Friday, December 16, 2016

NEW RELEASES: SCEPTOR RECORDS - OUT IN THE STREETS AGAIN: THE SOUL SOUNDS OF SCEPTOR; HARVEY MANDEL – SNAKE PIT; JIMI TENOR – SAXENTRIC

SCEPTOR RECORDS - OUT IN THE STREETS AGAIN: THE SOUL SOUNDS OF SCEPTOR

Rare soul from the Scepter label – the famous home to the early work of Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, but a very hip record company with a strong commitment to underground soul in the 60s! The best of that stretch is presented here – in a really well-done collection that's filled with obscure tracks that only every appeared as 45s, including some obscure cuts by bigger names, including a few that might surprise you! There's also a few blue-eyed soul tracks here too – titles that might seem a bit surprising on paper, but really fit the groove of the collection. Titles include "Work Song" by Tommy Hunt, "Dearly Beloved" by Jack Montgomery, "Just One More Time" by JJ Barnes, "The Change" by Ernestine Eady, "I'm Stepping Out Of The Picture" by Johnny Maestro & The Crests, "Out In The Streets Again" by Candy & The Kisses, "Lost Love" by Irma & The Fascinators, "Hey Watcha Doin" by Jerry Tiffe, "Marching" by The Camp, "Groovy Guy" by The Shirelles, "Tonight's The Night" by Candy & The Kisses, and "Ain't No Soul Left In These Old Shoes" by Ronnie Milsap. (Colored vinyl pressing!)  ~ Dusty Groove

HARVEY MANDEL – SNAKE PIT

The cover makes the record look like one of Harvey Mandel's classic albums from the early 70s – and the sound within is very much in the same spirit too – a noisy, gritty set that really returns the guitar legend to the brilliance of his younger career! The set's awash in the kind of fuzzy, freaky sounds that Mandel could do so well – especially when working with producer Abe Voco Kesh – and the record's got the same sort of trippy, echoey sound as their early collaborations – but is maybe even more amazing, given that the whole thing was recorded live in the studio, without any overdubs or added production tricks! All tracks are instrumental – and there's a super-sweet combo, the band of Ryley Walker, that gives Harvey some tasty funk at the bottom – and is perfect for his guitar that was raised on blues, and schooled in psych. Titles include "Snake Pit", "Space Monkeys"," Nightingail", "Buckaroo", "Jackhammer", and a great new take on the Larry Frazier tune "Before Six". ~ Dusty Groove

JIMI TENOR – SAXENTRIC

Jimi Tenor looks shrunken in size on the cover, but that certainly hasn't happened to his music – which just seems bigger and more expansive on this wonderful release! The set's still very much in the spiritual jazz mode that Tenor's been touching for the past decade or so – but it also showcases some of the soulful strands that have always been in his music, as Jimi finds a way to bring the cosmos down to earth with some really wonderful tunes that mix up a variety of different rhythmic and instrumental modes! The lineup shifts a bit on each track – and includes a great guest appearance from Tony Allen – but most cuts focus on core energy from Tenor, who not only plays tenor, percussion, keyboards, flute, moog, and more – but also sings with a style that's wonderfully soulful, and really holds the whole thing together. We always love Jimi's music, but this set's got a really special "something extra" – and a much deeper sound than you'd expect from the cover. Titles include "Magick Of Choice", "Polygonal", "Peaceful Maelstrom", "Four Corners Of The Earth", "Cap De Creus", "Vortex", "My Baby Is Coming", "Ursa Major", and "Baby Pharoah".  ~ Dusty Groove


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