Soul
Not Forgotten: Aretha Franklin – Aretha Now
I have no wish to put the cat among the pigeons, but I have to confess that I marginally prefer Aretha Now above the more widely celebrated I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. As great as Aretha Franklin’s debut for Atlantic is, Aretha Now boasts a measure more lightness of touch …
Track: Marcus Marr & Chet Faker – The Trouble With Us
Taken from their forthcoming EP, Work, out on Detail Records on December 4th, The Trouble With Us is the new single from Chet Faker and South London based DJ Marcus Marr. Seems an unlikely partnership, given that the Australian producer Faker lives in Brooklyn, but the pair met via Twitter. As Marr commented “Nick posted …
Track: Låpsley – Hurt Me
With her debut album scheduled for early 2016, Southport-raised, London-based singer and producer Holly ‘Låpsley’ Fletcher has revealed Hurt Me, out now on XL Recordings. Flipside Burn has already seen the light of day and provoked something of a reaction from those in the know, while Annie Mac premiered Hurt Me as her Hottest Record …
See: Alibis release new live video for Only Time
Taken from their forthcoming Home Truths EP, South London duo Alibis have released a video for their track Only Time. A melancholy tale of a past childhood sweetheart, the pair – 22 year olds Richie Skint and Harvey Lee, feature in the video which was filmed in the bedroom where they wrote it. The pair …
Video: Kat Eaton records two exclusive session tracks for Backseat Mafia
We’ve followed the trajectory of Kat Eaton for quite a while now, the Sheffield singer songwriter seemingly able to mix up pop and soul to make something that is not only good, but showcases the amazing instrument that is her voice. Certainly, the release of her forthcoming single Giving it Up – out on June …
Track: Victory Jones – Warriors
Warriors, the debut single from New York City’s Victory Jones, is (at least according to her) “…a song about overcoming insecurities, standing for what one believes in, having pure intentions and following one’s path no matter what… it’s about no dream being deferred if one just makes the decision to do it. It’s about courage, …
News: Soul Legend Percy Sledge dies
Percy Sledge is one of those rare artists who secured their pension pot with their debut single as When a Man Loves a Woman must be played on the radio somewhere in the world every second of the day. Sledge, who died today, is not unusual in the soul world for having one classic single …
Track: Brownish Black – Life Lessons
I’m here, stuck in traffic, and yet, with a bit of sunshine outside and the new Brownish Black single Life Lessons, and you know what – life’s all ok here. The Portland based octet started out as a three-piece garage rock band, who have expanded and added a soul edge to their garage roots. Life …
From an old record box: Sade – No Ordinary Love
For years that refrain of “this is no ordinary love/no ordinary love” held an enduring fascination for me. In hindsight I probably should have left it to memory. I should have listened to all the ways in which Sade’s music was described: this was a purveyor of super-slick, super-polished, slinky pop-soul and I was hoping …
A Buyers Guide to Frankie Miller 1973 – 1980
Frankie Miller is a name that few are familiar with beyond a freak hit single with a cover of a song he wasn’t that fussed with, and an undeserved reputation of being a second-tier white-soul vocalist. Having cut his teeth in short lived bands The Stoics and Jude, two acts that were both signed to …