Soul Junction レコード& CD

Review: One song, two versions, one killer Philly 45. The Cooperettes got in first during the mid 70s with a very rare copy that picked up momentum during the Northern/modern soul crossover in mid 80s when copies began to surface and never really lost favour as OG copies on I-D-B go for near L500. Flip for a previously unreleased male harmony version by The Toppiks, fronted by Ted Mills a la Blue Magic. Just sit back and feel those falsettos.

Review: Soul Junction's latest release brings together two sought-after heavy soul cuts from the studio of the Poindexter Brothers: their own 1969 heater "What I Did In The Street (I Should Have Done At Home)" - a sweet, Vibraphone-sporting slab of rasping, full-throated, horn-heavy sixties soul just dripping with emotion - and a killer cut they produced a year earlier for singer Vivian Copeland. You'll find that song, "Chaos In My Heart", on the A-side. Originally released on Bell, it's an attractive and additive mid-tempo number in which Copeland's fine vocals come supported by low-register horns, shuffling soul grooves and some suitably heavenly backing vocals.

Review: Newcomers Energy MC2 are exactly the sort of ensemble needed by the supremely funky Soul Junction imprint. The label have done a great job in continuously finding new, raw talent in the soul game, and these dudes know the score. "If You Break It" features the voice of Vincent Bonham, and it's a veritable lovers tune, made for dance floor antics and Saturday night romance, whereas "Other Side Of The Mirror" is more of a soulful abstraction, a gorgeous little ballad led by the delicate, majestic vocals of Arnell Carmichael. Oh, boy...

Review: Writer, singer and former New York banker, Eric Harris first emerged in the late 2000s with tear-jerking tracks such as "Drama" and the belting "Queen" and has appeared on Soul Unsigned and Soul Junction on various occasions. "Nightlife" is a great example of his Vandross-style depth, tone and warmth while the heartfelt (and just a little steamy) "Backstage" finally sees 45" justice after becoming a cult radio hit in 2012. Pure bedtime music.

Review: Regularly spotted passing hands for high triple figures, the Poindexter brothers' New York troupe's second D'ar Recording Company single finally enjoys a reissue. "Beautiful Philosophy" has a little northern soul stomp to it while still shimmering with 70s pop charm and some incredible harmonies while "Too Sweet To Be Lonely" takes The O'Jays' classic to emotional new highs with yet more fine tuned chorused vocals - too sweet to sleep on!

Review: Strong spiritual funk from five-piece family troupe The New Creation; written in 1973 and released the following year on their own Salaam Recordings, "The Fish Song" is a classic Islamic story delivered with powerful harmonies and a vital positive groove while "Elijah Knows" brings both father and son Rasheed Shakoor Senior and Junior to the forefront for some powerful dulcet duelling as the pair feed off each other and explode into massive harmonies with the full group. Only 2500 OG copies were ever pressed and the band built up quite cult following in the mid-70s in LA. Thanks to Soul Junction, their tale lives on...