Cuero Spain Vinilo y CD

Review: Blue-eyed soul singer Mickey Carroll made his name in the late 1970s, offering up a handful of singles and a couple of rock-solid albums. His musical journey began much earlier though, as "I've Got Plenty Of Nothing" proves. It was recorded in 1969 but never officially released, presumably because Carroll couldn't find a label to put it out on. This then is the track's first release. It's well worth picking up, not least because it fixes his country-tinged, crooner style vocals to a stomping, Northern Soul style backing track with added big band horns. Flipside "Think Love" swings more than it stomps, with an arrangement and vocal delivery that reminded us a little of Terry Callier's "Ordinary Joe".

Review: Spainish label Cuero digs deep into the archives to serve up some more Latin heat in the form of two vintage boogaloo cuts. They put together on this red hot double A-side 45 with fully remastered sound. The Latin Souls was made up of four Puerto Rican musicians who served up a-side 'Tiger Boo-ga-loo' in 1968. It's all sashaying beats, South American percussion, wooden hits and loose limbed beats. On the other side is the hard hitting, high speed hip dancer 'Boo-ga-loo' by Mexican crew Los Gatos Franceses, from all the way back in 1970.