Best of 2017 (pt3): BinG loves Funk & Soul

Thanks for riding with us for parts 1&2 of our best-of 2017!  The third and final part is now unveiled and focuses on the funk and soul releases that were too good for us not to scream and shout about.  The accompanying radio show that aired 19th December can be heard at the bottom of the page and features music by the below artists including Kind & Kinky Zoo, The Fader, Cookin On 3 Burners and El Michels Affair...

‘Soul Run’ by Tanika Charles [Record Kicks Records]
The debut album from Canadian vocalist, Tanika Charles, proved to be a heavy-hitter for the Milan-based funk & soul label, Record Kicks this year.  'Soul Run' oozed charm and charisma, and struck a chord with audiences around the world who were eager to embrace Charles' fast-paced and punchy effort.  With production by R&B artist and producer, Slakah The Beatchild, the results delivered an inspired and innovative project in keeping with the quality fans have come to expect from Record Kicks.

'Stone & Sky' by Crowd Company [Vintage League Music]
The second album from British funk & soul group, Crowd Company, arrived late in the year but we were thrilled it came!  Produced by Alan Evans - Soulive's drummer as well as boasting a vast array of other accomplishments - serves as producer for the project (extending his relationship with the band from their 2014 debut).  Highlights are aplenty on 'Stone & Sky', including the lead single 'Saw You Yesterday', 'Let Me Be' and 'Can't Get Enough'.  

'The Meltdown' by The Meltdown [HopeStreet Recordings]
The initial 'Better Days' EP from Melbourne's The Meltdown was initially released in 2010 so it's with great excitement that 2017 saw the release of the band's debut full-length, self-titled album.  Released through the excellent HopeStreet Recordings, it's certainly an understatement to say that the project has been worth the wait - the band's distinct blend of country and soul shines throughout the album best exemplified through songs 'Don't Hesitate', 'Crooked Country' and 'Better Days'.

'Islands' by Diazpora [Legere Recordings]
‘Islands’ marks the fifth album release from the nine-piece funk and soul orchestra from Hamburg, Germany.  Released  through Legere Recordings, ‘Islands’ marks the first album to see the group paired with Axel Feige who, primarily known for his work with Absolem Max, tackles lead vocal duties throughout.  His smoky and seasoned vocals act as an apt accompaniment to Diazpora’s musical prowess – he soars on the funk numbers that steam ahead at 100mph (‘Nap Xtra Long’ and ‘Moon’) and he mesmerizes on the more provocative songs like ‘Me & I’ and the album’s title track.  ‘Islands’ is an incredibly versatile and accomplished funk record from nothing less than an incredibly versatile and accomplished band.

‘Grow Yes Yes!’ by Professor Wouassa [Matasuna Records]
'Grow Yes Yes!' is an exciting and vibrant musical project that needs to be embraced.  Mixed by London's Malcolm Catto (the genius brainchild of The Heliocentrics), stylistically, this project moves so far beyond "afrobeat" as a label... while some songs like 'We Thit' and 'Doumadem' are definitive funk floor-fillers, songs like 'Serema' (featuring Ebo Taylor) and 'Sunu Reou' are slower-paced but still ooze their own undeniable groove.  Frankly, this is an excellent album and one ranked highly amidst some strong 2017 releases.

'Covers For Lovers & Others' by The Soul Immigrants
Reimagined in 2017 as a trio for their covers EP, The Soul Immigrants employ a more stripped-back approach which works wonders when tackling the four chosen songs for their project, 'Covers For Lovers & Others'.  Emrys Baird tackles vocal and guitar duties with long-term collaborator, David Bouet on drums, and rounding out the trio is David Dower on Organ and Rhodes; another member of the Soul Immigrants alumni, saxophonist Ian Bailey, marks a welcome feature on the EP's opening number as well.  The EP boasts an exciting tracklist including Stevie Wonder's 'Ebony Eyes' and Eric Clapton's 'Layla'.

