Monthly Archives: February, 2013
SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENTS: DEUTSCHE ELECKTRONISCHE MUZIK 2.
SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENTS: DEUTSCHE ELECKTRONISCHE MUZIK 2. Sometimes, when it comes to compilations, sequels don’t quite live up the first volume in a series. Often, the first volume in a series has exhausted the supply of seminal music. So, when the eagerly awaited sequel is released, there’s often a sense of disappointment. Too often, …
FIRST CHOICE-SO LET US ENTERTAIN YOU.
FIRST CHOICE-SO LET US ENTERTAIN YOU. Ever since First Choice signed Stan Watson’s Philly Groove Records, they’d enjoyed commercial success. Guiding their career had been songwriter, guitarist and producer Norman Harris. Stan Watson, owner of First Choice’s label Philly Groove Records, had also played an important part in First Choice’s career. Norman had produced First …
ELLA FITZGERALD-DEARLY BELOVED.
ELLA FITZGERALD-DEARLY BELOVED. born in April 1917, Ella Fitzgerald enjoyed a fifty-nine year career that saw her crowned The Queen of Jazz and The First Lady of Song. With a three-octave vocal range, Lady Ella became one of the most influential and revered singers in the history of jazz music. Ella Fitzgerald influenced, and continues …
BILAL-A LOVE SURREAL.
BILAL-A LOVE SURREAL. Born in 1979, and raised in Philly, Bilal Oliver Sayeed’s career began when he was just twenty. Having left Philly, Bilal moved a hundred miles to New York, where he began to become a familiar face within the city’s music scene. Soon, he knew artists across the hip and Nu-Soul scene, including …
MICHELLE-MAGIC LOVE.
MICHELLE-MAGIC LOVE. ssk anyone who loves disco music, which were the most influential and innovative labels of the disco era, and certain labels will always crop up. At the top of list, is Salsoul Records, which released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music, which was influential, innovative and cutting-edge. Then there’s …
MICHAELA MCCLAIN-THE STORY SO FAR.
MICHAELA MCCLAIN-THE STORY SO FAR. Recently, I came across one of the most talented singer, songwriters and musicians I’ve heard in a long time. Her name is Michaela McClain, who released her debut single Needed More in March 2012, with her sophomore single Ur Love following later in March 2012. After that, Michaela headed to …
BEN E. KING-I HAD A LOVE.
BEN E. KING-I HAD A LOVE. In 1975, Ben E. King had resigned to Atlantic Records. His first album for Atlantic Records was Supernatural, which was produced by Bert De Coteaux and Tony Silvester. Supernatural had proved a commercial success, reaching number thirty-nine in the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen in the US R&B …
B.B. KING-TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU.
B.B. KING-TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU. In 1973, B.B. King decided to head to Philadelphia, to work with some of the city’s greatest musicians on his album To Know You Is To Love You. Many of these musicians were members of M.F.S.B, Philadelphia International Records’ legendary house-band. Among the members of M.F.S.B. which …
BLACK SLATE-AMIGO.
BLACK SLATE-AMIGO. Back in London in 1974, Black Slate became one of the first wave of British reggae bands. Indeed, Black Slate were the third major British reggae band to be formed. They were following in the footsteps of British reggae pioneers The Cimarons and Matumbi. These three bands were pioneers, leading the way for …
MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS-THE KPM MUSIC LIBRARY (DELUXE EDITION).
MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS-THE KPM MUSIC LIBRARY. Ever since the dawn of hip hop, library music has proved a source of inspiration for sample-hungry hip hop producers and crate-digging DJs alike. Library music has also proven popular with music lovers with discerning musical tastes. Little did the founders of Chappell, Bosworth and KPM Music realize the …
DONNA ALLEN-PERFECT TIMING.
DONNA ALLEN-PERFECT TIMING. Donna Allen, whose 1986 debut album Perfect Timing will be rereleased by BBR Records on 25th February 2013, career started ten years before her debut album was released. However, Donna Allen’s career was almost accidental. She’d originally been a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in 1976, as a favor to …
GEORGE MCCRAE-DIAMOND TOUCH.
GEORGE MCCRAE-DIAMOND TOUCH. For George McCrae, Rock Your Baby, the single that transformed his career was something of a double-edged sword. Commercially, releasing a single that sold over eleven-million copies, reached number one in over eighty countries and was named Rolling Stone magazine’s song of the year in 1974 changed George McCrae’s life forevermore. The …
DELEGATION-DEUCES HIGH.
DELEGATION-DEUCES HIGH. By the time Delegation came to record their fourth album, 1982s Deuces High, which BBR Records will released on 25th February 2013, the group’s lineup had changed several times. It seemed Delegation’s lineup was constantly evolving. Members joined, then left. When Delegation came to record their fourth album, Deuces High, Ricky Bailey was …
THE O’JAYS SHIP AHOY.
THE O’JAYS SHIP AHOY. In August 1972, when The O’Jays’ released Back Stabbers, little did they realize how important an album it would become. Back Stabbers was certified gold, and fourteen years after The O’Jays were formed, were on their way to becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful groups in the …
DISCO LOVE VOLUME 3-EVEN MORE RARE DISCO AND SOUL UNCOVERED (COMPILED BY AL KENT)
DISCO LOVE VOLUME 3-EVEN MORE RARE DISCO AND SOUL UNCOVERED (COMPILED BY AL KENT). Glasgow’s disco don Al Kent is back, and he’s been crate-digging again. Digging deep. Way deeper than he’s ever dug before. The result is his new compilation Disco Love 3, which will be released on BBE Music on 18th February 2013. …
LAURA NYRO-GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE.
LAURA NYRO-GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE. Recently, I’ve been reviewing albums which although not strictly Philly Soul, feature many of the musicians, songwriters, arrangers and producers who were architects of the Philly Sound. This include Ecstasy, Passion and Pain’s Ecstasy, Passion and Pain, Joe Simon’s Drowning In A Sea of Love, Dusty Springfield’s A Brand New …
GWEN GUTHRIE-GOOD TO GO LOVER.
GWEN GUTHRIE-GOOD TO GO LOVER. By 1986, when Gwen Guthrie released Good To Go Lover, her first album for Polydor, she was already an established artist and songwriter. Good To Go Lover which will be rereleased by SoulMusic Records on 18th February 2013, marked Gwen’s debut as producer. It seemed that Gwen Guthrie had the …
FREDA PAYNE-SUPERNATURAL HIGH.
FREDA PAYNE-SUPERNATURAL HIGH. Mention the name Freda Payne, and most people will automatically think of her 1970 two-million-selling single Band of Gold. That, however, is doing Freda Payne a huge disservice. Why? Well, Freda Payne’s career has lasted over fifty years, and saw Freda release eleven studio albums. One of these albums was 1978s Supernatural …
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