Various
Soul Unsigned

This four tracker is very worthwhile indeed, and although I know little about these new artists the songs that have been chosen to represent their individual talents have been very well decided upon. The opening song from a group called “Excellent Gentleman” has a late 70s / early 80s vibe. The rumbling mood, the jittery beats and brave use of guitar all take us back to the good old days. Vocally this outfit could be likened to groups such as Lakeside. Felix has a more mid-80s sound. If the sound of Surface’s “Happy” or the Controllers’ “Stay” are to your liking then this should appeal. The main singer is a fine young Lady who sounds like the singer from Princess and Starbreeze (Remember the excellent 1987 12” “It’s Gonna Be Lonely”?) This is a great tune and utilises everything I loved in the mid-late 80s, so for me it’s a winner!

The third of our unsigned artists is a jazzier, funkier outfit called Grooves Back Productions. This almost has an early 90s Talkin’ Loud flavour to it. The warm Rhodes and frantic, reverberating percussion and vocals all speak of this, but the best bit for me is the unobtrusive synth in the background. Early on in the song it is quite haunting. Our last cut is by a group called Harambee. Their inclusion is called “In The Bone”, and if you liked the bouncier material on P J Morton’s first album then you will already know what to expect. There are some rocky guitar moments which may not appeal to all – but I am happy with this so am more than satisfied to hear it set within a funky, truly soulful setting. On the strength of these songs, not only do I look forward to more from these artists, and I eagerly await a volume 2! If there’s soul out there then let’s be havin’ it!

Barry Towler

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Soul Unsigned