Basic Soul

When is comes to compilations BBE are at the top of their game. Pete Adarkwah is of course back at the controls and digging out even more Soul, Funk and Jazz in a similar vain to the previous three volumes as compiled by Pete and Kenny Dope. Here are 15 wonderful sought after tracks, which have been sampled by a numerous Hip Hop and R&B artists. Highlights for me are Barbara Mason ‘Give Me Your Love’, Bill Conti ‘Reflections’, American Gypsy ‘Inside Out’, Jay Dee ‘Strange Funky Games and Things’ and that’s just for starters.

What strikes you first about “Better Luck Next Time” is the attention to detail in the press release and packaging; this is top quality. Doctor L has been a very busy man over the years working with the likes of Tony Allen, James Blood Ulmer and Nicolas Baby (Kaktus Hunters). This time he teams up with French vocalist Dom Farkas under his new Broken alias. Mixing up the deepest house grooves with soul, jazz and, yes, rock, is a bit of a shock at first but just like when you first heard Mos Def’s “Rock N Roll” it works a treat.

Keep your eyes peeled for the 12” with four more tasty tunes.

It’s been quite some time since we heard from Bukky Leo, so top marks to Mr Bongo for getting him back in the studio. Having worked with a number of the greats- Tony Allen and of course Fela- he has also been flying the flag for the British jazz scene for a number of years. Ben Mitchell has been brought in to produce and has given Afro Funk a more dancefloor feel but still keeping an old skool feel to all the tracks. Mixing Afro beat and electronic beats exactly how it should sound.

Those in the know may have checked out Corbett’s “Corbenova” album that was released in 2003 but I have to admit he was unknown to me until Woodland released the excellent three track EP at the end of 2004. All three tracks from the EP are featured here and still sound as good as ever. The rest of the album is a real mix of Nu-Jazz, where Corbett plays flugelhorn and trumpet, over some beautiful breaks and beats. Not only that but also featured are the lovely vocals of Lizzy Parks, a name you really need to watch out for in 2006.

One thing for sure, you can never go wrong when purchasing any of Joyce’s albums and believe me there’s a lot out there. This time Joyce has brought in guest Dori Caymmi who plays guitar and sings on most of the tracks, which works beautifully with Joyce’s vocals. The whole album is truly something special, with every single track worth its weight in gold. If you’re a vinyl junkie, keep an eye out for the very limited 7” featuring “Rio Bahia” and “The Colours of Joy”.

Austrian duo Heinz Tronigger and Michael ‘Pogo’ Kreiner, aka Madrid De Los Austrias recorded this their second album in Spain. Traditional flamenco is seamlessly blended with soul, jazz and contemporary dance rhythms to create a sun soaked fusion. ‘Un Mensaje’ and ‘Para Don Alonso’, which featured on the 12” are both present in their original form and whilst the former doesn’t quite have the same impact as the Yam Who? Rework it’s still a solid cut. In a similar 2 step vein is the title track ‘Mas Amor’ and for the dancers check ‘No A La Guerra’ and ‘Rua Do Trombeta’, two great modern jazz-funk excursions.

Old time crooner Paul Anka is back with a unique take on a selection of well known rock and pop songs set to big band swing arrangements. He visits the likes of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, ‘True’ by Spandau Ballet, The Cure’s ‘Love Cats’, Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and the infamous ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ from Survivor. I know it sounds like an absolute disaster but it works in a cheeky kind of way. Trust me, touch down on his version of Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’ or Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and you’ll be convinced, I kid you not!

Not only is flugelhornist / trumpeter Jukka Eskola an integral part of The Five Corners Quintet but he’s also worked with other top Finnish artists such as NuSpirit Helsinki, Teddy Rok Seven, Quintessence and Jimi Tenor. On this his self titled debut solo outing he’s accompanied by Jukkis Uotila on electric piano, along with fellow TFCQ contributors Antti Lotjonen, Teppo Makynen (Teddy Rok) and Timo Lassey on bass, drums and saxophone / flute respectively. He impressed earlier this year with the 12″ for Ricky-Tick, which featured the jazz dancers ‘1974’ and ‘Buttercup’. Both tracks are included here and on first listen are the standouts. However spend a little time with this disc and you’ll discover the delights of the Freddie Hubbard influenced ‘Kulo’, as well as ‘Duudamdej’ and ‘Timber Up’, two funky fusion pieces. The later features some awesome drum breaks and keys reminiscent of those on Roy Ayers’s ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’.

This is one debut that I’ve been waiting for ever since I first heard the now classic ‘Wesley Music’, which rocked just about every dancefloor back in 2003. Some three years later and a few more singles in the shops ‘Every Preston Guild’ sees the light of day. The three man team that make up RSL create a nice mix of old and new, fusing Jazz, Latin, House and Soul into the pot. If you already have the singles, the main reason for buying this album is certainly what should be their next single, ‘Every Preston Guild’, another anthem in the making.

Milwaukee’s Jason Todd, Lunaversol9 and Epicenter are back with their second Def Harmonic album which of course features more mad, yet damn funky beats and quality vocals. Jason’s voice is not only unique but he switches between rapping and singing seamlessly and works a treat with Lunaversol9’s verse. As with all their previous work there is a real fun factor to their lyrics, and the track this style peaks with is the 2005 anthem ‘Spaced Out’, a track I’ve been hammering for months. Having checked these guys live at Cargo earlier this year, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with over the coming years. With ‘All These Worldz’ being the sound of now, why on earth haven’t these guys been signed to a major?