Back catalogue: Soul

Review: Danielle Nicole shares her debut album on Forty Below: The Love You Bleed. From its earliest recording sessions, Nicole knew this one would be different; for the first time, the whole twelve-track repertoire is about falling in love, not the fallout of it. Produced by Tony Braunagel (Taj Mahal, Eric Burdon, Robert Cray) and mixed by John Porter (B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bryan Ferry), The Love You Bleed is an album-length sentimental ballad; full of love, loss, will, determination, and every residual ingredient of love. But that's not to say the album doesn't get sour with it; while lead single 'Make Love' is about consciously pushing past pain - choosing love, family, and community in life's difficult moments - 'How Did We Get To Goodbye' hits the listener quicker with its raw and twinging lyrics, documenting a soured love that bears no hero or villain, and asking how one might reach such a place of disrepair without even knowing it.

Review: Funk, soul and house music cognoscente Dave Lee spent the best part of two decades trying to find the ideal vocalist with whom to work on a full-length LP. Only lately did he chance upon the glabrous tones of Maurissa Rose on a Theo Parrish record, 'Free Myself', after which the impulse to work with a plucky yet radical-potential singer across an entire album could no longer be ignored. From 'I've Been Here Before' to 'Look At The Stars' to 'Do You Believe', this international communication in soulful house shimmies through uptempo boogie flavours and lower-slung street soul, and is best described as a career-defining milestone, polarising two talents as reps of two of dance music's most a-musing cities.

Review: Since breaking through 11 years ago, Portland, Oregon combo The Delines have crafted an attractive trademark 'country soul' sound that combines the lilting, desert drive heartache of Americana - an effect heightened by the southern drawl of singer Amy Boone - with Stax-style hazy horns, elongated Hammond organ chords, and warming grooves. It's a sound that can be as easily applied to downtempo numbers as more upbeat ones, with the widespread use of strings and less fashionable brass and woodwind instruments (flugelhorn anyone?). The band's latest full-length excursion may well be their most hard hitting, heart breaking and poignant set yet, with a polished take on their distinctive style only emphasising the quality of their musicality and Boone's expressive lead vocals.

Review: Adding to the fervour around Japanese city pop - the genre is still a clogged but speculative seep for reissuers, who are keen to capitalise on the mainly Tokyo-born genre's still underground, under-recognised reserves of music - comes DJ Nutoya with a fresh and terse ten-tracker compilation: Tokyo Bliss. This breezy selection centres on the all-rounder genre's favourite international foci, boogie and funk: frissonic formulas for sensational home listening. Most tracks here make their debut on vinyl outside of Japan; from Buzz's pristine tremolo'er 'Garasumado', to Keiko Toda's escape-noteworthy 'Fade In' and Yuji Mitsuya's delirious summer disco dirge 'After Five At Caf-Bar', this is an impeccable curation job.

Review: Having previously shone a light on lovers rock via two volumes of his For The Love of You compilations, dusty-fingered selector Sam Don has turned his attention to 'underground UK soul'. In practice, that largely means - though not uniformly - street soul of the late 80s and 90s. It's a simple idea, executed brilliantly, with Don working tirelessly to get the blessing of all the artists involved. Sweet, synth-heavy and lusciously loved up, the 12 tracks on show are undeniably excellent, with the many highlights including the piano-sporting, breakbeat-driven dancefloor pleasure of Kofi's 'Step By Step', the sax-sporting shuffle of Jenny B's 'Sexy Eyes (Club Mix)', the bubbly 80s soul cheeriness of Cavalier's 'Don't Touch' and the bustling post-boogie brilliance of 'Passion' by Taffy.

Review: The Salsoul Recordings (1976-1979), a comprehensive 4xCD box set by the legendary Philadelphia group Double Exposure. This 46-track collection highlights the trio of albums they recorded for Salsoul's Gold Mind Records: Ten Percent (1976), Fourplay (1978), and Locker Room (1979). Each album is presented in an expanded edition, with the set's final disc offering a curated selection of remixes, instrumentals, and a cappella versions from their Salsoul discography. Key tracks include the groundbreaking 12" single Ten Percent, the soulful My Love Is Free, and other fan favorites like Everyman and Newsy Neighbors. The packaging includes a 28-page booklet designed by John Sellards. DJ Dyn-o-Mite of Jointzoftheday.org provides the liner notes, offering deep insights into the group's contributions to the disco era. This release is part of a larger 2024 series by SoulMusic Records/The Second Disc, celebrating the Salsoul and Gold Mind catalogues. The collection is an essential addition for any soul-disco lover.