Paul Ritchie's Cellarful of Soul

Any self-respecting mod will dig a bit of Sugar Pie in their soul food and I’m not talking ‘Honey Bunch’ here but SUGAR PIE DESANTO, the diminutive, ’60s soul temptress whose Chess recordings are collected together on the essential, Go Go Power (Kent). Her classic Chess period wielded Mod anthems like ‘Soulful Dress’, ‘In The Basement’ and her powerful duet with fellow Chess legend Etta James, ‘Do I Make Myself Clear’. Despite her tiny frame, Desanto is a huge fireball of energy (check out YouTube footage for further evidence). Her infectious, raunchy growl and energetic live performances wowed English audiences in the mid-60s; James Brown tried in vein to woo her and her records still kick ass today.

JACKIE LEE was the Earl in Bob & Earl, whose infamous ‘Harlem Shuffle’ hit in 1963. His real name was Earl Nelson but a name change would prove to be the catalyst for some of Northern Soul’s most enduring dancers, collected together on The Mirwood Masters (Kent). ‘Oh My Darlin’’ is classic Northern with a chugging, opening bass line and a chorus of soaring female backing vocals followed by a rush of pounding beats and sweeping strings, designed to propel the body into endless spins and back flips. If anyone wants to know exactly what Northern Soul is, play them this track… loud!

Inspired by The Shirelles, a young Lillian Walker desperately wished to follow in their footsteps. Her dreams were quickly realised when her group, THE EXCITERS gained instant success with ‘Tell Him’ in ’63. Soul Motion (Kent) picks up the story from ’66, featuring their subsequent singles on Bang/Shout plus a complete album they recorded for RCA in ’69. The bubbly pop soul of ‘A Little Bit Of Soap’, the most well known track, kicks off the album. Powered by the deliciously untamed vocals of Brenda Reid, The Exciters’ RCA album, Caviar & Chitlins is laden with funky soul gems that will appeal to soul and girl group fans alike. The standout track is ‘Blowing Up My Mind’, originally tucked away on a B-side, a DJ friendly funky strut with sassy vocals and a frenetic driving beat.

Talking of THE SHIRELLES, the girls’ fifth and sixth albums are collected together as part of a comprehensive reissue campaign by Ace. The near faultless Foolish Little Girl is the pick over It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The latter is an uneven mix of frothy pop that criminally erases the girls’ natural R&B leanings, whilst the former is a landmark girl group album brimming with soul, led by the arresting and unrefined lead vocals of Shirley Owens.

The fortieth anniversary reissue of AL GREEN’s debut album for Hi Records, Green Is Blues (Demon Digital) is available as a digital download only. Now call me old fashioned but surely no matter how many megabits per second you cram into the grooves, you can’t ever replace the vinyl experience. Next!

COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS are close relations to Australia’s other contemporary deep funk outfit, The Bamboos. Their second album, Soul Messin’ (Freestyle) includes a funky retooled version of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ alongside other cool Hammond instrumentals. The highlights are the four stunning vocal tracks shared equally between the talented Kylie Auldist and Fallon Williams.

Meanwhile, perennial party starters BIG BOSS MAN are back with their third album, Full English Beat Breakfast (Blow Up). ‘Beat Breakfast’ is a psyched up ‘Green Onions’ for the 21st Century. For loud ’n’ proud modish club soul, this is it!

Newcomer MAYER HAWTHORNE takes a cue from recent Mark Ronson and Raphael Saadiq retro-modern productions on A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw). A warm inner glow radiates from the grooves of this melancholic understated blue-eyed soul delight. Gossamer-lite falsetto vocals recall the sensitive tones of Smokey Robinson and Curtis Mayfield. Finger clicking, hand clappin’ Motown beats add some fizz to the otherwise lazy, cosy textures that recall the symphonic sound of The Delfonics.

