70s soul man Leroy Huston to part with a couple of previously unreleased cuts. A-side "Positive Forces" was recorded by Hutson in 1977 and sits somewhere between the sweeping, orchestrated bliss of Philly soul, the soaring dancefloor celebration of disco and the loose-limbed instrumental goodness of jazz-funk. It's an absolute stunner, all told, and sounds like it was tailor-made for spins at sweltering summer festivals. On the B-side you'll find a previously unreleased instrumental version of 1975's "All Because of You". While a vocal-free version has previously been released, this particular mix includes a little more drum action at the beginning to assist with mixing.

Review: Athens of the North founder Euan Fryer has described Willie Dale's "Let Your Light Shine" as "one of the best discoveries in the last 15 years". Only five copies of the original 7" single have surfaced to date, with the most recent changing hands for eye-watering sums of money. You can see why Fryer was so excited by "Let Your Light Shine": while rooted in both funk and soul, the track also draws heavily on psychedelic rock and the fuzzy, funk-rock fusion brilliance of Sly Stone. Original B-side "Somebody Help Me" is an altogether more laidback affair, with Dale offering impassioned and melancholic lyrics over a psychedelic era take on old rhythm & blues ballads.

Review: Soul collectors have long considered Melvin Brown and James Matthews' "Love Stormy Weather" to be a slept-on classic. Initially released (and largely ignored) in 1976, it sits somewhere between the acoustic soul of Terry Callier, the dewy-eyed goodness of Rotary Connection, and the sumptuous jazz-funk that was all the rage in the late 1970s. Don't take our word for it, though: check out the sound clips for yourself. On the flipside you'll find a previously unheard gem from the duo: the impassioned, tear-jerking torch song "Crying For Your Love". Naturally it's a little fuzzy round the edges (the masters were probably sat in someone's loft for 30-odd years), but still sounds powerful and emotional.

Review: Famously, East of Underground's 1971 debut album - a brilliant set of originals and covers that many soul fans think is an overlooked gem - was pressed up and distributed to soldiers during the Vietnam War by the U.S Army. Here, one of the highlights of that set, the band's cover of Norman Whitfield's "Smiling Faces Sometimes", gets a deserved 7" reissue. It's a wonderful version, all told, with the band's brilliant musicality and emotion-rich vocals shining through (think Curtis Mayfield crossed with the Meters, and you're close). On the flip you'll find another cut from that hard-to-find debut album, "I Love You", a typically sweet and dewy-eyed ballad rippling with vocal harmonies.

Review: Chicagoan soul man Lou Pride's 1972 debut, "I'm Com'un Home In The Morn'un", has long been sought after by collectors. With original copies fiendishly difficult to find, this new pressing - the latest in a long line of occasional reissues of the Northern Soul style favourite - is a boon for all those who have long wanted a piece of the action. Pride's heartfelt vocal delivery is superb, while the backing track - heavy bass, stomping drums and razor sharp horns - is an absolute beast. For those wanting to revel in its driving goodness, you'll find a contemporary instrumental cover from Southside Wind Symphony on the B-side. This replaces Pride's vocal with some killer piano and organ solos, and is almost better than his original.

Review: Crown Ruler Records co-founder Jeremy Spellacey is highly regarded within the crate-digging community, primarily for his ability to sniff out copies of obscure - but, naturally, high quality - boogie-era disco records from Africa and the Caribbean. On this fine compilation, Spacetalk has offered the New Zealander the opportunity to showcase some of those finds, alongside a smattering of better-known favourites and more recent cuts (see Mike Fabulous's overlooked modern boogie gem "Wang East"). Predictably, Spellacey has delivered the goods, serving up humid, exotic and loved-up gems galore, including the fluttering brilliance of Stimela's "I Love You", the marimba-laden Balearic boogie of Feladey's "Forest Music" and Devon Russell's impeccable reggae-soul cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up".

Review: Sporty Cat sykes delivers the album he always wanted to in the 80s. Laid down the traditional Tascam way, the talented Michigan multi-instrumentalist digs deep into soul palette with equal measures of organic and electronic instrumentation. Expect heavy waves of atmospheres, rich layers of funk and consistent levels of emotion as we glide and stumbled between each touching moment; the drifting sunset ballad "The Best Of My Love", the weeping keys and fluttering slap bass of "Togetherness", the cloud surfing dream boogie of "Sometimes", the rude synth bass and sultry R&B vocals of "If You Want Me", the list goes on...

Review: Previously a Record Store Day special, Colemine elevate this epic 45" compendium to permanent status. 22 tracks heavy, the double 12" whammy unites some of Colemine's finest curations over the years into one perfect collection. From the rare shimmering guitars and woozy horns of The Rugged Nuggets to Colemine debuts such as the sweaty afrofunk boogaloo fusion of Ikebe Shakedown's 2009 breakthrough "Hard Stepping" and the garage funk fizz of Alan Evans Trio's 2012 "Drop Hop" via the beautiful "Smile" from Duran Jones & The Indications' debut album last year, no other album represents the breadth, warmth and vitality of Colemine quite as succinctly as this collection. Slab it up.

Review: Jordan Rakei's brilliant debut album, Cloak, made such an impact that the multi-talented New Zealander now finds himself signed to one of the world's most successful independent labels, Ninja Tune. The move into the big leagues seems to have inspired the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer to up his game, because Wallflower is arguably even better than his debut. Rakei has taken a more widescreen approach, largely ditching the trusty MPC in favour of live drums, bass, guitars, pianos and, on a couple of stand-out cuts, what sounds like a string quartet. As a result, his usually woozy and sun-kissed songs sound even warmer and sunnier, with the Rakei's impeccable vocals coming gift-wrapped in classic musicality. In other words, it's a bit good.

Review: Jordan Rakei's brilliant debut album, Cloak, made such an impact that the multi-talented New Zealander now finds himself signed to one of the world's most successful independent labels, Ninja Tune. The move into the big leagues seems to have inspired the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer to up his game, because Wallflower is arguably even better than his debut. Rakei has taken a more widescreen approach, largely ditching the trusty MPC in favour of live drums, bass, guitars, pianos and, on a couple of stand-out cuts, what sounds like a string quartet. As a result, his usually woozy and sun-kissed songs sound even warmer and sunnier, with the Rakei's impeccable vocals coming gift-wrapped in classic musicality. In other words, it's a bit good.