VARIOUS ARTISTS - MORE PERFECT HARMONY (KENT 252) After two years, the second volume of this excellent series sees the light of day. Once again the theme that links together these tracks is sweet vocal harmony. Somebody call it new doo wop and listening to the material included it is easy to understand why. From 1966 to 1976, group soul’s golden era, here we have outstanding soul records that are becoming increasingly collectable in recent years. Joe Bataan’s version of the Exits’ classic “Under The Street Lamp”, written by Northern Soul’s heroes Len Jewell and Jimmy Conwell, opens this marvellous collection of sophisticated sounds, something for the true connoisseur. It was issued in 1969, a transitional year for black music, that delivered us many fine moments. The Hesitations are well known between soul lovers; “Yes I’m Ready” is an intense interpretation of Barbara Mason’s ballad. With The Festivals’ “You’re Gonna Make It” the pace is a little bit faster. This is crossover perfection in the Impressions’ vein due to Johnny Pate participation as arranger. The Continental 4 “I Don’t Have You”, Philly harmony soul at its best, is the flip side of the dance-floor winner “The Way I Love You”. Blue-eyed soul is well represented by the Magnificent 7’s “Never Will I (Make My Baby Cry, released in 1968 on the glorious Dial logo. Personal favourites are the Notations’ sublime “I’m Still Here”, a great example of Windy City soul (all theirs 3 singles on Twinight are worth searching), Lee Williams & The Cymbals’ jazzy “A Girl From A Country Town”, launched some years ago on Derek Pearson’s Shades of Soul by now disappeared Andy Rix, and the Just Brothers’ beat ballad “Things Will Be Better”, that features the duo’s combination vocals.

VARIOUS ARTISTS – GWP: NYC TCB (KENT 249)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – FOR CONNOISSEURS ONLY VOLUME 2 (KENT 251) A couple of fine compilations, issued by Kent in recent times and both dedicated to specific record companies, are worth a deep listening. GWP contains material from New Yorker Gerald W Purcell’s own label. Few classics, like the Hesitations’ crossover masterpiece “Is This The Way To Treat A Girl”, the Persians’ “I Don’t Know (To Fall Out Of Love With You)”, or Debbie Taylor’s “Don’t Let It End”, are put next to a bunch of excellent unissued tracks (the spine tingling Hesitations’ version of “Gotta Find A Way” is the best, not forgetting Larry Banks’ storming “Ooh It Hurts Me”). The quality of the entire proposal makes the listening a very pleasurable experience. The second CD is the result of a further investigation in Kent/Modern’s LA catalogue. It is unbelievable how many great records still need exposure to the masses of rare soul fans. Once again previously unreleased tracks are blended with b-sides and less known gems. Highlights are Brenda George’s funk & soul monster “I Can’t Stand It”, a favourite for UK’s Acid Jazz label, the motownesque “No More Tears” by the Sweethearts, the Mylestones’ classic “Sexy Lady”, Trini Lopez’s “Sinner Not A Sin”, a latin-tinged R&B very popular between early sound fanatics, and the opening number Billy Watkins’ “Love Line”. The booklet contains fine pictures of some of the artists involved.

