Category Archives: Funk
AFROBEAT AIRWAYS 2-RETURN FLIGHT TO GHANA 1974-1983.
AFROBEAT AIRWAYS 2-RETURN FLIGHT TO GHANA 1974-1983. For anyone who loves African music, Analog Africa’s releases are essential listening. Their compilations are among the best compilations of African music available. The reason for this is simple, Analog Africa dig deeper than other reissue labels. They’ve been doing since 2005, when Samy Ben Rebjed founded Analog …
CHARLIE WHITEHEAD-RAW SPITT.
CHARLIE WHITEHEAD-RAW SPITT. For many years, I’ve been a huge fan of Swamp Dogg’s productions, including Doris Duke’s seminal album I’m A Loser. During his career, Swamp Dogg, aka Jerry Williams worked with many artists, including Gary US Bonds, Patti La Belle, Arthur Conley and ZZ Hill. One of the lesser known artists Jerry worked …
NICOLA CONTE PRESENTS VIAGEM 5.
NICOLA CONTE PRESENTS VIAGEM 5. Over the last few years, there’s been a resurgence in interest in Brazilian music. Record companies have noticed this. They’ve released a whole raft of compilations of Brazilian music. For anyone who loves Brazilian music, this should be a bonus. Sadly, that’s not the case. Many of these compilations are …
BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
BLO-CHAPTER ONE. The first thing that strikes you about BLO’s Chapter One, the latest rerelease from Mr. Bongo Records, is the cover. Naive, psychedelic, lysergic and surreal, it’s a min-masterpiece. It’s up there with some of the best album covers in music history. So good is the album cover, that I’m sure many people will …
T-CONNECTION-T-CONNECTION.
T-CONNECTION-T-CONNECTION. By December 1978, disco was at the peak of its popularity. So should T-Connection. They should’ve been riding the crest of the disco wave. They weren’t. That age old problem, the difficult second album had tripped them up. Their had career started so well. Magic released in April 1977 reached number 109 in the …
MARLENA SHAW-JUST A MATTER OF TIME.
MARLENA SHAW-JUST A MATTER OF TIME. For the first Lady of Blue Note, Marlena Shaw, 1975 saw her release the most successful album of her career, Who Is This Bitch Anyway? An innovative fusion of soul and jazz, Marlena explored feminist, sexual politics and social issues. This represented Marlena Shaw at the height of her …
AURRA-A LITTLE LOVE.
AURRA-A LITTLE LOVE. It was in 1975, that Steve Washington formed his first band with his school friends Mark Hicks and Tim Dozier. Born in Newark, Steve was brought up in East Orange, New Jersey. Steve was from a musical family. His uncle was The Ohio Players’ Ralph “Pee Wee” Midlebrooks. During his holidays, Steve …
THE GET DOWN BOOGIE SOUND.
THE GET DOWN BOOGIE SOUND. Disco which had provided the musical backdrop to the second half of the seventies, went from hero to zero in the space of a year. Suddenly, disco sucked. Disco’s downfall started on Christmas Eve 1978, That’s when Steve Dahl was fired by Chicago radio station WDAI. It had previously been …
SIMBA AND MILTON GULLI-THE HEROES A TRIBUTE TO A TRIBE CALLED QUEST.
SIMBA AND MILTON GULLI-THE HEROES A TRIBUTE TO A TRIBE CALLED QUEST. In the history of hip hop, A Tribe Called Quest are one of the most innovative and influential bands ever. No ifs and no buts. The five albums they released between 1990 and 1998, featured a genre melting fusion of genres and influences. …
ANGELA BOFILL-INTUITION.
ANGELA BOFILL-INTUITION. When Angela Bofill signed to Clive Davis’Arista Records, he decided to mentor his latest signing. For five albums, Angela was one of the labels most successful artists. Sadly, things went sour for Angela after her fifth album Teaser. Her final two albums 1984s Let Me Be The One and 1985s Tell Me Tomorrow …
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-LOCKER ROOM.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-LOCKER ROOM. Following the trials and tribulations that surrounded Double Exposure’s sophomore album Fourplay, Locker Room their third and final album, which was recently released by Octave Records, proved to relatively plain sailing. Having released their debut album Ten Percent in 1976, there was a two year delay with the followup. This was due to …
PETER KING-SHANGO.
PETER KING-SHANGO. All too often, innovative music isn’t appreciated when it’s released. It passes almost unnoticed. Apart from a few people, who realize the importance of the music, and champion it passionately, it can be years, even decades later, that the importance of an artist or album is recognized. This has been the case with …
PLEASURE-FUTURE NOW.
PLEASURE-FUTURE NOW. Portland-based Pleasure spent several years honing their style and sound before Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders “discovered” them. Pleasure were formed in 1972, after a merger of two high school bands, Franchise and The Soul Masters. Franchise were led by guitarist and vocalist Marlon McClain. Their music was a fusion of disco and …
THE JAZZ CRUSADERS-GIVE PEACE A CHANCE.
THE JAZZ CRUSADERS-GIVE PEACE A CHANCE. Back in 1954, at Phillis Wheatley High School, Houston, Joe Sample, Stix Hooper and Wliton Felder met for the first time. Little did they realize the importance of this meeting. Unknown to them, this meeting would result in the formation of one of the most innovative and influential jazz …
PHYLLIS HYMAN-THE BUDDAH YEARS.
PHYLLIS HYMAN-THE BUDDAH YEARS. Although Phyllis Hyman’s career was cut tragically short, the eight albums she released between 1977 and 1991, are a tantalizing reminder of a singer who could’ve and should’ve become one of the greats of soul music. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Tragedy intervened. Phyllis Hyman committed suicide, a week before her …
KLEEER-WINNERS.
KLEEER-WINNERS. Kleeer, whose sophomore album Winners was recently released by BBR Records, could be described as a band with an identity crisis. After all, how many bands change their name five times? Kleeer did. Their origins can be traced to The Choice 4, an R&B band who were guided by Van McCoy. Richard Lee was …
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE I.
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE I. From 1978 onwards, 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 …
THE STAPLES SINGERS FEATURING MAVIS STAPLES-THIS TIME AROUND.
THE STAPLES SINGERS FEATURING MAVIS STAPLES-THIS TIME AROUND. Having signed to Stax Records in 1968, The Staple Singers went on to be one of Stax’s most successful groups. They helped fill the void left by the death of Otis Redding and the loss of Sam and Dave to Atlantic Records. Along with Isaac Hayes and …
DAVID PORTER-GRITTY, GROOVIN’ AND GETTIN’ IT.
DAVID PORTER-GRITTY, GROOVIN’ AND GETTIN’ IT. By the summer of 1969, David Porter was one of the most important people at Stax Records. He’d played his part in the label’s success story since 1961, when he cowrote That was The Life I Live, the B-side to Barbara Stephens’ single I Don’t Worry. Soon, David established …
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON. Two years in the making, Sly and The Family Stone released There’s A Riot Goin’ On was released in November 1971. It was the followup to 1969s Stand, Sly and The Family Stone’s fourth album. Released to critical acclaim, Stand was Sly and The Family Stone’s …
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