The Piaggio Soul Combination and Lakeetra Knowles - Soultimate

Italians do it better! Fourteen tracks of dancefloor-filling modernism!

 

Happy January folks! It's often said to be the longest, darkest, most miserable of all the months. Especially if you're a meat-eating alcoholic feeling societal pressure to give up the things you love most. (Not a reference to myself I should stress!) None of us should be giving up the joys of new music however, so it's comforting to find that January is offering up some brilliant new releases for us to seek out, listen to, and perhaps even buy.

Top of my listening pile at the moment is this cracking dancefloor filling soul album released by an Italian Mod collective called Piaggio Soul Combination. It's the group's third full-length album following Italian Boogaloo (2017) and This Is The Piaggio Soul Combination (2019) and is released on January 28th. Here in the UK we're inclined to think that the creation of the mod movement is a uniquely British thing. Or maybe just an English thing, centred on London or the south-east. It should be stressed though that the movement soaked up influences from other cultures - American soul, jazz and R&B, Italian scooters and tailoring, and a forward thinking approach to fashion in general, inspired in no small part by that of post-war mainland Europe.

It's fitting then that this album features input from Italy, the UK, and America - The band themselves formed in Pisa, Italy. Featured vocalist Lakeetra Knowles was brought up in Arkansas, USA. And the album's producer is none other than Andy Lewis, a name that will be familiar to fans of Paul Weller, Fay Hallam, and British soul music in general.

Over the course of the album's 14 tracks we journey through Northern soul stompers, latin-flavoured boogaloo, and sophisticated toe-tappers. All very groovy, all infectious and most importantly all very uplifting. Perfect for lifting one's spirits and shifting those damn January blues. It will also make you want to get up and dance. With this in mind the album is available on a very DJ-friendly physical format, a gatefold double 12" 45rpm set. Perfect for spinning at your local vinyl-only all-nighter.

 

The current line-up is: Lakeetra Knowles (lead vocals), Marco Piaggesi (lead & backing vocals, organ, piano, mellotron), Michele Malasoma (drums & timbales), Gio Renzo Baccelli (percussion), Saverio Grasselli (guitar), Michelangelo Pardini (bass), Andrea Milano (alto sax), Manuel Vanni & Cesare Errico (tenor sax), Gaspare Vinto (baritone sax).

The Bamboos - Hard Up

Australia's top soul band release their tenth studio LP full of socially conscious danceable grooves

 

A most welcome discovery for me recently has been Australian band The Bamboos, though I'm somewhat shocked to discover they've been making sweet and funky soul music for the best part of 20 years! Oh well, at least there's a wealth of back catalogue to dive into. The Melbourne-based band are set to release Hard Up this week. It's their tenth studio album and is guaranteed to satisfy long-time fans and no doubt win over a few new ones too.

Hard Up saddles the line between retro and contemporary, and as you'd expect from a nine-piece revue-style band there's plenty going on to keep your interest - punchy horn lines, tasteful guitar and keys, and that all important locked-in drum and bass groove. Soul music is nothing without a great singer though, and thankfully fronting The Bamboos is the phenomenal Kylie Auldist. Equally adept at providing powerhouse vocals as she is at delivering those requiring sensitivity. Check out the contrasting styles between the version of Black Box's 'Ride On Time' and the soft and sensitive 'I Just Heard You Leaving'.

Thematically the album touches on universal daily struggles ('Hard Up'), and tips its hat at the kind of politically aware soul that Curtis Mayfield may have penned ('Power Without Greed'). It's a rallying cry for justice that moves feet as well as minds, and has a pretty neat flute solo. The album is as much about good times as it is about hard times however and there's an ultimately up-lifting good-time vibe throughout.

The record also features some great guest vocal appearances - Sydney-based singer Ev Jones on 'While You Sleep'; LA-based Joey Dosik channels Smokey Robinson on 'It's All Gonna Be OK'; and rising US star Durand Jones guests on 'If Not Now (Then When)', a track that harks back to classic sixties style soul.

Alongside the great vocals, the band, centred around founding member Lance Ferguson are on top form. Check out funky Meters-style instrumental 'Wishbone' should you need proof. The album was recording in a week of sessions just prior to last year's Melbourne lockdown. Hard Up is an irresistible affair that warrants repeat plays at an ever increasing volume. Neighbours you have been warned!

