Back catalogue: 50s/60s

Review: The glorious Athens of the North label will always be one of our favourites. It is pretty much buy on sight for lovers of soul, funk and disco and this month it is serving up two more unmissable long players. Here it is Ike and The Uptights and their superb sounds which make, what me might bravely, say, could be one of this always high class label's finest releases. Formed by Henry Bradley in Forrest City, The Uptights recorded for Memphis label Action Records and here we get a perfect window into their world of raw and guttural funk.

Review: American roots/blues multi-instrumental legend Taj Mahal pays tribute to the swing era and its artists on his latest album Savoy, laying down a string of covers of classics by the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, George Gershwin and others. Titularly referencing the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where Taj Mahal's parents met for the first time, this is an album that straddles jovialty and sentimentality in both sound and theme.

Review: Irma Thomas, born Irma Lee in New Orleans, is routinely hailed the Soul Queen of the city. Once billed among Aretha Franklin and Etta James, Thomas eventually found her own recognition as an originary light repping New Orleans, less an international, commercial success story. Beginning her career in 1959, she was one of many voices who sung for a watershed moment r&b and soul, as labels like Minit and Imperial helped solidify the genre's identification with Louisiana, with its designs on the Southern soul genre at large. In 1966, Thomas released her second solo album, now reissued here through MOV. Including the iconic song 'Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)', which was co-written by Randy Newman and country star Jeannie Seely, the track became a hit, finding a toehold on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyond its commercial success, the ballad has garnered widespread recognition, notably appearing in several episodes of the hit series Black Mirror. But it's the record as a whole that really stirs our guts, obviating Thomas' early-career openness to romance and excess: "oh-oh, take a look at this girl, I'm the girl that wants you..." goes the title track...

Review: Record Kicks presents Keep It To Yourself, the new album by premier Dutch soul band The Tibbs. Produced by Paul Willemsen (Michelle David) and mastered in Nashville by soul veteran Bob Olhsson, who used to cut vinyl for Motown back in the day, the new album is the band's third Long Play. It contains 12 fresh 'n vibrant tracks that once again will take you back to the golden days of soul music. From the very first note, The Tibbs' musical prowess exudes a soulful, funky energy that is nothing short of mind-blowing. Among the twelve new ones, we find the first single 'Ain't It Funn', a high-energy stomper that sets the tone for the entire album, the New Orleans funk inspired 'Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks' and 'Chicken Bones, 'In Orbit', an emotional and heartfelt love ballad that allows the velvety vocals of singer Roxanne to take center stage or the northern soul belter 'Give Me A Reason'. Lyrically, Keep It to Yourself is a poetic wonderland, delving into the depths of love, heartache, but also social issues and the need to preserve the world we're in.