‘My Name is Nicole Willis’ by Nicole Willis & The UMO Jazz Orchestra [Herakles Records]
Whether it's The Soul Investigators, The UMO Jazz Orchestra or the upcoming project with Banda Palomita, Nicole Willis solidifies her passion, ability and intent with every release.  This album is very much a declaration that is even further underlined by the fact it sees its release on Willis' own Herakles Records.  Musician and producer, Jimi Tenor, tackles horn arrangements throughout the project and joins the production trio of Willis and Pete Toikkanen, guitarist from The Soul Investigators.  Musician, author, talk show host and hero to Nicole Willis, Ian F. Svenonius, also jumps on the album's intro and outro, really rounding the project out as becoming one of her most personal efforts.

‘Soul Of A Woman’ by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings [Daptone Records]
As heartbreaking as it is to say, if this is in fact the final chapter in the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings book, they've really bowed out with a fantastic swan song.  The untimely passing of Sharon Jones to cancer in 2016 is still a scar for many of the Daptone faithful and for contemporary soul fans who recognised the indelible talent she was.  The match-made-in-heaven union with The Dap-Kings will live in the hearts of fans everywhere so I'll implore anyone who has never jumped on the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings bandwagon to do so and this is an incredible place to start.

'One Of These Days' by The Haggis Horns [Haggis Records]
Following in a long line of strong releases for The Haggis Horns, this “7 piece live funk extravaganza” constantly find ways to push their music and themselves forward cementing themselves as one of the leading acts in the UK's funk and soul scene.  Their fourth album features collaborations with Doc Brown, John McCallum and Lucinda Slim, who guests on 'World Gone Crazy' from the preceding EP spawned remixes from Sam Redmore, Smoove and Lack of Afro!

'Sweet Memories' / 'S.T.A.Y.' by Gizelle Smith [Jalapeno Records]
Marking an incredibly welcome return from Gizelle Smith, the double A-side singles are straight out of the box from 2018's upcoming Jalapeno Records project.  ‘Sweet Memories’ and ‘S.T.A.Y.’, the latter of which features a pairing with US-vocalist Eric "E" Boss, formerly of the duo Myron & E and currently affiliated with The Mighty Mocambos and their Mocambo Records label.  ‘S.T.A.Y.’ is a quintessentially Gizelle Smith number: funky, infectious, dares-you-to-sit-still, while ‘Sweet Memories’ encapsulates everything you’ll love about Gizelle Smith: her ability to lure you in with her lush verses before completely changing pace and tempo again.  Both singles whet your appetite for the new album which can't come soon enough.

Best of 2017 (pt2): BinG loves Jazz

Part 2 of our three-part series showcasing our favourite releases of 2017: this part is our jazz edition and there was so much that made us blissfully happy.  Please also feel free to check out the show upload at the bottom of the page that was broadcast 19th December featuring music from the below discussed projects...

‘Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere’ by Nate Smith [Ropeadope Records]
The beauty of 'Kinfolk' very much lies within its deeply personal nature.  An album dedicated to his father with family appearing on interludes throughout the album, drummer Nate Smith's fully-realised passion project is brought to life with the help of an excellent array of album guests: long-time friend and collaborator, Kris Bowers, appears on keys throughout the album, Gretchen Parlato delivers as always on 'Pages' and vocalist Amma What sounds luxurious on her two vocal contributions, 'Disenchantment: The Weight' and 'Morning and Allison'.  An incredible album which appears to garner much-deserved acclaim as the days pass and a clear standout of the year.

‘Notes Over Poetry’ by Philippe Baden Powell [Far Out Records]
With a handful of releases already under his belt, the pianist and son of Brazilian musical legend Baden Powell de Aquino has proved to be an invaluable asset in his debut release for Far Out.  'Notes Over Poetry' is a piece of work that thrives on collaboration and effortlessly weaves between different styles, taking elements of more traditional and classic stylings of jazz and comfortably incorporating tinges of samba and contemporary soul.  'Notes Over Poetry' stands tall amongst one of the best albums you can hope to own in 2017, but also as potentially one of the best releases to house the logo of 'Far Out Recordings'!

