MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL VOLUME 4
One of the
most supremely soulful compilations we've heard in years – and easily the
deepest in this series to date! From the start, Kent's Masterpieces Of Modern
Soul collections have been all about bringing rare gems to fresh ears, and
they've really outdone themselves here. A solid majority of the tunes have
never been released before now, and even the tunes that were issued back in the
day are pretty darn rare! Most of it was recorded in the 70s, when the more
grandly arranged soul and R&B styles of the previous decade were being
honed into a slightly stripped down, though still sophisticated modern soul
sound. Fantastic stuff! Volume 4 takes a baby step or 2 into the 80s, without
losing sight of the 70s-rooted groove – and the titles include "No
Limit" by Darrow Fletcher, "It Takes Heart" by Greg Perry,
"Baby You Got It All" by Street People, "Gotta Be Loved" by
Herman Davis,"I'll Laugh Till I Cry" by Toussaint McCall, "Never
Felt This Say Before" by The New Experience", "See Saw
Affair" by Cesar, "I've Never Been In Love" by Alvin Robinson,
"Don't Matter To Me" by Billy Cee & Freedom Express, "We
Communicate" by Gail Anderson, "Midnight Affair" by George
Soule, "Daddy Please Stay Home" by Obrey Wilson and more. 23 tracks
in all! ~ Dusty Groove
KENYA - MY OWN SKIN
Kenya's
plenty warm in her own skin – coming on with this full, rich quality right from
the very first note – the kind of indie soul power we haven't heard this well
in a while! The album's very down-to-earth and unassuming – just wonderful
vocals from the lady herself, well-penned songs, and this straightforward
approach to the music that takes us back to classic mellow soul of decades
back, but with a very fresh, contemporary vibe throughout. Kenya gets some
great help on production and songwriting from equally excellent talents –
including Khari Cabral Simmons, Daz I Kue, Brandon McKenzie, and Kendall Duffie
of Kloud 9 – and titles include "Be Here", "Let Me",
"Wednesday Girl", "My Heart", "Brown Soul",
"Sleepless", "Take Me Away", "Makeusmile",
"I Can't Help It (Sugaboom rmx)", and "Never Giving Up". ~
Dusty Groove
SOSPETTO - QUATTRO SPECCHI OPACHI
Totally great work from Sospetto – the group's third
album, and their best so far! The approach here follows in Sospetto's previous
mode of remaking older soundtrack styles – but the album's even more elaborate
and involved, given that the group create four different mini film scores in
the process – imagined soundtracks for "films" that include
Intrappolati Nel Harem Di Satana, L'Exposition De Genevieve, Schwarzes Licht,
and Devil's Cops In Angel County – each with a different variety of music!
Keyboards figure heavily into the mix – used in the best early 70s Italian
style – but there's also lots of nice guitar, earthier percussion, and a broad
pastiche of cool effects – those kind of other-worldly elements that can really
illuminate a classic soundtrack. Plus, there's also some wordless female vocal
bits – which trip nicely through almost half the album, creating an especially
moody vibe at times! Titles include "Sabba", "Law Viper",
"Le Jardin", "Sans Peau", "Scaramanzia", "Deserto
Emotivo", "Condanna A Morte", "Fattaccio", and
"La Fille Dans La Milieu Du Lac". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment