|
What's New: Lets see, we last reported on new Southern Soul singles back in the February edition. Holy cow, BLOWUP!! They
just keep coming, from both established stars as well as newcomers. Hey, that is what keeps vitality rolling in this business,
you can't succeed if you don't try!! We attempt to cover and at least mention any new singles or hot tunes from current albums
that have not been previously discussed here at the Corner. It is not an easy task with so many popping up all over the place,
but hey, that is A-OK!!
The Southern Soul divas, new and old, are stepping up to the singles proliferation! Mys. Niki
had a hot one late last year with Candy Lover.
Her latest is a slower tune entitled Don't
Make Me Do It.........Another new face on the scene is the smooth vibes of Evette Busby, who had an upbeat jam in
2015 entitled Not Here Not Now and
has a new slow joint called What Went Wrong.........LaRose
Jackson, who has recorded duets in the past with Charles Bradley on the Dunham label, has stepped out on her own on Cancel Him. This one is on our current Top 45 here at the Corner........Jesi
Terrell, who had hits over at Sound Mindz Records with Love Mechanic and Looking For
A Good Thing, keeps 'em coming on My
Man Is A Full Grown Dawg.......JJ Thames was featured in our July 2014 edition of the Corner after the release of
her Tell You What I Know album on the
DeChamp label. Her latest single is the mid-tempo groove Leftovers, which my understanding is the advance release for her forthcoming Raw Sugar CD..........
The push is on for Coday Records star Karen Wolfe's single All Night Ready Man, of which there were versions of the song on her last two
albums. It IS a good song for sure!.......Rosalyn Candy is an up and coming talent. She is a singer/songwriter/producer from
Louisiana that has turned out some singles over the last few years and was featured in a both a duet and a trio on the Beat Flippa I Got The Blues compilation
in 2015. She has several recent single drops - Talk
To Me late last year, the more recent Cashing
Checks, Blues Funk (a duet with Carol Lynn) and the latest jam, Role Play. This is a cool lady, ya'll.......Atlanta is the hometown of Shay Denise, who has a current charter
here with A Man's World, and also has
another sparkling new track with Move.......My
DJ buddy Butch Halpin turned me on to this lady - her name is Summer Wolfe, she has a killer self-penned tune called You're My Craving......Her name is Lysa, she is from Louisiana and
has a major singles tracker with Queen.
It is from her new album, Queen With A Woman's
Touch, which we will review in next month's edition of the Corner.....
|
Sir Jonathan Burton's advance single is a tribute to the late great Tyrone Davis with Give It Up Turn It Loose. His new Lonely At the Top album is right around the corner............from McRae, GA,
Lomax continues to turn out fresh singles - his latest two are Miss You Baby, and some real grown folkz music with Watch It Shake, which has a radio edit version. Lomax is represented
by Jenni Oleson Weber, as is Donnell Sullivan, whose latest, Backdoored, is also for the grownups!...... More adult themed tracks - over in Mississippi, Waldoxy Records
label Mr. David's latest is Knock The Fire. Former Bobby Rush protege Stevie J's new one is Hit It Again, you get the picture!........Tony Tatum is hot! The smooth vocalist
has had a string of singles, the most recent which is charting is Make Her Feel It......TJ Hooker-Taylor's new one My Baby My Queen is stronger than battery acid!! I like it...........Black
Diamond is a group from over here in Wilson, NC that features vocalist brothers Clarence and Ricky Fuller. The have a cluster
of new tunes - Daddy B. Nice charted They Want
Me To, a definite groove for sure. I'm liking the jam I Will, which as you will see below is a hot collaboration with J. Red the Nephew and is already charting
here............
Come and Get It featuring J Wonn from
Big Yayo's Southern Classic album has
been a hot charter. J Wonn also has a killer upbeat new single called We Gone Party............Jerone Da Entertainer was a collaborator with Nelson Curry on We Jukin', a recent #1
here at the Corner. He has two new singles out there - Hey Pretty Lady and my favorite, It's
The Weekend.....more of the veterans have new music as well - Donnie Ray was one of the headliners at Ecko Records
since 2005. His latest single, Pop It Baby,
on the CDS label, is classic Donnie.......TK Soul has been a star in Southern Soul for the last 15 years. Unique TK style
is present in his new drop, Single Woman.......Mr.
