Forever Living Originals Vinyl & CDs

Review: The mysterious Sault troupe is back with a call to action and revolutionary soul soundtrack that really bangs the box. "Ain't nothing gunna keep us silent" the lead singer yelps on 'Stop Der', which is an immediate banger after the soothing ambience and closely mic-ed whispers of the opener, which muse on what it means to be black. The rest of the record is a hard hitting mix of crisp drums and empowering vocals, with elements of classic soul as well as contemporary jazz colouring the grooves. This is powerful music with an even more powerful message.

Review: SAULT's body of work is almost untouchable. The mysterious collective has turned out plenty of it in the last couple of years with no fewer than four fantastic albums. This one is a complete left turn, though, which ditches the edgy alt-rock, sou land jazz for an altogether more subbed and symphonic sound. It is a soaring astral soundtrack with plenty of wide open spaces, grand arrangements and plenty of uplifting and celebratory sounds drawn from hugely spiritual choral music and contemporary classical.

Review: Along with the likes of Today & Tomorrow and Untitled (God), Sault are giving their five-deep album drops from late 2022 a more ceremonious release now. The music is too deep and rich to vanish into the melee of digital data streams, and each album's distinct qualities benefits from its own space to inhabit. On a mission from God and steeped in a raw, 70s kind of sound which shirks studio slickness in favour of absolute reality, on Earth this British outfit take themselves into realms of spiritual jazz atop their keen instinct for funk. The drums tumble, the chants murmur, and there's just no arguing with the power of the ensemble and their in-the-room vibe.

Review: Even for fans of Dean Josiah Cover AKA Info's Sault collective, it is hard to keep up with their prolific output. There is little known about how is involved but they must be mad talented because over several albums already they have excelled at soul, jazz, stream of conscious lyricism, socially and politically charged funk cuts, choral music and plenty in between. Last year they dropped Earth, which was a free album (one of five including 11, AIIR, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God)).) and is their ninth overall. It mixes soul with Afro-drum patterns and is another dizzyingly diverse work that leaves you in awe once more of this band's incredible achievements.

Review: Today & Tomorrow is yet another superb album from the Sault collective headed up by Dean Josiah Cover AKA Info. Not much else is known about them but there sure is a hell of a lot of music to get stuck into. This album was dropped as one of five last year - alongside 11, AIIR, Earth and Untitled (God)) - all for free and all on the same day. That is a mad thing to do and you might think they can't all be good albums, but they are. This is another lo-fi soul masterpiece from one of the best bands of our time.

Review: In November of last year Sault shocked the world of music with a five-deep drop of outstanding albums which some have reasonably deemed to be Christian deep funk. Initially offering the music out freely as a gift to God and to no doubt land their message that little bit further, now they're releasing these outstanding albums and giving each one some space to breathe. The music is steeped in the tradition of OG funk and soul, captured with a legitimate grit which lands the grooves all the deeper, and we're instantly drawn into the sound world of this spirituals-charged project transmitting from true believers to anyone who feels the funk.

Review: Sault took an unusual path when they released five albums simultaneously in late 2022 and offered them as a free download behind a password encrypted link, but despite the mountainous 56 tracks the plaudits came rushing in. Reportedly made as an offering to our Lord and Saviour, Untitled (God) was quickly marked out as the highlight of the five sets, and now it gets its own outing as a more traditional release. The sound is out of this world, tapping into a seriously roots-y kind of funk, showered in holy reverb and recorded with an in-the-room authenticity that matches the religious slant to the music. Make no mistake, in terms of spiritual funk this is very much the realest of real deals.

Review: British collective, Sault, have made quite the name for themselves since their emergence in 2019. Headed up by producer, Inflo (known for his work with Little Simz, Michael Kiwanuka, Cleo Sol, Jungle and Adele), the collective boast an amorphous sound that encircles r&b, house and disco, and now combined with classical and choral elements too. With an impressive eleven studio albums to their name, the latest edition to the collection, Aiir, is a gloriously stripped-back sequel for their more sumptuous classical companion piece, Air. Nestled somewhere between a sense of paranoia and nostalgia, billowing choral vocals and rising oscillating orchestration give this release an unsettling yet alluringly transportive quality. Despite impressive critical success, Sault is largely a media enigma, featuring an array of mysteriously unnamed collaborators who, as one can imagine, are most likely highly acclaimed artists in their own right.

Review: 29-year old Simbiatu Ajikawo aka Little Simz had a breakout year in 2022 that saw her complete a sold out tour and win some big awards (Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit) as well as the public's affections. She takes a bold left turn here with 'No Thank Yowl, an album of defiant punk rock that is sleek and dynamic and serves as a "two-fingered salute to conformity and fame". It's a confident record from an artist at the top of her game, all recorded with her go to collaborator Inflo. She says, "emotion is energy in motion. Honour your truth and feelings. Eradicate fear. Boundaries are important."

Review: First released on streaming services back in December, Little Simz fifth album, No Thank You, finally makes it onto CD. Chances are you've already heard it, but if not, we can confirm that it's a genuinely brilliant set that more than lives up to the dizzy heights of its Mercury Prize-winning predecessor, 2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Constructed in great sonic detail by long-term production partner InFlo - all sultry strings, head-nodding R&BV beats, sampled horns, background and chorus vocals from Cleo Sol and warming bass - the ten-track set contains some of Little Simz's most potent lyrics - all of which are delivered with the kind of seamless, London-accented flow that we've come to expect from her. Another triumph from one of the UK's greatest MCs.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight dent on the edge, otherwise in perfect condition***


2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert catapulted British rapper Little Simz into the big leagues. It's not an understatement to say that Simz became the artist to watch out of nowhere, instantly becoming a fan and critic favourite, crashing into the top 5 of the albums charts, collecting Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit Award wins. NO THANK YOU is yet another delicious left-field turn for 29-year-old Simbiatu Ajikawo, sleek, succinct and utterly propulsive, it's Simz' defiantly punk rock, two-fingered salute to conformity and fame, and all the expectations and restrictions that come with it. Recorded with her regular collaborator Inflo, this is Simz at her most free, daring and spontaneous - a notion that should leave fans lightheaded with joy.