‘Attention Deficit’ by Jonah Levine Collective [World Galaxy Records]
Trombonist Jonah Levine’s debut album served as another terrific proponent for the recent West Coast jazz revival, highlighted by the releases from Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington.  Released through Alpha Pup Records’ jazz imprint, World Galaxy, also places Levine in the excellent company of Josef Leimberg and Ronald Bruner Jr which is simply a perfect fit.  ‘Attention Deficit’ is an exquisite contemporary jazz release and one that still finds ways to surprise you with small touches of electronic and hip-hop that really give the project an inimitable quality.  Album closer, a genius remaking of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘For Free?’ from his seminal ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ takes the two minute interlude and creates a five minute masterpiece.

‘Manifest Destiny’ by Adam Turchin [Ropeadope Records]
'Manifest Destiny' is a beautifully thought out and constructed concept album debut from saxophonist and producer, Adam Turchin.  The music weaves confidently between genres while presenting something wholly original: it's part R&B, it's part jazz, it's part hip-hop but it's all effortlessly brought together by lush and at times dreamy soundscapes and production making it an essential listening experience.  A true highlight for 2017 and for Ropeadope Records whose catalogue increases in excellence as the years pass.

‘Black Notes From The Deep’ by Courtney Pine [Freestyle Records]
Courtney Pine scored big with the release of his 19th album, ‘Black Notes From The Deep’, released through the match-made-in-heaven pairing with Freestyle Records!  Incredibly, this album offers saxophonist Pine another match-made-in-heaven pairing by also seeing him collaborate with UK vocalist, Omar, who appears on four of the album’s ten tracks marking this a momentous release from no less than two icons of UK’s soul and jazz worlds.  The music here is fantastic with the awesome uptempo numbers paired beautifully alongside the lush ballads but it’s the cover of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Butterfly’ that’s the big winner here.

‘Free of Form’ by Sarah Elizabeth Charles [Stretch Music/Ropeadope Records]
After having appeared on two of the Christian Scott's Centennial Trilogy releases, the partnership was subsequently extended to Sarah Elizabeth Charles's 'Free of Form' being the first release on Scott's Stretch Music record label.  Produced with Scott, who appears on four of the tracks, Charles soars over moody and intricate soundscapes with highlights 'Free of Form', 'Change to Come' and an out-of-the box cover of The Cranberries' 'Zombie'.

‘The Centennial Trilogy’ by Christian Scott [Ropeadope Records]
What a year for Christian Scott!  Along with the aforementioned project by Sarah Elizabeth Charles, trumpeter Scott released three albums in 2017 as part of his Centennial Trilogy project: 'Ruler Rebel', 'Diaspora' and 'The Emancipation Procrastination'.  Three staggering pieces of work all worthy of inclusion as individual pieces in any respectable end-of-year list, so instead of picking just one, let's just go with all three!

‘Escapee’ by Daniel Casimir [jazzre:freshed Records]
Bassist Daniel Casimir who is garnering a long list of collaborations already unveiled his debut EP with jazzre:freshed earlier this year.  Originally released as digital-only, it has since seen its release on CD now as well due to high demand.  ‘Escapee’ is an excellent and engaging introduction to Casimir’s boundless talent which is expertly aided by drummer Moses Boyd and Tess Hirst who provides vocals for the three of the tracks.

‘Trope's 5ive’ by Trope [jazzre:freshed Records]
Another big winner for jazzre:refreshed in 2017 was the continuation of their ‘5ive’ series, this time with Trope at the helm.  Following in the vein of previous contributors, saxophonist Nubya Garcia and drummer Richard Spaven, ‘Trope’s 5ive’ showcases a young UK band with an immense amount of talent.  Effortlessly – and brilliantly – fusing different styles and sounds into their music we wait with excitement to hear what’s going to be next from this creative and dynamic act.

'Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)' by EABS [Astigmatic Records]
This staggering debut full-length effort from Polish jazz septet, EABS, really solidify the band as exciting and dynamic players in an already thriving jazz scene.  Anything that could be said about how good EABS, and ‘Repetitions’, actually are would be an understatement: the album is a fascinating and charismatic piece of work brought to life through a concoction of styles which birth, what the band themselves describe as, a "personal interpretation" of contemporary jazz.

‘Sounds of Crenshaw, vol1’ by The Pollyseeds [Ropeadope Records]
For The Pollyseeds, the producer, saxophonist and mult-instrumentalist, Terrace Martin, makes the project a family affair enlisting a dynamic roll call of friends and long-time collaborators including Snarky Puppy drummer, Robert 'Sput' Searight, guitarist Marlon Williams, vocalists Rose Gold and Wyann Vaughn, Robert Glasper and saxophonists Kamasi Washington and Adam Turchin.  As expected, highlights are aplenty: the Glasper-assisted cover of Janet Jackson's 'Funny How Time Flies' is fantastic, 'Intentions' featuring rapper Chachi drips with infectious fun and 'Up and Away' simply soars.  Bring on Volume 2!

‘Nautiloid Quest’ by Nautilus [Agogo Records]
Available through Agogo Records, DJ Oonops compiles this collection of previously unreleased tracks by this Japanese jazz trio.  Comprised of Toshiyuki Sasaki on drums, Shigeki Umezawa on bass and Keyboardist Daisuke Takeuchi this excellent collection of songs draws from a myriad of different genres and styles, evidenced alone from the choice of covers employed here: Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Lady Day & John Coltrane’ (featuring Kei Owada) sounds right at home beside their version of Suzanna Vegas’ ‘Tom’s Diner’ (which features Mizuki Kamata), but it may just be their version of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Good Enough’ featuring Sara Yoshida that is the real show-stealer here.

‘Unity is Power’ by (U)nity [Ropeadope Records]
If you are yet to purchase anything from Ropeadope Records in 2017 then something is very wrong.  With releases that seem to appear weekly from the label, it was certainly hard to keep up with them all but with relief we get to cite this as an album that didn't slip through our fingers.  (U)nity are a five-piece who describe themselves less as a band but more of an “ideal”.  Their music is just as likely to embrace Afro Cuban styles as it is jazz and blues.  Aided by a diverse array of guests including Pino Palladino, Pedrito Martinez and Elena Pinderhughes, the project is nothing short of a thrilling ride.

Best of 2017 (pt1): Nu-Skool Soul Selection

This is the first of a three-part series celebrating the music of 2017: in part1 we focus on the R&B and nu-soul releases that gave us the most joy.  Be sure to check out the recording of the show that aired 19th December 2017 featuring tracks by The PLAYlist, Paul Randolph, The Pollyseeds, Anita Soul, Moonchild, Omar, Soul Understated, Goldiva, Shay Lia, Flyt, Charlotte Dos Santos, Aadae and Raymond Barton...

'In The Company of Others' by Paul Randolph [Mahogani Music]
The immeasurably talented singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist unveils a 28 track project showcasing his contemporary and "Detroitesque" style - mixing new soul with elements of funk and house.  'Heavy', 'How Does it Feel' and the cover of The Stylistics' 'People Make The World Go Round' are a few of the standouts for the first half of the album and the second half, which serves as the remix suite, boasts appearances from heavy-hitters including DJ Spinna, Opolopo and Dez Andres among several others.

‘Cleo’ by Charlotte Dos Santos [Fresh Selects]
The limitless talent of Norwegian singer, songwriter, producer and musician, Charlotte Dos Santos, released her highly-anticipated debut album 'Cleo' this year to much-deserved widespread acclaim.  A brilliant insight into a musical mind inspired by soul, jazz and world music and one able to take this range of musical influences and forge her own inimitable sound.  Through 'Cleo', Dos Santos demonstrates a unique ability to make her contemporary and innovative sound resonate with audiences like a classic piece of 70s soul.  This is an enduring piece of work you'd be crazy to pass up.

