Tamla US Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Spinners' Motown debut single 'Sweet Thing' was a thrilling yet uneven mix featuring a multitude of ideas with some inspired moments. However, the follow-up 'I'll Always Love You' was a faultless return with a soaring, emphatic chorus that many groups dream of and one that perfectly, exemplifies the Spinners' best Motown tracks. This captivating chorus bursts forth amidst a flurry of horns and backing vocals and feels almost like it's from another song. The abrupt time signature change and staccato beat cleverly elevate the experience and on the flip of this pressing of it is the equally effective 'What More Could A Boy Ask For'.

Review: Stevie Wonder has many classics in his incomparable oeuvre and many of them have been remixed with varying degrees of success. 'Paradise' is one from the mid-70s on his Songs in the Key of Life album and here it gets a house rework. It's got some brilliantly dusty Motor City house vibes to it with busy synth arps riding up and down the scale next to more smeared, serene chords. The flispside Kneedeep dub is more percussive with chopped-up vocals, disco-fried beats and a little more vibrancy to it for some playful party times.

Review: Wonder by name, wonderful by nature. Man like Stevie has cooked up countless irresistible jams and so many of them are perfect for club-ready edits. That's what we have here as one of his most upbeat and feel-good jams, 'If You Really Loved Me,' gets a tweak with some modern flair. The drums are flipped into rolling and soulful house beats while the joyous vocals and horn stabs remain in place. 'I Wish' then has a more peak time feel with a blend of disco synths and lively vocal ad-libs, while 'In My Mind' is a nice laid-back and blissed-out number for cosy sessions.

Review: The sounds of Stevie Wonder are destined to live on forever, such is the universal appeal and enduring musicality of what he does. When you have artists reworking the originals into different forms, that is also going to help them endure and that's what we have here with a couple of house mixes of his classic 'All I Do.' The Vocal House Remix is first and goes heavy on the filters while laying down some lovely soulful grooves that never quit. The Jazzed instrumental remix then pairs it back a little and allows some magical melodies to shine over more laid back grooves perfect for sunny sessions.

Review: There seems to be a richness of cultured new edits dripping at the start of this New Year. This 12" is proof of that and it finds the great Motown legend Stevie Wonder have his impeccable sounds just subtly tweaked to give them a little extra heft on modern sound systems. 'Do I Do' (House remix) kicks off here with nice disco loops and funky drum patterns that come alive with some steamy sax energies. The timeless 'Superstitious' then gets beefed up with some echo on the majestic synths and more weight in the drums. It's fun and funky perfection.

Review: Who doesn't love a cheeky edit? And they are always cheeky, aren't they? Here we have one of Motown's most legendary artists getting reworked for modern dancefloors. Importantly, the tweaks to these two cuts are nice and subtle, which means the charm and musicianship of the originals remain. First, we get the feel-good melodies and carefree vocal sounds of 'Another Star' with some weighty drums added in, then 'Too High' becomes a deep and dusty house gem with various synth lines mingling with the beats while the vocal adds that signature Wonder soul.