You could argue that the last three acts are indebted in some way to the durable legacy of Acid Jazz records. The London label back in the day, seemed like the coolest place on earth, where even sandals and goatee beards were somehow deemed trendy! London Street Soul (BGP) celebrates UK soul in style across a 21 year period from The Brand New Heavies to Paul Weller. Matt Deighton’s faultless Isley Brothers impression on ‘Jessie’ provides the perfect soundtrack for those baking long, hot summer days.

VICTOR OLAIYA never had much recognition outside his native Nigeria but judging by his ’70 album, Victor Olaiya’s All Stars Soul International (Vampisoul), he was sussed enough to know what was going down across the Atlantic. He was a legend of the African Highlife scene; a big band sound consisting of jazzy horns and funky guitars. This reissue mixes James Brown influences with an African flavouring and is rocking from the start.
Listening to The Real Thing: The Songs Of Ashford, Simpson & Armstead (Kent) makes one nostalgic for home made compilation tapes. You would hardly know these diverse records were written by the same prolific team. This collection captures early R&B/Soul gems from ’64-67 and features some terrific songs elevated to splendour thanks to Betty Everett, Mary Love, Maxine Brown and Betty LaVette who literally sang their hearts out.

Depending on your disposition, one hour of Land Of A 1000 Dances: All Twistin’ Edition (Ace) could literally send you round the twist, but this fun themed bonanza has oodles of charm. In its original form, ‘The Twist’ by Hank Ballard still sounds fab.

Finally, chances are most of the tunes featured on Sensacional Soul Volume 2 (Vampisoul) have been played out at Rob Bailey’s New Untouchables club nights and many a Euro Ye-Ye festival. More Austin Powers than mod revival, these songs add a welcome splash of colour to the usual black and white mod imagery. There’s something about the foreign tongue that gives these songs an extra kick over many a played-out ’60s track. Blazing Stax-like horns mixed with ’60s UK freakbeat influences, creating a carnival like cocktail of gregarious danceable anthems such as ‘Hey Hey Bunny’ by Los Gatos Negros. This bumper 32 tracker will delight DJs, revellers, thrill seekers and international men of mystery alike.

Any self-respecting mod will dig a bit of Sugar Pie in their soul food and I’m not talking ‘Honey Bunch’ here but SUGAR PIE DESANTO, the diminutive, ’60s soul temptress whose Chess recordings are collected together on the essential, Go Go Power (Kent). Her classic Chess period wielded Mod anthems like ‘Soulful Dress’, ‘In The Basement’ and her powerful duet with fellow Chess legend Etta James, ‘Do I Make Myself Clear’. Despite her tiny frame, Desanto is a huge fireball of energy (check out YouTube footage for further evidence). Her infectious, raunchy growl and energetic live performances wowed English audiences in the mid-60s; James Brown tried in vein to woo her and her records still kick ass today.

JACKIE LEE was the Earl in Bob & Earl, whose infamous ‘Harlem Shuffle’ hit in 1963. His real name was Earl Nelson but a name change would prove to be the catalyst for some of Northern Soul’s most enduring dancers, collected together on The Mirwood Masters (Kent). ‘Oh My Darlin’’ is classic Northern with a chugging, opening bass line and a chorus of soaring female backing vocals followed by a rush of pounding beats and sweeping strings, designed to propel the body into endless spins and back flips. If anyone wants to know exactly what Northern Soul is, play them this track… loud!

Inspired by The Shirelles, a young Lillian Walker desperately wished to follow in their footsteps. Her dreams were quickly realised when her group, THE EXCITERS gained instant success with ‘Tell Him’ in ’63. Soul Motion (Kent) picks up the story from ’66, featuring their subsequent singles on Bang/Shout plus a complete album they recorded for RCA in ’69. The bubbly pop soul of ‘A Little Bit Of Soap’, the most well known track, kicks off the album. Powered by the deliciously untamed vocals of Brenda Reid, The Exciters’ RCA album, Caviar & Chitlins is laden with funky soul gems that will appeal to soul and girl group fans alike. The standout track is ‘Blowing Up My Mind’, originally tucked away on a B-side, a DJ friendly funky strut with sassy vocals and a frenetic driving beat.

