'My Soul Sensation' by Nicole Willis & Banda Palomita

 

Nicole Willis has long since established herself as one of the leading artists for this age of soul music.  An exceptional vocalist, writer and producer, Nicole has managed to almost reinvent herself and her sound since her debut outing with Finland's The Soul Investigators in 2005 on Timmion Records, 'Keep Reachin' Up'. 

 

Whether she was being backed by the Northern soul-inspired musical stylings of The Soul Investigators or the big band nature of The UMO Jazz Orchestra ('My Name is Nicole Willis', 2017), Nicole was always able to make the music and style all her own.  Now capturing new energy and inspiration with Banda Palomita through 'My Soul Sensation', the collective help Willis to evolve a step further, this time, towards a more disco-styled blend of soul music.

 

The new musical direction could actually be argued to not be new at all - see Nicole Willis guesting on Mr Comicstore's 'Are You Ready?' or check 'Hot Sauce' by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators from 2015's 'Happiness in Every Style'.  This is a release that has been biding its time for some years, just waiting for the right blend of musicians to help see the project realised.  Enter Banda Palomita! 

 

Formed in 2017, and actually a project announced to us during our exclusive feature with Nicole that year, Banda Palomita comprise of Ilari Larjosto (drums and project co-producer), Ndioba Gueye (electric bass), Julius Heikkilä (guitars), Antti Kujanpää (keyboards) and Luiz Orlando Sá Do Carmo (percussion).  Long-time collaborator Jimi Tenor also provides sax on the project's title track.

 

Released through digital and vinyl formats, the six tracks presented on 'My Soul Sensation' are absolute bliss.  The sweet soul of project opener 'Save It' is an instant winner, as is the disco-heavy floor-filler 'Free', the sing-a-long nature of 'My Soul Sensation' or the final three minutes of 'My Reflection' which sees Banda Palomita close out the song with a groove that could've played out happily for another 30 minutes. 

 

The project boasts an incredible amount of highs and is another awesome outing amongst the Nicole Willis catalogue.

 

 

The Traffic [Choi Records]

Our love affair with Choi Records continues...

It was just yesterday we posted about the awesome 'Victim of Circumstance' album by Melbourne soul band, Mayfield, which you absolutely need to hear if you haven't done so already.

Further to that though, I'd wholeheartedly recommend people to spend some time on the Choi Records Bandcamp page and you'll find a treasure trove of music to dip into - from the Mayfield record, to the brilliant 'Problems & Pain' release by Fulton Street and then there's the super-group that comprise the instrumental funk outfit, The Traffic: Yuri Pavlinov (The Bamboos), Kumar Shome (Punkawallahs), Alexander Howroyd and Brett Evans (Pickpocket), Jimmy Bowman and Ivan Khatchoyan.  

Their selection of digital and 45 releases covering such out-of-the-box selections like 'California Love', 'Super Freak', 'White Lines' and our personal favourite, the Justin Timberlake/Neptunes cover of 'Like I Love You'.

'Victim of Circumstance' by Mayfield

Unfortunately, we really can't claim to be ahead of the curve on this one seeing as this debut project from Melbourne soul band, Mayfield, was released in 2017.  But a stunning record is a stunning record and if there's a chance to find at least one person who hasn't heard this album then we'll do all we can to find them and help spread the word.

Released through Choi Records - the record label set up by Ivan "Choi" Khatchoyan, drummer with contemporary funk & soul favourites, Cooking on 3 Burners - 'Victim of Circumstance' sets the bar incredibly high and is a real jewel in the crown for the relatively young label.

Having established themselves as feverish live performers, the Mayfield's 'Victim of Circumstance' drips with a healthy mix of sweet soul and fiery up-tempo, almost anthemic numbers.  With Mayfield members comprising of Jesse Chin-Quan (bass), Ben Oastler (guitar), Benny Hoos Huisman (keys), Kenny Justin Hall (sax), and production from band drummer, Khatchoyan, Carla Troiano's powerhouse vocal just soars on tracks like 'Coffee Shop', 'Mr Right Now' and 'Too Late', and is as equally adept on the lush ballads like 'Weapon Down' and the album's centrepiece 'F##k You and Your Happiness', which is sublime.

