Daptone Us レコード& CD

Review: Yet another addition to the pile of new music from a Penrose soul singer who has been active since the mid 1970s and has not stopped since, Lee Fields' latest 7" single 'Waiting On The Sidelines' is a paean to pining, a song for sad hollowness. The star sings heartbreakingly of having been reduced to 'waiting on the sidelines' while the object of his affection goes off gallivanting with someone else. It's a beautiful new one from the singer-songwriter and producer, effortlessly showing off his undying penchant for the 7"s format and neatly following up his 2022 album Sentimental Fool.

Review: Jalen Ngonda is a hotly tipped soul artist who finally unveils his long awaited debut album. Come Around and Love Me was written at Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY with musicians form the wider Daptone family and producer and arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito from Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires. The result is a modern soul sound tinged with r&b, the harmonies of The Beach Boys and hooks of the Beatles, but all with a timelessness and classic edge that is sure to make it a lasting pleasure.

Review: Jalen Ngonda shares two 7"-incarnated selections from his debut album Come Around and Love Me. Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm - disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert-goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. For his studio project, however, Ngonda and his team at Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn developed skulful blends, heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with a Motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment. Ngonda creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation; most symptomatic of this is the beautiful cinematic soul echoer 'What Is Left To Do', a song sure to dazzle for years to come.

Review: For Maria Raquel, there is no fear when it comes to following her passion. Whether it be moving from Colombia to New York to follow her dream, or getting onstage with the greats of Latin music, Maria does no second guessing. On her debut album Mucha Mujer, Maria dives headfirst into the classic sounds of boleros and cumbias, spotlighting her smoky alto amidst a live 16 piece orchestra of percussion, strings, horns, bass and guitar. Featuring all original compositions and recorded to analog tape, Mucha Mujer is reminiscent of classic recordings by artists like Omara Portuondo, Celia Cruz, and La Lupe, yet Maria Raquel breathes new life into these classic genres - the haunting yearning of the boleros contrasting with the pulsing insistence of Cumbia. Featuring some of New York's top Latin musicians such as Reuben Rodriguez (Tito Puente), Marcos Lopez (Marc Anthony), Ivan Renta (Eddie Palmieri), and arranged and produced by Mike Eckroth (Orquesta Akokán) and Jacob Plasse (Los Hacheros), Mucha Mujer introduces the world to a spellbinding new talent.

Review: As well as it coming on lovely smoky red wax, this first-ever solo album under his own name from Victor Axelrod also comes on original black vinyl. If you don't know his name then rally you probably know his music if you have ever listened to anything put out by Daptone Records. He is a producer, arranger, recording and mixing engineer, and keyboardist who has had a huge hand in the label's many releases over the last two decades. This collection has plenty of his singles from between 2007-2023 as well as some previously unreleased gems from Sugar Minott and Binky Griptite.

Review: Victor Axelrod is key to the Daptone Records sound that you most likely know and love even if you arent familiar with his name. He is a producer, arranger, recording and mixing engineer, and keyboardist who has had a vast influence across the imprint's releases of the last 20 years. Amazingly, though, If You Ask Me To is the first ever album he has put out under his own name and it features a collection of his singles released between 2007-2023 next to a load of unreleased gems from Sugar Minott and Binky Griptite. They all show his range and unwavering quality and musicianship.