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Corner Talk: There has not been quite as many new Soul
singles as usual popping up in my email over the past month. From an album perspective, we are seeing several sets of 'second time around' material being re-issued, which is perfectly fine, gives those
who missed the songs originally another shot at hearing (and buying) them. Case(s) in point: Charles Wilson's 2 On 1: Pay Myself First & That Girl Belongs To Me, a combined
two album set covering what was previously released in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Stan Mosley has 2 On 1: Man Up & I'm Comin' Back, which were releases in 2008
and 2009, with 20 solid tracks. Outstanding songwriter and producer Carl Marshall is out there with 27 tunes in Songs People Love The Most,
Volume 1 & 2, previously released in 2006 and 2011............'Greatest
Hits' type releases are hot right now as well. We reviewed The Best Of Carl Sims here at the Corner last month and (see below) we are reviewing David Brinston's Ecko
Records Two Way Love Affair & Other Hits
this month. Also see the review on Jim Bennett's Southern Soul Highway: The Essential Jim Bennett which contains 14 of his best works. Another couple that
were just released: Tucka, right on the heels of his recent drop of Groove City comes Tucka's Greatest Hits and the late great Floyd Taylor's 'Bout It 'Bout It: All Of Me Deluxe with 12 of his best plus 5 previously
unreleased tunes......
A few new singles of note that are jumpin' off are definitely worth talking
about. Nellie 'Tiger' Travis - we just reviewed her latest album Nellie Sings The Blues in last month's Corner. Her new single,
however, was not on the album. The Floyd Hamberlin written Cold Feet explodes with Ms. Tiger singing it!!............Nelson Curry from North Augusta, SC is the front
man for the highly successful outfit known as Klass Band Brotherhood. He has also ventured out to sing with other individuals
as well as recording some on his own. Nelson's latest drop is entitled Love On Me, a sure fire hit for tha Sugaa Shack Man!..........Just received a new single from a group known
as the Just Right Band. Their groove is entitled I Want More, with both radio and club mix versions included...........The
title track plus another tune was in the email just this past week from Richmond, VA's Big G. Yellow Ribbon is the big man's latest album, dropped in late August,
it contains 12 tracks - we will do a review on it in next month's edition.............
Back in our May edition, we talked about a singer from way down south by
the name of Pokey. Well, two of his songs are hooked up on a funky trail ride album with some cats known at the Louisiana
Blues Brothas. Their release of Love On The
Bayou features 14 tracks with guest appearances from Tucka, J-Wonn and Tyree Neal as well as Pokey.........With his
advance single, Southside, rising on
the charts, Grady Champion's latest album that includes the hit track, titled Bootleg Whiskey, had a September 2nd scheduled release date and should now be available ...........There is
a new young gun out of Chicago with a true voice making some noise in the genre. Theo Huff released his first album, Now Is The Time, in June of this year.........Veteran Soul man Willie
Clayton has a forthcoming album, Untamable,
scheduled for release the first week of October, which is planned to
be all new material.............
It is always sad to note the passing of another of our fine artists in Southern Soul.
Such is the case with Joe 'Poonanny' Burns, who passed on August 27th. The Alabama native worked for many years as a drummer
and club manager, eventually taking the stage as a Blues comedian. His first recorded music was the album Poonanny Be Still on the Waldoxy label in 1993. Four more successful
albums followed on the label before he branched out on his own independent release. Poonanny will be forever remembered for
his ribald lyrics that would put a smile on listeners faces!
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I first caught up with Vel Omarr's stellar music while sampling his late
'90's release of Rhythms & The Blues.
It took me back to that original sound of mellow '60's Soul. Not surprising, the Mississippi born and Chicago raised young
man always loved the music of the late Sam Cooke. Much like Sam, once grown, Vel left the Windy City for California to pursue
his dream of becoming an entertainer. He eventually joined legendary R&B / DooWop group The Robins, as their second tenor
lead singer. He later signed on with Brenton Wood as the opening act for Wood's
Sweet Old School Revue and in 2003, he joined The Olympics as one of their lead singers. Vel has shared the stage with many
well known artists such as Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Penquins, The Coasters, Gene Chandler, The Flamingos, James
Brown, Etta James, Little Richard, Al Wilson, Barbara Lynn and Brenda Holloway.
Vel's solo work has included the independently
released album in 2001 titled Vel Omarr Sings
Sam Cooke & More, a fitting tribute on which he does sound very close to the legendary Cooke. Omarr's 2008 How Can I Make You Mine album was a collection
of pure Soul with killer tunes such at the title track as well as That's All That Matters To Me and Feels
Like Love. Vel's 2012 The Greatest
Song I Ever Sang album was well received in Southern Soul. Both I'll Be There For Ya and Everybody
Dancin' spent considerable time on the charts. Still My Love Grows also gained some recognition as the bluesier side of Vel.
