Back catalogue: Soul

Review: Classic soul band The Moments serve up a couple more gems for this red hot series on Dynamite Cuts. First is a steamy, seductive, sexy version of the Lee Forsey classic 'Ride Your Pony'. The gentle drums, the swinging synths and the sting sounds are all topped with butter-smooth vocals. On the back side is something just as majestic and heart warming - 'Sugar Sugar' is a real singalong gem with nice sax stabs, freaky synth bass that never stops squelching and just good vibes that you never want to end.

Review: Gustavo C's G.U.S label - short for 'Golden Unreleased Songs' - exists for one purpose: to offer-up limited-edition singles featuring previously unheard gems from the disco and boogie era. The label has already released buried treasure from Central Line and Kenni Rightout and here delves into the archives of obscure 80s electrofunk outfit Odyssey & Co, a band not to be confused with the far better-known Odyssey. 'It's On' was originally recorded and mixed in 1983, but for one reason or another never hit stores. It's a quality slab of soul-fired boogie-funk rich in rubbery bass guitar, spacey synths, eyes-closed vocals and post-electro machine drums. The A-side original mix is on-point, but we prefer the slightly stretched out and more dancefloor focused flip-side 'Dance Mix'.

Review: Blissful boogie reissue from Junko Ohashi, whose 7-inch promo for 'Dancin' here functioned as the promo material for the 1983 album 'Point Zero'. Sounding just as rough, farty and raw as its original LP cut, the track is a perfect example of what Japan brought to disco - blending it largely with city pop - at the time. 'In Your Lovin', as it did on the original album, brings up the B-side with a downer-tempo funk beat, and a lyrical subject dealing with a romanticized, ideal lover.

Review: Omar is a real British musical institution and as such it's surprising but also not so shocking, he has recently completed a stint on BBC soap Eastenders. This cheeky 7" is a reissue of the title track from his album The Man and a fine example of his perfectly soulful vocals and mellifluous melodies over nice broken beat and nu jazz sounds. It represents some of his best work and this contemporary take uses the final few bars of the original track as its starting point in a "part 2" style.

Review: Bobby Ozra was on tour back in 2019 and the final date was in New York City. He had some time before returning home to Finland so hooked up with El Michel's Affair and Diamond Mine to record some music. The pair hit it off immediately, and Bobby used the chance to write about more esoteric subjects with the pair soon deciding to work on a full length album together. They are now well on with that process but in the meantime offer up two new gems. 'Losing It' is sun in Spanish and English and is a dramatic and moving tune while 'Watcha Know' explores death with some philosophical ponderings.

Review: It was the iconic Copacabana Records that put out this classic MPB back in 1964. That makes 'Um Balanco pra voce' by Os Rouxinois one of the oldest releases in Mr Bongo's Brazil45 series and it is also one of the best. Arnaud Rodrigues wrote the tune which is a superb mix of exotic funk, bossa nova rhythms and quirky melodies from a five-track 7" of tunes that the band originally used to play on TV. On the other side, 'O Viajante' is the sort of irresistibly sunny sound that quickly wins your heart and is sure to light up any dancefloor.

Review: Legendary US funk practitioners the Ohio Played are as well known for the erotic nature of many of their album covers as they are for their super sleazy funk sounds. They never really go out of fashion which is why so many of them are always getting reissued. Ouch! is next up with a special Ruby Red Milestone Anniversary Edition on limited edition and marbled red vinyl to mark the fact it is now 40 years old. It's an upbeat and diverse mix of funk sounds that draws influence from the world of jazz and soul and pairs swooning strings with lush melodies and catchy grooves that still energise any dancefloor.

Review: Moonlight Mystery by Issei Okamoto is one of the many much loved and AOR and city pop records from the Far East. Light In The Attic Records have done us a favour and put together a proper reissue job which comes two years after they reissued Okamoto's debut album Moonlight Singing. It is "a full analog reprint" and has much to love. There is a swaggering urban groove in the form of 'Jamaican Night', while the sentimental and jazzy soft rock sounds of 'Just A Little More' soon soothe. Even more mellow delights await on the rest of the b-side.

Review: Ollie Nightingale's 1978 gospel-soul classic, Sweet Surrender, sees a much needed re-release on Japanese label, P-Vine. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, the Ollie Nightingale project journeyed through various, fruitful iterations - from The Gospel Writer Juniors to The Dixie Nightingale's - before settling on their final form. The result? A sound that is mature and feels fully fleshed out. The opening track, 'Here I Am Again', follows a deliciously slow-paced, side-stepping rhythm, complete with subdued brass and Aretha-hued backing vocals; it's a texturally and emotionally rich classic. 'I Gave Her Everything And What She Needed' is a lyrical masterpiece reflecting on what is revealed when looking back on a past relationship, sees a more pared back take on the instrumentation front, allowing Hoskin's signature vocals to really shine. Leaning more into the funk end of the spectrum, 'It's A Sad Thing' is a track that's sure to get a room moving. Rightly recognised as the most successful southern gospel group of the 50s through to the 60s, Sweet Surrender is a crucial addition to any funk-soul-gospel fan's record collection.

Review: One of the UK's most distinctive, consistent and authentic male soul voices returns with his eighth album in 27 years... And it's a serious piece of work. Rich in range, warmth, creativity and a keen eye on the dancefloor, everything about him feels refreshed and energised. Highlights include the Dilla-meets-Iz & Diz style "This Way That Way", the glistening Balearic charm of "Feeds My Mind", the syrupy organs and harmonies on "Insatiable". Winding down with the almost filmic narrative "Grey Clouds", it's one of those records that will have you leaping up, flipping to side A and starting all over again. Feel the love.

Review: Omar is one of the UK's most notable soul stars and revered vocalists. His 1997 album This Is Not A Love Song came at the heart of the acid jazz explosion and remains one of its most vital works. It was his fourth album in a career that has produced nine overall and has plenty of his signature grooves, from the jazz flecked 'This Is Not A Love Song' to the -soul stylings of 'Wherever' via his spine tingling cover of the classic 'Golden Brown'. This is a limited and numbered 180 gram audiophile gold & black marbled vinyl reissue on Music on Vinyl with new a insert.