VARIOUS ARTISTS – ACROSS THE BOARD VOL. 2 (GOLDMINE/SOUL SUPPLY 172)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – HAVE A GOOD TIME VOL. 2 (GOLDMINE/SOUL SUPPLY 174) It seems that Tim Brown’s GSS is very active on the rare soul CD’s market again. Of course this is good news, even if some considerations, unfortunately not positive, must be done. The average audio quality of the recordings used is very poor (listen to the stupendous Village Choir’s “Along The Beach”, Willie Feaster’s “Voices” or Michael Valvano’s “For The First Time In My Life”). It is not necessary to use original master tapes to reach good results, as home burned CD’s can testify. Furthermore, considering that CD’s are not collectable items by definition, the use of unattractive covers, totally unrelated to the content, make the decision of spending money harder. Anyway, as it’s what’s in the groove that counts, let’s talk about music now. Across The Board Vol. 2 is very good, probably the best compilation I listen to in the last months. The in-demand Rosebuds’ “Say You’ll Be Mine”, a fine 60’s dancer, and Willie Pickett’s 70’s groover “On The Stage Of Live” are fine examples of the whole content of the CD, a mix of Northern, Crossover and Modern Soul, for open mind listeners. Repeated plays of Larry Wright’s “Sweet, Sweet Kisses”, Billy Sha-Rae’s “Pitfall”, JJ Barnes’ “Hole In The Wall”, the Classics’ “One Dance”, Clarence Townsend’s “I Found A New Love”, the Blenders’ “Your Love Has Got Me Down”, Kris Peterson’s “Just As Much”, and Big Don’s Rebellion’s “It Was True” reveal the beauty and power of Soul music. Have A Good Time Vol. 2 is not as essential as Across The Board Vol. 2, even if includes some great tracks like Paris’ “Sleepless Nights”, Malcom Hayes’ Put Your Love To The Test”, Dave Charles’ “Ain’t Gonna Cry No More”, Clifford Curry’s “Ain’t No Danger”, Belita Woods’ “Grounded”, and the Four Pro’s “There Must Be A Reason”.

NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES 2 (KENT CDKEND 248) The second volume of this series dedicated to Northern Soul’s big rarities and sounds that gained popularity in recent years is a blend of great music. Ady Croasdell’s reputation of being one of the best discoverer of unissued soul records reaches a peak with the opening track, the much talked about vocal version of Checkerboard Squares’ “Double Cookin” on Villa, one of the most famous instrumentals since the days of Wigan. In the booklet you can find the whole story of how this fantastic record, aptly titled “(Just A Little) Faith And Understanding” was found in the vaults by Ace Records’ US consultant Alec Palao. When presented for the first time at the 100 Club, it was played three times at the same all-nighter, to satisfy crowd’s expectation. In September 2005 it was chosen as 6T’s 25th anniversary special single and now the 45 is fetching three figure sums in pounds sterling (not bad for a record issued last year!). Said that, also the rest of the programme is very good, starting from Ty Karim’s “You Just Don’t Know”, a marvellous record that, thanks to the top quality of the original master tape used for the CD, sounds even better. The organ solo and the great vocals build one of the best record ever played on the scene. The good news is that Kent is preparing an entire volume dedicated to Kent Harris’ Romark Records, so expect more gems from this West Coast label. Another record unearthed by Alec Palao is the Fashionettes alternate version of Mary Saxton’s “Losin’ Control”, that was recorded some time before but, for some strange reason, not released. To be honest, it is better than the original and, thanks to Kent’s hard working men, we can listen to a great mid-sixties rhythm & soul dancer. As the CD goes on, we encounter more pearls that elevate the content of the compilation: Joe Tex’s massive “I Wanna Be Free”, Eddie Campbell’s “Contagious Love” (once again, directly taken from the original master tape), a super-rare single launched by DJ Butch about four years ago, Jimmy “Bo” Horne’s midtempo magic “I Can’t Speak”, not forgetting blue-eyed catchy sounds like Bill Bush’s “I’m Waiting” and the Athens Rogues’ “She Could Love Me”, that represent the more poppy side of rare soul and are always well received by dancers. The biggest surprise comes with Danny White’s “Miss Fine Miss Fine”, a superb stomper written, arranged and conducted by David Porter and Isaac Hayes, the famous duo behind many Stax Records hits. As Ady says in the sleeve notes, “it is such a solid 60s soul record that I can’t understand why it’s not better known”. Hopefully, thanks to this CD, it will get more exposure on the decks of soul venues all over Europe. For early sound lovers, some fine moments are delivered by the Voice Masters’ “Two Lovers”, a must for all male vocal group fans, Jane Christian’s Philly ballad “Just A Bad Thing”, Gino’s version of the standard “It’s Only Paper Moon”, and Jennifer Wells’ “Dining In Chinatown”, a New York midtempo with Oriental influences that, as happened with Gino’s record, became popular in the 80s at Stafford, when this type of sound was discovered by many. Other topics of this essential CD are Billy Keen’s jazz-tinged Galaxy recording “I Finally Got Wise”, Peggy Saxton’s stomping’ R&B groover “It Ain’t What I Do”, Carl Burnett’s “Jerk Baby Jerk”, Jackie Washington’s “Why Won’t They Let Me Be”, the Charmells’ lovely “Sea Shells”, another gem produced by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and William Hunt’s beat ballad “Would You Believe”, capably chosen as ender.

