Tag: soul

  • Norman Jay Presents Good Times 30th Anniversary Edition album preview – various artists

    Norman Jay Presents Good Times 30th Anniversary Edition album preview – various artists

    Experience carnival all year round with Norman Jay’s eclectic compilation that spans soul, Latin and funk Samba and soca are the signature sounds of carnival because Brazil and Trinidad are homes to the world’s most revered street celebrations. But if you’ve ever ventured to the UK’s largest jamboree, London’s Notting Hill, you’d hear reggae, soul […]

  • The Network album preview – T.R.A.C. and Marc Mac

    The Network album preview – T.R.A.C. and Marc Mac

    4hero’s Marc Mac and Brooklyn MC T.R.A.C link up to create The Network, a soulful hip hop album The internet allows musicians to transfer large files across even larger distances, a fact not lost on 4hero’s Marc Mac. He, along with Brooklyn-born MC T.R.A.C (aka Terry Nickz), has created The Network, a transatlantic project borne […]

  • 2Bad single – Lyrickal – free music download

    2Bad single – Lyrickal – free music download

    If you like Omar, you’ll love this free two-stepper from London soul man Lyrickal “Doom da da dah dah da-da daah doom, doom da da dah dah da-da daah doom” — that, if you’re unsure, is a rather poor attempt at rekindling memories from the summer of 1990 when Omar (Lye-Fook)’s There’s Nothing Like This wafted from […]

  • …just visiting too EP – Zo! – free music download

    …just visiting too EP – Zo! – free music download

    Fans of ’70s soul-jazz will love this free seven-track EP by Maryland-based music producer Zo! An increasing number of musicians are giving away their work in a bid to get noticed. It’s a ploy followed by Maryland-based music producer Zo!. On …just visiting too, he, along with singers like Yahzarah and Carlitta Durand, pays homage […]

  • Sweet Liberation album preview – Colonel Red

    Sweet Liberation album preview – Colonel Red

    Previewing a nu soul album from singer-songwriter Colonel Red Singer-songwriter Colonel Red, whose voice can be heard on such hits as Daz-I-Kue’s Rokstone (Soon Come), is about to release his second solo album on the Ruff Language label. Sweet Liberation, which spans soul to spoken word, features a host of producing talent, including Bugz In […]

  • Shapes 10:02 album review – various artists (Robert Luis)

    Shapes 10:02 album review – various artists (Robert Luis)

    With recession gripping the globe, less music is being released and of the albums that do reach our shelves, most are creatively bankrupt. However one label whose stock is rising is Tru Thoughts. Its valuable assets includes acts like Maddslinky, Quantic and Hidden Orchestra, all of which have attracted positive press. Diversification also contributes to […]

  • Party-Keller Vol. 3 album review – various artists (DJ Florian Keller)

    Party-Keller Vol. 3 album review – various artists (DJ Florian Keller)

    Florian Keller has indulged his love of rare funk 45s by running Munich club nights since the early ’90s. He has the collector’s lust for the quirky or offbeat, but unlike some aficionados he isn’t rooted in the past. This selection is a mixed bag of old and new, ranging from classic rare grooves to […]

  • LateNightTales album review – various artists (The Cinematic Orchestra)

    LateNightTales album review – various artists (The Cinematic Orchestra)

    Anyone assembling a compilation that includes folksy guitarist Nick Drake, minimalist composer Steve Reich and MOR crooner Burt Bacharach should be carted off to an asylum. There’s no way these acts belong on the same playlist but that’s exactly what Jason Swinscoe, the man behind The Cinematic Orchestra, has done — and done well, it […]

  • BLACKsummers’ night album review – Maxwell

    BLACKsummers’ night album review – Maxwell

    Eight years after Now, the Brooklyn-born sex god is back, minus the afro, to serenade any female within earshot. But before Maxwell became a statuesque bundle of erotic energy, it’s worth noting that there was more to him than a chiselled jawline and taut buttocks. Back in 1996, he released Urban Hang Suite, a coolly […]

  • Then What Happened? album review – J-Live

    Then What Happened? album review – J-Live

    Like R&B, most hip-hop is so mainstream it could be considered a subgenre of pop. Rhymesters like 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne are little more than breathing brands who’ll endorse everything from sneakers to video games, before the obligatory Hollywood roles come a-knocking. So there’s no room for the reflective J-Lives of this world. Indeed […]