‘Chasing Goosebumps’ by The PLAYlist featuring Glenn Lewis
Anything with the name 'DJ Jazzy Jeff' attached to it is absolutely worth your time and money.  But for this release, DJ Jazzy Jeff didn't come alone - recruiting an inspiring lineup of producers, musicians and writers the likes of James Poyser, Eric Roberson, Kaidi Tatham, Eric Lau, Jeff Bradshaw, Andre Harris and Vidal Davis along with vocalist Glenn Lewis, Team PLAYlist set out to record, mix and release an album in a week.  And they did.  And it's pretty awesome!

'Songs in the Key of Grease' by Soul Understated [Shanachie Entertainment]
This release marks the official debut collaboration of vocalist Mavis "Swan" Poole and drummer Jeremy "Bean" Clemons under the guise of Soul Understated.  Individually, their credentials are practically bursting at the seams so naturally expectations would be high for the duo's debut EP which delivers on all fronts: an exciting blend of contemporary soul and R&B with songs ranging from arresting uptempo numbers like 'Wibble Wobble' and 'So What', the lush ballad of 'Fantasy' and the jazzy neo-soul stylings of 'The Way I See' which is another strong highlight.

'Embers' by Flyt [Space Between Records]
Embers' is the brilliant EP from North London duo, Flyt, who have created an exciting blend of nu-soul, R&B and chillout which is all beautifully brought together by Mary Mycroft's exquisite and dreamy vocals matched perfectly with Josh Mycroft's fantastically lush soundscapes.  'Embers' is five tracks of sonic bliss!
https://weareflyt.bandcamp.com/album/embers

'The Rebirth of Soul' by Syleena Johnson [Shanachie Entertainment]
Syleena Johnson's 11th studio release could very well be her greatest effort yet as it unveils the full-length pairing with Johnson's own father - the soul and blues singer and producer, Sylvester "Syl" Johnson.  Featuring ten cover versions including Aretha Franklin's 'Chain of Fools', Curtis Mayfield's 'The Makings of You', Etta James's 'I'd Rather Go Blind' and Syl Johnson's 'Is It Because I'm Black', the album not only feels like a love letter to a classic bygone era of soul music, but also one to the artists, songwriters and record labels from Chicago.

The Soul Sound Collective
Definitely couldn't put this out without taking some time to talk about our dear friends of the station, The Soul Sound Collective!  Although no official releases in 2017, their Soundcloud page has some real gems that we sincerely hope will see official release in 2018.  Boasting a great mix of R&B, soul and electronica, we're excited about what the future holds for The Soul Sound Collective!
https://soundcloud.com/soulsoundcollective

Deva Mahal EP

Motema Records have really solidified themselves amongst the finest purveyors of contemporary jazz and world music.  Responsible for introducing luminaries including Gregory Porter, Marc Cary and Gerald Clayton to the masses, Jana Herzen can now add Deva Mahal to her label’s indelible list of world-class talent.

And what a talent they have found in Mahal.

Daughter of blues legend, Taj Mahal, Deva was raised in Hawaii before her unwavering passion for music saw her journey to study theatre at Southern Oregon University and then jazz & vocal performance in New Zealand before ultimately moving to New York to pursue her career in music.  She has graced stages from Carnegie Hall to North Sea Jazz Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival and toured extensively with New Zealand’s soul/dub band, Fat Freddy’s Drop.

...Which brings us nicely to Deva Mahal’s self-titled debut EP which showcases Mahal’s exciting blend of soul music rooted in blues with a splash of southern gospel for her debut EP.  The three tracks here act as the perfect teaser for the release of her upcoming album, ‘Run Deep’, currently scheduled for a 2018 release: beautifully written, beautifully arranged and beautifully sung... Deva Mahal has already knocked on the door of 2017 but for 2018 she’ll be kicking the door down.