THE RETURN OF MOD JAZZ (KENT CDKEND 250) This new CD of one of the most fortunate series of the glorious Kent catalogue is another adventure in the finest Jazz grooves that were appreciated by real mods in the 60s. The cream of black music produced in the US gained exposure and popularity in Great Britain’s clubs thanks to the constant research of DJ’s and collectors. Fortunately, that spirit is still alive in the new Millenium. In this occasion labels like Columbia, Riverside, Prestige, Mirwood, Goldwax, King, are investigated in depth. The interesting sleeve notes are written by expert Dean Rudland and enriched, as usual for Ace Records’ standard, by label scans and incredible vintage pictures of the artists involved, making the whole project even more interesting. Gene McDaniels, George Benson, Johnny Otis, Leon Haywood, Hank Jacobs, and Ray Bryant, are well known between connoisseurs. The vocals of Oscar Brown Jr and Mose Allison represent the archetype of Mod Jazz: “Humdrum Blues”, from his classic album “Sin And Soul”, and “I Love The Life I Live”, from the same titled LP, are two of the best delivery of the whole compilation. For Latin Soul fans, Mongo Santamaria’s “El Pussy Cat”, Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers’ fantastic version of “Canteloupe Island”, and Timmy Thomas’ irresistible “Have Some Boogaloo” are very collectable item, capable to warm any dancefloor of the planet that deserves its reputation. The variety of music categorised under the term Mod Jazz makes it suitable for different tastes. If you don’t have any of the other great CD’s in the series (Mod Jazz, Mo’ Mod Jazz, Even Mo’ Mod Jazz, Yet Mo’ Mod Jazz), don’t miss the opportunity to discover one of the most exciting sound that Afroamerican culture ever produced.

RARE SOUL REVIEW (GOLDIME SOUL SUPPLY GSCD 173) As described in Tim Brown’s sleeve notes, this compilation takes its name from the short lived three-issue magazine “Rare Soul Review” and seeks out the spirit and essence of that publication by offering a wide variety of Northern Soul-oriented records. Most of the 22 obscure tracks received a review in those pages and are issued on CD for the first time ever, to satisfy the demand of those hard collectors always in search of new sounds. In other words, if you are an occasional Northern Soul records buyers, this is not the kind of stuff you might go mad for. All the capitals of Northern Soul are represented: Detroit (Wille Jones’ “My Baby Ain’t No Plaything”, Steve Mancha’s “Monday Through Thursday”, the flip side to his better known “Friday Night”, Jackey Beaver’s “Lover Come Back”, Dusty Wilson’s “It’s Going To Be A Tragedy”), Chicago (Donald Jenkins’ “I’ve Settled Down”, Mark III’s Should I Believe You”), Los Angeles (Locations’ “Mister Diamond Man”, Johnny Summer’s “I’m Still Yours”), Philadelphia (Gail Anderson’s “Be Proud You’re In Love)”, not forgetting Houston, Texas (JJ Daniels’ “Mr Lonesome”). The New Wanderers’ frantic “Let Me Render My Service” is considered by the compiler one of the best finds since Wigan. It is a great record that has all the ingredients to become a monster, if played at venues. For crossover fans, Salt & Pepper’s funky & obscure “A Man Of My Word” and Robert Tanner’s “Sweet Memories”, a cult record in the UK, are worth repeated listening. A couple of personal favourites are Big Ella’s “The Queen” (real name Ella Thomas), a fantastic R&B record delivered from an oversized lady that worked for many different labels in the sixties, and Fredrick Knight’s frantic “Steppin Down” on Maxine, his rarest 45 recorded in Alabama. The latter appeals both Northern Soul and Funk collectors and could be easily taken from the infamous “Keb Darge’s Legendary Deep Funk” series. Different things for different tastes, isn’t what makes our scene so exciting?

