Juno Recommends Soul May 2020

Review: When copies of Raw Soul Express's The Way We Live crop up online, they regular fetch eye-watering sums of money. Originally released back in 1977 on T.K Records' soul/funk offshoot Cat, it remains the greatest single work by the short-lived Miami band. "The Way We Live" is a superb example of sun-kissed, feel good, conscious disco/soul/funk fusion, built around a killer, horn-toting groove and emotion-rich vocal. The jazzy, low-slung flipside "This Thing Called Music" is less in demand, but almost as good. As a result, this is a surprise reissue that all funk, soul and disco diggers should crave.

Review: As you'd expect, the latest single from Daptone stalwarts and high-grade rhythm & blues/early soul revivalists James Hunter Six is something of a doozy. The British band are in fine form on "Brother Or Other", a mid-tempo, turn-of-the-1960s style soul workout in which the soulful lead vocal and group harmony backing vocals rise above hazy horns and a laidback (but still impactful) groove. B-side "Never" is a smooch-tastic slow jam of the kind that's used to set hearts-a-fluttering at the end of dance sessions circa 1960. We prefer the more up-beat A-side, but as with the rest of the band's output it's perfectly pitched, performed and produced.

Review: Between 1988 and '91, Earl Myers and Toyin Agbetu released a string of fine singles and albums as Soul Connection on the latter's Intrigue Records imprint. While under-appreciated in comparison to some other acts of the period, the pair released some of the finest street soul to come out of the UK in the period. This essential compilation from Invisible City Editions gathers together some of their finest moments, adding an insert with detailed liner notes that tells their story in full. Highlights are plentiful, from the bustling, breakbeat-driven dancefloor goodness of "Change/Love" and the bubby, Loose Ends/Maze influenced electro-soul of "It's All Over", to the soulful deep house richness of "The Way Love Is" and super-sweet "R U Available".

Review: Many of the finest independent disco 45s that Athens of the North has reissued were licensed by crate digger David Haffner, so it's fitting that AOTN boss Euan Fryer has given him a compilation of his own. "Disco With A Feeling" contains some of those picks, alongside other obscure favourites from Haffner's sizable record collection. It's absolute fire from start to finish, with the little known private press and small-run cuts tending towards the more soulful and jazz-funk influenced end of the disco spectrum. Basically, it's a must-have for anyone who gravitates towards the rare end of the disco spectrum.

Review: If you have even the smallest interest in the worlds of gospel soul and gospel disco, there's a fair chance you've already picked up at least one volume in Tone B. Nimble's ongoing series of split 7" singles, "Soul Is My Salvation". If not, we'd recommend checking out this fourth volume. The A-side sports a superb slab of what sounds like late 1970s, disco-era jazz-funk/gospel soul fusion from obscure Michigan band Cash Money, which was previously featured on the B-side of an extremely rare, private press single. Arguably even better is B-side "New Day New Time", a 1990 chunk of synthesizer and slap-bass heavy gospel soul genius plucked from Ricky Womack and the New Age Christian Ensemble's similarly rare album "Something Within".

Review: Strut continues to mine the back catalogue of disco and boogie-era soul star Patrice Rushen with a much-needed reissue of her 1980 set "Posh". Produced by Rushen alongside Charles Mims Jr, the set not only contains a string of fine club cuts - think "Never Gonna Give You Up", the bustling and joyous "Look Up" (an extended version of which is tagged on to the end of the CD as a great bonus) and "The Funk Won't Let You Down") - but also boasts some of the most exciting and interesting arrangements in the legendary disco diva's discography. It's musically vibrant, too, with the assembled players delivering killer grooves (slap-bass abounds), punchy horns, seductive orchestration and heaps of rush-inducing solos.

Review: First featured on Marc Staggers' 2011 album of the same name, "Key To My Heart" is a sumptuous R&B/modern soul slow jam that's as sweet, loved-up and huggable as they come. Here it gets a second life as disco remix legend Tom Moulton gives his twist on the track. His version is arguably even more polished and seductive, adding layers of luscious instrumentation while keeping Staggers' vocal centre stage. Over on side B you'll find the previously unreleased "Soft Words", another slick slow jam full of layered vocals, drowsy grooves and slinky saxophone solos.

Review: Kimberlite's latest release is not a reissue, but rather a fresh two-track missive from Aladean Kheroufi, an Algeria-born Canadian musician with a trademark sound all of his own. A-side "Sorry If I Hurt You" is a wonderfully warm and fuzzy affair - musically at least - with the artist singing of guilt, victimhood and failed relationships over a retro-futurist soul backing track rich in distorted guitar riffs, weighty bass, chiming melodies, semi-stomping beats and hazy electric piano. He heads into deeper, slower territory on flipside "Nothing Ever Changes", a delightfully melancholy affair in which his world-weary vocals and hazy horns gently rise above a relaxed but groovy backing track. Like the A-side, it boasts authentically old school soul production.

Review: Strut continues to mine the back catalogue of disco and boogie-era soul star Patrice Rushen with a much-needed reissue of her 1980 set "Posh". Produced by Rushen alongside Charles Mims Jr, the set not only contains a string of fine club cuts - think "Never Gonna Give You Up", the bustling and joyous "Look Up" (an extended version of which is tagged on to the end of the CD as a great bonus) and "The Funk Won't Let You Down") - but also boasts some of the most exciting and interesting arrangements in the legendary disco diva's discography. It's musically vibrant, too, with the assembled players delivering killer grooves (slap-bass abounds), punchy horns, seductive orchestration and heaps of rush-inducing solos.

Review: Soul isn't necessarily the first sound you think of when you hear the words Pacific Northwest, but this comp looks to re-write that association. It packs a real punch across eleven rare and unissued Pacific Northwest floor fillers, all originally put out on Oregon's Garland Records. Hip shakes and deep move makers abound with the psyched out leads of Cornucopia's "Just One Time" providing an early highlight, while Crystal Teardrop's "I Can't Understand" slows down to a reggae tempo and eventually rebuilds with some raw soul swagger. It makes for an eye-opening selection of real soul treasures.

Review: For well over a decade Japanese combo Q.A.S.B has been serving up slices of soulful goodness that variously join the dots between James Brown, Kool & The Gang, Sly and the Family Stone and slower, more thoughtful moments. Here they return to regular home Soul Garden with their first single of 2020. A-side "Thank You" is suitably and summery, with sweet female vocals, glistening guitar riffs, sustained organ chords, hazy horns and simmering strings rising above a skittish, jazz-fired groove. The party intensifies on flipside "Week-End", a Japanese language vocal number that makes the most of a more disco-centric, jazz-funk style soul backing track.