Review: Bob & Marcia's Young Gifted & Black album on Trojan came back in 1970 and was produced by Harry J. It included the title track, which was a UK top five hit that has remained a favourite. The cool and breezy groove carries a potent socio-political message and lo-fi drums that lodge deep. It is reissued here on anew 45rpm that is featured alongside Marcia Griffiths' soulful 'Working To The Top' which mixes authentic reggae and slightly more swaggering ska vibes and heartfelt, steady groove. Together, these tracks take it back to a golden age of reggae and are perfect for loud plays on sound systems this summer.
Shaun LaBelle - "Mon Cher Amor" (feat Maysa & Bobby Lyle) (4:15)
Shaun LaBelle - "Your Love Kept Calling My Name" (feat Maysa & Stokey) (4:02)
Review: Minnesota's Shaun LaBelle returns with two collaborative cuts that shimmer with West Coast class. On 'Mon Cher Amour', Maysa's effortlessly fluid delivery rides plush piano chords from Bobby Lyle, whose presence elevates the arrangement with vintage jazz-funk elegance. Lyle's involvement i rare and usually reserved i speaks volumes. Flip to 'Your Love Kept Calling My Name', a slower burn that shows off LaBelle's syrupy synth bass and clean guitar touches, anchored again by Maysa, this time joined by Stokley. The track's groove is thick but graceful, helped along by contributions from Jeff Lorber, Patrick Lamb and Maurizio Metalli. While there's a polish that veers towards the adult contemporary side of soul-jazz, both tunes have the kind of melodic strength and studio richness that make sense of their Billboard and UK Soul Chart success.
Review: Dubstoned Records is back with more fresh wax and heavyweight Rub-a-Dub rhythms, this time straight from Seville. Produced, mixed and dubbed by Variedub, 'Give Dem' features the powerful vocals of Tenor Mario, who is also part of Cool Up Records, and whose energetic delivery always cuts through. Rafael Arcos brings his signature guitar flair while The Sherlock Horns light up the groove with tight brass from Toni Martin on trombone, Pedro Caballero on sax and Mr Monkeyface on trumpet. Anchoring it all is Agustin Paris on bass. It's a deep, dynamic cut that blends roots tradition with local talent and comes with a flip dub for extra low-end heft.
Sam Williams - "Love Slipped Through My Fingers" (2:28)
Review: This release from Outta Sight marks the first standalone vinyl pressing of the 1968 Northern Soul classic 'By Yourself' by Jay D. Martin, which has previously only ever been available only as a rare Tower label promo and on a Wigan Casino compilation. And it is a true Wigan dancefloor favourite, which is why the original promo now fetches around L350 on second-hand markets. Also featured is Sam Williams' 'Love Slipped Through My Fingers,' another 1968 Northern Soul gem that similarly debuted as a Tower promo and commands collector prices up to L2,000. Do not snooze on these iconic, hard-to-find floor-fillers from the golden era of Northern Soul.
Review: Thanks to an early 2025 launched exhibition at the Tate Modern, which looks back at the life and work of late, great performance art legend and Minty co-founder Leigh Bowery, Minty have put out this collectible 7" featuring previously unreleased songs. The title of the first track 'This Is Like A Dream' conveys what Bowery would have felt to have held this exhibition and making his dream come true from beyond the grave is a beautiful touch. And the song is a reminder that for all Minty's bizarre performances and sensational avant garde costumes they still backed it up with great music and would have cut through the noise on their songwriting alone. Both tracks feature Bowery, recorded as they were in 1993 and 1994 respectively. True gems finally unearthed.A
Review: Deified disco editor Mister Mushi breaks from his own Mushi 45s faction for a diplomatic dance-over with fellow sonic saucerers Disco Donuts, whose third volume in a series hammers home two more spacey soma-uplifts. 'Expansions' of course jazz-funk clarion call 'Expansions' by Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes, whose importuning "expand your mind" motif will never leave us. And of course, there's 'Ghetto Passion', an unknown remix to us, yet whose beats are so punctual that they could pop an iron ballon; this is a raw, clear and seething analogue sound, a style which many disco artists have tried to emulate since.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.