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..."
Carolyn Crawford - "It Takes A Lotta Teardrops" (2:47)
Hodges, James, Smith & Crawford - "I'm In Love" (2:26)
Review: It Takes A Lotta Teardrops showcases the refined touch of Mickey Stevenson, delivering a timeless Motown sound. This Leon Ware and Vicki Basemore composition, although unreleased until now, echoes the classic vibes that Kim Weston also interpreted, but like hers, it remained in the vaults. The decision to shelve this gem in 1972 may have been due to its retro style during a time of evolving musical tastes, yet it remains an essential listen for Motown and Northern Soul enthusiasts. On Side-2, 'I'm In Love', stems from Carolyn Crawford's work with Hodges, James and Smith in 1971. Released under the M'Pingo label, this track embraced a more contemporary feel for its era and continues to resonate in Modern and Crossover rooms today. This single is a fine addition for collectors and fans of classic soul.
Music Makes The World Go 'Round (instrumental) (3:23)
Review: Numero's Hottest Sounds Around series has excelled at unveiling a treasure trove of late-70s Caribbean grooves. Now they look to Trinidad where Stan Chaman's Semp label originally presented the Hamilton Brothers' calypso-disco hit 'Music Makes The World Go 'Round' back in 1978. It is a vibrant sound with multi-layered grooves, plenty of inescapable summer vibes and a tropical edge that cannot fail to bring the good times to any session. On the flip is an instrumental that pairs things back to the bubbly rhythms. What's more, it comes on lovely pink vinyl.
Review: Detroit musician and producer Dave Hamilton hears two fantastic early emissions of his reissued via BGP. Known originally as a guitarist and an early member of the Motown house band, Hamilton's influence on music, especially the later Northern soul firestorm in the UK, is perhaps understated. His guitar contributions to the likes of Marvin Gaye's 'Stubborn Kind Of Fellow' and John Lee Hooker's 'Boom Boom' are indeed cherished additions to the Michigan funk and r&b canon, but perhaps it's his later outings as Dave Hamilton and the Peppers - and later founding of the labels Demoristic and TCB - that house the real trinkets. 'The Deacons' and 'Pisces Place' both came out via the TCB label, and brought vibraphonic blues and astrologic easy listens respectively to wax.
Review: Mr Bongo are enacting a thorough revisiting of some of the very best soul, funk, MPB and boogie gems to stud their catalogue over the years; at this rate, the tagline "back by popular demand" has become a motto. This careful pairing of mutually constitutive Hanna and Almir Ricardi tunes made up the label's 54th release. 'Daixa Radar' comes first as the initial "rediscovery" of DJ Koco, whose Brazil 45's mix was the functional tipoff. Ricardi's 'To Parado Na Tua' is a similar midtempo boogie cut, produced by the legendary duo of Lincoln Olivetti and Robson Jorge, whose singularly timbral slap-drums are to die for.
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: There have now been almost 100 hundred entries on Mr Bongo's Brazil 45 series and as far as we can tell not one of them has been a dud. This time they opt for a big and airy soul sound from The Harmony Cats. They were an all female vocal quintet that hailed from Sao Paulo and banded together in 1976. Most prolific in the disco days, the b-side here is their best known tune outside of Brazil. It's got a cosmic breakbeat and light vocals that soar to the skies. A-side 'Seja Como Nos (De Pe No Chao)' is a just as sweet sound that transports you to Latin America in an instant.
Review: The Brazil45 series has always been pure gold and now come a pair f beauties from Harmony Cats, a vocal quintet-turned-trio from Sao Paulo known for their disco-era hits. Harmony Cats' 'Theme' from 1976 is their most recognised track outside Brazil and is inspired by Rhythm Heritage's Barretta's Theme with its spacey breakbeats, lush vocals and percussive flair, all of which have made it a true crossover classic. On the B-side, 'Seja Como Nos (De Pe No Chao)' delivers an exuberant Brazilian twist on The Jacksons' 'Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)'- it's a guaranteed floor-filler with radiant disco energy and Harmony Cats' signature vocal style.
Review: Athens Of The North celebrate the longstanding contributions of host, presenter, writer, personality and occasional singer Bernard "Spider" Harrison. Recorded sometime around 1970, and fetching large triple figures between collectors, the feel good bluesy soul cut "Beautiful Day" first landed on Lulu Records and has barely seen the light of day since... Until now. And it's loaded with a never-before-released drum cut. Don't sleep, though. Only 500 of these have been pressed.
Review: Detroit-born jazz musician Wendell Harrison did a lot of seminal work with the likes of Phil Ranelin and Tribe in the early part of his career, but he's also slipped out some seriously funky wares like this rare joint originally from 1982 on Wenha Records. Athens Of The North are champions of such records, picking them up, showing them some love and getting them out to a fresh audience, and so it goes on this killer 7", which flips the A and the B so Harrison's version of Stevie Wonder's 'Rocket Love' gets up front in all its groovesome glory.