Talking of THE SHIRELLES, the girls’ fifth and sixth albums are collected together as part of a comprehensive reissue campaign by Ace. The near faultless Foolish Little Girl is the pick over It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The latter is an uneven mix of frothy pop that criminally erases the girls’ natural R&B leanings, whilst the former is a landmark girl group album brimming with soul, led by the arresting and unrefined lead vocals of Shirley Owens.

The fortieth anniversary reissue of AL GREEN’s debut album for Hi Records, Green Is Blues (Demon Digital) is available as a digital download only. Now call me old fashioned but surely no matter how many megabits per second you cram into the grooves, you can’t ever replace the vinyl experience. Next!

COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS are close relations to Australia’s other contemporary deep funk outfit, The Bamboos. Their second album, Soul Messin’ (Freestyle) includes a funky retooled version of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ alongside other cool Hammond instrumentals. The highlights are the four stunning vocal tracks shared equally between the talented Kylie Auldist and Fallon Williams.

Meanwhile, perennial party starters BIG BOSS MAN are back with their third album, Full English Beat Breakfast (Blow Up). ‘Beat Breakfast’ is a psyched up ‘Green Onions’ for the 21st Century. For loud ’n’ proud modish club soul, this is it!

Newcomer MAYER HAWTHORNE takes a cue from recent Mark Ronson and Raphael Saadiq retro-modern productions on A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw). A warm inner glow radiates from the grooves of this melancholic understated blue-eyed soul delight. Gossamer-lite falsetto vocals recall the sensitive tones of Smokey Robinson and Curtis Mayfield. Finger clicking, hand clappin’ Motown beats add some fizz to the otherwise lazy, cosy textures that recall the symphonic sound of The Delfonics.

You could argue that the last three acts are indebted in some way to the durable legacy of Acid Jazz records. The London label back in the day, seemed like the coolest place on earth, where even sandals and goatee beards were somehow deemed trendy! London Street Soul (BGP) celebrates UK soul in style across a 21 year period from The Brand New Heavies to Paul Weller. Matt Deighton’s faultless Isley Brothers impression on ‘Jessie’ provides the perfect soundtrack for those baking long, hot summer days.

VICTOR OLAIYA never had much recognition outside his native Nigeria but judging by his ’70 album, Victor Olaiya’s All Stars Soul International (Vampisoul), he was sussed enough to know what was going down across the Atlantic. He was a legend of the African Highlife scene; a big band sound consisting of jazzy horns and funky guitars. This reissue mixes James Brown influences with an African flavouring and is rocking from the start.
Listening to The Real Thing: The Songs Of Ashford, Simpson & Armstead (Kent) makes one nostalgic for home made compilation tapes. You would hardly know these diverse records were written by the same prolific team. This collection captures early R&B/Soul gems from ’64-67 and features some terrific songs elevated to splendour thanks to Betty Everett, Mary Love, Maxine Brown and Betty LaVette who literally sang their hearts out.

Depending on your disposition, one hour of Land Of A 1000 Dances: All Twistin’ Edition (Ace) could literally send you round the twist, but this fun themed bonanza has oodles of charm. In its original form, ‘The Twist’ by Hank Ballard still sounds fab.

Finally, chances are most of the tunes featured on Sensacional Soul Volume 2 (Vampisoul) have been played out at Rob Bailey’s New Untouchables club nights and many a Euro Ye-Ye festival. More Austin Powers than mod revival, these songs add a welcome splash of colour to the usual black and white mod imagery. There’s something about the foreign tongue that gives these songs an extra kick over many a played-out ’60s track. Blazing Stax-like horns mixed with ’60s UK freakbeat influences, creating a carnival like cocktail of gregarious danceable anthems such as ‘Hey Hey Bunny’ by Los Gatos Negros. This bumper 32 tracker will delight DJs, revellers, thrill seekers and international men of mystery alike.