Octave Lab Japan Vinyl & CDs

Review: Originally recorded and released in 1993, On The Move was the last studio album James Brown collaborator Bobby Byrd recorded during his lifetime. While it may have been recorded after Byrd's 1970s heyday, musically it offers full-throttle funk - albeit with slicker and more expansive musical arrangements - of the kind that he and Brown used to deliver in their sleep. It's a great set all told, with this (delayed) 30th anniversary edition also including instrumental versions of all eight original tracks. It also boasts a couple of rare non-album tracks recorded at the time: the slow-motion, horns-and-guitar solo laden 'Sunshine' and the effortlessly funky, low-down and addictive 'Don't Throw Your Love in the Garbage Can'.

Review: Soul auteur Jonathan Diggs Duke returns to one of his older EPs for a timely reissue. Originally released in 2015, just after his critically acclaimed debut album on Giles Peterson's Brownswood, the three tracks catch Diggs at his most flighty and free-thinking; "Ambition Addiction" jumps and rolls like a tightly coiled jazz spring before hurling us into the deep harmonic soulful blue of "Welcome" and "Funky Overdose" lives up to its name with its off beat magic, tightly plucked guitar and staccato vocals. Addictive.

Review: Following his Original Mr Cool Ruler album being reissued back in summer by Lantern Rec, Octave Lab now gets in on the action by serving up his I Do Love You album from 1972. It's a delightful work of lovers' rock and roots magic that is centered around his impossibly pure and soulful vocals. They convey all manner of emotions from pain to joy over clean dubs and acoustic guitars. The hooks are catchy and their rhythms percussive, with joyous like 'Don't Stop' and more rueful vibes such as 'You're Eyes Are Dreaming' all sounding as good as ever.