It still stands out from many other records from so called house producers from the beginning of the nineties. And that's why Blaze added a large amount of soul and even created with All That I Should Know, Gonna Make It Work and Lover Man some of the best soul cuts that root deeply in the seventies and the music of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and others. And the the uptempo songs like Miss My Love, the great social conscious We All Must Live Together or You Don't Really Love Me still sounds fresh today. If you see this album somewhere, buy it, grap it, steal it!

Guess Brigette was a little ahead of her time...making an album in 1997 that years later would have fit more into the so called Nu Soul scene with all the Erykahs, Greniques, Davinas et al. emerging a little later. Being the daughter of famous session background singer Paulette you can imagine Brigette's musical pedigree. Unfortunatley nobody at Virgin or another label paid any attention to this album and it got lost somewhere in obscurity...

Once described as the poor man's Erykah...but whoever said this hadn't listen close enough to Best Of Both Worlds. It's one of the best albums of the late nineties in soul music. Songs like Come Over To My Place, So Good and especially the ballad After The Rain and the more jazzy My Cryin' Blues can still be heard in 10 years time...and all the people who missed it the first time have to pay a large amount for this CD then :-)

The Five Heartbeat was a movie that was based on the story of the Dells in some way, so it's only consistent that we get The Dells with A Heart Is A House for Love and their classic Stay In My Corner on the soundtrack. Other hightlights include After 7 with the tearfilled Nights Like This -their best song ever, Dee Harvey with a Kipper Jones song In The Middle and the gospel flavoured I Feel Like Going On.

Although on a major label Generations was overlooked and listening to it, nobody will ever know why. It comprises the best of seventies funk and soul fresh for the nineties. Kyle sounds like a mixture of Stevie, Curtis with a little George Clinton thrown in. Could have been worse :-) and really worth buying!

With a title like that you know, you won't get an avarage house album by the man who had a worldwide hit with French Kiss. Ok, Aahhhh! sounds like French Kiss Pt. II, but the rest is a perfect blend of House (Club Lonely, New Dance Beat) Soul and Jazz with Joi Cardwell as singer. Saved My Life, Dancing In My Sleep, Funny How U Luv, Thief, Share and the perfect Jazzman offer pure enjoyment while listening and make this album a must have!

After success with Ultra Nate and Crystal Waters this was another album produced by Baltimore's Basement Boys. I still remember how I loved the bootleg of Lift Every Voice (Take Me Away) and was quite happy to found out there will be a whole album. And there was, and it featured the even better Let's Get Happy. a song that still makes you feel good every time you hear it. Lift Every Voice was covered recently by Jasper Street Company for Basement Boys Records by you know who :-) But Maybe One Day wasn't all house, it had some great R&B and soul moments too. Like the title song, I Wonder Why He's Sweatin' You, Let Me Show You or the ballad Spend The Night, that was the flipside to bootleg mentioned above. Mass Order later produced some songs for Adina Howard...but then I never heard anything from them again.

If there ever will be an award for most-underrated artist in soulmusic, it'd go straight to Mr. Madden...Facts Of Life was and is brilliant, but -alas- only few people ever bought it

Bernadette was quite funny and ahead of her time...producing, writing and recording her own stuff and doing songs like I Look Good (An Interview with Bernadette Cooper) or The Howard Hughes Sitcom ("I'll be a friend and companion and in return you give me econommical freedom...Christmas every day")...and again, nobody wanted her Debut album as a solo artist...such a shame

Great record and the title song begins very dramatic with strings ... really relaxed and superb British soul from the beginning of the Nineties

This CD was the reason why I bought my CD Player in 1990. It was only available on CD. But I have no regrets buying this CD. Unfortunately the only solo album from Kipper, who later only appeared as composer for songs for Vanessa Williams and others. But Ordinary Story can still be played more than 10 years after it's release. Shockwave and Carry On are more on the funky side, Footsteps In The Dark is of course a cover of the Isley Brothers song and ballads like Poor Elaine, Consider Me Yours or the gospel influenced Watch Over Me round off a great album!

The Man behind Children Of Judah was Barrie K. Sharpe, who became famous with Diana Brown (you may remember The Masterplan from 1990 on ffrr and the album The Black, The White, The Yellow & The Brown (And Don't Forget The Redman)). Waiting By The Gates From Eden was accompanied by some 12" singles like To The Bone (Let's Get Stoned) or Sayin' Nothin', that were a straight development of what Barrie did with Diana Brown but this time with the likes of Rose Windross, Joy Rose, Donna Gardier and Vivienne McKone on vocal duty. The Children Of Judah are something like the epitome for overlooked! Even when it was out in 1995 nobody seemed to care for this record. Although it's blend of Funk, Soul and Acid Jazz still sounds brilliant today and To The Bone (Let's Get Stoned) seems to be more up-to-date in this centuary. Still highly recommandable!

