Search results: U96

Review: Charles Strite might have invented the toaster, but it was U Roy who invented toasting. The first ever album from reggae legend U Roy aka. Ewart Beckford - three years before his self-titled debut-debut - Version Galore first appeared on Treasure Isle, and was a gleaming cornucopia of all the rocksteady singles he'd been releasing and performing since at least 1969. The album is emblematic of Beckford's distinctive rap-singing over the beat, known as 'toasting', a hallmark of all reggae-adjacent sounds to this day.

Review: You'd be hard-pressed to find a collection of euro house and dance music more chock-full of hits than this. In the vein of the early 90s dance compilations, Music On Vinyl gathers two discs packed with landmark dance records and massively popular crossover tracks like Haddaway's 'What Is Love', 2 Unlimited's sports arena classic No Limit', Snap!'s timeless 'Rhythm Is A Dancer' and the worldwide hit 'Pump Up The Jam' by Technotronic. The great thing about this release is the inclusion of many other lesser known but memorable gems like T-Spoon 'Sex On The Beach' and Twenty 4 Seven's 'Slave To The Music'. A whopping 27 tracks in total to take you back to the days when dance music owned the airwaves and the clubs.

Review: Available as a limited edition purple LP, 'Nineties Collected' forms the second instalment in the 'Decades Collected' series from Music On Vinyl, which hears each decade from the past century or so 'collected' in terms of its most popular tracks. With songs from Underworld, U2, Air, Kula Shaker and Kelis on there, you can be sure that this album'll scour every corner of the nineties dance-pop world, offering a rare glimpse into a time wherein labels had far more cash, and underground artists had far more clout. Four waxen sides of unbridled Euro-optimism and relentless positivity characterise this take on the '90s.

Review: American soul man Bilal dropped his debut album in 2001. Back then, r&b and neo-soul were in their golden times and Bilal was one of the best in the game. The singer songwriter was of course part of he influential 90s collective The Soulquarians alongside members D'Angelo, Q-Tip, Common and Questlove and some of those feature here as well as the likes of Robert Glasper. Production was taken care of by none other than Dr Dre alongside Raphael Saadiq and J Dilla. Lead single 'Soul Sista' toped the US charts and remarkably this is the first time the album has ever been available on vinyl.

Review: Giving you a time portal back to the glory days of rap metal on a major label tip, Methods Of Mayhem was the moment legendary Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee took a break from glam metal to get down with the kids and serve up a fierce slab for the bros to mosh to. The guest line up is no joke, taking in Snoop Dogg, Fred Durst, George Clinton, Lil' Kim, Mixmaster Mike, Kid Rock and U God from Wu Tang Clan. Truthfully, it's aged well compared to a lot of the rap metal of the era, capturing a genuine hip hop swagger which more than stands up to the guitars, with production that reaches to sampling and synthesis as much as crushing riffage. It may not be the smartest creative expression out there, but neither is it trying to be. The main thing is that it kicks raw ass, which it absolutely does.

Review: Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress Nneka went it alone for her last album Love Supremo back in summer 2022, but the truth is she was never quite going to top her Neo Longer At Ease album from earlier in her career. It is now 15 years old and so gets a special anniversary reissue on heavyweight orange vinyl. It's a record that has more than stood the test of time with its politically charged collection of tunes drawing on and fusing Jamaican reggae, 70s soul-funk, drum & bass and electronica. The hit singles from the album, 'Heartbeat' and 'Suffri' appear next to the bonus cut 'Walking' in a lovely gatefold picture sleeve individually numbered.

Review: Depending on your age you might well consider the 90s to be the best ever era for movies. You'd have a fair shout too, and now the Music On Vinyl label gives you a chance to revisit some of them through the power of their standout tunes .This collection has pop, soul, rock, disco and plenty more from giants of the time like Jamiroquai, Whitney Houston, Lenny Kravitz, Warren G and Alive Cooper. It all comes across four sides of vinyl and is a great trip down memory lane.

Review: Candy Dulfer cooked up a magical blend of jazz, disco, soul, dance, and r&b from across the ages with this album, which was originally released in 2017. Candy has worked with some of popular music's biggest stars after first shooting to fame more than a quarter of a century ago with Dave Stewart and their #1 worldwide hit 'Lily Was Here'. She has also been named checked by Prince who sang "When I want sax, I call Candy" in the video to 'Partyman.' With Together she offered her own view on the state of all these sounds and more with plenty of catchy vocal hooks, danceable grooves and timeless production that radiates warmth.

Review: Having played guitar alongside Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s and early-1970s, then going on to be songwriter and six string man for the Band, it's no surprise that when Robbie Robertson turned his attention to soundtracks they came with assured rock 'n' roll authenticity. A Hall of Fame-r in both his native Canada and the US, his work for screen includes a slew of top notch Martin Scorsese movies, such as The Last Waltz, The King of Comedy, Casino, and The Irishman. Director also enlisted artist for Killers of the Flower Moon, the 2023 epic Western crime drama starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, and Brendan Fraser. This would prove to be Robertson's last score before he died in August that year, and it's a stunning swan song. From meditative psychedelia, to reflective journeyman acoustic, and strange, mysterious, woodwind-led pieces, it's evocative to say the least.