Expansion Records - Luxury Soul 2013

Sounds Of Imani “Must Be An Angel/It’s Alright

The Sounds Of Imani (with Imani being the Swahili word for faith) was created in 1996 by the versatile husband and wife team of Gerald and Carol Ervin. Carol a keyboard player, vocalist and songwriter in her own right, her background has always been within the gospel genre. She was a choir directress with several Church ensembles before forming in 1995 the Gospel/Jazz group, The Sounds Of J.U.T.O.C.A, with two of her co-workers from  the Detroit East Community Mental Health Service: Thomas Lawrence and Julia Shabazz; they were later joined by Selena Rowe.

While Gerry a cousin to James Mitchell of the Detroit Emeralds and Paul Mitchell of The Floaters began his career in the field of secular music. Gerald honed his vocal skills singing backing vocals with The Detroit Emeralds, Chapter 8 (pre Anita Baker) and The Floaters. He also featured in the group line up of The Flaming Emeralds with cousin Kenny Goodman, Al Martin, Glynis Martin, Rory Johnson and Chris Knight on their perennial 1977 Northern/Modern Soul classic “Have Some Everybody” (Fee 361).  Gerry also featured in the group line up of The Detroit Emeralds when they last toured the UK.  The legacy of The Flaming Emeralds continues today with Gerry’s cousin Kenny Goodman who is also currently acting as the musical director for Sounds Of Imani.

The Sounds Of Imani are regular performers throughout the Detroit metropolis helping to raise funds for many Community organisations and ministering to various shelter residents such as the Salvation Army and the Detroit Rescue Mission to name a few.  They have also appeared at several gospel events throughout California, Milwaukee and Illinois.

They recorded their debut cd album entitled “Revelation” in 2002, but it is two of their brand new songs from the “New Project” that we at Soul Junction have licensed for our next 45 release. The contemporary mid tempo gospel outing “Must Be An Angel” backed with the more upbeat dance track “It’s Alright” for your delight.

Jeannie Reynolds - One Wish Expanded Edition

Expansion proudly presents on CD for the first time, a true mid 70s lost soul gem from the vaults of Casablanca Records. Jeannie's voice has been compared to such greats as Gladys Knight and Tina Turner, and her tragic story left a legacy of only two albums, 'One Wish' being the second and released in 1977. Jeannie was the sister of Detroit soul star L.J. Reynolds who predominantly composed and produced songs on 'One Wish 'during his time with The Dramatics, and the group's producer Don Davis was also at work here too. The album has so many highlights it's hard to know where to start. There's the soul drenched power ballad 'I'm Hooked On You,' a song later recorded by The Dramatics themselves, and much later sampled by The Prodigy on 'Stuck On You'. There is further drama in the gospel styled production of the Hayes/Porter song 'Guide Me Well' and the show tune flavoured 'I Know I'll Always be In Love With You,' both with so much soul alongside the funk elsewhere on the album and the masterpiece many have collected this album on vinyl for over the years, 'I Don't Want To Be Second Best'. Bonus tracks include four sides from two 7' singles, all non-album tracks and including her biggest commercial hit 'The Phone s Been Jumping All Day'. This is all quality soul from the post Motown, pre-disco period of innovative and lavishly produced music

1. Come My Way

2. Be Someone

3. I Know I'll Always Be In Love With You

4. I'm Hooked On You

5. Sexy Man

6. I Don't Want To Be Second Best

7. Don't Make A Fool Of Me

8. Guide Me Well

9. The Phone's Been Jumping All Day (Bonus Track)

10. Unwanted Company (Bonus Track)

11. Lay Some Loving On Me (Bonus Track)

12. Love Don't Come Easy For Me (Bonus Track)

ReGrooved featuring Kerrie Manuel (Short Version)

What I'm Gonna Do For Your Love - ReGrooved featuring Kerrie Manuel (Short Version)
All lyrics and instruments written and performed by Paul Manuel & Neil Thompson
All vocals performed by Kerrie Manuel
Copyright 2012
Release date: Friday 26 October, 2012