Vel's latest album is titled Ain't No Telling as released by Double Beat Records. The title track
is a hamonica Blues groove that first hits me as being a little out of character but turns into a powerful vocal number. Ditto
for Big
Leg Baby as well. There is thoughtful expression in The Power Of Your Love and That's All That Matters (To Me). These songs are set at a tempo where you can
clearly hear Vel's outstanding voice and think about the fact that the words have meaning. My Telephone Keeps On Ringing and It's My Pleasure makes me think of a high end Jazz club with sultry female background
singers. Livin' In The Ghetto has the
Funk vibes to do some steppin'! The boogie in Al's
Sugar Shack strikes me as almost more of a '60's Soul representation than a Blues number. Nine cuts all told including
a holiday tune, the album is resplendent with variety across mutiple styles and
ranges for one of the awesome voices in today's Soul music arena!
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Although Uvee Hayes is not a household name in the world of Southern Soul,
she has been practicing her craft as an accomplished vocalist for many years. Hailing
from the St. Louis area, Uvee has crossed genre boundaries many times since 1984, when she began recording on the independent
Mission Park label. A public school psychological examiner by day, she is a music stylist by night. My first recognition of
Uvee in the Southern Soul arena was from her Play
Something Pretty album, released on the CDS label in 2009. The title track, a moving duet with the legendary Otis
Clay, is without a doubt one of the best songs I have ever heard. That signature album was quickly followed up by Southern Soul Blues Sisters, with songs from Uvee as well as fellow
St. Louis vocalist Barbara Carr, and featuring Blues soulman Roy Roberts. Uvee later teamed up with Otis once again on the
splendid Luther Ingram classic Steal Away To
The Hideaway, which will send chills up your spine!
Uvee's latest release, In The Mood, is not so much Southern Soul as it is what I would call 'timeless' Soul. It represents a fusion
of Jazz, Blues and Soul in a finite collection of, as the title aptly states, moods. From the upbeat jams of You Make Me Happy and Handy Man to the mid-tempo Grooving
and Ordinary as well as the slow and
low A Woman's Got To Do, Heartbreaker and
As Soon As The Feeling's Over, the
album serves to capture the essence of Uvee's range and rapture in her resonating voice. She fittingly closes the set with
a remix of Party Party Party, a tune
she has previously recorded and performed over the years. Uvee's determination to bring robust originality and feeling to
the recordings is clearly evident in this package. I would readily nominate this
collection for Female Solo Album of the Year!!
We stated this a few months back, David Brinston may very well be one of
the hardest working performers in Southern Soul. The Mississippi native burst on the scene almost 20 years ago with a monster
hit entitled Hit And Run. It was the title track of his first release in the genre - his most recent, some 14 albums
later was Back On Track in March of
this year. In between, he recorded on the Ecko label from 2007 to 2010, releasing 4 stellar albums and a re-issue of an earlier
release during that time frame. In his long career, Brinston has also recorded on the Jomar, R&B, Susie Q, Waldoxy and
Delta Down labels. An accomplished songwriter as well as performer, Brinston
composes much of his own material.
Two Way
Love Affair And Other Hits is the Memphis based label's twelve track synopsis of Brinston's best work during his association with
Ecko. All are either high energy tunes or mid to uptempo shuffles. The title cut was of course a major hit as was Dirty Woman, the original of which featured the now departed J. Blackfoot. Also reaching the charts were: After Party, You've Got Something I Want (duet with Ms. Jody), Beat It Up and Here I Go
Again .....and along about here is where I jumped off the train, LOL! All the tunes on this collection are strong
but I would have thought two that were big on the Beach music side (which is always a focus genre whenever Ecko records and
releases an album) would have been included, namely I Just Love Women and Bus Stop.
A couple of others that I remember seeing on the Southern Soul charts are Hard Working Woman and Too Many Women. (Definitely alot of Brinston tunes with either Woman
or Women in the titles, a valid reason not to include them all). Just my opinion of course, John Ward and Larry Chambers at
Ecko know best!
Maryland native Jim Bennett has been involved with music practically his
entire life. During his youth he played various wind instruments such as the trumpet, trombone and tuba, later getting interested
in learning to play the guitar. Jim's first formal foray into the professional ranks was with a group he formed known as The
Family Reunion Band. The opportunity then arose to branch out and work with more
seasoned performers. During that time, he had the good fortune to back up groups and artists such as Sonny Till and the Orioles,
The Manhattans, Roy C, Millie Jackson, Lee Fields, Clarence Carter and others. Jim along with frequent singing partner Lady
Mary spent time in the '90's as members of Hardway Connection before doing their
own record as a duet in 1999. In the 15 years that has followed, Jim has released more that a dozen albums, either on his
own Ja Ben label or with CDS subsidiary Aviara Music.
