Soul Brother Vinilo y CD

Review: Powerful belters from soul supernova Baby Huey. The only solo 45s he cut for Curtom Records before he passed away aged only 26, this was released posthumously and OG copies regularly go for over 200 pounds. Now reissued on Soul Brother, the two sides give you the full fat Huey; "Hard Times" hits with a raw Lee Fields style gravelly, story-telling delivery while "Listen To Me" shows Huey's deft ability to band-lead an all-out rock jam. Raw and emotional, Huey left this world far too soon.

Review: First released in 1976 on Polydor, 'All Alone By The Telephone' is a lesser-sung sleeper hit by the Checkmates Ltd., but it hardly deserves this obscurity compared to their far more well-known hit 'Black Pearl', produced by Phil Spector. This one, to contrast, was produced by H.B.Barnum. It's a known go-to for DJs on the 2-step and modern soul scenes, but it's not the hype that counts; rather, the track's production is delectable, meting out near perfect harmony and balance to evoke the excruciating feeling of loneliness. 'Body Language', on the B, hears the band rested and recuperated from this isolated spell, and comes far funkier, more delightful.

Review: Soul Brother Records' Record Store Day 2020 release offers up re-mastered versions of two hard-to-find early 'disco mixes' of modern soul-era gems. On the A-side you'll find Tom Moulton's scarce, five-minute club version of soul man Bobby Moore's '(Call Me Your) Anything Man', a delightfully orchestrated and super-sweet dancefloor workout built around a Latin-tinged groove reminiscent of Grace Jones' 'La Vie En Rose', which of course Moulton later famously remixed. Over on the flip there's a chance to savour West End Records' boss Mel Cheren's wonderfully over-the-top dancefloor extension of obscure vocal group Sweet Music's soaring cover of K.C & The Sunshine Band favourite 'I Get Lifted'. It's very different to their much-loved take, but every bit as essential.