Review: Izipho Soul has got another release together here that is sure to fly off the shelves as quickly as all their others. It's two tunes taken from a now hard-to-find 2007 album by prolific musicianship and sometimes Diana Ross collaborator Richard Hartley & Soul Resurrection called Face II Face. Phil 'Phillet Of Soul' Ward is the man who has selected them and he's picked real doozies. 'Jesus Makes Me Happy' is a slow motion and sentimental rhythm for dancing at sundown while 'Heart & Soul' is a sentimental ballad.
The Headhunters - "God Make Me Funky" (extended Breaks Special edition) (3:57)
The Counts - "Motor City" (extended Breaks Special edition) (4:18)
Review: This new hand-numbered 7" from Breaks & Beats is a sample hunter's delight. Two timeless funk gems with super deep vibes and lush vocals that have been pillaged by hip-hop and R&B artists many times over the years. On the a-side is a special extended Breaks Special edition edit of The Headhunters - 'God Make Me Funky' with its super tight drumming, languid bass funk and epic sense of late-night cool. On the reverse is another special extended Breaks Special edition edit, this time of The Counts's playful and funk gem 'Motor City' with its big fills and steamy sax lines.
Review: Portland band The Hemloks deal in a specialty take on the genre of funk: lo-fi twangers with a Western verve. 'Outlaw's Theme' is a 7" single that is both good, bad, and ugly; through plodding wah licks and root-note returns, and with true grit, it searches for a place to dance in the sun.. B-side 'Seaweed', meanwhile, plunges us underwater, dub-delaying its lead guitar line for another less-than-clean yet no less infectious slice of West Coast funk.
Review: The Demon Singles Club offers up a carefully curated selection of sought-after and classic tracks by legends from days gone by. Next up in the spotlight is Greg Henderson with some super lush disco and boogie vibes recorded back in the early 80s by the enigmatic artist. He only made a few records in his short career but they all made their mark and this one, 'Dreamin,' is a case in point: it will fill any floor with its catchy grooves and lush riffs which have all been reasserted for this special reissue project.
Review: Discos Martos is a new division of Rocafort Records. The imprint takes its bow here with a cultured single from soul singer Glen Anthony Henry who is originally from Los Angeles but now based in Spain. His vibe is to blend the best bits from classic soul with a modern edge that hits different. The A-side, 'Thankful,' is an upbeat tribute to love and friendship featuring a catchy hook and an Al Green-style drum groove. The B-side, 'Fade Away', highlights Henry's falsetto in a deep, introspective ballad. Both tracks are produced by Oscar Martos using full analogue recording so they capture the warmth of 70s soul and make for an exciting start for Discos Martos.
Jimmy Hicks - "I'm Mr Big Stuff" (Mako & Mr Bristow edit) (3:41)
Candi Staton - "I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart" (Mako & Mr Bristow edit) (2:41)
Review: Mako & Mr Bristow are top stars of the Stank Soul Edits series and here they take care of a 15th release for the Soul Flip label. Its an imprint with a soft spot for new versions of classic sounds, as the title suggests, and here the pair turn their attention to Jimmy Hicks' reinterpretation of Jean Knight's classic 'Mr Big Stuff' and they draw out the rolling drums and iconic bass riffs then layer in the vocals and tooting horns. On the flip, Candi Staton's 'I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart' is in focus and again becomes a real dance floor heater with contemporary oomph.
Review: It's been a weird summer for sure in 2020, but you can improve yours by a guaranteed 100% with the addition of this hard to fine and often expensive 1980 great. High Frequency was a disco offshoot of Aleem, a boogie-funk, r&b and dance music trio formed in New York City. "Summertime" is the sort of bristling and infectious disco cut even the stony hearted can enjoy. The funky bassline, the feel good vocals, the lush chords - it's a real pearl of a track. The instrumental is just as feel good and uplifting. What a 7" this is.
Review: Legendary Harlem label Queen Constance brought the world the most raw and authentic disco direct from the source. Years later, collectors and dancers alike still fawn over plenty of its output and now two of its more notorious tracks get on-point edits by contemporary stars Kon and Moplen. With Kon at the buttons, High Voltage's "Rock Spank Freak" is tweaked and coerced, with extended funk breakdowns and heavier bottom ends. Moplen then adds some extra colour and pumps up the trumpet lines to make for an unabashedly glorious disco stomper. This is a 100% legit reissue with fresh remastering, so do not sleep.