 

Click here for the band's website

 

Lee Fields and The Expressions - It Rains Love

(This review first appeared in issue #89 of Shindig! magazine.)

Fields has been making records since 1969 so it comes as no surprise that he can put together a class soul album. His latest is more of a Sunday morning record rather than a Saturday night party platter, with themes of thanks, love and both romantic and religious devotion. Then of course there's that voice. It ranks with the best – James Brown, Otis Redding and Levi Stubbs. But comparisons are meaningless given the conviction with which he sings. 

A great singer still needs a band of course, and the Expressions are on excellent form throughout. Standout moments? There are many - the attention grabbing middle eight in 'Bless With The Best', the infectious bass-driven groove of the title track, or 'Wake Up' with its dub feel and lyrics that fight back against fake news. For all the vintage soul classicism there's enough new moves to keep any neophiles satisfied too. Masterful.

 

Jesper Lindell – Everyday Dreams

A debut album packed with warm sentiments and timeless soul 'n' blues.

There are so many artists around today who take inspiration from the classic soul and blues era of the fifties and sixties that the vintage tag has become almost meaningless. Timeless would be a more apt description and one that fits well for this debut album by Sweden's Jesper Lindell. Full of that subtle sympathetic musicianship we've come to expect from Swedish musicians, Everyday Dreams is equal parts classic mid '60s Stax/Volt and gently rolling blues, with shades of Van Morrisson's Tupelo Honey and artists such as Leon Bridges, The Black Keys and Ray LaMontagne.

It's a record full of warm sentiments and soulful vocals. Lindell's blue-eyed soul voice that takes centre stage and carries the album from start to finish, equally at home on the uptempo numbers as it is on the album's softer, more intimate tracks. Lindell has obviously immersed himself in that great wealth of music that America has produced. Everyday Dreams draws from the deep well of soul, blues, country, folk and gospel. Admirably Lindell doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. There are no boundary-pushing production techniques or ill-advised genre mash-ups, just great songwriting, well-produced and great performances from all the musicians involved.

Perfect Sunday evening listening for these dark winter nights. Get your fire lit, crack open a bottle of something nice and kick back with your loved one with this album playing. As Lindell sings on 'France' - “I'll I wanna do is spend my time drinking wine with you.” What could be better.

Click here Jesper Lindell's website.

Click here for Jesper Lindell on Facebook.

Click here for Jesper Lindell on Instagram.

Click here for Alive Records.

Magnus Carlson - A Nordic Soul

(This review first appeared in issue #84 of Shindig! magazine.)

Carlson has been a big star for over two decades in his native Sweden, firstly as a founder member of indie rockers Weeping Willows and latterly via several collaborations and a successful solo career. This is his first full-length solo outing in the UK and focuses on his deep love of northern soul. Recorded in part by long-time Paul Weller associate Andy Lewis at the Modfather's Black Barn Studio, it's stacked with uptempo dance-floor fillers, all taut grooves, punchy horns and melancholic high strings. With any justice it will bring Carlson the wider audience he deserves.

If side one is about being on the floor shaking some talc, side two broadens out into more of a comedown feel, most successfully on the lush orchestral ballad 'Broken Promise Land', which features backing from Carlson's Weeping Willows band-mates. Medway modernists will also be pleased by guest appearance of Fay Hallam on 'Now That It's Over'.

J.P. Bimeni & The Black Belts - Free Me

(This review first appeared in issue #84 of Shindig! magazine.)

JP Bimeni's back-story is like none other. A descendant of the Burundian royal family, he fled Burundi aged 15 during the 1993 civil war after three attempts on his life. Having survived being both shot and poisoned he managed to attain refugee status and moved to the UK, taking a college place in Wales. It was there he started listening to the soul music that would go on to inform his own singing style. A spell in an Otis Redding tribute revue brought him to the attention of Madrid's Tucxone Records who paired him with The Black Belts to record this infectious album.

If the meeting of southern soul with uptempo African funk doesn't grab you then Bimeni's impassioned vocals surely will. Equally stirring on the tearjerkers or the floor-filling modern funk numbers. Free Me is one of the year's must-have soul albums and a reminder of how compelling singing from the heart can be.

Sha La Das - Love In The Wind

(This review first appeared in issue #83 of Shindig! magazine.)

