Category Archives: Soul
CHIC-TAKE IT OFF.
CHIC-TAKE IT OFF. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a group or artists’ star can wane. In some cases, this is because the quality of their music is no longer as good as it once was, or it can be because their music is no longer fashionable. With Chic, the demise in popularity …
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-PICK OF THE LITTER.
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-PICK OF THE LITTER. Previously, I’ve reviewed a trio of The Detroit Spinners albums, starting with the first album Thom Bell produced for the group, Spinners, released in April 1973 on Atlantic Records. This was the first album in a series of classic albums from The Detroit Spinners that started in 1973 and …
LOOSE CHANGE-LOOSE CHANGE.
LOOSE CHANGE-LOOSE CHANGE. Tom Moulton’s role in disco music can’t be understated. He’s credited with inventing the remix, and could take a three minute track, extend it, creating eight minutes of majestic disco music. Now, remember this was long before the technology that’s available now. Back then, there was no Logic Pro, Reason or Ableton …
SMOKEY ROBINSON-SMOKEY’S FAMILY ROBINSON.
SMOKEY ROBINSON-SMOKEY’S FAMILY ROBINSON. In a previous review, I reviewed one of Smokey Robinson’s solo albums, Quiet Storm, which released in 1975. This a critically acclaimed and landmark album, one that spawned its own musical genre Quiet Storm. The music on Quiet Storm was very different to most of the music being released in 1975. …
STEVIE WONDER-MUSIC OF MY MIND.
STEVIE WONDER-MUSIC OF MY MIND. When Stevie Wonder was recording Music of My Mind, he neither knew nor realized that this was the first album in a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. Between 1972, when Music of My Mind was released, until Songs In the Key In Life in 1976. These two …
JOHNNY D PRESENTS DISCO JAMMS VOLUME 1.
JOHNNY D PRESENTS DISCO JAMMS VOLUME 1. Nowadays, for anyone wanting to try to become a DJ, the equipment is very different to the equipment Johnny “D” DeMairo learnt his trade on. For the wannabe DJ, they can choose from CD decks, USB controllers with software like Traktor or if they’re traditional or old school …
ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT.
ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT. It’s been a while since I looked back at the Hi Records back catalogue, so thought that I’d rectify that by doing a review of one of Ann Peebles’ albums. With seven albums to choose from, I’ve plenty of great music to chose from. Previously, I’ve written about Ann’s most successful album, …
TEDDY PENDERGRASS-IT’S TIME FOR LOVE.
TEDDY PENDERGRASS-IT’S TIME FOR LOVE. When I was reviewing Dimitri From Paris’ Philly Sound compilation Get Down With the Philly Sound, the compilation featured five tracks from one of my favorite soul singers Teddy Pendergrass. This included two tracks from Teddy’s debut solo album Teddy Pendergrass, plus a trio of tracks from Teddy’s old group …
DIMITRI FROM PARIS-GET DOWN WITH THE PHILLY SOUND.
DIMITRI FROM PARIS-GET DOWN WITH THE PHILLY SOUND. For anyone who like me who is a huge fan of Philadelphia International Records, 2012 is going to be year to enjoy. A number of compilations, box sets and live albums are being released to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff founding Philadelphia …
CHOCOLATE MILK-ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS.
CHOCOLATE MILK-ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS. During their career, Chocolate Milk recorded with both Allen Toussaint and Paul McCartney and released eight albums. Of these eight albums, their debut album Action Speaks Louder Than Words is probably the best known. Released in 1975, Action Speaks Louder Than Words is a mixture of funk and soul. …
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-HARVEST FOR THE WORLD.
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-HARVEST FOR THE WORLD. What people forget about when they talk about The Isley Brothers career is both the longevity of their career and how successful a career they had. In a career that saw them release their first album Shout in 1959 and their last album Baby Makin’ Music in 2006, they …
GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS-ABOUT LOVE.
GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS-ABOUT LOVE. By 1980 when Gladys Knight and The Pips released About Love, their career had stalled, with the group at a crossroads in their long and distinguished career. This run of hugely commercially successful albums began with their final album on Motown Neither One of Us and Lasted until 2nd Anniversary, …
L.T.D.-SOMETHING TO LOVE.
L.T.D.-SOMETHING TO LOVE. I’ve always been one of these people who studies sleeve notes on albums carefully, to see which musicians played on an album, or even who arranged or produced the album. Sometimes this pays off, because you end up finding some great music. Often, I buy an album blind, having never heard it …
ETTA JAMES-AT LAST!
ETTA JAMES-AT LAST! As someone who has always loved soul music, I’ve long been a fan of Etta James music. Miss Peaches had one of the most recognizable, charismatic and soulful voices you’ll ever have privilege of hearing. From 1954, until her final album The Dreamer, released in November 2011, her music touched the hearts …
SADE-LOVE DELUXE.
SADE-LOVE DELUXE. Now when you buy as many albums as I do, you tend to end up listening to the music you’ve just bought, at the expense of some of the older music that lurks in the corners of my music collection. With fifteen-hundred or more albums to choose from, then finding just the right …
THE STYLISTICS-CLOSER THAN CLOSE.
THE STYLISTICS-CLOSER THAN CLOSE. What never ceases to amaze me is how sometimes, a group can go from being one of the biggest and most successful groups in soul music, to almost the forgotten men of soul music. It seems that fame is indeed temporary. Some people may say that form is also temporary, and …
SAM COOKE-NIGHT BEAT.
SAM COOKE-NIGHT BEAT. Like many so many people, one of my favorite soul singers of all time has to be Sam Cooke. When in November 2011, I saw that RCA were releasing an eight disc box set of some of Sam Cooke’s greatest albums, I just had to have a copy. It’s a good way …
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL: THE RE-EDITS.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL: THE RE-EDITS. Sometimes, once you’ve heard that a new album will be due out soon, then you can’t wait to get your hands on to review. That’s how I felt about Harmless’ latest compilation, Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits, which I’ve waited to hear for a number of weeks. This is just the latest …
BILLY PAUL-FIRST CLASS.
BILLY PAUL-FIRST CLASS. First Class was Billy Paul’s ninth and final album for Philadelphia International Records, released in 1979. After some hugely successful singles and albums, including Billy’s 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul and Let ‘Em In, and singles like Let ‘Em In and Mr and Mrs Jones, Billy had decided to retire …
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-NEW AND IMPROVED.
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-NEW AND IMPROVED. After their two previous albums 1973s Spinners and Mighty Love released in 1974, had reached number one in the US R&B Charts, resulting in both albums being certified gold, when The Detroit Spinners released New and Improved, in December 1974, they hoped to make this a trio of US R&B …
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