Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
DONNY HATHAWAY-DONNY HATHAWAY
DONNY HATHAWAY-DONNY HATHAWAY While many artists enjoy long careers, Donny Hathaway’s career was tragically short. He only released three studio albums and one soundtrack album during his lifetime. However, during his short career, Donny Hathaway recorded some of the most beautiful, powerful and moving music you’ll ever hear. Donny’s debut album was Everything Is Everything, which was …
ALMUNIA-PULSAR.
ALMUNIA-PULSAR. Often when I’m looking for new music, it’s an album cover that grabs my attention. That was the case with Almunia’s new album Pulsar. It was released on Paul Murphy’s Claremont 56 label, on 27th May 2013. Released without publicity or fanfare, Almunia’s sophomore album Pulsar was a low key release to say the …
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE.
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNRISE. By far, one of the best compilations of 2012 was Leng Records’ Psychemagik Presents Magic Circles. Released in October 2012, it’s best described as a compelling and captivating collection of music. Not only that, but it brought new meaning to the word eclectic. Fusing cosmic disco, Balearica, psychedelic funk, ambient, soul, …
COUNTRY SOUL SISTERS VOLUME 2: WOMEN IN COUNTRY MUSIC 1956-1979.
COUNTRY SOUL SISTERS VOLUME 2: WOMEN IN COUNTRY MUSIC 1956-1979. Last October, when I reviewed the Soul Jazz Records compilation Country Soul Sisters: Women In Country Music 1952-1974, I wondered whether it would convert me into a fan of country music? Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Its persuasive powers and that of the Country Soul …
ERRORS-HAVE SOME FAITH IN MAGIC.
ERRORS-HAVE SOME FAITH IN MAGIC. Since their 2006 debut album, How Clean Is Your Acid House, Errors have come a long way. Having started their career gigging around Glasgow and the west of Scotland, seven years and three albums later, rather than playing Paisley, Kilmarnock and Hamilton, Errors are venturing much further afield. This includes …
LAU-RACE THE LOSER.
LAU-RACE THE LOSER. Usually, when I read about any group being referred to as the: “most innovative band” of their chosen genre, I take this with the proverbial pinch of salt. Often, that’s far from the truth. Mostly, its the result of marketing hype gone into overdrive, wihful thinking, desperation or a manager who thinks …
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE.
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE. By 1978, things were changing at Salsoul. The Salsoul Orchestra played a huge part in Salsoul’s success. They were much more than musicians, with many of its members songwriters, arrangers and producers. This included the Baker, Harris, Young rhythm section, Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey and Vince Montana Jr. So when Vince Montana …
PAUL BUCHANAN-MID AIR-DELUXE EDITION.
PAUL BUCHANAN-MID AIR-DELUXE EDITION. 2012 was a great year for anyone who loves the music of the Blue Nile. Not only have we enjoyed deluxe reissues of the Blue Nile’s first two albums, 1984s A Walk Across the Rooftops and 1989s Hats, but Paul Buchanan released his long awaited debut album Mid Air in May …
KARINE POLWART-TRACES.
KARINE POLWART-TRACES. Karine Polwart is something of a rarity in an age where anodyne, bland and uncontroversial music fills our airwaves and record shops. Her music isn’t just intelligent, articulate and socially relevant, it’s also melodic and beautiful. She’s a storyteller who gives a voice to the downtrodden, disenfranchised, impoverished and vulnerable, and in doing …
MIAOUX MIAOUX-LIGHT OF THE NORTH.
MIAOUX MIAOUX-LIGHT OF THE NORTH. When the long-list for 2012s Scottish Album Of The Year was announced, this celebration of Scottish music, demonstrated just how eclectic the music Scotland’s musicians have been producing. The twenty albums featured everything from indie rock, pop, electronica, folk, jazz, dance and R&B. One album incorporated not just variety of …
THE UNWINDING HOURS-AFTERLIVES.
THE UNWINDING HOURS-AFTERLIVES. Maybe I’m getting old and/or cynical, but music just isn’t what it used to be. Looking through what’s about to be released in the next few weeks and it’s disappointing fare. There’s either the umpteenth rerelease of albums by bloated sixties and seventies rock band, compilations that appeal to people who buy …
CORNELL CAMPBELL MEETS THE SOOTHSAYERS-NOTHING CAN STOP US NOW.
CORNELL CAMPBELL MEETS THE SOOTHSAYERS-NOTHING CAN STOP US NOW. When it comes to musical collaborations, they often, bring out the best in musicians. Especially, when you bring together musicians from diverse musical backgrounds. Often, they drive each other to greater heights. This was the case with previous installments of Strut Records Inspiration Information series. Sly …
BACKBEATS: MEMORIES AND SOUVENIRS.
BACKBEATS: MEMORIES AND SOUVENIRS. Mention Ian Levine’s name, and most people will remember from his time DJ-ing at Blackpool Mecca and the Wigan Casino. There’s much more to Ian Levine that DJ-ing though. Ian’s first love was s, who used to DJ-ing to share his love of soul music, and specifically, Motown. Having established himself …
BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979.
BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979. During the sixties, Southern Soul was at the height of its popularity. Independent labels like Stax, Goldwax and FAME, and majors like Atlantic released some of Southern Soul’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed music. However, one label’s success lasted from the late sixties, right through the late …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LADY SOUL.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LADY SOUL. Commercial success and critical acclaim didn’t come easy for Aretha Franklin. She was no overnight star, if such a thing exists. Her recording career started back in 1956 and she’d released ten albums before signing to Atlantic Records. Until then, success had been a stranger to Aretha Franklin. However, signing to Atlantic …
PAAAARTY TIME-SERIOUS FUNK FROM THE 70S.
PAAAARTY TIME-SERIOUS FUNK FROM THE 70S. After its birth in the mid to late sixties, funk’s popularity quickly grew. With its fusion of soul, R&B and jazz, funk’s heyday was the seventies. While the peak of funk’s popularity was during the seventies, it was during the seventies that some of the greatest funk music was …
BACKBEATS: DIGGERS DELIGHT-MORE RARE-GROOVE GEMS.
BACKBEATS: DIGGERS DELIGHT-MORE RARE-GROOVE GEMS. For many DJs and music-lovers, crate-digging for hidden rare-groove gems is the musical equivalent of an Olympic sport. Whether its record shops, thrift stores, dusty warehouses or junk shops, there’s nowhere that the determined crate-digger won’t head. Nowhere is off-limits in their search for rare of obscure vinyl. A crate-digger …
BACKBEATS: IN THE POCKET-70S JAZZ FUNK.
BACKBEATS: IN THE POCKET-70S JAZZ FUNK. Ever since the birth of jazz, the music has never stood still. Instead, it’s been constantly evolving. That was the case in the early seventies. By the early seventies, jazz had to evolve to survive. Jazz’s popularity had been surpassed by soul music. Even soul jazz which had proved …
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS.
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS One of the music industry’s big success stories of recent years has been Harmless Records’ Backbeats compilation series. In the last three years, the Backbeats’ compilation series has grown to become the world’s most popular compilation series. That is a remarkable achievement. We shouldn’t be surprised though. After all, …
dereksmusicblog