Release date: Oct 26, 2012

RE:FRESHED ORCHESTRA

                                     
The Re:Freshed Orchestra is full of talented musicians who play with different Dutch bands. There are also classical musicians  from the international conservatory: ” CODARTS” in the Orchestra. The musical approach of this project is to create great music with young people with different musical background.
Some of them have build on their talent from scratch and some of them from attending a special musical education. The base of this project is controlled chaos, experiemental and creating from a joint passion of great music. The performances end up being unique one time only performances which have a jamsession feel.
Next to these musicians we invite guest musicians/ singers or rappers to join the performance. The orchestra plays some of their repertoire or a set of songs in a special theme. But they always do it different from the original which challenges the guest musicians with a new way of looking toward their own music.
On 14 September 2012 the Re:Freshed Orchestra launched their debut album Re:Encore, on the Kindred Spirits label. The album is a tribute to rapper Jay-Z and provides a fresh look at his songs, full of musical surprises and unique interpretations.

JAZZ FM FUNKY SENSATION 3

A warm, easygoing and sprawling 2CD set from the Expansion and Jazz FM team – the third and best yet in their Funky Sensation series – with both hits and relatively underappreciated numbers! It's wonderful stuff all the way – and well chosen by Mike Vitti & Ralph Tee – with full-length treasures by Roy Ayers, Rick James, Cameo, Rene & Angela, Willie Hutch, Dazz Band, Charles Earland, Teen Marie and The Gap Band to name but a few. What we love about the Funky Sensation series is the sort of informal, unfussy vibe. It's not so much about shining a lot on particular labels, producers or well-defined scene – and very much about simply putting together some sensationally funky, jazzy and soulful music, nearly all of it from the mid 70s to early 80s, together in a generous double-sized set! 26 tracks on 2CDs – and over 150 minutes of music. Includes "Running Away" by Roy Ayers, "Circles" by Atlantic Starr, "Now That We Found Love" by Third World, "So Fine" by Howard Johnson, "Man Power" by Lalomie Washburn, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, "I Need Your Lovin'" by Teena Marie, "I'l Be Good" by Rene & Angela, "Get It Up For Love" by Tata Vega, "Outstanding" by The Gap Band, "Let The Music Play" by Charles Earland and many more. Source: Dusty Groove

Aretha Franklin, “Sweet Passion: The Lost Atlantic Years”

 

"There are plenty of adjectives that can be used to describe Aretha Franklin. Columbia Records used a great many of them for early album titles: tender, moving, swinging, electrifying. Heck, let’s add the title of her Dinah Washington tribute: Unforgettable. Atlantic described her on a 1968 album as Lady Soul, while a 1971 LP was entitled Young, Gifted and Black. The young, gifted, unforgettable Queen of Soul has no doubt been well-represented in the compact disc era. After innumerable compilations, Legacy last week released the remarkable box set Take a Look collecting Franklin’s entire Columbia output (a review is forthcoming). Rhino reissued Franklin’s Atlantic tenure from 1967-1974 as individual discs and also anthologized the artist’s best with a box set, 1992′s Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings. But even that four-disc treasure trove all but ignores the final five studio albums recorded by Aretha Franklin for Atlantic between November 1974 and September 1979.

Franklin’s last five Atlantic releases have never appeared on CD, which remains quite staggering considering the magnitude of the artist and the importance of her groundbreaking Atlantic catalogue. With Everything I Feel in Me (1974), You (1975), Sweet Passion (1977), Almighty Fire (1978) and La Diva (1979) each have something unique to offer even if they don’t stack up to the peak Atlantic LPs. But then again, what albums could live up to the lofty heights of I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You or Lady Soul? With that in mind, today’s Reissue Theory presents the hypothetical Sweet Passion: The Lost Atlantic Years. Our three-CD box set collecting these five albums features a “Who’s Who” of songwriter and producers, among them Lamont Dozier, Jerry Wexler, Curtis Mayfield, Barry Mann, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Van McCoy, Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager. True, none of these LPs were pop smashes, but all were successful on the R&B charts (the first three going Top Ten) and most importantly, all have something to offer not only for fans of Aretha but all pop and soul enthusiasts."

 Source: http://theseconddisc.com/2011/03/30/reissue-theory-aretha-franklin-sweet-passion-the-lost-atlantic-years/