New Music Releases: The Men Of Society Hill Records; The King Dukes; Brian Charette

The Men Of Society Hill Records - The Lovers Compilation

A key figure in the evolution of Philadelphia soul sound since the mid-1970s, Butch Ingram wrote and produced hundreds of songs for many of the genre’s top artists including Barbara Mason, Major Harris, Blue Magic, Ronnie Dyson, Brandi Wells. And if that’s not enough, all the while, he’s been a member of the famous family band, Ingram, which is still going strong to this day.  Here, Butch gathers some of the Philadelphia area’s finest male vocal talent (The Legendary Bluenotes, Donnie Tatem, Glenn Leonard, Baxter, Blue Magic, TRU, Johnny Ingram, David Simmons, Jimmy Lee, Major Harris, Ron Ellison and Tony Strong) for this romantic, soulful compilation specifically geared towards lovers.

The King Dukes - Numb Tongues

Bristol Soul Rebels The King Dukes are based around a classic core of: Guitar, Bass, Drums and Hammond Organ, they further encompass a fiery three-piece horn section paired with sweet backing vocals, all topped with blue-eyed, soul vocals. To capture the sound of this vintage backline on their debut record ‘Numb Tongues’, they only used methods suited to a 50’s-60’s sounding album, playing period specific instruments and throwing modern recording techniques to the side, instead sticking with the more rustic and raw styles that were admired at the time, such as recording a section with multiple instruments all at one time.The result is a record with tracks that sound fresh and with rounded edges, but filled with classic cuts from the past.This album has a track for every mood, whether you want to move your feet or turn back the sands of time and reminisce about times that once were. The quality of the record and the prestige of the members means that the band are setting themselves up for success in the near future.Taking 2017/18 to perfect their sound and piece together their debut record, The King Dukes have no hesitation about making an impression in 2019. They are touring the in Autumn, so before long they will be making a name for themselves on the UK circuit.

Brian Charette - Beyond Borderline

We always love the work of Hammond organist Brian Charette – and here, the album offers up a chance to hear the keyboardist in all his glory – as there's no other instrumentation at all, which makes for a very unusual solo organ set! Charette handles all the basslines with his feet, so there's still a pretty strong rhythmic pulse on most numbers – but there's definitely a stronger sense of freedom on the keyboard, and the record bristles with all these tones and colors that seem to surpass even some of Brian's previous albums! And if you're worried about the album being a spare, sleepy effort – get past all of that – because Charette keeps things moving nicely on most numbers, and mixes in a few Ellington themes with his own original compositions. Titles include "Silicone Doll", "Yolk", "Wish List", "Chelsea Bridge", "Public Transportation", "Herman Ernst III", "5th Of Rye", and "Good Tipper". ~ Dusty Groove