Review: Defiant, spruce and intractable, Hodges James Smith & Crawford's 'Nobody' marks this brilliant new funk reissue with a caustic grip-quip after at the slippery satins of love: "nobody's gonna tell me that you don't love me, baby. They just don't know that you're an angel..." Walking a universal tightrope of ambivalence - this is a situation that we'd wager everyone of one stripe or another is familiar with - this record could function either as a tell of blind infatuation with a ne'er-do-well, or a real statement of loving intention for a misunderstood penitent. 'It Cracks Me Up' backs up the B with an ensouled, ensemble-armoured musing on "girls with shiny faces" and "superdudes", resolving on a tonic note of equal sexual charge. The West Coast vocal group outdid themselves back in 1971, so much that original copies of this fetch unholily exorbitant prices; high time for a repress!
Review: A crunchy and honest reissue of Loleatta Holloway's 'I Can't Help Myself', which has only seen a smidgen of recognition compared to what it deserves so far. Originally featured on the 'Cry To Me' LP for DJs, the song is a strutting ode to dashed expectations in love. The B-side, 'Mrs So & So's Daughter', meanwhile, meditates through dry, electric funk. Astonishing remaster from Kent Dance.
Review: The Houston Outlaws's 'Ain't No Telling' is a perennial dancefloor favourite amongst soul fans. It is often out of stock wherever you look and so it now gets a timely reissue. It's an uplifting tune with neat and tight guitar melodies that ride up and down the scale while warm Rhodes chords light up the backdrop. A buttery male vocal takes the lead and big horns are the icing on the cake. 'It's No Fun Being Alone' on the flipside then gets more sentimental and has slide guitars and reflective vocals bring a romantic and lovestruck vibe.
Review: 'Foolish Man Part 1' and 'Part 2' by The Huck Daniels Co is one of several 45rpms the BGP label is dropping at the moment and weirdly many of them are also in two parts. This one features guitarist Daniels who was a key part of the B.B. King band ahead of later setting in Los Angeles and becoming a respected leader in his own right. He wrote just one for Kent Records and that was in 1973 as the label headed into its final days. 'Part 1' on the A-side is a driving funk cut aimed squarely at the club and heavy on inspiration from James Brown and the version on the flip levels up with organ playing from Earl Foster.
Review: Little is known about Human Race and their mysterious, self-titled debut single, other than they were the house band at the Continental Club in Miami, Florida, during the late 1960s. Their sole single, which slipped out on a tiny label at the turn of the 70s, has long been sought after by collectors. Having first been reissued in 2002, it has now been given a fresh pressing. It's well worth picking up, not least for the languid and laidback title track, where scat-style vocals and glistening guitars ride a groove rich in deep, weighty bass guitar, shuffling drum-breaks and ear-catching hand percussion. As it did on previous releases, the track comes backed by an even slower, more laidback instrumental number, the sweltering, sax-laden soul sweetness of 'Grey Boy'.
Review: Bobby Hutton, the first singer featured on Soul Train in 1971, sees his rare soul classic 'Lend A Hand' reissued by Expansion. Originally released in 1973, this track is a soulful gem that resonates with fans and collectors alike. On Side-1, 'Lend A Hand' stands out as an impressive track, showcasing Hutton's powerful vocals and emotional depth. Side-2 features 'Come See What's Left Of Me,' originally from 1969. A soulful and elegant experience, highlighting Hutton's early work. Both songs are certified rare and classic soul, making this reissue an appealing one for those who appreciate timeless, heartfelt music.
Review: Soul legend Isaac Hayes' enduring legacy as a soul visionary echoes through this second volume of his singles, which picks up from where the first left off. The collection spans 1972 to 1976, a time when Hayes transitioned from Stax to his own Hot Buttered Soul label. Tracks like 'Hung Up On My Baby' and the relentlessly funky 'Chocolate Chip' showcase his blend of lush orchestration with raw, gritty grooves, a style deeply rooted in the soul-rich streets of Memphis, where Hayes' early musical foundations were laid. As he moved away from Stax's structure, Hayes embraced a new sense of creative freedom, merging cinematic soul with the emerging sounds of disco, perfectly captured in 'Disco Connection'. The production, unpolished and alive, channels the intensity of Hayes' sound from the early 70s, pushing boundaries while remaining deeply personal. This release is a reflection of the man's profound influence on soul music, one that continues to reverberate through generations.
Review: Karl Hector and the Malcouns are an interesting proposition. While ostensibly a funk band, their output regularly touches on Afrobeat, exotic Indian instrumentation, trippy psychedelic rock, atmospheric soundtrack fare and wonky, drum-Laden sci-fi weirdness. This sophomore set - their debut, Sahara Swing, dropped in 2008 - includes all these influences and more, offering a vivid, off-kilter journey taking in psychedelic jazz-funk, Arabic instrumental soul and Hammond-laden psychedelic freak-outs. It's hard to pin down, for sure, but that just adds to its' humid, kaleidoscopic allure.
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