Freestyle

Review: Kylie Auldist is a heavyweight Aussie soul singer whose powerful lungs have graced many a hit over the years. Now, with the help of Lance Ferguson and Graeme Pogson, she's recorded a solo album, Family Tree, and this here EP features a selection of tracks from it. Gone is the raw funk vibes of old with Auldist opting for a bright and synthetic mid-'80s pop-soul sound instead. It largely works too with the Donna Allen-esque "Sensational", the chrome and carpet grooves of "Family Tree" and the late-'70s US funk style of "Rewards" as standouts.

Review: Having re-invented himself as the UK's favourite funk and soul selector via shows on BBC 6 Music, comedy actor-turned-Corrie cab driver Craig Charles brings his wildly successful Funk & Soul Club brand to CD for the first time. Pitched at newcomers rather than confirmed diggers, it features a mix of well known nu-funk floor fillers (The Apples' version of RATM's "Killing In The Name", Nostalgia 77's ubiquitous White Stripes cover), lesser-known cuts from modern soul 'names' (Speedometer, The Haggis Horns, The Bamboos), older gems (Al Wilson, Incredible Bongo Band), a dash of reggae and a few curveballs (Treva Whateva's long-forgotten banger "Singalong"). Good times guaranteed.

Review: Craig Charles' annual "Funk & Soul Club" compilations are fast becoming as much of a Christmas tradition as turkey, dodgy decorations and ill-advised snogs at office parties. As with its predecessor, this sixth volume does a good job in showcasing the best in modern funk, soul, Afrobeat and heavy Latin jams, with a few stone cold classics thrown in (see the Mighty Ryeders' peerless "Evil Vibrations"). Look out for deep and heavy funk gems from the Bamboos, the New Mastersounds and Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum, some suitably smooth fare from Courtney Pine and Omar, a scintillating, salsa-focused cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by Scotland's Grupo Magnetico, and a dash of dancefloor goodness from funk breaks scene stalwarts Smoove and Turrell.

Review: Two big cuts taken from the Melbourne trio's sixth album Blind Bet, here the band flip two sides of a ridiculously funky coin. "Mind Made Up" features the vocals of Tru Thoughts starlet Kylie Auldist. Her rich emphatic vocals fit the 70s soul licks perfectly. Smooth and dynamically delivered with big horns, subtle strings, major chords and an instantly catchy chorus, you'll make your mind up on this long before the last horns blast a final cheerio. "Skeletor", meanwhile, is a much more party-focussed jam where big breakbeats provide the back bone for sharp horns, heavy Hammond slapping and warm gravelly vocals.

Review: New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson has been the beating heart of Melbourne's modern funk and soul scene for the best part of two decades. It's this that allowed him to gather many of the city's best musicians together to record "Rare Groove Spectrum", an album of fresh covers of rare and classic funk, soul and Latin jams. This sampler seven-inch contains two killer covers. On the A you'll find Ferguson and company charging through the deep funk brilliance of "Egg Roll", an instrumental track that first rose to prominence when Keb Darge reissued an un-credited test pressing of mysterious origin. Over on the flip, Ferguson's charges deliver a heady, exotic and intoxicating interpretation of "The Dump" by Soul Vibrations.

Review: New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson has been the beating heart of Melbourne's modern funk and soul scene for the best part of two decades. It's this that allowed him to gather many of the city's best musicians together to record "Rare Groove Spectrum", an album of fresh covers of rare and classic funk, soul and Latin jams. There are some killer versions to be found amongst the 11 tracks on offer. We're particularly enjoying the collective's riotous instrumental revision of Pleasure classic "Joyous", the strutting deep funk heaviness of "Egg Roll" (a similarly restless cover of a mysterious but much-played cut that should be familiar to dusty-fingered diggers and knowledgeable dancers) and the sumptuous summer breeze that is the combo's meandering take on Earth, Wind and Fire staple "Brazilian Rhyme". It is, though, all superb.

Review: New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson has been the beating heart of Melbourne's modern funk and soul scene for the best part of two decades. It's this that allowed him to gather many of the city's best musicians together to record "Rare Groove Spectrum", an album of fresh covers of rare and classic funk, soul and Latin jams. There are some killer versions to be found amongst the 11 tracks on offer. We're particularly enjoying the collective's riotous instrumental revision of Pleasure classic "Joyous", the strutting deep funk heaviness of "Egg Roll" (a similarly restless cover of a mysterious but much-played cut that should be familiar to dusty-fingered diggers and knowledgeable dancers) and the sumptuous summer breeze that is the combo's meandering take on Earth, Wind and Fire staple "Brazilian Rhyme". It is, though, all superb.

