Best Of 2007
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Best Of 2007 |
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Southern Soul Deep Soul Soul Blues Retro-Soul Downhome Blues To be eligible albums must have been released 12/2006 to 12/2007. OR albums released in 2006 that peaked in 2007. 1.
"Resurrection" is his most provocative (and best) offering in decades ... winding, horn-heavy slice of energetic Soul- that Swamp Dogg sound.... the centerpiece of the record is the twelve minute titled track, an unflinching treatise on the history of Black folk in America. 2.
The late Sterling Harrison never got his due as the exceptional Soul singer he was during his life... Fortunately for us he left a potent collection of tracks aka "South Of The Snooty Fox", that shows Harrison was a cut above the average Soul/Blues journeyman. "Snooty Fox" is the definitive Sterling Harrison moment. 3. This is the third release this year. His "8 Tracks & 45s" then "Best Of Da Problem Solvas" are already out there and now this party in a box! Good news for those who want to get Pat Cooley's "Younger Man, Older Woman". It's in there. (like Ragu). Bigg Robb's new version of Carl Marshall "Good Lovin' Will Make You Cry". 4. 
Simone De "A Definitive Collection"
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2007 is off to a great start with this superb collection by Simone De. ...real instruments rather than programming.... richly Old School Soul, which is always timeless to folks with good taste. Despite the title "A Definitive Collection" isn't a "hits" compilation (Though it sounds like it!). All new material....De wrote or co-wrote all ten 10 slices of modern Soul. An essential purchase. 5. ...his best since his Ecko debut ("Shake What You Got!"). Why? A higher percentage of good hooks and better rhythm tracks...."Goin' Back Home" has the bass upfront like on the propulsive "Booty Mover" (2 versions), perhaps the label's best dancer since the irresistible "Booty Scoot"... and Big John Cumming's "I'm Goin' Back Home". How can you not agree with these lyrics? 6. The terrific title cut preceded the full length CD by several months and made it's mark on dozens of Southern Soul playlists... hook-filled set of modern Soul music, possessing a yearning tenor of his own and a sense of melody. "12 Steps 4 Cheaters" is a stone cold gem....silky "I'm Coming Home" and "Work Yo Body", an irresistible dancer...Sam Fallie is a triple threat: Artist/Producer/Writer. 7. Ms. Lola Gulley is the newest find by the Stax Records legend William Bell....Daaaamn! But the girl ain't triflin', she found her way through the door to center stage...She has a mighty soulful voice that makes me think of Mavis Staples and Mr. Bell gives her a set of funky Rhythm & Blues and Southern Soul...The girl's good...he (Reginald Wizard Jones) and Bell continue to "Give Her What She Wants". 8. The first single, however, is a re-working of Floyd Hamberlin's "Mississippi Boy" (re-titled "Mississippi Woman"), which has already been a regional hit for Will T and Charles Wilson...The rhythmically similar "It's Goin' Down" was written by LaSalle. Here the "Queen" promises to put the smack down on a rival hen. ... LaSalle is one of those rare Blues singers that seems to appeal equally to female and male fans. The ladies cheer when she talk smack, putting men in their place but the menfolk simply eat it up too because she's got the chops. Both will "pump" this one to the top of the charts. 9. Bigg Robb is in the hizzy and that can only mean one thing- party time for "grown folks"!...the madcap producer brings a cast of characters including Charlie Wilson, Blowfly, Henry "Big Woo" King (of Da Problem Solvas), Shirley Murdock, Karen Graves, Sure 2 B, Special & others to a straight up party record... on the pulse of the "grown and sexy" spirit in the Chitlin' Circuit... Pure booty candy. 10. This fine release from Bonedog Records once again hits the right chords for Soul music like real Memphis-styled horns, Staxy-rhythm, greasy organ, soulful vocals. Folks, it never gets old and the formula works for newcomer Craig King who reminds me of the underappreciated Earl Thomas....Bonedog Records is a label that uncompromisingly keeps the classic period alive. 11. William Bell's Wilbe Records has given us another great sounding R&B/Soul record. Elastic-voiced tenor Fred Bolton makes his presence known... Radio friendly ear candy like "I Can't Lose (With The Stuff You Use)", "Must Be Jelly", "Baby It's You" should all be pulled as singles...Another winner from the Bell camp, which also boasts Jeff Floyd.
