Kelly Price - And You Don't Stop (2011)

Kelly Price is a native New Yorker by birth (b.1973). She made her singing debut as a nineteen year old backing singer for George Michael at the Grammy awards ceremony in Madison Square Garden. She then worked with numerous R&B glitterati of the 90s making a name for herself as a backing singer (notably Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, R.Kelly and Faith Evans to single out a few). However, it was not until 1998 that she released her first album Soul of a Woman. Since then she has made a further six albums and released a stream of  singles. 

Today's track is taken from her eponymous album Kelly (2011) and is the up tempo song And You Don't Stop. This is not just another vague lyric as one or two have critically voiced. Listening to the words it quickly becomes clear that this is an inspirational message about achieving your goals, whatever they may be, by persevering. The arrangement is interesting as well since it incorporates a 70s style strings element.  Price  has been described as a "streetwise Mariah Carey" which personally I don't think does her justice or credit. She has  a strong, smooth and powerful contralto voice that can in equal part  sounds sensuous and sweet in it's delivery. Like all the best Soul/R&B singers she learned her craft singing in a gospel church choir from an early age. The gospel element is no better evidenced than with this song. A guaranteed dance floor filler. Check it out! (Link on the album cover),

Album availability both as CD/Download is easy to find.

Kylie Audlist - No Use (2008) , Looking For You (2009), In A Week, In A Day (2009)

The Australian contemporary Soul, Funk and R&B scene is a vibrant one with some amazingly talented performers. Amongst them Kylie Audlist who is being singled out today as our feature artist. Ms. Audlist is part Samoan but was raised in Australia. She has that kind of voice that is naturally soulful as well as powerful. Her act and recordings have been catching the attention of her home crowd for years. However  there were plaudits when she toured the UK from Mark Lamarr, then working as a Radio 2 dj,  who thought the album The Bamboos present Kylie Audlist  Just Say was one of the best he had heard  that year.  (You can read more about her if you click on this link: Kylie Audlist Bio. )

 The first of today's featured tracks comes from the Just Say album (2008). No Use  is a bluesy mid-tempo number with a  strong Funk feel and vocal Soul presence that may remind you of Amy Winehouse.  The Bamboos provide precision sharp backing that blends well with Audlist's voice. Proof again that great Soul music is where you find it. (Click on the Album cover below to hear it).

Her second album Made of Stone was released the following year and imho was even better containing more brilliant songs like Ship Inside A Bottle.  The first of two tracks from her Made In Stone Album is the oh so soulful Looking For You (Not to be confused with the Garnet Mimm's Northern Soul oldie).  Just have a listen to this and get a head and heart rush...  (Link in the cover).

Today's final song is In A Week, In A Day which is another up beat mid-tempo 'beaut' as the Aussie might be given to say. Personally, it's a case of another head and heart rush that just blows me away. Proof once more that this Southern Soul is much. much further south than Memphis but just as good.

Soul music as it exists today is no longer the province of Black Americans. It's no longer a case of black-eyed, blue-eyed or brown-eyed Soul. Soul has been exported and it has evolved since it left its homeland. Artists and audiences all over the world have taken it to their hearts. 

Final point today. Tru Thoughts is the Brighton based label that you should investigate for Indie Soul. There are other artists signed to this label who will be featured in the months to come but why not jump ahead and find out more for yourself? A link to their site below is provided on their logo. Pay a visit. And while you're at it...don't be shy. Leave us a comment even if it's only brief.

Both albums are available 

Albums/tracks available from Tru-Thoughts and Amazon UK.

NHOJJ – The Light (2008)

NHOJJ is based in NY City. Everything you need to know about him and his music can be found here which I know is the lazy man way of doing things but why reinvent the wheel?

Nhojj bio.

In summary form he has released 6 albums and 11 singles according to the best information to hand. Like all good Soul singers he has his roots in Church music although in his case they were in Guyana and Trinidad rather than south of the Mason-Dixon line. Stylistically he is eclectic in his approach to music sometimes working in a smooth Jazzy Soul groove, at other times in Neo-Soul mood, or old skool Soul and even R&B too.  Today's feature track is The Light (2008) (taken from his Soul Comfort album) which  very definitely has a soulful house kind of energy reminiscent of Maxwell. This is purely and simply for dancing, without deep meaningful lyrics, the sole intention being to create an ambient feel good atmosphere so you can live in the moment.  As some would say you can't love if you can't dance.