VARIOUS ARTISTS - CHICAGO SOUL SESSIONS VOLUME I (LISTENUP RECORDS 2005) “Listen Up Records proudly presents a collection of Soul, Funk and Jazz featuring a stellar line-up of Chicago’s underground artists.” Considering the Windy City as one of the capital city of American Black music right back from the ‘60’s up to the present days, what I read on the back cover of this brand new compilation aroused my curiosity. What I’ve found is a “state of the art” of what Chicago musically can offer today. The “kick off” is my favourite song of the lot: “I can’t make you be a man” by Cherisse. She’s on the scene for over 20 years as a singer and an actress in popular stage productions like “The Jackie Wilson Story”. She’s really a complete artist: her first CD entitled “Moans” presents a mixture of poetry and music, a second is scheduled for next summer. While “I can’t make…” is a seductive Neo Soul track, “Hopeless” is a classy jazzy ballad. Cherisse, a revelation to me! Next in line Kevin Chandler Band: both songs on CD are cool and soft. “When Ya Lovin’ Me” is the one I like the most, a beautiful song! Stewart McKenzie and David Burns are the pair behind McKenzie Burns Project: the sound is very Steely Dan (a bit of jazz, pop, latin); nice but not exactly my bread and butter. Kaialexander, who has played for Omar, TLC and others R&B Stars is also composer, producer and arranger. The songs on the album are the perfect background music of a trendy cocktail bar on the beach (I know, it’s time for me to go on holidays!). Teddy Austin is another multi-talented musician. He has a great voice, but the two tracks on the CD are not up to what he could be able to express. Last but not least Chester Gregory actor, singer and dancer! He performed for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson among the others and played in numerous theatre production. He’s the other revelation of the album. “Til U Come (Back To Me)” is so Deep and so Soulful I would start to cry! Fab Sala

VAN HUNT - VAN HUNT (EMI) Van Hunt is not only a fine musician and an excellent songwriter like many others young black singers on the scene are, he’s also a sensible, passionate and intelligent person. Tale a look at the biography on his site (Van Hunt.com) and you’ll understand why his music is so full of joy and pain, happiness and sadness, hope and disenchantment: there’s a whole life behind his music and not just the talent. He’s a musician for musicians, people like Rashsaan Patterson, Alicia Keys and Trina Broussard love him and his self-titled debut album made People Magazine’s Top 10 albums of 2004. Not bad, isn’t it? “Dust”, the opening track, is the kind of song that is going to take control on you. You’ll find yourself sing the chorus (“I am dust blown away/Over the edge”) like a mantra during the day. “Seconds of Pleasure” is slow and sensual, is a song to sip like a good wine, like we should live everyday’s life (“I hold on the feeling/I don’t know when I will feel it again/I’ve become amused by the/little things/Seconds of pleasure/Life’s little treasures”). “Hello,Goodbye” is a Funky tune on a troubled love affair (“You won’t stay and you wont go/Love shouldn’t be so complicated/You’re so hot and you’re so cold/Love is here and then love leaves”)! The same theme for the hypnotic “Down Here In Hell (With You)”: “I really love it when we make mistakes/Because once again it gives me a reason to complain”. Sweet music and bitter words! Love, a romantic and tender love, is narrated in “What Can I Say”, a ballad that seems taken from the McCartney/Lennon songbook! There are also a couple of GREAT dance tunes. “Out of the Sky” with is ‘70’s appeal and “Highlights” (The only thing you ever wanted to be/is a movie star/You made a cameo appearance in/the backseat/Of my mother’s car”). The latter is so powerful that in a discerning Modern room would take the roof off! It isn’t just for the music, in an album like this the words are sometimes more important. In the delicate “Who will love me in winter” he sings lines like these: “Delusion of grandeur/Misled my adventurous spirit/Love of the unknown rose like a stone/Above my contentment”. Much more that just a musician. A poet! Fab Sala

