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Southern Soul Corner May 2015

Fresh from Wilbe Records in Atlanta, it's Jeff Floyd teaming up with the legendary William Bell on a new one entitled People Are Going Out........Everyone knows I am a huge Wilson Meadows fan. It is great to see his reprise of the 2002 hit Go On And Cry getting current chart attention........Speaking of reprisals, Theodis Ealey's Pop That Middle is on the charts - same title that was on his 2006 I'm The Man You Need album. He just released Theodis Ealey Presents: A Southern Soul Mix Volume 1 on his IFGAM label. It contains recent hits from Willie Hill, Larry Griffith, Theodis with J. Red, Lacee with Columbus Toy, Heart 2 Heart Band etc.........Who came out with the recent tune My Sidepiece?  Wasn't it The Louisiana  Blues Brothas featuring Pokey?  Lacee with friends Veronica Ra'elle and Ms. Portia just came up with the answer song called  Sidepiece Reply............   More from Louisiana, bad boy TK Soul has a hot new single, only been out a few weeks, Watch Them Haters. In fact, TK is all over it right now. He also dropped If You Sexy Clap Ya Hands featuring Nathaniel Kimble AND is featured on Luster Baker's (aka Mr. Juicy) My Main Thang. Also, did I mention he recently mixed and released the smokin' Lady Soul Slide that features newcomer Lady Soul?.........Carl Marshall's Cheating Town from his February album release of  Love Brings Me Back To You album combines a funky groove with some serious lyrics to drive it up the charts...............Come On Rock Me has now been officially released, the latest hot track from Willie Clayton. I believe this is now the correct title, the pre-release to the DJs was actually called  Rock Me Baby ........Stevie J fuses R&B and Blues together on his just dropped new singles, Good Good and Another Jody Song.........   Lovin' the Blues/Soul grooves of Mississippi based Vasti Jackson. His recent mid-tempo single release of I'm Sill In Love With You has gotten quite a bit of attention. Going back to Vasti's 2010 album,  Stimulus Man, most definite solid tracks include Extra Special, My Computer Turned On Me and Blues Booty......Speaking of the Delta state, have you heard Mr. Sipp, known as The Mississippi Blues Child? His 2013 It's My Guitar album is followed up by his latest, The Mississippi Blues Child, which has a killer tune on it called V.I.P. Also digging Hold It In The Road and Nobody's Bisness..........Our first exposure to Lady Audrey was her performances several years ago with The Superior Band (remember Work Me 'Til I Sweat?) She has had a string of hits of late including Big Girls Swang, Dream Girl and  Prescription For My Love Addiction.  Her latest that has recently hit the charts is Big Girl Love...............    We continue to like the singles releases coming from Mr. X aka Mark Safford. His latest new one is the upbeat I'm Falling In Love Again.... Circling back around on young artist Greg Watson (not the one formerly in the Craig Woolard Band, he is a fantastic musician as well) with his Pieces Of Me 2 album, killer tracks include Move Your Body and Want For Nothing.........Jackson, MS native Katrenia Jefferson cut her music teeth singing in her mother's Gospel group, The Gospel Flames. She has popped up a few times in recent years in Southern Soul with singles like Holding On, Chance Of A Lifetime and That Thang.  Katrenia's latest release is entitled What If I.......A strong vocalist who has also been popular in recent years in Beach music, Andre Lee hits the Southern Soul charts with the low and slow Tell Me What You Need. We are back jumpin' on his early 2014 single release of You Went And Did It as an entry on this month's Corner chart..........LJ Echols, another young gun that has charted on the beach, has a new joint called She's Draggin' That Wagon........How 'bout Lady Ebony? Up and coming, she has shared the stage with the likes of David Brinston, Wilson Meadows and Will Easley. Single releases have included Food Stamps and Dancing Shoes. Her latest: (You Are The Jam In My) Jelly Roll!!   Not to repeat the countless number of news releases that have already occurred, but we lost two more great ones who have now ascended up to Soul and Blues heaven. Ben E. King, born in Henderson, NC and raised in the Harlem community of New York, passed away at the age of 76 on April 30th. His brilliant career included both lead singing roles in the legendary Drifters as well as his solo works on such tunes as Stand By Me and Spanish Harlem. Ben E. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Drifters. B.B.King, the man who was as instrumental as anyone in bringing Blues music into the national spotlight, passed away at the age of 89 on May 14th. The Mississippi native's career spanned six decades of playing the music that he so loved. B.B. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

The tragic and untimely passing of Bobbye 'Doll' Johnson in mid-2014 was quite a shock - she was always a crowd favorite in live performances with a graceful stage presence as well as having continued success with her recorded releases.  Bobbye broke on the Southern Soul scene with her 2007 Rocking This Boat album release on the Brimstone label. The title track plus Saving My Love were two of the top charting hits from the CD. She followed that up with 2011's All The Woman You'll Ever Need on the CDS label. True To Me combines the best of her work on CDS over the last several years. Baby Daddy and Cheaters Never Win are two of Bobbye's biggest hits  but there is much more contained in this package.  Included are the collaborations with Ricky White on the White composed I Need A Man, When A Woman's Had Enough and My Woman's Fed Up. One I have always liked was co-written by Bobbye and Frank McKinney called Mississippi Hideaway. So Good and Bye Bye Baby are also smooth Bobbye / McKinney composed tunes. Slow groove Pull Up From Behind is a White written tune as well. The ten tracks here summarize the talent of this outstanding artist that we lost much too soon!   I am not always a fan of Best Of or Greatest Hits albums, but CDS Records has done a good job on three recent ones, summarizing the works of these artists as they have produced over the last several years.