Click on the album cover to hear The Light.

Available from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk  and also CD Baby

Angie Whitney - Don't Tease Me Now (2008) Top Track of the Month.

Angie Whitney is a native Californian. She began he singing career with twin sister, Rachel, singing in their father's church in Vallejo. She was a member of  singing group New Horizon with her sister and a cousin. They toured with The Spinners on the groups world tour. Since then she has embraced a solo career and released her debut album That's What It's All About. Stylistically this is a collection of smooth jazz, urban and contemporary soul tracks that showcase her range. Include amongst the recordings is a version of the Billie Holiday number Now Baby Or Never.  Don't Tease Me Now is the awesome standout track being featured today. Dj's should really give this lots of spins because it's bound to be a sure dance floor filler. The saxophone intro has that that smooth jazz sound but the vocal is just soulful and steamy. It's pure musical magic as the sax interweaves around her vocals and has a short solo spot. The chorus line is infectious. Mid-tempo and relentlessly melodyic this one of my top tracks for the month. Hear it and be seriously impressed. (Click on the album pic to hear Don't Tease Me Now).

The CD is available from Amazon (US & UK), CD Baby as well as  mp3 download.

Babyface (Edmonds) - Together Forever (2004)

Hard to believe he released his first album back in the 80s.  Time has flown but the nickname, for better or worse, has stuck. Babyface Edmonds career has endured while so many others have fallen by the wayside. This must say volumes about his talent as a performer.

Over ten years ago, back in 2004, he released a gem of an album A Love Story that probably made very little impact on the ‘propa modern’ Soul scene in the UK. After all, the man is a crooner given to down tempo love songs. However, this one track is as romantic as it gets. As a late night closing play, for couples to slow dance as twosomes, it’s more than ideal. To achieve that romantic feel he took Glenn Miller’s celebrated 1940’s hit Moonlight Serenade and essential just set his own lyrics to it. All things considered he did an absolutely brilliant job. In his own words he was motivated to do so because...

“Unfortunately, where music has gone these days, it’s really more about sex than it is about intimacy [for a lot of artists],” It would be nice to see us get back to being in love and being intimate as opposed to just having sex.”

Have a listen 

(Link on the album cover):

The album can be obtained from CD Universe and download sites 
(if you have to resort to lower quality audio)

Lisa Stansfield - 2 tracks rom her 2014 album 'Seven'

Today’s feature is about one of our finest blue-eyed Soul singers in the UK.  Lisa Stansfield continues to get better with age as her album  Seven (2014) testifies. Sometimes fewer words and more music are better which is why I’m not doing a bio but letting her soulfulness speak for itself. Lisa Stansfield has that uncanny knack of touching the deepest most heartfelt intimate emotions by making the lyrics come alive. She is living proof that you don’t need to come from Detroit or Memphis to be a Soul singer, Rochdale in Lancashire can do just as well.

The first track for today is There Goes My Heart. (Click on the album pic to hear this  up beat melodic song with the slow intro. The video may not be to everyone's taste but  it will appeal to the more romantically inclined).

Now wasn't that just one superb song?  At 48 she still has the magic touch. Trade mark Stansfield sound with usual high standard of arrangement and production values. And personally I really liked the video since it captured essence of the lyrics well. The next one for today is Carry On which is another excellent cut made for the dance floor. It reminds me in some ways of Gladys Knight in the 70s but with the  Lisa Stansfield unique vocals stamp. Watch for the dancers while you watch her in action and listen to the song. (Click on her pic below)..

Lisa Stansfield - Carry On

Interesting to see Northern Soul dance steps being done by some of the dancers on Carry On. (Given she had a part in the movie Northern Soul it shouldn’t be such a surprise to see it featured in her video.  A more liberal Northern Soul crowd would probably quite happily dance to this one).

If you have time her live performance at Ronnie Scott’s in London (2002) showcases her at her brilliant best. Be warned! It’s 84 minutes long but worth every second. (Link below in the photo).