Australia's pool of talent within the funk & soul realm is ever-growing and with such luminaries like Emma Donovan, The Putbacks, The Bamboos, Cooking on 3 Burners, Chelsea Wilson, Kylie Auldist... the name Mayfield absolutely deserves to take its place among the very best of them.

'Lean On Me' by José James

José James has always worn his influences on his sleeve.  It's long been a part of his charm.  Even before his Brownswood Recordings debut in 2007 with 'The Dreamer', that record was preceded by a series of covers/reinterpretations of songs by his foremost hero John Coltrane.  In fact, I have fond memories of seeing James grace The Barbican stage in 2011 with pianist McCoy Tyner as they whittled through Coltrane classics together.

A collaborative album in 2010 with pianist Jef Neve entitled 'For All We Know', recorded for Impulse!, saw the duo tackling iconic jazz standards like 'Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You' and 'Tenderly'.  And then in 2015, James leant his name to the many tributes celebrating what would have been Billie Holiday's 100th birthday by honouring his "musical mother" with 'Yesterday I Had The Blues'.

In some ways, the music of Bill Withers may seem a stretch from the giants of jazz mentioned above but again the music of Bill Withers has long been a part of James's repertoire.  I also have fond memories of seeing José James perform in London as part of the 'No Beginning No End' tour as he declared his love for Bill Withers before performing 'Ain't No Sunshine' and seguing masterfully into 'Who Is He', and ultimately Blackstreet's 'No Diggity'.

'Lean On Me' has perhaps been a project James has carried around with him for some years now.  They say timing in life is everything and if it's taken this long to wait for the results, then it was worth it.  James's vision has been realised from a staggering array of musicians, with the core band consisting of long-time members of Team José James: Pino Palladino on bass, Concord Jazz's Kris Bowers on keyboards and organ, Brad Allen Williams on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion and Ropeadope's Nate Smith on drums.  Already a colossal line-up, there are further guest appearances from awesome horn players like Dave McMurray (flute), Takuya Kuroda (trumpet), Marcus Strickland (sax) and Corey King (trombone). 

The collective lovingly recreate twelve tracks from the Withers catalogue, many of which are songs synonymous with soul music fans the world over like 'Ain't No Sunshine', 'Lovely Day' and 'Lean On Me', so it's those slightly lesser known numbers like 'Hello Like Before', 'Kissing My Love' and 'The Same Love That Made Me Laugh' that provide that little more interest here.

José James from quite early on in his career has established himself as an artist constantly able to skate around categories or restrictions people may place upon him.  While projects like his debut 'The Dreamer' and the aforementioned projects 'For All We Know' and 'Yesterday I Had The Blues' root his sound within jazz, there's always a project like 'Blackmagic' (Brownswood, 2010) or 'While You Were Sleeping' (Blue Note, 2014) there to remind us of his chameleon-like approach to making music.  But what's exciting about 'Lean On Me' is this marks perhaps James's full-on soul music album which proves to be a distinction he carries off effortlessly.

And on that note, as with every José James album, all that's left to ask is what's he going to do next?

'Something Like That' by The Soul Sound Collective

It was only a few months ago, November 2018, that The Soul Sound Collective introduced themselves to the world through their debut single 'Stay A While'.  Their beautiful Sade-esque number was a real treat for 2018 and it gives us incredible pleasure to be able to announce the Collective's second single, 'Something Like That'.

Even despite these freezing London temperatures, The Soul Sound Collective masterfully inject an exquisite piece of summer sun so early in the year with 'Something Like That' proving to be an excellent choice for the follow-up single.  Gabriel Nacu and Simon Lee shine on guitar work on the track, as does the brilliance of bassist and long-term Collective member Tim Higgins; which leaves Craig Sims to tackle production, recording, mixing and additional instruments helping to shape this into a groove-laden joy.

Once again, we're compelled to draw your attention to The Soul Sound Collective's Soundcloud page where you can hear snippets of tracks currently in the works, along with recordings of all Craig Sims guest shows for Blue-in-Green:RADIO (https://soundcloud.com/soulsoundcollective)

New music from the Collective is a wonderful thing and we'd genuinely urge you to check out the new single 'Something Like That' and their debut 'Stay A While'.