Juno Recommends Soul: April 2023

Review: One of few bands dedicated to emulating the Northern Soul sound to a T, The Sextones here debut their first ever self-styled "deep soul" record for Record Kicks. Said sound contains reminiscent riffs, backing strings - anything that deepens the sound. The A-side is a cover of Papa Bear & His Cubs' 'You're So Fine', a Northern Soul standard from the mid 60s which should be instantly recognizable to anyone remotely in the know. The B is a similar affair, covering Gamble & Huff's 'Cowboys To Girls', a reconciliatory classic.

Review: Jarrod Lawson has got the bug bad because he declares that he would die for whoever it is that is the apple of his eye on this new single. He has some fans in high places, too, with none other than Michelle Obama coming out to back the "young jazz and blue-eyed soul kid" when recently asked who she was listening to. Jarrod is also a vocalist and pianist as well as a producer and this is his debut 7" - what a cracker it is too with him adding his own take on the Prince classic 'I Would Die 4 U'. On the flip, he covers The Isley Brothers' 70s classic 'Footsteps In The Dark.' Both tunes are real heart melters.

Review: R. Ackley is the man behind this particular Status project - there are many others in various genres - and he is credited with just one release - 1977's Girl, which has become a cult classic in the world of funk and soul. It was written alongside C. Barton and is a glorious bit of lavish and immersive soul with a tricky rhythm section firing out minimal but punch rhythms under the AOR-style vocals. It's cosmic and Beatrice and perfect for so many settings. On the flip is 'Wild Woman' written with S. Bourne and it is another heater well worth having, especially as an original of this will cost you well over 300 quid.

Review: Singer, songwriter and producer Eddie Chacon has enjoyed a blooming solo career in recent years ever since the release of his album 'Pleasure, Joy And Happiness'. As it turned out, Chacon was a deft maker of lo-fi, funk and lounge bits, over which his whispery voice would effortlessly glide. The trend continues with 'Sundown', his second solo album and debut for Stones Throw. Made in Ibiza, using, among other things, what is alleged to be the only Fender Rhodes keyboard on the island, this album is yet another experimental lounge music extravaganza, not to mention a personal reflection on the self, tempered by long listening sessions to spiritual jazz in the sun.

Review: Salena Jones has been active since the 60s, recording over 40 albums of jazz, soul and easygoing pop in that time. Her rendition of 'Am I The Same Girl' - the soul standard written by industry songwriting string-pullers Eugene Record and Sonny Sanders - lies among the greats of its reinterpreters. While Barbara Acklin's version is most famous, Salena Jones' version is much warmer, and its mention of the instrumental's name, 'Soulful Strut', to the main title should be indication enough from the off that Jones' version carries a far greater buoyancy.

Review: Soul Brother continue their mission to reissue the rarer side of classic soul, this time focusing their efforts on Vaneeese and Carolyn, a sister-singer duo who've been active since the 70s. Somewhere between soul and gospel, their wistful 1978 single Goodbye Song is nothing less than a tearjerker, with its opening strings seguing into a 'get-on-with-it' beat. Its stridently strutting backbeat and bass is surely the sonic equivalent of making one's peace with moving on. The B-sider 'Just A Little Smile From You' hears the pair find a new hope, urging the listener to share a smile against a backing of boxy drums and a very early example of synth chords in a gospel song.

Review: Soul fans will be delighted with this one from Outta Sight. It serves up two gems from the genre with 'Whenever I'm Without You' up first from Chris Clark. His Motown legacy continues to serve up surprises as this one was discovered only in 2018 despite being recorded back in 1968. Here it makes a glorious vinyl debut backed with another big tune that somehow has never been released before on wax, and that is The Temptations' 'All I Need Is You Love To Me' which was also penned first in 1968. There must have been something in the water to mean neither saw the light of day but at least they do now, some 55 years on.

Review: South London's Learoy Green was the drummer for Brown Sugar and played sticks on anthems such as 'In Love With A Dread Locks' and 'Black Pride'. His own solo cut 'Love Is The Key' from 1989 is a true cult classic and real digger's favourite that is heavily in demand and hard to find as well as expensive. Now it gets the proper reissue treatment so we can all enjoy its lush street soul sounds loud and proud. The original has textbook 80s drum sounds and nice soft focus keys next to feminine vocals and a warm male counterpoint. Pure love. The remix has a more tropical melodic feel and chattery claps for a little extra rawness.

Review: Sylvia Striplin has been heavily sampled by all manner of artists over the years. Here one of her biggest hits 'Give Me Your Love' is presented on a 7" for the first time with 'You Said' on the flip. The A-side is the one with its big funky licks, low-slung bass line and celebratory riffs all finished off with the glorious vocal itself. 'You Said' is a more jazzy and low-key number, with swirling drums and hip-swinging claps taking you later into the night on a more cosy and personal vibe.

Review: Future Flight could be describable as a 'rare' band, fading to obscurity after the release of their earliest disco/boogie album in the early 80s. Known as 'Hip Notic Lady', collectors and DJs have fantasised, salivated, and tussled over the project ever since learning of its ultra-limited original run. Despite the obscurity of the project, its members were made up of many-a-fixture in the romantic world of American soul, from Lamont Dozier to David Swanson. Perhaps harking to an oncoming reissue of the entire LP, Expansion Records here offer up a 7" reissue of the albums two choicest cuts; the title track and 'Dues', both of which emblematise the album's distinctly swank style.

