A trio of classic albums – plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Shirley Murdock – the breakout album from a singer who first rose to fame working with Roger Troutman and Zapp – and who gets plenty of help here from that side of the soul spectrum too! Roger produced and plays on the record, and also wrote most of the songs too – and Larry Troutman and others provide most of the instrumentation – all with a groove that's as funky and punchy as Zapp at their best – which means that Shirley's got to be one hell of a singer to rise above the basslines, beats, and keyboards! Fortunately, Murdock's got a hell of a lot of power in her voice – which really gets unleashed here in a wonderful way, then spins down for a few great ballads too – all to make a very fully-formed set that's gone onto be one of the mainstream soul classics of the time. Titles include "As We Lay", "Truth Or Dare", "Tribute", "Be Free", "No More", "Go On Without You", "Danger Zone", "Teaser", and "The One I Need" plus extended mixes of "Truth Or Dare", "No More", "Tribute" and remix of "As We Lay". A Woman's Point Of View is a rock-solid set from Shirley Murdock – the kind of material that really helped her define a new role for female soul in the 80s – mature, but down to earth – confident, yet easygoing enough to not seem to fall into cliched poppy roles either! Part of the strength comes from Shirley's continued relationship with Roger Troutman – whose production here draws on both the upbeat and mellow styles he was crafting in his own work – giving the album a sense of cohesion that's very different than some of the multi-producer sets that other singers had at the time. Titles include "Husband", "Found My Way", "If I Know", "I Still Love You", "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", "Oh What A Feeling", and "A Woman's Point Of View". For Let There Be Love, Shirley Murdock's looking a bit more contemplative on the cover than on previous albums – and that image really sets the tone for the record – which has a nicely maturing sense of songcraft that really makes the most of Murdock's wonderful vocal range! There's definitely a few groovers on the record, but those are balanced with some of the more personal, intimate material that made Shirley such a great force in R&B after the big wave of quiet storm singers in the decade before. Titles include "In Your Eyes", "Save The Children", "Everywhere", "Say It Mean It", "Let There Be Love", "Stay With Me Tonight", and "The Last Hurrah". 3CD set features 10 bonus tracks – including "You Brought The Sunshine", "Oh What A Feeling (ext)", "Husband (single)", "Tribute (ext)", "No More (ext)", "Be Free (sexy sax thang mix)", "Go On Without You (voc ext mix)", "Truth Or Dare (European mix)", and "As We Lay (midnight mix)".~ Dusty Groove
Heady work from deep deep in the funky 45 underground – raw, gritty, and totally wonderful tracks that are put together at a level that matches the kind of classic funk compilations we first feel in love with back in the day! Sure, there's been plenty of rare tracks unearthed in recent years – but a well-done collection like this can still blow away the occasional sound snippet you might stumble across online – as the overall weight of the package is amazing, and the tracks here all resonate together strongly in a way that they might never have on their own! Tracks include "Love One Another" by Frankie Staton, "Standing On His Word" by Leontine Dupree, "Soul Bagg" by Reno & The Chosen 3, "I'm Satisfied" by Marva Josie, "Hard Times" by McKinley Edmonds, "Mercy Mercy Mercy" by Roy Long, "Tell The Truth" by Shirley Wahls, "He Won't Love You" by Delores Eiler, "I Can't Get Enough" by Dave Stockwell, "You Came A Long Way From St Louis" by 101 Gold Street Band, "Black & White" by Bobbi Lane, and "Snake In The Grass" by Rick Bowen. ~ Dusty Groove
The recording project was conceived by Marcelo and Doug to be a musical register where the two genres of contemporary music – Jazz, and Brazilian Music – could share the same space. Thus, the pieces that were written exclusively for this project have distinct features of the national genres of the composers. Doug Stone, for instance, wrote tunes that embrace Bebop, Swing, Free Jazz, Modal Jazz, and Soul. On the other hand, Marcelo Magalhães Pinto wrote tunes that go through a variety of Brazilian styles, such as the Congado, Choro, Baião, and Samba, among others. From the musical perspective, the outcome is extremely interesting because even though the composers had written pieces with genres that are particular to their own countries (Brazil and United States), there are common elements that unified the compositions: the harmonic treatment and the improvisation. The harmony, as a sound architect, weaves the connections among the chords, making the musical elements that go back since Romanticism connect the past with the present. Whereas improvisation acts as a tool of maximal expression in the performance. It is through improvisation that musicians not only express themselves but also talk to each other. Two cats were invited: the drummer André “Limão” Queiroz, a professor at the UFMG School of Music – who was Marcelo’s colleague during their bachelor’s degree at the same school – and bassist Quinn Sternberg, who has been collaborating with Doug in the US. The album was recorded in New Orleans, LA, where presentations were made that promoted not only this work but also Brazilian and American culture and music.
One of the sharpest groups on the British scene, stepping forth here with maybe their greatest album so far – a record that really blends live jazz musicianship with some of the fuller structures and experiments that marked the London environment a few years back – maybe carried out here by Ebi Soda at a level that certainly makes puts them at the front of the pack! There's a blend of keyboards and live drums here that's totally great – topped with trombone and guitar solos, with lots of added guest work along the way – on tenor, alto, trumpet, and other instruments – all instrumental, but full of color, life, and some of the more triumphantly righteous currents that the group shares with their contemporaries. Titles include "Listen King", "Giraffe Bread", "Chandler", "Soft Peng", "Yoshi Orange", "Tang Of The Zest", "My Man From College", and "Christmas Lights In June". ~ Dusty Groove
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