The Isley Brothers - "Listen To The Music" - (4:04) 98 BPM
Review: Ahoy there, fellow groove explorers! Step aboard the Yacht Soul cruise once more, and this time, we're diving even deeper into the smooth waters of soulful cover versions. Welcome to "Yacht Soul - The Cover Versions 2," a sonic voyage that promises to be a never-ending source of delight. These artists weren't just covering songs for the sake of it; these tracks were carefully chosen to cast a new light on some already fantastic tunes. It's like turning an exquisite gem to see it sparkle from a different angle. The result? A captivating collection of soulful renditions that are as groovy as they are intriguing. We're talking Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, Keni Burke, and The Isley Brothers, each showcasing their lesser-known contributions to the music world. These tracks aren't just accidents; they're commissioned masterpieces, carefully curated by the puppeteers behind the scenes. In the end, this compilation is like an auditory time machine, taking you on a soulful journey through the past, where the artists, the songs, and the stories behind them come together in perfect harmony. Enjoy the ride, fellow travellers, and may the Yacht Soul cruise never end!
Review: This is number 15 in the series, which means most self-respecting disco buyers will have a good idea what to expect here as St Petersburg-based Sunner Soul (AKA Alexander Chebankov) serves up 15 of his recent productions for his own Vintage Music label. As a scroll through past reviews will confirm, Chebankov's work has spanned a variety of disco- and funk-driven styles over the years, but after a couple of more late 70s-sounding tracks at the start it's largely (though not exclusively) 80s-inspired, boogie-esque grooves that predominate this time out. There's no clear, head-and-shoulders standout to these ears, but 'Super Ice Cream' and 'No One Can Like I Do' would be good places to start...
Review: If you weren't aware already, Yam Who? is one ambitious, tirelessly active chap. First emerging at the turn of the century with some superb edits of poppy R n'b (anyone remember his boogie take on "Frontin" by Pharrell?) the Yam master has gone on to build quite the empire with his Midnight Riot label. The latest MR release reflects his nature, a new mix featuring 20 killer rollerskate jams from friends as well as some outright classics. Highlights include the glistening, chrome-plated funk of George Kelly's "Turn It Up", the sleek and synthy 80s jam "Living A Lie" by Freekwency and the slammin Linn drum freestyle action of "On The Upside (High Drummer edit)" by Wonkar.
Review: Editorial are back with more throwback disco sounds for our decadent dancefloor (guilty) pleasure! Starting out with the sublime deep soul of Slow Steps "We Won't Have To Cry No More (re-work)" they then launch into Los Angeles' Dino (yes, not Gino!) Soccio's "West Athena Funk" which stays on the soul train for a while until the epic boogie drama of Rayko's "Magic Number" ups the tempo, good and proper. Danny Deluxe serves up some summery Balearic vibes on "The Best Years" but they leave the best for last with Sunner Souls' "Show Me Your Love", a funky disco house groove for late night fashion crowds, which is ironically by a Siberian producer! We can dig it!
Review: Despite the artist name and album title, this is far from being the collection of 15 limp, same-y soul ballads you might be fearing! Instead, Secret Soul Society - AKA Neon Heights front man Cal Gibson and friends - serve up veritable smorgasbord of Balearic delights, from the dusty, looped disco-soul of 'Better Get To Know You' and the folksy Laurel Canyon vibes of 'Groovy Coconuts' to the 80s soul redux of 'Find Our Way', the bonkers 'Leeping For Joy' which should appeal to fans of 4hero, Four Tet et al, and the Stevie Nicks-biting 'Stevie Loves Bettye'.
Review: More midtempo yet still eminently danceable grooves here from DJ Supermarket's Too Slow To Disco camp, this time coming courtesy of Italian-Australian producer Dave Mathmos. He turns his hand to re-editing two dancefloor classics from the 70s, with the lazy, laidback and Balearic 'Your Love (Contemporary Soul Mix)' biting the vocal from Ben E King's 1975 disco hit 'Supernatural Thing', while Rose Royce's 'Love Don't Live Here Any More' forms the basis of 'You Abandoned Me (Dave Mathmos Interpretation)', with a single line of the vocal looped up over house-y pianos and a slo-mo electro bassline.
Review: Midnight Riot do their bit to address the much-discussed gender imbalance in dance music with a 25-track collection featuring an almost entirely female line-up (though a few possessors of Y-chromosomes do sneak in as collaborators). With big names like Kathy Brown, DJ Paulette, Rowetta, Caron Wheeler, Sulene Fleming and Natasha Kitty Katt nestling up alongside a host of more up-and-coming artists, the quality standard is high throughout, with the musical emphasis largely on good-time, Saturday night house and disco vibes, though there a few more gently paced moments - notably in the form of covers of Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love' and Sade's 'Sweetest Taboo' - while Paulette & Massey serve up a pleasing dose of acid on 'Sheroes'.
Review: Lee Fields made something of a splash with his comeback album My World released on Truth & Soul a few years ago, and here again he teams up with his backing band The Expressions to release another album of masterful soul. Everything, from the artwork that looks like an old 70s 12", to the dusty production and tortured vocal delivery feels like its come perfectly preserved out of a time capsule, with the yearning vocals of "I Still Got It" and "Its All Over (But The Crying)" staNding out for particular praise.
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