Review: Bob Stanley's Measured Mile label comes through with a magnificent double-header from Connie Stevens. This is a real northern soul monster that was arranged by the late great and legendary Philly soul man Thom Bell. Original copies will cost you well over L250. First up are the rich and sumptuous string sounds and rattling tambourines of 'Tick Tock' with its perfect vocals. Originally the b-side tune was titled ''Betcha By Golly Wow' but the angel changed it to 'Keep Growing Strong' after it was a hit for both the Stylistics and Prince. It's another heart warming gem that will have you in a slow spin in no time.

Review: Backatcha is on a superb run of releases right now with top tunes from Leonie and Learoy Green dropping around the same time as this stepping street soul gem from En to End. This is primo boogie from the late 80s now landing on 45rpm for the very first time. It's been taken from the tape archives of London singer-producer Tony Shand and kicks off with the vocal version of 'Nothing's Happening'. His rather deadpan vocal has an aloof kind of allure next to the squelchy bass and glowing keys. The instrumental strips it away to allow the retro production to shine.

Review: Wigan Casino was of course one of the standout clubs of the whole Northern Soul movement if, that is, you wanted to dance. Those lucky enough to have experienced it will know that there became something of a tradition for a special and final end-of-the-night tune to send everyone home happy. These became known as 'three before eight' and we get presented with a trio of them here in Jimmy Radcliffe's 'Long After Tonight Is All Over', Tobi Legend's 'Time Will Pass You By' and Dean Parrish's 'I'm On My Way'. They are superbly uplifting tracks with magic vocals and big horns that take you to the Wigan Casino whether you were there or not.

Review: Brought to you by Dynamite Cuts and The George Semper Music Archives, here we have a righteous stormer from 1969 fronted by the formidable Patti Williams. Recorded at Original Sound Record Hollywood, 'Do You Know' was originally intended for Williams' album which sadly never saw the light of day. This is the first time this track has made it out into the sunshine, and it's the kind of song which will become an evergreen classic up there with the likes of 'Hard To Handle' and 'Express Yourself'. It really is that strong a song, and it feels right to spin it on this sure shot 45, backed up by the instrumental for those who dig it.

Review: Howard Lemon Singers was an incredible group back in the 70s. They released a very rare and much sought-after album Seasons released on the legendary TK Records subsidiary Gospel Roots back in '77 and this 7" offers up two of the best tracks from it. Both tracks bring good vibes and positive sentiments with real harmony found between secular and spiritual sounds. The group managed to modernize the gospel sound as they went with 'You Are Somebody' being a modern soul heater that will have heart, body and mind in a spin. 'For The Children' then slows down and brings lush 'wacka-wacka' guitar under aching vocals.

Review: If you're looking for a soulful slow-jam with a powerful message, look no further than Durand Jones & The Indications' 'Power To The People'. This 7" contains a powerful, warm, synth-heavy anthem that celebrates the spirit of resistance and collective solidarity; a reminder of a force we have lost sight of in the modern individualist era. Durand Jones & The Indications are the rabble-rousers in question: the Bloomington, Indiana band mix soul and r&b for a convincing take on the nascent soul revival here.

Review: Nowhere Like Here: Love Songs From The Caribbean & Diaspora is a perfectly escapist new double album from Emotional Rescue that has been drawn from the "off kilter digging of archivist, DJ and collector Bruno." It's a sister collection to the Perfect Motion album that focuses on new wave and leftfield pop and is already a cult classic. This lovely album also makes ten years of this fine label and is a tasteful assembled selection perfectly befitting of that occasion from this much-loved imprint. Here's to the next ten years.

Review: American jazz singer and actress Nancy Wilson is still going, having accrued a queenly quantity of releases to her name ever since the late 1950s. She has recorded over 70 albums of jazz, soul, pop and r&b, not to mention an uncountable barrage of original ingles; among her choicest is Sunshine, which we'll have you know doesn't happen to be a cover of the Roy Ayers original. Instead, Sunshine is a more-than-sophisticated soul-jazz piece, opening with futuristic filter-swept synths and emerging into slinky lyrical ode to the unparalleled feeling of loving you, as opposed to anyone else.

Review: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes lead singer Teddy Pendergrass is one of soul music's most underrated artists if you ask us - and he has a remarkable story that rather took a tragic turn later in life and is well worth reading about. Here a couple of his golden gems get reworked by Mike Maurro for the Brookside label. First up is the gentle soul and lavish arrangement of the deep rolling 'Close The Door'. On the B-side you will find 'Only You', a more upbeat dancefloor heater with fat and plump drums and disco energy topped with Teddy's buttery vocals.

Review: Here's a perfect little nugget of lo-fi West Coast soul from a bygone era, dug out by Numero Group and presented on this perfectly formed 7". Greenflow was a band spearheaded by L.A. native A.J. Greene, and they performed up and down the West Coast in the late 70s while committing their work to just one low-key LP in 1977. This 7" takes their standout track 'I Got'Cha' and gives it a proper airing - a carefree lilt of yacht-ready instrumental groove from an innocent place, happily looping in its simple perfection and ready for your daydream reverie, wherever you drop the needle on the record.

Review: Here comes a truly show-stopping swooner on Penrose, the sublabel of the ever-trusty Daptone Records. This is the first solo outing for Jensine Benitez, who is usually found singing with Thee Sacred Souls, a hard-gigging outfit who always send the crowd home elated after Benitez takes centre stage. With her bandmates on hand to provide back-up duties, we get treated to a pair of dreamy soul songs that capture a little 50s swing which gels beautifully with Benitez's arresting voice. Both tracks are downtempo lullabies perfect for those intimate, wind-down moments with the one you love. Trust us, this is some seriously romantic stuff.