The most recent Southern Soul Highway - The Essential Jim Bennett, released by CDS Records, is intended to showcase some of
his best work. The biggest hits are here - The
Body Roll, Slap It Slap It Tap It Tap It and My Dear. One of my personal faves is the even tempo track, You Can Use Me Up. Strong grooves are also there on She Laid A Freak On Me and Southern
Soul Highway. The lament of Jody Got
It All is a familiar story that never gets old in Southern Soul! Jim always does a good job on party jams - to that
end, I am surprised that Take It To The Dance
Floor and I'm Ready To Party were
not included. Bennett, who has a rich and powerful voice, does bear a resemblance to the late great Marvin Sease as several
songs here demonstrate. Overall, a solid representation of a Soul music veteran who continues to work hard at his craft.
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In our January 2013 edition of Southern Soul Corner,
we did a special salute to all the female solo artists who have persevered in
this business and also mentioned several that unfortunately gave up on it after a short period of time. In our March 2014
issue we began profiling some of the outstanding lady artists who did indeed leave the genre beginning with Queen Isabella,
An-Jay, Lorraine Turner, Jewel J and the late Tina Diamond. Here are two more that we regret are no longer a part of Southern
Soul.
Theresa Calhoun, aka Tazz appeared on the scene in
2005 with a hot new release called It's All
Good on the New Orleans based Mardi Gras Records label. Even though this effervescent lady singer did not really set
out to be a Southern Soul artist, her style immediately lent itself to the genre. A
couple of bonafide down South juke joint hits arose from the album - the
steppin' Stroke It Easy and (Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No) Broke Down Man. Remixes of both
killer tunes were also included on the album. Sadly, that was the last we heard from Tazz in the world of Southern Soul.
What happened to a young singer named Renea Mitchell?
In 2006, she was part of an upcoming group of female artists in Southern Soul that included Betty Padgett, Ms. Jody, Nellie'
Tiger' Travis and Little Kim Stewart. Renea's initial album was The Road Of Love on Jomar Records, which she delivered with both energy and emotion and was by all measures
a success. The sub-title was Serious Southern
Soul and it was definitely that. The Carl Sims classic Seventeen Days Of Loving came on strong with a woman's point of view. Dirty Women was another track that
received plenty of play. Sad to say, another example of a promising artist whose stay in the genre was much too short.
Soul Dog’s Smokin' Top 45 Southern Soul Hits
September/October 2014
& - new entry
1.
Born
To Sing Southern Soul Blues - Sir Jonathan Burton
2.
She
Was Twerkin' - Lil' Jimmie
3.
Dancin'
With My Baby - Miss Rebekah
4.
South
Side - Grady Champion
5.
Ladies
Gotta Get That Money - Gwen White
6.
Blues
Is Alright - Klass Band Brotherhood
7.
We
Do We - Ves featuring Kenne' Wayne
&
8.
Gonna
Party - LGB
9.
Hammer's
Juke Joint Shack - Jaye Hammer
&
10.
Jus Fell In Love - Ms. Charli'
11.
True To Me - Vick Allen
12.
I Lost My Baby On Facebook - Jesse James &
13.
Goodtime – Mr. X
14.
The Other Shoe – Lola
15.
Love
On Me - Nelson Curry
&
16.
What
One Man Won't Do – Stephanie Pickett
17.
I'm
Gonna Stand By You – Ms. Jody
18.
You're Welcome To The Party - OB Buchana &
19.
Cold
Feet - Nellie 'Tiger' Travis &
20.
Rock
Me - Miss Lady Blues
21.
Same
Woman – Donnie Ray with Jaye Hammer
22.
If
You Got A Good Woman - Roy C
&
23.
Don't
Know Where You At – Lacee
24.
Ain't
No Telling - Vel Omarr
&
25.
Can
You Handle It? - Betty Padgett
26.
Got
To Give It Up – Jimmy 100% Sterling
27.
You
Make Me Happy - Uvee Hayes
&
28.
Roll
It Roll It – Gentry Jones w/ Mr. Sam
29.
Lone
Ranger - Willie P
&
30.
Beware,
She's After Your Man - Candi Staton
31.
To
The Moon And Back - Cupid
32.
Come
Get It - Rita Monroe aka Lady E
&
33.
Cat
Daddy – Billy 'Soul' Bonds
34.
How
Come The Dog Ain't Barking - Simeo
&
35.
I
Can Be Your Dream Girl - Lady Audrey
36.
Old
School Girl – Blind Ricky McCants
37.
NightTime
Lover - J-Wonn
&
38.
I
Sing The Blues – Patrick Henry
39.
Keep
Knockin' - Anita Love
&
40.
Grey
Goose & Cranberry Juice - Vince Hutchinson
41.
You're
Right For Me - Willie White
&
42.
Hey
You - JJ Thames
43.
Give
Me That Love – J. Diamond Washington
44.
Ain't
Nobody Got Time - Karen Wolfe w/ Nelson Curry
45.
Can
I Spend Some Money On You – Chuck Strong
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