Juno Recommends Soul: June 2022

Review: Monophonics haven't been on the scene since 2012, but they're now back with their fifth LP, grandly unveiling the new bougie build that is Sage Motel. Blending heavy-hearted soul with psych rock - and building off the sound that earned them their standing as one of the most impactful modern soul bands of this generation - lead single 'Warpaint' works in a lo-fi proggy soul that recalls Gnarls Barkley or Lee Fields, with lyrics singing of something beautifully simple and endemic to soul: not being able to climb down off a high.

Review: Expansion Records are always a trusted source of hard-to-find soul gems, and they've struck gold once again. This incredible cover of The Isley Brothers' 1980 hit 'Here We Go Again' features Audrey Wheeler and Brent Carter on vocals, with the track laid down by Chaka Khan's touring band. It's got a smooth-as-you-like 80s funk vibe which goes down very easy indeed. Shannon McCrei leads on the B side singing 'Eye to Eye', which winds up slick enough for a Luther Vandross album once Luxury Soul is finished with the mix.

Review: Paul Sitter's Funky Shit Edits series strides to a ninth release here with more of what it says on the tin. The a-side is a reworked 60s banger with new drums bringing extra heft and heat and a slightly different arrangement. It's a b-boy breaker that will pack the floor. Flip it over for something rather different on the B-side in the form of a more calming and pensive song originally from 70s but here with an all new arrangement. 'Nothing Gonna Change (His Way)' is a deep cut tune for those later get togethers.

Review: 'After Hours' by Charlie Mitchell aka Vic Marcel ha deco me hugely popular recently and for good reason - it is a super smooth and seductive slice of gorgeous soul music with mellow moves and rare-groove s to spare. Original of this one will costs you well over 250 quid at the moment. It was produced and arranged by veterans Tony Silvester and Bert DeCoteaux while the songwriting was talon care of by J.R. Bailey and Ken Williams. Reverse it for another slice of something just a s special in the form of some mid-tempo soul from the same production crew. What a beauty.

Review: Sweet Linda Divine has a big old set of lungs on her. She proves that here with this 7" on Dynamite Cuts which comes on both ball vinyl and limited edition white wax. Both sides offer very different sounds. 'I'll Say It Again' is a raw cut with fat funk bass riffs and lively drums, expressive yelps and wails that cannot fail to bring the steaminess. On the flip, 'Same Time, Same Place' slows it right down to a more sentimental and heartbroken soul sound but still with plenty of power.

Review: A 90s lost soul gem, Aleshure is an anomaly in the modern age. Very little to no information exists about the songstress, but thanks to Stainless Soul Records head Mike Ward, this deep dive into the soul crate is being pressed for the rest of the world to hear on vinyl for what may be the first time. This is a two-sided affair (not to be mixed up by the label misprinting), with Side A's 'School Me' being a box-ticking disco-soul dance track contains everything you could possibly want from 90s soul-dance. Flip over to side B for a slow jam soul ballad 'Tricky Sticky Situation', a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story of yearning through a divide. Extremely limited and super rare, get your hands on this underappreciated 90s gem while you still can. Hopefully a sign of more to come from Stainless in the soul and dance department.

Review: Dewey Kenmore clearly knows the pains of unrequited love and irrelationship better than most artists. The enigmatic soul singer's new single 'Before We Say Goodbye' channels the denial stage of grief: "you know it's just you and I, do or die", he opines, desperately grasping after the former ecstasy of a now fading relationship. The song is full of doomy minor chords and Hammond organ-ic reverie, laying on thick the mood of irreversibility around life's milestones.

Review: Willie Tee is one of those New Orleans artists whose records are hard to find and expensive. He is the perfect subject of special record store day reissues and that's what we get here from the Gatur label. 'Concentrate' is some high-class mellow magic from 1980. The backside tune is another doozy with more New Orleans mellow funk bringing to mind the quality of Roy Ayers., It all makes for a 7" you simply cannot find anywhere online for any money whatsoever and thus a crucial one to snap up before it's gone again.

Review: In 1982 L.J. Reynolds released his second solo album Travelin', which was a split production between Reynolds and Don Davis. This classic soul album includes "Trust In Me", "Say You Will" and "Call Me", the latter being written by Aretha Franklin. Travelin' features guest performances by Bernie Worrell and William "Bootsy" Collins. A classic soul album for your ears' sultrier side.

