Juno Recommends Soul July 2021

Review: North London duo En-To-End make their debut on the Backatcha label with lead singer Tony Shand and keyboardist David Henriques and really impressing. The pair met at the same secondary school, with Dave paying from a young age in church. The two mixes of these tunes are exclusive to this 7" and not available anywhere else. The first is a lush bit of deep house, soul and R&B, with spoken word whispers and buttery smooth croons over a nice 80s drum groove. It's utterly gorgeous and seductive and the All-Dayer mix is a little more blissed out. Essential.

Review: 
Amsterdam-based keyboardist, DJ and producer is un an undeniable purple patch right now. He turned out a beautifully formed fusion album of funk, jazz and hip hop late last year, and this month has a couple of crucial 7"s out. This one has you 'Feelin' Good' from the off with its delicately tickled cymbals, boom bap beats and vamping chords. Swrilign, twirling lead melodies on 'Officially In Love' swell your heart then 'Still Shining' rides on a nice rough edged hip hop beat, which is softened by the warming synth rays.

Review: This hugely in demand modern soul masterpiece gets a special 40th anniversary reissue thanks to the Selector Series label. Originally released on New Jersey's Debbie Records in 1981, the label has dug into the archives to find a boogie-tactic reworking on a classic standard from The Carpenters. Often seen listed for over L400 on second hand markets, it is a serious collector's piece. It's been reissued as part of various albums over the years but never on a slick 45rpm like this. It comes with original artwork and will have any dance floors in a spin.

Review: From Yasmine's rare 2nd album "A Scent Of Flowers", which was released in just Netherland and left behind the one of the masterpieces ofA90s R&B "Wanna Dance" that has been compiled into numerous mixtapes and dance hit compilations, the popular cover songs Roy Ayers "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" and Ray Charles "Let Me Take Over" are finally single-cut with a superb cover that reproduces freshly with R&B manners!

Review: Maria Sanchez aka Groovy MS is a California soul singer who has an authentic sound that recalls the retro greats but takes it into the future. Here she arrives on Swedish label Soul Tune with a brace of brilliant new singles. 'Dynamite' is a real pearler, with horns accompanying her big, clean vocals and subtle backing singers adding extra layers of warmth. On the reverse, 'Sensation' is another timeless mix of horns, prickly rhythms and Sanchez's beautifully aching vocals. Two soul gems, for sure.

Review: Mamiya Takako cut her teeth in late-'70s Japanese girl group Pao before striking out on her own with 1982 debut album Love Trip. Full of sweet, sugary, synth-laden pop songs that drew on then contemporaneous jazz-funk and soul sounds, the album sold relatively poorly at the time but is now considered something of a classic. This seven-inch single offers up two of the set's more sought-after cuts: the glossy, glassy-eyed and undeniably loved-up title track, 'Love Trip' - think FM synth sounds, soft focus sax solos and bubbly jazz-funk bottom-end -and the slightly more up-tempo, funk-flecked sunset breeze that is 'Midnight Joke'. The latter is particularly delicious thanks to some sublime horn arrangements.

Review: LX72 aka Lexx is a well regarded Swiss DJ, producer and tastemaker as well as being resident at the much loved Club Zukunft for more than a decade and a half. He knows a thing or two about crafting lovely tunes and this is his latest. 'Players' has a languid beat embellished with soaring melodies and glistening harmonics. Little vocal yelps, funk riffs and finger clicks all make it that bit more irresistible and catchy as it glides you into a late night mood. The Midnight Tenderness Remix is even more drama and spaced out, with dubby bass pillows and cuddly astral pads to sink deep into.

Review: MIA aka Honey Deux proves why she is also known as The Sweetest Lady of Boogie with a heart melting new soul jam for Mango Hill. The production is lo-fi and dusty, with DIY beats and deeply buried rolling bass drawing you in, while her effortlessly cool and alluring vocals really bring the pain on opener 'Creatures Of The Night.' On the flip, the sounds are little brighter and more ready for a low key dance floor rather than a late night session. Here the squelchy synth bass brings the boogie, lush chords add rich feels and her vocals prove another irresistible centre point.