12. Now on his fifth record label, Ecko, Brinston delivers the goods with simple melodic bumps, ballads and beach. Though it's heavily synthetic music a singer like Brinston can still make it sound soulful. 13. "Get Low" shake it down to the floor! Get Low"! Ladies, please listen to the brutha! That's one hot dancefloor jammy...R & B-flava southern soul. Simeo used to play with Cameo ("Word Up"!) and sang lead for Larry Blackmon's pet project Cashflow...Every cut is hot. Big booty bottom bass on "Windows". He's singing "We roll roll southern soul soul". The walls are shaking, speakers rumble and the windows are rattling....Alright back to Simeo. "Hottest In The Game"? Maybe. Maybe! Peace. 14. 10 brand new southern soul songs (plus the 11th hidden bonus track "Mississippi Boy")...Every song could be a hit. "That Boom!"..."Plumber Man"....On the slow tip we have the super sweet "Broke Into My Heart" ..."Christmas In Memphis"....Charles' best record yet. 15. ...the kind of Soul/Blues record critics such as myself love to discover. All original songs and real instruments, which in itself is a selling point. Memphis movers like "I'm The Only Man", "You're Gonna Miss Me" & "Holdin On" plus Downhome Bluesers "Straighten Up, Woman" & "Voodoo Woman". Horns, Bluesy guitar and organ Soul music never gets old. 16. ...an impressive introduction from this versatile singer mixing chuggin' Southern Soul with Downhome Blues and lil' Contemporary Pop/R & B...Two downright great tracks merit mention first. The upbeat, head-bobbin, shoulder rollin' "Give Her What She's Been Missin'" is one of those modern Memphis Soul shuffle bumpers that folks like Theodis Ealey have been scorin' with. Harris has a strong rasp to his singing and the production is thick enough to compete with big leaguers in this genre...Of the ever crowding school of independent "Southern Soul" singers Harris ranks highly in my book. 17. ...the Lady really sings the Blues on the poignant "Welcome To The Momma's Club", accurately describing the bad breaks of being tied down to a "husband who's out in the street". ...It's from a woman's POV as is the title track, it being a gorgeous, torchy Soul burner. It's also a sequel to "Momma's Club" in theme (trouble in the homefront?). It's the best thing Aretha Franklin hasn't done in decades!...These slower to midtempo numbers are where Bianca knocks you out. Recommended. 18. "Too" is a well produced set of R & B/Soul that incorporates a wide array of style placing it outside any one radio format,- though it belongs on true Southern Soul airwaves. It's much better than most of what's played on Southern Soul radio these days... No bum tracks (all written by Rainey). "Boom Bam" deserves to be a hit. 19. ...currently the "king of Southern Soul". The first single, "Party Like Back In The Day", is sitting in the Top 5 on Southern Soul charts..."Undisputed" (the album) is a crowd pandering/pleasing set capitalizing on the momentum T.K. has built up over the years. Very much a "Pop Southern Soul" album...the ladies sure do love the man! ... Another strong, slow creeper is "You're So Special" and the ode to moms, "Flowers", is truly gorgeous. Overall this has less for the clubs and more for the bedroom but it's easy on the ears for sure. Expect it to dominate Southern Soul for the rest of the year. 20. The king of the slow jam? Ladies love Steve Perry is back with another irresistible slow jam sure to connect with the Chtilin Circuit...his best set of songs to date! 21. As evidenced by his recent records Lenny Williams hasn't lost a step vocally. His "Can't Nobody Do Me Like You Do" spent an entire year on Southern Soul charts... "It Must Be Love" rewards the listener with that classic Lenny yearn and "I Be Missing You" features a modern Contemporary R & B arrangement with rat-a-tat verses and call-and-response backups... Still lovin' Lenny.
22. For those of us that've made the search beyond what mainstream radio force feeds to the public we often strike gold over the number of great Soul & Blues artists we find making a living under the radar of the major radio companies. J.T. Watkins has one of those timeless Soul voices mixing the back-of-the-throat warble of Joe Simon with the deep timbre of James Carr...The title cut is a great Country Soul ballad may not be en vogue these days but will delight real Soul music connoisseurs...If don't know J.T. pick up this new one and find his Ace Records debut.