GWENDOLYN JOY – “LOVE IS” (EXPANSION UK) The more I listen to it, the more I like it ! The debut album of Gwendolyn Joy “Love Is” is getting better every time I put it in the cd player. The first time was “Vanilla Tree” and “Just A Little Lovin’” that won my interest with luscious harmonies. Than the second time around I fell in love for “Help Me” and the title track, two songs that I would classify as “modern Gospel” if this can help you to understand the vibes that they gave me ! And just before sitting down and writing this review were ballads like “In The Looking Glass” and “Where Do We Go From Here” to calm me with style after a long and boring working day. The music in the album is jazzy flavoured classy Soul and Gwendolyn sings just like a real “Sophisticated Lady” can do! In fact this is not a debut album for her, but the first under her name. He has been the lead vocalist in Modern Tribe’s “Groove On” (1999) and then “co-star” in the project called “Charles & Gwen Charles” (Charles is her husband). The skilled musicians in the album are part of the Modern Tribe combo and let me say they are truly great. “Love Is” was undoubtedly one of last year’s highlights, a fine example of style and class. What next Mrs. Joy ? Fab Sala

SOUTHERN SOUL SHOWCASE – CRYIN’ IN THE STREETS (KENT SOUL) A massive overview of Shelby Singleton's SSS family of labels, a key force in the sound of southern soul at the end of the 60s, this new Kent CD represents a great blend of first-class southern and deep soul, recorded in key locations like Memphis and Muscle Shoals between 1967 and 1970. Compiled with skills by John Broven, John Ridley, and Richard Tapp, Southern Soul Showcase features a great assortment of rare singles and album tracks from the SSS, Minaret, and Silver Fox labels (highlights include Bettye Lavette’s 1969 “He Made A Woman Out Of Me”, Eddy Giles’ upbeat “So Deep In Love”, and Sam Dees’ long-time Northern Soul favourite “Lonely For You Baby”). The good news is that there are enough fine cuts for further volumes from the same sources. The excellent cover is based on an original SSS LP.

THE OLD TOWN & BARRY SOUL SURVEY (KENT DANCE) This is the last Kent excursion in one of the best New York based labels (its predecessors, the crazy titled LP “Think Smart Soul Stirrers, Jerk It At The Party In China Town”, issued in 1987, and the CD “Old Town & Barry Soul Stirrers”, are both deleted now). Thanks to the constant work of Ady Croasdell many new fine tracks come to light for the first time ever on CD, and are presented next to all the classics that came out on the logo. Formed in 1953 by producer Hy Weiss, Old Town’s soul era started in the early 60’s with the ballad “The Tide Has Turned” by the Mark IV’s featuring Sam Fain on lead vocal. Old Town’s most successful artists were Arthur Prysock, Hector Rivera (for contractual reasons Kent is unable to include any of their sides on this CD), and Thelma Jones but the legend was built thanks to many “unknowns”. Northern Soul fans relationship with Freddie Houston’s big beat ballad “If I Had Known” (the voice is very similar to the almighty Jackie Wilson), Jesse Johnson’s stupendous “Left Out”, the Sparkles’ “Try Love (One More Time)”, Frank Howard & The Commanders’ psychedelic “I’m So Glad”, and the Fiestas’ “Think Smart” started in the glory days of Stafford, not forgetting oldies like The Gypsies “It’s A Woman’s World (You Better Believe It)” and Lorraine & The Delights’ “Baby, I Need You” that got appreciation since the 70s. The best discoveries are “I Gotta Have Love Too” by Bobby Long & The Dealers, a stunning Crossover issued as Old Town 2003 in 1969, and the funk meets soul jazz sound of “I Must Be Doing Something Right” by Irene Reid, taken from her album on Barry “I’ve Been Here All The Time”. For early soul and Popcorn lovers, great pleasure comes from Donald Height’s “You Can Trust Your Best Friend”, Billy Bland’s “All I Wanna Do Is Cry”, and Beverly McKay’s “Say It With Feeling” (mods are going crazy for this kind of stuff!) while R&B fans will play to death Lester Young’s rough “Let Your Love Shine” and King Ernest’s “Hold It Baby”. Other favourites include the stomping “Could This Be Love” by Rosco & Barbara (this duo is pure dynamite!) and Peggy Scott’s 70’s mover “Things Have More Meaning Now”. Don’t miss another excellent piece of rare soul history put on silver disc!

