Soul Jazz レコード& CD

Review: Brown Sugar are pioneers of the British reggae scene, particularly within the lover's rock niche. The group's fine discography has been honed in on by the great folk at Soul Jazz who put together a superb compilation I'm In Love With A Dreadlocks back in 2018. It focused on the booth of the Lovers Rock scene in the late 70s and now the title track from it gets pressed up to its own tidy 7". The super deep and luscious original is backed with a fine instrumental to remind us just how pivotal this group really was.

Review: The unequalled Soul Jazz label is serving up some monster funk this month and they don't come much bigger than these two cuts from Chuck Carbo. Opener 'Can I Be Your Squeeze' is a super catchy, break heavy and funk fulled party jam to destroy the floor. Written and produced by the celebrated Eddie Bo, it comes with big drums from New Orleans stick man James Black. On the flip is the ever so slightly more mellow but not less dance 'Take Care Your Homework Friend.' These have long been hard to find and now come pressed nice and loud on fresh wax.

Review: There is currently only one copy of this on Discogs and it is listed at a rather eye watering L1200. Thankfully this reissue means you can own an undeniably brilliant tune for a much more reasonable price. It is a seminal New Orleans joint from the main man Eddie Bo who made it for the hugely popular group The Explosions. Juanita Brooks is the powerhouse soul sister who provides the vocals and on the other side is something just as good - a deep soul gem to warm you to your core.

Review: Stone cold classic alert! First released on Studio One back in the late 1970s and a guaranteed reggae floor-filler ever since, 'Feel Like Jumping' is not only one of Coxsone Dodd's most potent productions, but also one of Marcia Griffiths' greatest moments. Now available again on a heavyweight vinyl pressing with extra bass-weight, the track us built around an infectious rhythm, dancing horn riffs, sweet backing vocals and a life-affirming lead vocal from Griffiths' celebrating the sheer joy of dancing. The flipside Dub Specialist revision is superb too - a genuinely bone-shaking, sub-heavy dancefloor dub that places echoing snippets of Griffiths' lead vocal and reverberating horns at the heart of the action.

Review: In 1984, Jamaican-born producer Tony Williams gifted the British jazz-funk scene with two exceptional 12" records, both now rare gems. One of these, Nat King Cool's 'Checking Out,' showcases a fusion of MFSB's 'Mysteries of the World' with quintessential UK Brit-funk vibes. Originally released on the Tai Wan label, this single remains as fresh today as it did in 1984, with its captivating flip-side instrumental. Remastered from tapes, these essential 80s Brit-funk tracks are presented on pristine vinyl, adorned with bespoke repro-labels, and packaged in a groovy Soul Jazz/Funk Masters house bag, which means it looks as good as it sounds.

Review: Yet another Studio One classic. Willie Williams was one of many artists to feature on Soul Jazz's 'Studio One Soul' series, which documented the throughline between reggae and soul in Jamaica. 'No One Can Stop Us Now' is a dreamy and wall-of-soundy slice of goodness from the mournful crooner, documenting the Jamaican dub vocalist's master plan. The song is a paean for anti-populist motivation - despite the naysayers who sit and criticise, no-one's gonna stop us now.

Review: Inell Young was a New Orleans-based singer who recorded with Eddie Bo and also had a small clutch of solo singles in the late 60s-early 70s. Soul Jazz picked up on one of Young's rarest offerings, a beautiful single which came out some time in the 60s. They first reissued it in 2014 and it keeps getting repressed for very good reason - it's just a perfect slice of southern soul. 'The Next Ball Game' is a fiery, funky number with a clattering beat and plenty of overdriven energy, raw like the best music should be but oh so sweet thanks to Young's angelic voice. 'Part Of The Game' is a swooning heartbreak ballad that makes the perfect inversion to the firecracker of an A-side.

Review: Inell Young's What Do You See In Her is often said to be one of the most powerful soul songs to have ever come from the great New Orleans scene. Eddie Bo is of course the great man behind it - as he was so many of these great tunes from this place and this ear - with the voice of Inell adding the spice. Finding an original is hard as, and will also cost you very close to four figures, so snap this one up while you can. Both sides are pure gold.