I first heard of Ola via his More Soul Than Sense album that he released like Precious Libations For Silent Gods on his own Rugged Ram Records label. This album from 1999 (still his most recent) is really a grower and his best to date. You have to listen to it more often to realize how good it actually is. Ola produced, wrote, performed everything from start to finish and he's very good at it. Such a shame that quality soul music like his remains somewhere hidden in obscursville! If you want to know more about Ola visit his webiste on www.ona-olabule.co.uk.

D-Influence is still one of the best British Soul/Funk bands around. Good For We was there debut album on a major label (after a 12" Single for the famous Acid Jazz label - funny enough D-Influence were signed by East West America just like UK's The Escofferys)) and though from 1992 still sounds fresh today and would fit nicely into today's more organic soulscene if released today.
If you missed this one and their other albums go out and buy it! All are a class of their own and can be heard from start to finish without a dull song in sight. Good For We features the excellent Good Lover, the two great ballads Funny (How Things Change) and For You I Sing This Song together with the funky Sweetest Things. Another must have!
More infos on www.urbanmusicseminar.co.uk/d-influence/index.html

One of the unsung heros of British Soulmusic. Noel had had some success with Snowboy (doing a cover of Leroy Hudson's Lucky Fellow), The James Taylor Quartet and his family as McKoy (Fight was even issued on a majorlabel), but than fall into oblivion. Out of nowhere some 12"es appeared every now and then on his own Rightrack label. And in 1997 Mind Is The Keeper saw the light of day. A look on the cover gives you a first impression what to expect. Noel's drawn face looks like this is a cover for some obsure 70ies album. And except for the more ragga-inspired first song (Just A Little Bit) the rest is a development of classical Curtis, Stevie, Marvin et al into today's setting. Love In The City even samples Curtis Underground in the beginning. Some songs of this brilliant album were later featured on Take It Personal, but this one's the real thing and besides albums from D-Influence, The Watergates or The Escofferys it's one of the best British soul albums ever!

Although released 1995 on Eightball, a label that was more known for house than soul, this is a straight soul album, produced by Lem Springsteen (of Mood II Swing fame) and featuring the voice of Gerals Latham. Never heard of him before Wall Of Sound or afterwards, and that's really a shame. Storybook made you believe in soul again, before all the Erykahs, Lauryns or Macys came out.

And there is much Soul in the United Kingdom, but it's such a shame that it's left to small independent labels like Props. Loren must have been in her early twenties when she recorded Up All Night. But considering the maturity in her singing, you really don't mind if she's 20, 30 40 or whatever. Favourite songs include the superb Loverman, Remember (that was also available as a 12"), What Ya Hidin' In Your Brain and Lights Out. Another album hardly anyone knows.

Another of my favourite British singer. Chris sang some songs with Incognito, so you may know his voice. And there was an album produced by Errol Henry (also responsible for Richard Anthony Davis, Shirley Jones). This album features Make it up and Cry, one of the best ballads of all time! I have to admit compared to Cry the rest pales a little...

Closer Than Close featured the voice of Beverley Skeete, before she became a nice added feature on an Ex-Rolling Stones album. Closer Than Close had some success with You Got A Hold On Me and A New Life, but it was only some success which in the end caused the disbanding of this fabulous group. This CD features CTC own material and some songs CTC produced for other artists like the fantastic Hi Hopes In Heaven by Marvin Springer, the swinging Reflections by Sound Insight and two jazzy cuts by Koo Doo done in a way that later became a sort of trademark for the Internal Bass label.

I'm really not into Hip Hop, but Sumarli is more talking than rapping by Black Radical and it features Courtney Pine on saxophone. Sumarli sounds like an outtake of an early Guru Jazzmatazz album that was never released only that it wasn't sung by Guru. The rest of Undiluted Truth offers some nice thoughts but for my liking it's too hectic and too much Hip Hop...

Margi definitely came out too early with her album. Offering soul music with a message, using Egyptian symbols, wearing an afro on one picture and looking like a Nubian queen surrounded by candles on another...sounds familiar? Well in 1995 nobody has heard of Miss Badu and it looks like the world wasn't ready for Miss Coleman and her deep messages. But songs like Let Me Down Gently, How I miss you, Don't take your love away, Wherever you are or Winnin' ova you and all the rest of the album (there really isn't a filler on it) are still worth searching for!

Another album that's only really worth for one song. But that's the incredible Share My Dreams that features Oran Juice Jones and Roy Ayers on vibes. The rest is a mixed bag of house (hardly surprising considering that Terry Burrus played keys and piano on many house remixes from Frankie Knuckles), jazz (Nica's Dream) and smooth jazz.

Widely overlooked album from Julian Jonah and Janette Sewell, although Never Gonna Give You Up and Don't Go Walking (Out That Door) were on some compilations of Britsoul at their time of release. The Scandal has everything a good soul album should have, a great voice, real songs and a mixture of mid- and uptempo tracks. They even included a cover of the Ashford/Simpson classic Bourgie, Bourgie (made famous by Gladys Knight And The Pips). Unfortunately Janette and Julian never did anything together again, Julian appeared on some less soulful 2-step/UK garage releases and Janette is still lost in obscursville...if you ever find this album, buy it even without listening