23. ... she still has that sweet Southern Soul voice. "I Could Show You" mostly that trusty Chitlin' Circuit-style of "Soul/Blues" we all love ...witty cuts like the title cut...This fills in the void we've had since Peggy Scott-Adams is taking a break..."Get Me Weak" talks bullshhh or perhaps "the truth" on "Straight Talkin'", ala Millie Jackson, but then gets all soft on the gorgeous slowie "He Say She Say" where she vows "to stand by my man". Recommended! 24. 25. Although cliché-ridden the title track to Bigg Joe's "I Like Bigg Girls" is monsterously catchy. It's a gimmicky piece of fluff that could potentially hide the fact Bigg Joe is an excellent singer. Being dubbed the "Luther Vandross of Southern Soul", Joe's blessed with a smoky urban voice that can chew up the slower jams ala Luther and there's plenty here.
To be eligible albums must have been released in North America between 12/2006 to 12/2007. OR albums released in 2006 that peaked in 2007. 1.
Willie Dixon may have claimed it first but these days Mighty Mo Rodgers is the Blues. Perhaps nobody digs as deep into the art form to elucidate what it means for Black Americans and all humanity in general...Rodgers has wrapped his message within tightly packed arrangements full of that "holy howl" and sledgehammer Rhythm & Blues. Forget KRS-One this is truly "edutainment"...It's to Mo's credit that he doesn't sacrifice song structure for seriousness. The disc is as tuneful as any "party Blues" album. That muscular, rhythmic Soul Blues sound- almost hypnotically tribal- graces "Death Of The Middle Class" and "Gangs Guns And Testosterone". ...This is what "contemporary" Blues is suppose to be about. "Redneck Blues" is uncompromising, defiant, and Southern American to the core. Mo helps each and every one of us be 'afrocentric" if only for an hour. One could never "get" the Blues without such an experience. A triumph. 2. This is a straight up Blues album that's found a Southern Soul audience. Those only familiar with Potts' two enjoyable "Southern Soul/Blues" discs for Ecko Records may be stunned by this sizzling set of harmonica blues recorded in the heart of Memphis....10 originals tunes were completed at Sam Phillips' (of Sun Records fame) Recording Studio with a small unit of session musicians...Potts sounds like he's found his true voice on the mic, ...Of course they also come to hear Southern Soul/Blues as well and now Potts has conquered both. 3. Tad Robinson is simply one of the best singers in the business. An aching blue-eyed Soul tenor much too strong for generic 12-bar Blues fare (though he does such extremely well) and his latest...is yet another perfectly produced and arranged Soul/Blues disc from Severn Records...Robinson's last opus, "Did You Ever Wonder?", was our pick for Best Blues CD of 2004 and this new one is a delicious followup. With heavy support from Pride...the disc marinates in heavy bass, horns and B-3 glory... the sound of this record is so sublime... 4.
Again, LaVette's latest is hard to categorize with Rock, Soul, Blues, Folk all coming from her unforgettable voice. This is the acclaimed CD that her overrated "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise" wanted to be. 5.