NICOLAS BEARDE - ALL ABOUT LOVE (EXPANSION) As the Title clearly say the new album of Nashville born Nicolas Bearde is “All About Love”; no matter if Mr.Bearde sings Soul, Jazz or Blues, Love is the key word of every single song. And the love he sings is as different as the kinds of music we hear on the record: smooth and sensual in “Love Me”; romantic in “Every Little Star”; determined in the rhythmic, Brasilian-flavoured “Be Mine”; joyous in the great dance tune “Summer Sunday” (“…a musical homage to those classic Soul singles of the ‘70’s.”); tortured in the jazzy ballad “One Look At You”. Most of the songs on the album are his own original compositions, others are “borrowed” from some of his favourite composers, and what a taste to choose the songs to cover: Burt Bacharach’s classic “You’ll Never Get To Heaven” (Dionne Warwick is one of his major influence); Danny Hathaway’s “Trying Times” and John Coltrane’s jazz masterpiece “Naima”. It seems to me that Nicolas Bearde with his exceptional vocal talent (he’s one of the founding members of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra) is one of the few “true” voices on the scene. Don’t let an opportunity slip, listen to him. Fab Sala

NORTHERN SOUL INDEMANDERS VOL. 1 (GOLDMINE SOUL SUPPLY) ALLNIGHTER VOL. 5 (GOLDMINE SOUL SUPPLY) At the end of 2004 Goldmine issued the Essential Northern Soul Price Guide by Tim Brown & Martin Koppel, the world’s most complete Northern and rare soul price guide featuring over 20,000 45s from the 60s, 70s & 80s and full colour label scans, along with a couple of compilations by Tim Brown, that include many tracks making their debut on CD (Ty Karim’s “You Really Made It Good To Me”, Rufus Wood’s “Before 2001”, Donald Height’s “Rags To Riches To Rags”, “King Earnest’s “You Gonna Miss Me”, El Anthony’s “We’ve Been In Love Too Long”, to name but a few). The whole project is a deep overview of the current type of sounds popular on the Northern Soul scene. By definition, an "indemander" is “a tune that is burning strongly again thanks to new interest and key dancefloor plays. Think of the term as a way to designate "hit" status for a record that only ever sold a handful of copies originally but which is bursting out again in the 21st century”. Northern Soul Indemanders is a comprehensive set of sixties soul with that beat that made this style of music so collectable. Gordon Keith’s Stafford classic “Look Ahead”, Jimmy McFarland’s magic version of Marvin Gaye’s “Lonely Lover”, Darrow Fletcher’s “What Have I Got Now”, Skip Jackson’s fingersnapper “I’m On To You Girl”, Chico Lamarr’s midtempo rarity “What Do You Think I Am”, Ollie Jackson’s “Gotta Wipe Away The Teardrops”, with its distinctive whistling intro, are all fine examples of the genre. The second CD, Allnighter Vol. 5; represents the full spectrum of records to be found at today’s Northern Soul allnighters, from the 60s to the 70s (Mind & Matter’s “I’m Under Your Spell”, Ike Strong’s “Your Love Keeps Me Dancing”, Jan Jones’s “Independent Woman”, Pages’s “Heartaches & Pain” should satisfy properly Modern Soul lovers). If you consider Northern Soul a constant discovery, these are the kind of sounds to look for.

