NEW RELEASES: THE THREE DEGREES - STRATEGY: OUR TRIBUTE TO PHILADELPHIA; THE SOUL SNATCHERS – WHERE Y’AT?; AMANA MELOME – LOCK & KEY: THE REMIXES

THE THREE DEGREES - STRATEGY: OUR TRIBUTE TO PHILADELPHIA

This legendary trio of singers go back to their Philly Soul roots of the 70s – and come across surprisingly well in the process! We'll be the first to admit that we were a bit wary, given the cover and relative age of the group – but Three Degrees really step up strongly here, thanks in part to some tight core arrangements that reprise the best Philly sound of the 70s, without ever trying too hard to update the style or give things a too-contemporary twist! The arrangements aren't credited, but production is by Buzz Amato, who also works in the backing group – and the grooves have a warm blend of funky currents and strings that really fit the reworkings of "Love Train", "If You Don't Know Me By Now", "Strategy", "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now", "You'll Never Find Another Love", "Me & Mr Jones", and "TSOP". ~ Dusty Groove

THE SOUL SNATCHERS – WHERE Y’AT?

Mighty nice work from The Soul Snatchers – a Dutch group, but one who've got a deep funk sound that matches a lot of combos in the American underground in recent years! These guys start with a very old school approach to the groove – a sound steeped in older modes of Memphis and Muscle Shoals – with all the burning organ lines, funky guitar, and soulful horns that reference might imply – and vocals are in English throughout, sung by a male singer with a surprisingly strong, raspy sound that comes across better than we remember from the group's last record! Easily their best material so far – with titles that include "Keep Workin", "Just Like Sly", "Stop Fightin", "Use It Up", "Little Love", "Foolishness", and "Humpin & Bumpin". ~ Dusty Groove

AMANA MELOME – LOCK & KEY: THE REMIXES

Soulful jazz-pop songstress, Amana Melomé has released "Lock & Key: The Remixes". Hot on the heels of her 2015 EP "Lock and Key", this remix EP sees the magic touch of producers Mark de Clive-Lowe, Opolopo, Daz- I-Kue (Bugz In The Attic), Filip, Slimbo and Firefly, who got their hands on Amana‘s sultry vocals and put their own signature spins on them. The original "Lock and Key" album was produced by grammy award nominated Adam Berg and Itai Shapira, known for their work with artists such as Aloe Blacc, Alice Russel and Rhye, to name a few. It showcased Melomé’s passion for all types of music, however the Euro-Caribbean-American artist’s roots are in jazz, having had her grandfather Jimmy Woode record with such greats as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. On the remixes EP the tracks of the original album get reimagined for the forward thinking soulful dancefloor. Mark de Clive Lowe’s soulful house remix of titletrack "Lock and Key" recently debuted on SoulBounce, and Essence.com featured Opolopo's remix of "Icarus" in their 'New and Next' column spotlights. From broken beat to house, from breaks to afrobeat and beyond, this EP is sure to find its way onto every party playlist!