Review: J. Plunky Branch and his band, the Oneness Of Juju, are absolute units of the US funk scene. Active on the circuit for 30 years, their style blends a peaceful mix of African jazz, funk and blues, and has seen them go as strong as they were upon their initial formation in San Francisco. Now, though, they throw a curveball: focusing more on the instrumental side of things, the new album 'Bush Brothers And Space Rangers' lays down a slew of tunes that were specially recorded without the use of a single guitar, which helped spur on this album's more soulful direction.

Review: Larry Akles' Chocolate Buttermilk Band have been doing their thing as a cover and backing band in the Southern USA and working with The Temptations for decades now. They're a local sensation rather than a widespread phenomenon, with a modest discography which doesn't reflect their long running service to the funk. Making the most of the pandemic downtime, Akles got his band into the studio and recorded a smoking hot joint, 'No Money No Honey', which is instant gold for any boogie head. Still Music offshoot Past Due are pressing up with rare old gem 'Mr. LSD' on the flip, a rocking cut for fans of early Funkadelic.

Review: Whether or not you can separate art from the artist is an enteral debate with no clear end point. Hiroshi Fujiwara & KUDO obviously think you can as they big on this selection of dubs of music by the sometime King of Pop. There are tunes from the early days with the Jackson 5 right through his solo years, all beefed up with dubby bottom ends, organ leads and wispy hi hats. Technically it is a fine piece of work that takes the source material in a whole new direction. These tracks sure sound good, but morally, well, it's up to you.

Review: Brazilian singer Maria de Fatima's only solo album Baha con H was recorded in Uruguay in 1981 when the singer had settled with her then husband and synthesizer wizard Hugo Fattoruso. He was on production duties and the record mixes up classic covers of Brazilian sounds with plenty of original work and blended elements of Candombe, which were a result of the a-list of Uruguayan musicians who played on the recording. This is a first ever reissue of the album and it has been sourced from the original tapes. Liner notes are included as is a 12-page booklet with photos from Maria's own private archive.

Review: Monophonics' fifth studio album since 2012 is a real doozy. It invites you to the opening of Sage Motel, a place where all the ups and downs and human existence can be experienced. Dreams are made, hearts are broken, and all produced by bandleader Kelly Finnigan in a record that captures a timeless psychedelic soul sound with psych-rock overtones. The album is packed with heart aching high lights and that famous vintage aesthetic, with 'Warpaint' being perfectly indicative of what to expect from it overall.

Review: This sizzling new 7" from Super Disco Edits serves up Dayton's 'Sky's The Limit' which is a red hot slice of previously unissued 1982 soul.Hall of fun famers Dayton were a well established and popular group with a lush sound that was couched in soul but with funky grooves, boogie basslines and hints of disco shimmer and shine. This gorgeous single has all that and more including a big, buttery vocal. It is an epic, guaranteed floor filler which on the flip side has 'Sky's The Limit (long version)' for extra devastation.

Review: David Byrne's label Luaka Bop Records is back with another carefully and thoughtfully dug out reissue. This one looks back to a little known gospel album from the 1970s that was recorded when members of the band were just in their early teens. When Do We Get Paid by the Staples Jr. Singers - who are no relation to Mavis and Co - from din 1971 and were a family band. They played local talent shows and grew their reputation with tours across the Bible Belt. This is their one and only record and they sold it from their front lawn after its one and only original pressing. The members all had successful solo careers but this record takes some beating.

Review: Cordial serve up some previously unreleased funky and soulful vibes from the much loved West Coast group Seaquence. These are high speed and hugely cosmic affairs with squealing synths reaching for the skies over driving rhythm sections. 'Visions Of My Love' opens up and is a short but potent bit of soul power with lung busting vocals and great horns. 'Life' on the flip side is more mellifluous, with acrobatic vocals rising and falling over more great horns and splashes of jazzy drum work.

Review: A short name hides a long story - Detroit-born Chad Hughs graduated from the same high school as Diana Ross, going onto become a multi-talented musician as well as a teacher and composer. The fourth release from cd exclusive vinyl pressers Jai Alai, collectors can now own this unique 7" containing two completely different sides of Sir Wick from his two albums. A side's title track 'Seal My Heart' contains the vocal talents of Sedalia Marie, with layered vocals and a baseline that makes this pure soul song feel deeply cinematic. The B side has been decades in the making, selected from a fully orchestrated musical in the works since 1996, finally being recorded and completed in 2017. These two tracks are deeply sentimental ditties of doting young love, and now two rare soul ballads from a musical luminary are available for the first time on a 45. What better soundtrack to date night than these?