Review: Powerful belters from soul supernova Baby Huey. The only solo 45s he cut for Curtom Records before he passed away aged only 26, this was released posthumously and OG copies regularly go for over 200 pounds. Now reissued on Soul Brother, the two sides give you the full fat Huey; "Hard Times" hits with a raw Lee Fields style gravelly, story-telling delivery while "Listen To Me" shows Huey's deft ability to band-lead an all-out rock jam. Raw and emotional, Huey left this world far too soon.
You Don't Care (About Our Love) (instrumental) (4:28)
Review: China Burton's 'You Don't Care About Our Love' is a widely recognised deep funk classic from 1979 which has long been favoured by DJs on the soul circuit. It's not hard to hear why - the tune has everything you need, from a slinky breakdown to an anthemic chorus, and the rhythm section is primed to get bodies moving. There have been scattered bootleg versions of this tune put out before, but now Soul Brother are doing a legitimate job with the vocal and instrumental versions on a fresh 45.
Review: First released in 1976 on Polydor, 'All Alone By The Telephone' is a lesser-sung sleeper hit by the Checkmates Ltd., but it hardly deserves this obscurity compared to their far more well-known hit 'Black Pearl', produced by Phil Spector. This one, to contrast, was produced by H.B.Barnum. It's a known go-to for DJs on the 2-step and modern soul scenes, but it's not the hype that counts; rather, the track's production is delectable, meting out near perfect harmony and balance to evoke the excruciating feeling of loneliness. 'Body Language', on the B, hears the band rested and recuperated from this isolated spell, and comes far funkier, more delightful.
Review: Soul Brother present two sublime cuts by Carolyn Franklin, younger sister to Aretha, for their debut appearance on the seven inch format. On top of her significant body of work as a songwriter and background artist for Aretha and several other acts of the 60s and 70s, Carolyn Franklin record four solo albums and several singles for the RCA label. Rare groove heads favour Franklin's fourth LP If You Want Me in particular, issued in 1976 but originally recorded three years earlier, and Soul Brother have licensed two highlights for this 7" which demonstrate Carolyn's range for anyone not familiar with her work. "Sunshine Holiday" is a psyche delight akin to Linda Lewis' "Reach For The Truth" whilst "Deal With It" is pure funk.
Review: Legendary bandleader Eddie Palmieri took a rare groove excursion from his Latin legacy in the early 70s for two albums as Harlem River Drive. Criminally overlooked, Soul Brother have dusted off two of the many highlights from his self-titled debut; "Idle Hands" is a sleazy, Gaye-style message with an almost spoken word quality to the vocals and a smoky wooziness to the horns while "Seeds Of Life" is a real end-of-set belter that rises and rises with tight orchestration between the guitar, horns and drums. Incredible... This can't be slept on this time round.
Review: Repress time: released last year on a limited run of 45s, Chet Ivey's double-A "Dose Of Soul" / "Get Down With Greater" returns to the relief of collectors and funk lovers who missed out. Two of many swelteringly funky gems on his Sylvia Funk Recordings album curated in 2017, "Dose Of Soul" has a raw edge and looseness that's held together with Ayers-style vibraphone chords, while "Get Down With Greater" is much more of a traditional funk jam, with the organ player and bassist playing at their fullest of flavours and Ivey leading in his inimitable 'poisonous' style. Don't sleep!
Review: Produced by Leroy Hutson and Curtis Mayfield, released by Just Sunshine Records, over the course of five years, the community-based collective Voices Of East Harlem blessed the world with three albums and a whole string of funky singles, including these two cult tracks. "Wanted Dead Or Alive" is straight up funk with a strong splash of gospel. One of their most popular cuts, it was taken from their 1973 self-titled album. "Can You Feel It" on the B offers much more of a rare groove and funk vibe with keys and some powerful backing vocals. It still sounds as fresh as it did 45 years ago. You feeling it?
Review: 40 years young: Wood, Brass & Steel's eponymous debut album enjoys a highly timely reissue and it still sounds every bit as funky ("Theme Song"), soulful ("Working On A Dream") and emotional ("My Darling Baby") as it did in 76. Complete with cult dancefloor hit "Funkanova" and the crossover disco hit "Always There", this LP has aged with real maturity and clout. Considering what the members did next (Tackheads, Sugarhill and Fats Comet) Wood, Brass & Steel was something of a supergroup in hindsight... And this album is where it all began.
Review: Johnny Hammond was a prolific organist, composer and multidisciplinary artist active throughout the USA for the majority of the 20th Century. By the time the lesser-known LP and meditation on devilish excess 'Gambler's Life' was released in 1974, Hammond's sound had grown unusually cacophonous and was noisy to a kind of perfection that could only be described as an acquired taste. That doesn't deter us, though: this reissue from Soul Brother carefully pays homage to the late great's 28th album, with the broken wonk of 'Rhodesian Thoroughfare', the voluptuous funk of 'Star Borne' and the melismatic virtuosity of 'Virgo Lady' all tempting us back towards the broad gate.
Review: Idris's fifth and perhaps most popular of his near-20 LP strong solo discography (that's not including the epic array of artists he's worked with from Fats Domino to Art Davis) Ranging from the heavily-sampled stone-cold soul stunner "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" to silky disco funk such as the album title track and the sleazier "Crab Apple" to the frenetic jazz blasts of tracks such as "Camby Bolongo", this is the sound of a man fully committed to the craft and spirit of the groove. Nothing short of essential.
Willie Hutch - "Ain't That (Mellow Mellow)" (3:00)
Sisters Love - "Give Me Your Love" (4:19)
The Voices Of East Harlem - "Wanted Dead Or Alive" (3:03)
Mighty Ryeders - "Evil Vibrations" (3:46)
Etta James - "All The Way Down" (5:33)
Bobby Blue Bland - "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" (3:54)
The Dramatics - "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" (3:34)
The Four Tops - "Strung Out For Your Love" (5:41)
The Reflections - "She's My Summer Breeze" (4:28)
Ronnie McNeir - "I'm Your Lover" (3:37)
Thelma Houston - "Nothing Left To Give" (3:23)
Jeannie Reynolds - "I Don't Want To Be Second Best" (4:21)
Penny Goodwin - "Too Soon You're Old" (5:12)
Marlena Shaw - "Save The Children" (4:08)
Mike James Kirkland - "Hang On In There" (5:14)
Review: Soul Brother does all soul and rare groove lovers a favour by collection totters a load of desirable hits on this 30th anniversary edition of the fifth volume of their The Wants List series. The collection focusses on tunes form the 80s onwards from two steppers to modern soul. It's pure gold from the first needle drop with Barry White's buttery smooth baritone seducing beneath gentle sax sounds on 'Playing Your Game Baby.' Elsewhere the likes of Sweet Charles, Etta James, The Four Tops, Bobby Blue Bland and many more soul icons all serve up some of their warmest grooves.
Review: This record was thought to have been lost until recently re-discovered. Recorded in the 1970s and has been loving remasters from the original tapes here and pressed onto heavyweight wax. This collection features some heavily sampled tunes such as 'Funkanova' which has been pillaged by the likes of Black Science Orchestra, DJ Sneak and The Bucketheads. It also has a famous rendition of the Ronnie Laws jewel 'Always There'. Wood, Brass & Steel members include the likes of Doug Winbush who went on to play with the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash.
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