6TS: IN THE BEGINNING (KENT DANCE) To celebrate properly the 25th anniversary of the glorious 6t’s Rhythm’n’Soul Society Ady Croasdell and Kent Records started the new year with a fabulous compilation of the sounds that were popular at the London based club at beginning of its long life. In 1979 the Mod revival spread all over Europe and the original in-crowders decided it was time to renewed many records they used to dance to in the mid sixties. Bobby Bland’s “Shoes” epitomised the kind of stuff you could listen to in those early days. Other standards include the soul jazz of Jimmy McGriff’s “All About My Girl”, the soul-beat of Gary US Bonds’s “Workin’ For My Baby”, Little Johnny Taylor’s stomping “Zig Zag Lightning”, the uptown soul of Irma Thomas’s “What Are You Trying To Do”, plus a bunch of Motown evergreens like “Forget About Me” (Carolyn Crawford), “When I’m Gone” (Brenda Holloway), and “Girl” (The Temptations). The careers of Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown were revived and celebrated thanks to the devotion of soul fanatics: “Since I Found You” and “Two Stupid Feet” are two instant classics that sounds fresher than ever. Big Maybelle’s version of “Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me” is the proper ender of the first volume of what we hope is going to be a long series. As usual with Kent, the booklet is full of photos and memorabilia, a real collector’s treatment. In memory of Randy Cozen.

THE MIRWOOD SOUL STORY (KENT DANCE) As stated on the back cover, “from 1965-1968 Mirwood produced the best uptempo Northern Soul dance records ever”. Some years ago Goldmine Soul Supply released a compilation dedicated to the Hollywood label but the quality of this new CD is superior (better playlist and recordings). For those who deal with Northern Soul since a long time there are no surprises, it is just good music aimed to improve the quality of your life. Jackie Lee, Bob & Earl, The Olympics, Jimmy Thomas, The Mirettes, The Performers, The Belles (I played “Don’t Pretend” 5 times in a row and this doesn’t happen frequently!), Bobby Garrett, Richard Temple, The Sheppards are the main artists included. All of them received constant plays at all-nighters since the halcyon days of Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca. Even if Curtis Lee’s poppish “Is She In Your Town?” is a more recent discovery (it received a lot of plays on the Northern scene about five years ago) it sounds pretty well with the rest of the CD. As the Mirwood material available is more than this, Kent is planning another CD for 2006 with a full discography of the label.

DORIS DUKE “I’M A LOSER – THE SWAMP DOGG SESSIONS... AND MORE (KENT SOUL) The reissue onto one CD of two seminal Southern Soul albums by this cult following singer is a welcome surprise. “I’m A Loser” was issued in 1969 by Canyon and one year later Dave Godin stated that it was the best album he had ever heard. It is considered soul music’s first concept album and includes the hit “To The Other Woman (I’m The Other Woman)” (words and music by Jerry Williams and Gary Bonds), an unashamed message of infidelity. “A Legend In Her Own Right” came out in 1971 on Mankind, a new label that Nashville independent Excello Records had just created, expressly for the purpose of putting out material from Jerry Williams productions. Both are truly Deep Soul masterpieces, revealing the ability of Doris Duke’s voice. To enrich this offer, three bonus tracks are included, all released in 1967 on Jay Boy as by Doris Willingham (“You Can’t Do That” is a fine uptempo dancer). File under quality music.