Cordial Vinyl & CDs

Review: Cordial have partnered with Afrodisia to reissue their sought-after album, 1980's Elephant Sunrise, in 2018, with an album of previously unreleased recordings to follow. To whet our appetite, they've decided to release the never-before-heard "Malik", a brilliant chunk of jazz-funk fusion that would have got jazz dancers hot under the collar had it appeared when it was originally recorded way back in 1982. On the B-side you'll find the similarly minded "A Fool No Longer", a dancefloor-focused chunk of blue-eyed soul that has previously only been available on obscure 1981 compilation album Rock Aus Der Alten Schule. Brilliant stuff all told.

Review: Some seriously classic soul vibes shine bright on this new 45 rpm from Dayton Grey. It's one that will have Northern Soul fans in a spin too, literally and emotionally, with its gorgeously sweet and smooth vocals. They soar over nimble drums and swooping strings that add the lushness on A-side 'Love Is On The Line.' On the flip, 'He Won't Love You (Like I Do)' slows things down and wallows in more mournful vocals and sombre melodies over heavier-hearted drums. Both tunes are life-enriching for different reasons.

Review: Famed for his classic slinky soul disco 1981 bomb "Don't Send Me Away" and his tenure in the Delphonics live band, Garfield Fleming returns to vinyl after almost 40 years thanks to Cordial. And he does so with brand new material. Taken from his eponymous six track mini album "Ain't Nothing Too Good For My Woman" is a shiny 80s soul gem with stacks of space for Garfield's signature soaring vocals and the purring female backing vocals while "Hustlin'" gets a lean strip-back to bare guitars, flutes and Fleming's naked vocals. What a comeback.

Review: Cordial Recordings has dug deep for this third release. It comes from the Arthur Goodjoin-helmed Singing Tornados, a band that emanated in the 1950s and are still performing locally in South Carolina today. The two songs showcased here naturally come from their most hard-to-find 7" (an original copy would set you back a four-figure sum). "Travelling Through The Land" is an impassioned soul number that sits somewhere between the stomping sound of Detroit and the more orchestral Philadelphia International sound. Typically, B-side "Stop This Fussing & Fighting" is a more laidback - if no less impassioned - affair, with Goodjoin pleading for World peace over a sumptuous, slow and groovy backing track.

Review: Originally released in 1979 as a B-side to The Neville Brother's "Sweet Honey Dipper", "Dance Your Blues Away" saw Ivan go solo for the first time on this sultry modern soul jam. Laced with a plucky bass and just the right smattering of sleaze, it set the foundations for Ivan's extensive solo career. It also provides the perfect groove tools for The Mighty Zaf to work his editor craft and beef up the vibe with subtlety. Keep on dancing!

Review: Cordial serve up some previously unreleased funky and soulful vibes from the much loved West Coast group Seaquence. These are high speed and hugely cosmic affairs with squealing synths reaching for the skies over driving rhythm sections. 'Visions Of My Love' opens up and is a short but potent bit of soul power with lung busting vocals and great horns. 'Life' on the flip side is more mellifluous, with acrobatic vocals rising and falling over more great horns and splashes of jazzy drum work.

Review: With Cordial Recordings, LoveVinyl's Roual Galloway is doing a terrific job in making rare, sought-after tracks available to a wider audience. In truth, you'll struggle to find a more rare and expensive gospel killer than The Tolbert Family Singers' "Ride The Gospel Train", a drum machine driven chunk of gospel-boogie with crunchy funk guitars that's been changing hands for hundreds of pounds online. Andrew Weatherall is a fan and it's easy to see why. Flipside "Give it Glory", a solo cut by Tolbert Family patriarch Brother OC Tolbert, is a sweeter and breezier slab of gospel-soul that has never before been released on vinyl. Two killer cuts for the price of one: nice one, Roual!