A Round Up Of Releases

 

you would think that i have all the time in the world to sit around listening to music and then writing about it but ah, i wish it were so. Unfortunately there are other liens on my time that i have to attend to and so lots of releases and fine music gets listened to and then filed away. i aint putting myself up there as some sort of all seeing eye/ear that has a finger on the current pulse - heaven knows i only scratch the surface - but hopefully something here will take your fancy. i try at all times to direct purchasers to the Bandcamp or the artists own sites to maximize their return on putting out such fine music (you can shove Spotify up your hole as far as i am concerned). Now lets dive in and see whats going on....

Its been almost 3 years to the day since Oxbow Lake Band have given us some new music and with their 6 track 10" release A Bombardment of Melodies , Andy and Co are back with one of their strongest sets yet. Expect Funk, reggae and some folky vibes thrown in for good measure, Standout track is 'Uprising' that melds acid jazz and funk with a little Gaelic to kick things off.

The sound of a Hammond B3 has been a staple soundtrack for Mods and the music they love every since the early Soul-Jazz days and then on into the 6ts British wave where it underpinned the likes of Zoot Money and Georgie Fame. Fred Scamps and Stereo Flames play in that same arena and give us an almost cross section of genres that fans of the sound will embrace. standout track for me is 125th Street that is a hard driving rocker that drops into a reggae stance before going back headlong into the final dash for the line. The Ridge is a more catholic sound and tempo that's perfect for a dancefloor. There were some vinyl copies available but the price is somewhat eye watering..get it anyway you can..

Original Gravity are always refreshing and making one sit up and take notice and Burning Spear is a wonderful Ska cover of Soulful Strings 1967 Psych-soul classic instrumental. the flip side has a more interpretative take that is just as good as the top side and makes this a no-brainer twofer! Freaking awesome 45 that should be played often and loudly!

Shirley Davis and the Silverbacks gave us the truly wonderful Wishes and Wants back in 2018 . thankfully they followed it up with an equally powerful set in 22 with Keep on Keeping on . Nothing ersatz here just good old fashioned Soul Band knocking out quality tracks time after time after time. Essential purchase. 

Give me Hope is the sophomore album from JP Bimeni and is chock full of classic sounding tracks. Pity he is not more known as his ouevre is classic soul in the mould of Southern soul akin to Stax moves allied with social lyricism as evidenced on the title track and its something that is begging for a wider audience. i note whilst writing this up that there are a few copies of his stunning 45 with Keep on Running cover and the sweet soul of I Miss you  still available if you hurry!

Sometimes with music you need a bump, a bounce to get you flying around the dancefloor and then other times you need something that grounds you and makes you delve deep inside yourself to see whats in there. Give me the strength to be by Soulnaturals is of the latter camp. A dense, deep soundscape that calls to mind Nina Simone or Sault. i use this word a lot but Stunning is most apposite for this beautiful 45

ATA were not noted for Disco heretofore but they have corrected that with United Disco Organisations release Send the Rain/Funky Thing . Strings abound on these sprawling disco dancers that are redolent of Mayfield , Bataan and that period where funky soul was incorporating latin and morphing into the 

On to Big Crown records and ones to take notice of here are Thee Heart Tones , a crew of teenagers who have a couple of 45s and an LP that make all the right noises. LP is sold out however head on over to Big Crown or Bandcamp and check their groove out. Californian soul at its best . No Longer Mine is a doozy...

Thats it for now. All tracks can be had in digital format and also in physical forms. Always buy or stream direct from the artists so that they can continue to make more music.