Basic Soul

The Marathon Men have been causing quite a stir over the last few months with their deep house workout featuring Me’shell Ndegeocello “In Paradise”. Out of the blue comes their debut on Loft’s Chillifunk records. Simbad and partner in crime Freddie McQuinn, really know how to mix up the styles with Garage, Broken, Hiphop beats and a full range of vocalists to suit the arrangements. At the start of a few of the tracks, I was little unsure of some of the vocals; but then half-way through each track it made sense. On second listen, all the parts of the puzzle were in place. Their first single “Tell Me What You Know” is very much in a Basement Jaxx affair, which will hopefully give them the attention they fully deserve.

I’ve been lucky enough to have had a copy of ‘Songs Of Icons’ for over a year now and I thought it was time to write a review. The singles ‘Asokere’, ‘Oba Awon Oba’ and next up ‘Kabioye’ have been very well received with remixes from IG Culture, Afronaught, Mark De-Clive Lowe and Restless Soul. These are all ace but it’s the originals that you’ll keep going back to.
I’m not sure all 12 tracks will make it to the final release but whichever tracks see the light of day, this will be an essential purchase. Lekan has played on percussion with some of the finest musicians known to man; Roy Ayers, Pharaoh Sanders, Miles Davis and Fela Kuti. It’s no surprise ‘Songs Of Icons’ is very heavily influenced by his upbringing in Nigeria and jamming with the legends, giving us a mix of tribal rhythms with some wonderful brass solos and hooks. Highlights for me are ‘Oososi’, ‘Oya’, ‘Ide Osun’ and of course the singles mentioned above, which of course you’ll already own.
Half-way through writing this review I received notification this will be released by the end of 2005, fingers crossed.

Drummer Steve Reid’s musical career stretches back to the 60s. Not only has he played with such greats as Sun Ra, Archie Shepp, Miles Davis and Gary Bartz to name but a few, but recorded a handful of much sought after deep jazz albums under his own name for his Mustevic label. ‘Spirit Walk’ is a welcome return for Steve and sees him team up with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), who respectfully brings electronic elements to the mix. The renowned ‘Lions Of Judah’ is revisited but my advise is to touch down on ‘Lugano’ and ‘For Coltrane’ for some truly exceptional timeless music.

Joining the likes of Dwele and Van Hunt in the list of genuinely talented Soul artists emerging from the manufactured mush of chart-clogging ‘R&B’ is Baltimore’s Raheem DeVaughn. This debut offering sees DeVaughn’s immense voice and refreshing song-writing ability coupled with some of the most creative, and musically sensitive producers around; including the tragically underrated Pete Kuzma. With 18 tracks, the spine-tingling Soul is bountiful, and if there was any justice, the Kenny Dope produced ‘Guess Who Loves You More’ would be a chart-cleansing hit.

Demonstrating that he is not only a superlative spoken-word artist and skilled DJ, but a gifted producer to boot, Philadelphia’s Rich Medina draws from a vast pool of influences here to deliver a work that takes us from Philly to Detroit via Nigeria and West-London. With an impressive array of guest-vocalists and musicians, and stylish, original melodies, we are treated to head-nodding Hip-Hop, mid-tempo soulful House, the finest Soul, and other boundary-defying grooves. 1xtra’s Benji B is a fan, and so should you be!

With a career spanning more than 40 years and no less than 30 albums, Pharoah Sanders has long been revered in jazz circles. Combining African and Eastern influences with the distinctive ‘shrieking’ manner in which he plays the tenor sax, he has created some of the most spiritual music to have ever been recorded. For this Anthology, Soul Brother in collaboration with Universal, draw together 18 tracks (13 on vinyl) of Pharoah’s major compositions, covering the period 1967-1996 and incorporating material from the Impulse, Theresa, Arista and Verve labels. To highlight particular tracks would be pointless since they are all worthy inclusions. My advice is to grab a copy and sample for yourself the music of a true jazz great. If I were to make one small criticism it would be that a number of the longer cuts have been edited in order to allow the maximum number of tracks to be included. Personally I would have preferred an extended 3-disc package so the full-length versions could be featured. I guess cost restrictions prevented this.

Subtitled ‘Rare & Classic Soul, Funk And Jazz From Michigan 1968-1980’, this compilation showcases just a small selection of the countless records which originated from the North American state. On small independent labels with low budgets and often limited distribution, many of these records were largely overshadowed by the hit making machine of Detroit’s Motown. However, there’s no denying the talent of these artists particularly on tracks such as Dee Edwards’ outstanding soul stepper ‘(I Can) Deal With That’. In fact it’s the album’s soul cuts which really shine through for me. Try Burning Desire’s ‘Why She Had To Go’, a funky mid-pacer, the slow motion grinding groove of ‘Trust Me’ from Aged In Harmony or Wendell Harrison’s wonderful bright and breezy soul/jazz offering ‘Take Time Out’ for solid examples of what it is.

Gilles’ Brownswood Basement sessions for his Worldwide shows are essential listening for any discerning music fan. With rarity guaranteed, the quality is always impeccable, as is the case with this selection of gems from the U.S. The set opens in fine style with the Al Green influenced ‘Didn’t I’ by Darondo, before passing through Jon Lucien’s ‘Search For The Inner Self’ (released as a 7” prior to his legendary RCA albums) and on to the immaculate vocal jazz dancer ‘A Perfect Day’ from Bobby Cole. As if that wasn’t enough to wet your appetite there’s Baaska & Scavelli’s mythical ‘Get Off The Ground’, ‘The Kingdom Within You’ by Ira Sullivan and J.R. Bailey’s soul sensation, ‘Just Me ‘N’ You’. Experimental folk comes in the form of Ellen McIlwaine’s version of ‘Higher Ground’ and Caroline Peyton’s ‘Just As We’. Also pay special attention to the funky jazz of ‘Circles’ by The Ensemble Al Salaam from the Strata East stable and The World Experience Orchestra’s ‘The Prayer’, an intensely beautiful piece. This is an absolute must!