Bill Schalda was a teenage member of '60s Brooklyn vocal group The Montereys who would later pass on his love of close harmony singing to his three sons Will, Paul and Carmine. Together the quartet supplied background vocals to Charles Bradley's Victim of Love LP. Producer Thomas Brenneck was so taken with the results he encouraged the group to make this full-length album which merges doo-wop sensibilities with soul's expansive and emotional range.

Featuring their unique close family harmonies backed by the finest musicians of Daptone's extended musical family (including members of The Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, The Dap-Kings), Love In The Wind is built on pure love of the music, palpable in the ghostly doo-wop ('Those Days Are Over', 'Do What'), and the standout uptempo psych-soul groover 'Carnival'. The mix of era-respecting authenticity, youthful spirit and combined team effort is a winning combination, even by Daptone's high standards.

Durand Jones & The Indications - You And Me / Put A Smile On Your Face (7")

(This review first appeared in issue #81 of Shindig! magazine.)

Something is happening and Mr. Jones knows what it is. Our appetite for rare soul remains as insatiable as ever. The mix of grit, groove and passionate emotion distilled by American musicians in the sixties and seventies continues to fascinate. With this in mind Durand and his Indications pay homage to two lesser-celebrated soul acts.

'You And Me' was originally recorded as a demo by Ohio-based Penny & The Quarters in the early seventies. Durand adds an early Motown vibe with a sweet falsetto over a doo wop chord sequence. 'Put A Smile On Your Face' is a melancholic gem originally cut by Detroit's EJ & The Echoes in 1967. Durand's faithful take offers neat drum shuffles and a vocal delivery that gets straight to the emotional heart of the lyrics. The fact that these versions were recorded quickly in a electric piano repair shop only adds to the authentic vintage vibe.

Durand Jones & The Indications - S/T

(This review first appeared in issue #78 of Shindig! magazine.)

Dead Oceans CD / LP

Originally released in 2016 and now getting a deluxe reissue complete with bonus digital live album. Indiana-based soul outfit Durand Jones & The Indications' brand of nu-retro soul is as accomplished as any made today, shifting between aching ballads and upbeat, funky dance tracks. It's an authentic take on soul music's mid-'60s heyday.

They don't attempt to re-invent the wheel but honour it with a sound steeped in the grit and groove of the deep south. Taut drumming, Cropper-esque guitar chops, punchy horn lines and Jones' warm, convincing tones combine to yield delights. 'Groovy Babe' would easily sit on Otis Blue, while 'Make A Change' is vintage soul with a modern social conscience. 'Is It Any Wonder?' sees them shift into a mellower mode, with Jones singing in a sweet satisfying falsetto. The knowledge that he's a reluctant vocalist, (originally starting out as a saxophone player), only adds to the appeal.

Heath Green & The Makeshifters - Heath Green & The Makeshifters

 (This review first appeared in issue #65 of Shindig! magazine.)

Alive Natural Sound CD / LP

Heath Green possesses a voice that's not only lived-in, it may also have hosted a fair share of all-night house parties. Gritty, gravelly and full of that good ol' southern soul, the man sure as hell can sing! Based in Birmingham, Alabama, he's been the city's best-kept musical secret for the last two decades. He and his killer band make a fiery hybrid of soul, blues, rock and gospel, breathing new life into the region's musical heritage and traditions.

Alternating between Saturday night revelry and Sunday morning redemption with the trials of grown-up relationships thrown in, this earthy, blue-eyed and blue-collar soul recalls Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, The Faces, Joe Cocker and The Black Crowes yet is beholden to none. Equally adapt at guttural howls and soulful sophistication, quite why Mr. Green has not broken through to wider recognition is a mystery. With this album his dues must surely come.

Click here for Heath Green & The Makeshifters' website.

Super Dooper Love: Mainstream Hits & Rarities 1973-76

(This review first appeared in issue #63 of Shindig! magazine.)

Ace CD

New York in the '70s may have been a city on the verge of financial meltdown but judging by this 24-track compilation its soul scene was in rude health. Mainstream Records started out as a jazz label but by the mid '70s focused almost exclusively on soul, with a roster that included big name signings (The Dramatics, Little Richard), established R&B names from the '60s (Doris Duke, Lenny Welch, Freddie Scott) alongside less well-known singers and groups.

