Soul Express Album Review VARIOUS ARTISTS: SOUL TOGETHERNESS 2004 (UK Expansion, 2004) RICK JAMES - Taste / CHANTE MOORE - Amazing / NATHAN PRIME - Knowing You / THE SUNBURST BAND - Everyday / JOHN GARY WILLIAMS - The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy / STACYE BRANCHE - Inside Me / MIKE JIMENEZ & THE POWER PROJECT - Blessing (You're My Blessing) / VENUS TRIBE - Slow Down / FLOWERS - For Real / BENITA ARTEBERRY-BURNS - Don't Look Down (On Your Brother) / TRINA BROUSSARD - Not Around / DARRELL NULISCH - Handle It With Care / ROCKY MIZELL & THE SUGAR ROCK BAND - Never Never Girl / WE THE PEOPLE - Making My Daydream Real / BILL HARRIS - Am I Cold, Am I Hot Here we are with Expansion's fifth "Togetherness" release. There are some very nice moments on here, as you would expect and as Expansion rarely let us down we know from the very outset that this album is well worth a purchase. As far as I am concerned it is worth it purely for the late Rick James' "Taste" alone! This mellow 80s type groove is a brilliant mulch of sounds that have a definite Barry White, Boz Scaggs and even Keni Burke feel. This is a great song but is bettered by other tracks from the forthcoming album. There are some real crackers on there, so keep an eye out for that in 2005. Chanté Moore is an artist I can take or leave, and this song I can definitely leave. "Amazing" is a Rahsaan Patterson produced track which was included on a Japanese-only 'best of' compilation. To me this is rather boring and doesn't really do much for me - although it is better than the banal R&B drivel the Lady has produced in recent years. Better than this is the UK artist, Nathan Prime with the R'N'Groove mix of "Knowing You". This retro two step groove suits the warbly voiced Nathan very well. Hats off to Stephan Carmichael for this production here. I reviewed the SUPERB Sunburst Band set back in the summer, and included here is the superb KILLER Salsoul-ish stepper, "Everyday" which features Taka Boom on vocals. This is the sort of party-time groove that gets my feet going, and the lads really have got THAT classic vibe off to a tee. Brilliant, and what a happy tune to put a smile on your face. The rhythm section to "The Whole Damn World Is Going Crazy" by John Gary Williams is great and the swirling strings and guitar owe more to the Chi-Town sound than it does Stax. Another favourite of mine is the lovely Stacye Branché whose infectious and meaty interpretation of Minnie Riperton's "Inside Me". What a dancefloor gem this is. Please check out her 1983 LP which has been re-issued by PPL Records, too. Mike Jimenez was another recent review - I am sure that many of you will want to own the album in its entirety and not just make do with this great track here. What another happy groove we have here. I am sop pleased that some gutsy, happy tunes are on the market right now. We have been seriously lacking what I call "feel good" records for a long time. A symptom of the dreadful rap / R&B disease. Let's hope that dies a quick death as soon as possible, and let's get back to some sanity. Flowers' Hutson-esc "For Real" is included here in its entirety, but is one of those tracks that has reached cult status and to be honest I have never worked out why. Still, a welcome inclusion. Benita Arteberry Burns has been off the scene, as far as I am aware, since her essential 1991 release and returns here in midtempo mode with the Gospel track "Don't Look Down On Your Brother". This is nice, but nothing that I would rave about too much. Many will be happy with the inclusion of Trina Broussard and her 1999 song "Not Around" which is another Rahsaan Patterson and Jamey Jaz effort. This is a very worthwhile effort and vocally Trina is more earthy and far less clinical than on her Motown set. Fans of Mike Jimenez will seriously like Darrell Nulish and his "Handle It With Care" which really comes at us with an organic Southern angle. Just shows that great music like this is still being made like this today. "Never, Never Girl" by Rocky Mizell & The Sugar Rock Band may be an odd name for a group, and certainly is a new song to me, but wow what a track! This really is a great song and the brass and strings really are fantastic on this stepper from 1977. We finish off with two real well-known classics from the 1970s. "Making My Daydream Real" by We The People is a Philly classic and still to this day sounds great, on the dancefloor or not. This closes the CD up nicely with the Van McCoy number "Am I Cold, Am I Hot" by Bill Harris. Quite a rarity now, I believe, but who care about the price tag for a ropey old 7" or 12" when we can have it here on CD by the good folks at Expansion! Another worthwhile compilation from Richard and Ralph at Expansion. Here's looking forward to Soul Togetherness 2005! - Barry Towler Albums of the Month in 2003 Albums of the Month in 2002 Albums of the Month in 2001 Albums of the Month in 2000 Albums of the Month in 1999 Albums of the Month in 1998 Albums of the Month in 1997 Other CD
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