Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
OTTI ALBIETZ-BUBBY TONE II.
OTTI ALBIETZ-BUBBY TONE II. Otti Albietz, whose sophomore album Bubby Tone II will be released by BBE Music on 8th April 2013 is best described as a modern day minstrel. It was when strolling through the streets of his hometown of Malaga, in Spain, that Otti first found inspiration for his songs. Whether epic, intimate …
YESKING-RE-RECORD NOT FADE AWAY.
YESKING-RE-RECORD NOT FADE AWAY. For Yesking’s sophomore album Re-Record Not Fade Away, which was released by BBE Music on 11th March 2013, it appears founder Rhys Adams has looked to the past for inspiration. Rather than release a sprawling fifteen track album, Yesking have returned to the vinyl age for inspiration. Back in the golden-age …
JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-AIN’T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU.
JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-AIN’T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU. By 1978, John Davis had established a reputation in music as a successful songwriter, arranger and producer. Ever since the early seventies, he’d been working in Philly, with groups like First Choice, The Intruders, The Soul Survivors and artists like William DeVaughn. Then when he …
THE INTRUDERS-ENERGY OF LOVE.
THE INTRUDERS-ENERGY OF LOVE. Throughout The Intruders’ career, Gamble and Huff had played an important role in guiding their career. Similarly, The Intruders had proved important in the rise and rise of Gamble and Huff. Indeed, the success Gamble and Huff enjoyed with The Intruders had proved crucial in CBS backing their new label Philadelphia …
STEPHANIE MILLS-MERCILESS.
STEPHANIE MILLS-MERCILESS. Sometimes, when an artist enjoys commercial success and critical acclaim early in their career, they spend the rest of their career trying to match this success. In the case of Stephanie Mills, this was the case. Her third album Whatcha Gonna Do With My Loving, this proved to be the most successful album …
NANCY WILSON-CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU AND NOW I’M A WOMAN.
NANCY WILSON-CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU AND NOW I’M A WOMAN. The two albums Nancy Wilson albums that feature on Soul Music Records’ latest release Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Now I’m A Woman, feature two different approaches to production. 1970s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, which was Nancy’s twenty-eight album …
SONS OF ARHAT-SITUATION.
SONS OF ARHAT-SITUATION. Last year, when I was compiling my list of the best music of 2012, Offering Recordings was one of the winners. Sage Monk’s Heartache Allegory was in my list of the best albums of 2012. One of the best compilations of 2012, was Offering Recordings Ade Sampler 2012, which featured tracks from, …
NIGHTLIFE UNLIMITED-NIGHTLIFE UNLIMITED.
NIGHTLIFE UNLIMITED-NIGHTLIFE UNLIMITED. Another of the great labels of the disco era was Casablanca Records. Along with Salsoul Records, Prelude, SAM and West End, Casablanca Records established a reputation as one of disco’s premier labels. Casablanca was founded by Neil Bogart, along with Larry Harris, Cecil Holmes and Buck Reingold after they left Buddah Records …
DUKE ELLINGTON THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA STUDIO ALBUMS COLLECTION 1951-1958.
DUKE ELLINGTON THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA STUDIO ALBUMS COLLECTION 1951-1958. For Duke Ellington, one of the most fertile and critically acclaimed period of his sixty-year career was at Columbia Records, between 1951 and 1958. During this period, Duke’s music was innovative, inventive, eclectic, and would influence a new generation of musicians. Recently, nine of the albums …
WEATHER REPORT-THE COLUMBIA ALBUMS 1971-1975.
WEATHER REPORT-THE COLUMBIA ALBUMS 1971-1975. Recently Columbia Records have been delving into their archives and releasing a series of lavish box sets. So far, there’s been box sets to suit all musical tastes. Whether it’s jazz legends like Duke Ellington or Louis Armstrong or seventies rock there’s something for everyone. Fans of jazz-fusion haven’t been …
THE RITCHIE FAMILY-AFRICAN QUEENS.
THE RITCHIE FAMILY-AFRICAN QUEENS. Just like The Ritchie Family’s three previous albums, their fourth album, 1977s African Queens was a disco concept album. Their 1975 Latin-tinged debut album Brazil was The Ritchie Family’s most successful album. Brazil, which featured The Sweethearts of Sigma’s vocals set the bar high for The Ritchie Family’s future albums. Critically …
DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES-MONKEY IN A SILK SUIT IS STILL A MONKEY.
DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES-MONKEY IN A SILK SUIT IS STILL A MONKEY. Last September, New York based record label, SpinSpinNYC, released a six track compilation entitled Nutritious Presents Duke Williams and The Extremes. SpinSpinNYC had rediscovered the music of Duke Williams and The Extremes. They wanted to share their love and belief in this …
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA.
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA. By 1970, when Wilson Pickett released Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia, his recording career was eight years old. He’d released his debut single If You Need Me in 1962, and since then, had enjoyed four number one US R&B singles. The first of these was his 1965 classic In The Midnight Hour, …
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 …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 