Highlights include the slinky and seductive 'The Lonely One' by Special Delivery Feat. Terry Huff, pentatonic bass riffs on '(I'm Your) Friendly Neighbourhood Freak Pt 1' by Calvin Arnold, and the strings 'n' funk mix on Doris Duke's 'Business Deal'. You'll also find vocal harmony groups, proto-disco, Afrobeat and woman-to-woman style talked vocals. Not everything here is killer but you'll be hard pushed to find a collection that better encapsulates the time, place and spirit.

Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales - Everything Boom!

100% pure dynamite! Good time rock 'n' soul from Berlin!

Hey boys and girls, you lookin' for a good time? Well who the hell isn't these days?! If the news ain't depressing enough the weather is! Fortunately there's always the sweet delights of music. And they don't come much sweeter than this here garage and soul belter from Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales. I only recently got tipped off about them but their debut album has been blasting out from my speakers for the past few weeks. I may be late to the party but I'm hoping to make up for it by playing this belter loud.

With their mix of soul, rock 'n' roll and garage rock they sure ain't no soul-searching navel gazers. This is music to be played loud, music to soundtrack the good times, music to party to, music to get drunk to. It's an album that'll have you phoning your mates up at 3am to tell them you love them. Better still, invite them over to share in the good-time party vibes. With 100mph drums, wailing saxophone, crunching guitars and Maiorano's feelgoood songs and lyrics it's bound to get the party started.

If you like what you hear you'll be pleased to find the band have some UK and German gigs next month, hopefully in a town near you. Leave yer blues and the door, get down the front and have a blast. It would be impossible not to!

Upcoming Tour Dates

19.10.16 – Hamtorkrug, Neuss, Germany

20.10.16 - St. Moritz Club, London, England

21.10.16 - The Zanzibar Club, Liverpool, England

22.10.16 - The Lexington, London, England

26.10.16 – Yorckschlösschen, Berlin, Germany

04.11.16 – Komplex, Schwerin, Germany

24.02.17 - Wild At Heart, Berlin, Germany

Click here for more on Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales.

Click here for Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales on Facebook.

Click here for Off Label Records.

The Missing Souls – Sweet, Sweet Sadie / The Alligator (Ltd 7”)

Storming garage soul 45 out now on State Records!

State Records further their reputation as the leading garage label du jour with this latest release from The Missing Souls. It's the band's first for the label but they already have a couple of 7” singles to their name along with a self-titled LP on Dangerhouse Skylab Records. The band hail from Lyon, France and have been together just under two years, in which time their stuff has been well and truly got together. This single recorded in-house at State's custom built studio is ample proof at that.

Both tracks here are covers. 'Sweet, Sweet Sadie' (originally by The Teardrops) centres around a fuzz guitar riff with a Phillicordia organ solo that takes the track into freakbeat overdrive. 'The Alligator' is a dance craze track originally by The Us Four, driven here by punding drums and complete with hand claps, a truly wild guitar solo and trademark boy/girl vocals.

This is a record that deserves to be played loud. A must have single for any self-respecting garage 'n' beat DJ. Freakbeat a-go-go baby!

Limited to 500 copies on monophonic black vinyl.

Click here for The Missing Souls' website.

Click here for The Missing Souls on Facebook.

Click here for the State Records website.

The Missing Souls are -

Zaza Sharps – lead vocals, bass guitar

Little Big Ian – lead vocals, guitar

Ricky Bilbao – organ, bass guitar

Lester Mizzi – drums, vocals

Paz Antiguana – Hot Latin Soul from Paris!

New band alert! Paris' Paz Antiguana release 45s that merge soul, latin and tropicalia!

As summer fades away and autumn's browns and reds start to colour the leaves, there's still a dose of sunshine to be had through the mystical portal of music. A new band to me are Paz Antiguana from Paris, whose music could variously be described as latin, boogaloo, Afro-Cuban, soul or Tropicalia. But hey let's not get hung up on labels, this is music that makes you feel good, much like lazy days with the sun's hot rays on your face. And you can dance to it too!

The band have released two 7” singles so far in very limited quantities. A handful of these are still available from the band's Bandcamp page (link below). This is the sort of music that makes you want to invite all your pals over for a neighbourhood party with good food, chilled drinks and above all dancing! Just the thing to keep any winter blues at bay! My advise is get in quick for those singles before you have to pay double over on Discogs!

Click here for Paz Antiguana on Facebook.