A very good trend continues with modern day producers and labels signing classic Soul & Blues singers to do a "cutting edge" album of gritty, rootsy Soul or Blues music...creating a defiant, soul shaking backdrop for Staples still emotive vocals... she's joined by the voices of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community, who were called the SNCC Freedom Singers...The most personal track here is the autobiographical "My Own Eyes" in which Staples details her own family's tribulations through this dark chapter in American history. But it was one of hope and determination inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- one that's been victorious though the battle continues in Staples' eyes due to the government's mishandling of Hurricane Katrina. May we never turn back. 6. Shannon was never a 12-bar Blues simpleton but a literate and musically eclectic singer who used Blues as a base. There's enough Blues on this live set, but the Funk is indomitable...Lots of prime guitar noodling here, perhaps better than anything heard on his studio records..."No Religion" is another stunner with a passionate vocal...tightly-squeezed guitar licks. The guy can play as clean as anybody. Further Shannon staples like "Who Are They" and the recent "Phunkville" are here as well as a couple new additions to his canon. Most notably, the touching, soulful "All I Have", a song about losing everything in Hurricane Katrina. 7. Another superb collection of disparate covers and originals from the bruthas. You got to be impressed they can take an arena Rock anthem like Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" and transform it into a moving Gospel Soul ballad! In addition terrific originals like "Smiling Face Hiding A Weeping Heart" & "Close The Door"... 8. Sometimes a singer's voice just stands out and forces you to listen Take one part Ray Charles, one part Bob Seger and one part Joe Cocker and you may have the vocal instrument of Denmark's Thorbjorn Risager...as auspicious a debut as one could hope for. A crunchy guitar riff introduces "Love Turned Cold", a John Lennon-esque rocker, with Risager bellowing from the back of his throat... Ten tracks without a dud in the bunch, "From The Heart" is sizzling with Soul. 9. At age 78 Mr. Napoleon Brown Goodson Culp aka "Nappy Brown" remains one of our best living Blues singers. That versatile voice has always jumped easily from croon, to shout, to wail and that ain't not changed no way. In fact, I think it's improved with age...This Blind Pig Records debut, his first LP since his obscure 1997 New Moon disc "Who's Been Foolin' You", is a sterling addition to his legacy, featuring some of the finest Blues musicians working today...Speaking of vocals you must experience the Deep Soul he exudes on the ballad "Give Me Your Love"...Brown's put out some strong modern day records, such as Black Top's "Something Gonna Jump Out The Bushes" (1987) and Ichiban's "Apples & Lemons" (1990) (both inexplicably out-of-print), but this new disc will have the longest run. 10. A majority of original tunes makes this sophomore effort by Root Doctor preferred over their otherwise competent debut of last year...Ching-ga-lang guitar, icy B-3, and a funky rhythm grace the terrific "Blues Will Take Good Care Of You"- their best song so far and one I expect to get covered frequently in the near future... The Motor City Horns...put the icing on this cake...Cunningham gets to stretch out those vocal chords on the classic-styled soul ballad "Lucky One". Their second best song so far, this stirring performance lifts them to another level. W.C. Handy folks should take note... this is no average bar band
*** in no particular order...
To be eligible albums must have been released 12/2006 to 12/2007. OR albums released in 2006 that peaked in 2007. |
Swamp Dogg
"Resurrection" (SDEG)
Sterling Harrison "South Of The Snooty Fox" (Hacktone)
"Bigg Robb Presents Blues, Soul & Old School" (Over 25 Sound)
O.B. Buchana "Goin' Back Home" (Ecko)
Mr. Sam "Lookin' 4 Love" (MiLaja) 
Lola "Give Her What She Wants" (Wilbe)
Denise LaSalle "Pay Before You Pump" (Ecko)
Bigg Robb "8 Tracks & 45s" (Over 25 Sound)
Craig King "Breakthrough" (Bonedog)
Fred Bolton "I'm Gonna Get Mine" (Wilbe)
David Brinston "Here I Go Again" (Ecko)
Simeo "Hottest In The Game" (Jomar)
Charles Wilson 'The After
Party" (CDS Records)
Eugene Smiley Sr "Legends" (K-City) 
Patrick Harris "Long Time Coming" (Lyn
Rome)
Lady Bianca "Through A Woman's Eyes" (Magic O)
Michael Rainey "Too" (Rainey)
T.K. Soul "Undisputed" (Soulful)
Steve Perry "It's Okay" (Bluesland)
Lenny Williams "It Must Be Love" (Lentom)
J.T. Watkins "Why Not Tonight, Girl?" (Arrow Heart)
Vickie Baker "I Could Show You" (FaLife)
Raine "Take A Lil' Risk" (Baby Boy)
Bigg Joe "I Like Bigg Girls" (Baby Boy)
Mighty Mo Rodgers "Redneck Blues" (Dixiefrog)
Dr Feelgood Potts "Going Down To Memphis" (Pottstown)
Tad Robinson "New Point Of View" (Severn)
Bettye LaVette "Scene Of The Crime" (Anti)
Mavis Staples "We'll Never Turn Back" (Anti)
Mem Shannon "Live- A Night At Tipitina's" (Northern Blues)
The Holmes Brothers "State Of Grace" (Alligator)
Thorbjorn Risager "From The Heart" (Gateway Music) 
Nappy Brown "Long Time Coming" (Blind Pig)
Root Doctor "Change Our Ways" (Big O)