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Xmas Music: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects (FREE)

The mighty Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings have recorded a slice of Christmas soul/funk to tide us over until they release a new album next year.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects

The tracks is available here for FREE, all you have to do is sign up to the mailing list.

Download: Soulbounce Show Us Why ‘Men Love Mary’

The month of November has been a great one for Mary J. Blige fans thanks to folks over at Soulbounce. All month they have been dissecting, discussing and generally celebrating a modern classic in the form of MJB’s My Life album which was celebrating it’s 15th birthday.

I was late to this album, not because of a lack of awareness of who Mary was, but because I was only 10 years old when it was released; much too young to appreciate the masterpiece that it was to become. It was only when I was 18/19 that I gave the album a listen, and needless to say it’s been in rotation ever since.

As a culmination of their ‘Month Of Mary’, Soulbounce rounded up some of the finest male vocalists of our time and asked them to cover various songs from the My Life album. Artists such as Eric Roberson, Darien, Jesse Boykins III and many more agreed to take part and so now here it is:

DOWNLOAD: ‘Soulbounce presents Why Men Love Mary: A Tribute To My Life’

Live Music: Alice Russell Live in Bristol (Review)

Alice Russell is fast becoming one of my favourite artists. I’ve only known about her for the last 2 years or so, but in that time I’ve made it my mission to collect as much of her music as possible. I own all her albums, plus a significant number of her numerous collaborations with artists such as Quantic, TM Juke and Bah Samba.

I’ve heard nothing but great things in relation to her live shows, and so earlier this year I planned to catch her  when she was performing in my home city. Sadly by the time I got round to getting tickets the gig was sold out. Thankfully, to celebrate the official UK release of Pot Of Gold and the Pot Of Gold: Remixes album, Alice decided to tour again, however this time it involved a three hour round trip to catch her at my nearest venue.

#MusicMonday (Late): Soultrain Awards’ Chaka Tribute



WOW!! Soultrain really pulled it together with the Chaka Khan tribute which aired over the weekend on the new, revamped Soultrain Awards. This tribute features 3 of my favourite female vocalists (and Fantasia) covering Chaka classics: Erykah Badu (‘Stay’), Ledisi (‘Through The Wire’), Fantasia (‘Tell Me Something Good’) and Angie Stone (‘Aint Nobody’).

The only quibble I have is Fantasia’s appearance, i’m not overly keen on her voice and instead i’d have liked to have seen Yahzarah performing ‘Tell Me Something Good’ (a cover of which i’ve heard and was blown away by), however beggars can’t be choosers and the tribute is fantastic!

Spotlight: Szjerdene Covers Amel Larrieux’s ‘No One Else’

I have featured this talented UK singer here before along with an introductory video detailing her plans to release an EP soon. She has been keeping us up to date with her progress via a couple of YouTube videos as well as some footage of recent performances.

I’m not sure quite what it is about her voice but I find myself stopping whatever I’m doing and just listening, it possesses that sweet, yet soulful tone that demands my attention until the very last note. Normally I’d say that Amel was not one to ‘mess with’, yet Szjerdene manages to do the original justice.

{Note: I find myself liking Szjerdene even more as I found out we share a similar, somewhat controversial opinion on a very well known male soul singer }

Live Music: Beverley Knight in Birmingham

You can check out my review of Beverley’s Birmingham Symphony Hall show over at SoulCulture.co.uk

Xmas Music: Laura Vane & The Vipertones – Christmas Day With Me

It’s official! I have recieved the 1st Christmas promo of the year, meaning I now have free reign to listen to my (v.small) Christmas music collection without feeling a fool.

The track in question is ‘Christmas Day With Me’ from Laura Vane & The Vipertones. I have their fantastic debut which was released earlier this year (criminally I forgot to review it), and this Christmas offering stays true to their funky, soulful sound. This is the type of festive song I like, it’s not too ‘in your face’ Christmas, but there is enough holiday spirit to get you in the mood for mince pies and free-flowing drinks!

Laura Vane & The Vipertones – Christmas Day With Me

For more info on the band check out their official website here.

 

 

Get To Know: Michael Olatuja

Michael Olatuja has taken be by complete surprise with his debut album. Up until a couple of weeks ago I had never heard of the British/Nigerian bassist (who also happens to be a composer and producer), but I had been hearing whispers that his project was well worth a listen and so I decided to take the plunge and purchase Speak.

Due to the sheer amount of music I listen to, blind (well almost except for a few snippets) purchasing is not a regular occurence over here, however a quick look at his bio information informed me that he has worked with some of THE greats, including Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan, so he had to have a certain level of musicianship (by association). I was in for another pleasant surprise when I took a look at the tracklisting for the album as it features some of the ‘best of British’ on vocal duties, including Eska Mtungwazi, Ty, Terri Walker and the late Lynden David Hall, amongst others. This was enough to convince me it was worth a listen.

Well I think I can safely say it was worth the purchase, and then some. The album blends jazz, traditional Nigerian music, gospel and blues but what really binds the album together is it’s underlying soulfulness and Michael’s ability to craft a great song. Snippets of two of my favourite tracks on the album are available below, however this is one of those albums where to get a true picture, you need to listen to the album as a whole.

Michael Olatuja – Altar Call ft Eska Mtungwazi (snippet)

Michael Olatuja – Le Jardin ft Onaje Jefferson (snippet)

For a full review of Speak head on over to SoulCulture, and for more information on Michael check out his website.

The album is available via Amazon and iTunes so you have no excuse

 

Live Music: Corinne Bailey Rae – ‘I’d Do It All Again’

Corinne Bailey Rae is set to make her long awaited comeback with sophomore album The Sea, due early 2010. To kick off promotion for the album she performed an acoustic version of the first single, ‘I’d Do It All Again’ on last nights Later With Jools Holland.

I watched this on TV last night and was blown away. The stripped back, emotional performance is not something we are used to from Corinne (her first album was relatively upbeat and ‘happy’-sounding), however I suppose it was to be expected given that the track deals with her relationship with late husband Jason.

Thanks to SoulCulture for heads up on the availability of the YouTube video.