Review: African Party, the single album released by 'Ginger' Foloruso Johnson and his African Messengers band, has long been considered something of a hard-to-find classic. Originally released in 1967, the energetic and effervescent set here gets a deserved re-issue on Freestyle. Musically, it's something of a melting pot, sitting somewhere between Afro-Cuban fusion, Afrobeat, funk and jazz-dance - all dense, intense rhythms, spiraling horns, fluttering flute lines and high-octane thrills. Certainly, it's a thoroughly entertaining set, packed full of highlights. These include the sharp sax lines, Afrobeat bass and rolling grooves of "A You Momma", and "Hi Life", whose wild trumpets and saxophones offer the perfect foil for the cacophonous drums.

Review: Melbourne musician Lance Ferguson is one hell of a talent, seemingly able to turn his hand to almost any style with predictably impressive results. Although best known for his role in funk combos the Bamboos and Cookin' on 3 Burners, he's also delivered loose and languid broken beat as Lanu and jazz with Menagerie, an expansive outfit that first appeared on Tru Thoughts in 2012. Here he reconvenes the musical ensemble for a sophomore set heavily influenced by the "post-Coltrane" modal sounds of legendary labels Strata East, Tribe and Black Jazz. As you'd expect, the whole thing is impeccably played and produced, with occasional forays into jazz-funk and soul-jazz territory amongst the more traditional-sounding contemporary jazz compositions on show elsewhere on the album.

Review: One of the UK's most distinctive, consistent and authentic male soul voices returns with his eighth album in 27 years... And it's a serious piece of work. Rich in range, warmth, creativity and a keen eye on the dancefloor, everything about him feels refreshed and energised. Highlights include the Dilla-meets-Iz & Diz style "This Way That Way", the glistening Balearic charm of "Feeds My Mind", the syrupy organs and harmonies on "Insatiable". Winding down with the almost filmic narrative "Grey Clouds", it's one of those records that will have you leaping up, flipping to side A and starting all over again. Feel the love.

Review: There's little doubt that honey-voiced singer Omar Lye-Fook is one of the finest soul talents to emerge from the UK in the last four decades. For proof check out this much deserved two-disc retrospective (his first since 2004's "The Collection"). Stacked with collaborations with top-tier talent (Terri Walker, Leon Ware, Carleen Anderson, Kele LeRoc, Scratch Professor and Stevie Wonder all feature), "Anthology" showcases his impressive diversity through top-quality tracks that variously touch on turn-of-the-90s street soul, neo-soul, jazz-funk, boogie, easy listening, acid jazz, hip-hop soul, jazz, R&B and broken beat. Throughout, his slick vocals and thoughtful lyrics stand out.

Review: After releases on a dozen labels, one of Britain's finest funk groups Speedometer unleash their new single "The Shakedown(Say Yeah)" on Freestyle. Their current vocalist is none other than the legendary Martha High, a long time vocalist with James Brown until 1995 when she left to tour globally with James's sax player Maceo Parker. Does it hit all the right spots? Does it tick all the boxes? Hell yeah! Martha is firing on all four cylinders, ably assisted by UK soul man Myles Sanko whilst a killer guitar licked, punchy brass groove carries things on at a furious pace. "Dragging Me Down" on the flip sports a crystal clear performance from Martha as the band cook the bubbling organ tempo on gas mark 10; oven gloves at the ready people.

Review: Thanks to his BBC 6Music show, self-styled "complete package" - comic, actor, radio presenter, DJ and stand-up poet - Craig Charles has become the UK's best-known funk and soul enthusiast. It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that his annual Funk & Soul Club compilations are extremely popular. This third collection is every bit as potent as predecessors, featuring as it does a riotous mix of heavy funk, horn-totin' soul revivalism, dancefloor-friendly funk breaks (Skeewiff and Stephen Gray), cheeky brass band workouts (Hot 8 Brass Band's famous cover of "Sexual Healing") and a dash of smooth soul (the effortless Omar). With all bases covered and some killer material, it should be essential listening for all those of a soul and funk persuasion.