Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
GINA CAREY-LOVE ME TOO.
GINA CAREY-LOVE ME TOO. It seems Gina Carey is continuing her quest to be crowned the hardest working singer in music, by releasing her new single Love Me Too, on 1st November. This year, Gina has released three albums, with the second of the Live, Love and Laugh trilogy due for release on 1st January …
SWITCH-AM I STILL YOUR BOYFRIEND.
SWITCH-AM I STILL YOUR BOYFRIEND. When Switch moved from Motown imprint Gordy, to Total Experience Records in 1982, great things were forecast for them. Total Experience had beaten other labels to the signing of Switch and announced their signing of Switch in a December 1982 issue of Jet magazine. There was talk of Switch contributing …
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN.
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN. Imagine being one of the hottest unsigned bands in Philadelphia during the seventies and not even trying to get a deal with Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. Not even knocking on Gamble and Huff’s door might seem strange or even, somewhat remiss. After all, Gamble and Huff were at the helm of …
THELMA HOUSTON-THE MOWEST ALBUM.
THELMA HOUSTON-THE MOWEST ALBUM. It’s somewhat ironic that Thelma Houston’s most successful single was a disco version of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ Don’t Leave Me This Way. It reached number one in the US Billboard 100, US R&B Charts and US Dance Charts. After all, Thelma Houston started her career as soul singer, …
THE GAP BAND-THE GAP BAND VI.
THE GAP BAND-THE GAP BAND VI. One of the most successful funk bands of the late-seventies and early eighties were The Gap Band. They enjoyed released fifteen studio albums during a twenty-five year period. Their career started with their 1974 debut Magician’s Holiday, while 1999s Y2k: Funkin’ Till 2000 Comz was their finale. The most …
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU.
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU. Back in the spring of 1974, Philadelphia International Records had a busy schedule of releases. They’d three albums scheduled for release. The first of this trio was M.F.S.B’s seminal Love Is The Message and the third was The O’Jays’ classic Ship Ahoy. In between these two …
THE MIRACLES-LOVE CRAZY.
THE MIRACLES-LOVE CRAZY. Not many groups have enjoyed the longevity that The Miracles enjoyed. Having released their debut album Hi..We’re The Miracles in 1961, they recorded seven studio albums for Motown between 1961 and 1964s I Like It Like That, which was never released. By the time The Miracles released Going To A Go-Go …
K.C AND THE SUNSHINE BAND-DO IT GOOD.
K.C AND THE SUNSHINE BAND-DO IT GOOD. Sometimes, people forget just how popular an artist or group were. One group people forget just how successful they were are K.C. and The Sunshine Band. With their unique fusion of disco, funk, soul and poppy hooks, K.C. and The Sunshine Band became one of the biggest …
COUNTRY SOUL SISTERS.
COUNTRY SOUL SISTERS. Not everything that glitters is gold. Nor is every compilation what it may appear. With its title Country Soul Sisters, some people have bought Soul Jazz Records’ most recent release thinking this is an album of country-tined soul music. That’s not the case. For anyone looking for that type of compilation, then …
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS. It doesn’t seem like a year since Red Greg compiled the first installment in the Under The Influence series. Time it seems, does go far too quickly. During that time, I’ve reviewed many compilations, but Red Greg’s was one of my favorites of 2011. Given how good …
ONLY 4 U: THE SOUND OF CAJMERE AND CAJUAL RECORDS.
ONLY 4 U: THE SOUND OF CAJMERE AND CAJUAL RECORDS. For the last twenty years, Cajmere has been one of the most influential and innovative producers of the Chicago house music scene, releasing music on his Cajual Records imprint. Now twenty years after Cajmere founded Cajual Records in 1992, Strut Records will be releasing a …
DISCO RECHARGE-CHANGE-GLOW OF LOVE AND MIRACLES-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-CHANGE-GLOW OF LOVE AND MIRACLES-SPECIAL EDITION. It’s quite a feat for any artist to release one critically acclaimed and commercially successful album, never mind two. What makes this even more remarkable is that both albums were released in the disco era. Not many artists managed this, but Change did. Change released their debut album …
OFFERING RECORDINGS ADE SAMPLER 2012.
OFFERING RECORDINGS ADE SAMPLER 2012. In an a constantly changing musical landscape, it’s becoming difficult for smaller record companies to discover new talent. All too often, artists with even a modicum of potential are signed by major labels, usually on a 360 deal. They hope they’ve just unearthed the next million-selling artist and Christmas has …
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES.
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES. By 1977, when Bobby Womack entered the recording studio to record his twelfth studio album Pieces, his career had hit the buffers. Bobby’s music was no longer as successful as it had been in late-sixties and early-seventies. His two previous albums, BW Goes C&W and Home Is Where the Heart Is showed that …
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II.
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II. All too often, history repeats itself in music. This is as true in music as life. There are many examples of this, but a good example of this is the story of Bruce Weedon. Bruce who was one of the most innovative and creative disco producers of the late-seventies. No …
RONNIE DYSON-ONE MAN BAND.
RONNIE DYSON-ONE MAN BAND. Three years after the release of his debut album (If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You in 1970, Ronnie Dyson released his sophomore album One Man Band on Columbia Records. This would be the second of five albums Ronnie would release for Columbia between …
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION. For far too long, Boris Midney’s role in the development of Euro Disco has been overlooked. That is until now. Recently, the Disco Recharge label released a double-album of two of of Boris’ albums. This was Disco Recharge-Boris Midney Volume 1-Beautiful Blend and Caress. However, two …
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE. During his career, Dan Hartman wrote almost 250 songs and appeared on over one-hundred albums and worked with everyone from Loleatta Holloway, Dusty Springfield, Little Richard, Diana Ross, James Brown, Tina Turner and the Average White Band. Dan also released eight solo albums between his 1976 debut album Images and his …
INFERNAL DEVICES-LIFE IN STEREO.
INFERNAL DEVICES-LIFE IN STEREO. Having recently reviewed the debut release from New York’s newest label SpinSpinNYC, Nutritious Presents Duke Williams and The Extremes, they’ve since released their second release. This is Infernal Devices’ Life In Stereo, the debut E.P. from the Brooklyn based dance duo. Infernal Devices are Mark Allen and Andy Miccolis, and having …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 