Sam, who has been on the Ecko label of late, has a strong new jam with Stand By Man..........Stop
That Knockin' found on From The Inside, the new album by Jo Jo
Murray is seeing some action. The vocals and rhythm track emulate that old school
Chicago Soul sound, which is where he is from!........Have you heard the Just Right Band? This five member group from New
Orleans specializes in R&B and Southern Soul. Their single release of It's Gotta Be Love is getting considerable notice, including a feature in Cashbox Magazine..................
|
|
|
The legendary Mr. William Bell just released The Three Of Me. If you close your eyes and listen, you would swear you were back in the '60's hearing the
latest from Stax out of Memphis. Look for his new album, This Is Where I Live, expected the first week of June........Andre Lee's I'm That Man from his 2015 CD The Truth is getting quite a bit of burn in Southern Soul. On the Carolina Beach side, My Girl from the same
CD is the hot one......Grady Champion has had some of the best grooves in the genre over the last couple of years. His most
recent single called Move Something on
the Malaco label, just out the first week of April, is no exception, it should
be a huge hit!...........Alonzo Reid backed up the late Marvin Sease for years before venturing out on his own. Recent albums
include Undercover Freak and Striving 4 Perfection. His new single Hush Money dials it in, right on time..........Atlanta based Hermon
(or is it Herman) Hitson has been on the Soul and Blues circuit for many years, playing with the likes of Bobby Womack, Wilson
Pickett, Major Lance, Jackie Wilson, The Drifters, The Shirelles and Joe Tex. He has a new single out there, the horn laden
Been Dreamin' About Ya..............
|
I really like this guy's music! Some of Greenville, NC native J. Red the Nephew's recent singles
success in Southern Soul came from his previous album Step N Out. On the heels of that, he is releasing so much more new music I can't keep up! We have Drop That (Thang) currently charting at the Corner here - it is a collaboration
with young guns David Aaron and Joe Nice. Another collab also charting here is I Will (If He Won't), J. Red teaming up with Black Diamond (mentioned above, another
North Carolina product). He has a new Southern Soul album release entitled Soul Certified, which has his monster hits like Keep On Dancing and Step Out
on it as well as new joints to the genre being Loving On You, Ms. Grown And Sexy Soul, Catch It And Throw It Back and remixes of I Will and Let's Get Away. His star has been shining in Southern Soul ever since he arrived!
J. Red is so talented that he doubles up as a force in the R&B
genre as well. He got his start in that vein with a group known as Average Guyz, which soon led to a solo career. J. Red's
single In Your Dream was rated #35
of the Top 50 songs for 2005 in the UK at soulsorts.com, beating out such artists as Mary J. Blige, Usher, Jeffery Osborne and Earth Wind & Fire, to name a few. The single also made it to the #5 spot of the Top 50 singles in the UK for 2007 on the Hip
List at bluesandsoul.com. This led to a tour of the UK that same year. The vocals
in J. Red's 2011 Full Grown album demonstrates
his love for artists such as Teddy Pendergrass, Luther VanDross and Charlie Wilson.
Fast forward to now - he has a hot tune, Enjoy
Yourself, currently in the Top 10 on the UK Soul charts. It is also the lead track on J. Red's just released R&B
album entitled Infinity. He is also
quite an accomplished production engineer and has his own company, Soul Mop Music Group. He has just recently produced two
outstanding singles for Shay Denise, which were mentioned above. Much continued success is certainly in store for this bright
young star!
|
|
Sonny..... oh Sonny Mack when are you coming back? Back
he is, one of Ecko Records more recent artists, with an album release entitled Get On Up! He joined the Memphis
based label in 2011, releasing his first album Going
For Gold. Sonny's birth name is William Norris - he picked up the moniker Sonny Mack while playing for years along
side of Blues harmonica player Little Mack Simmons. Growing up in Chicago, Sonny cut his chops playing guitar for Junior Wells,
Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Lee Shot Williams and McKinley Mitchell. After extensive tours in Europe, the long and winding road
ended up in Memphis roughly 25 years ago, starting what became the very popular Mack II Band. His association over the years
with Lee Shot led to Sonny hooking up with Ecko owner John Ward.
Twelve tracks are on the new disc, over half of them either written or co-written by Mack himself.
Cheatin' Is The Only Way To Go has
been the advance tune that has gotten quite a bit of radio and chart action. Get On Up has also gotten some notice as a dance track. I like
the grooves of Goody Good Good Stuff, Sit Her
On The Table and Clean Up Man.
Quite a bit of grown folkz music involved here! The Mack written Dig A Little Deeper was previously recorded by Jaye Hammer in 2013 - Sonny's version here has a slightly grittier
tone to it. The entire album can be characterized as a Blues mix with a whole lot of down home Soul, a strong sophomore outing
for Mack. This one should do well - it is interesting that it has not yet broken into the Southern Soul/R&B Top 30 Albums
as yet. I would expect to see it there sooner if not later!
Adrena can sing her heart out ya'll! I have enjoyed (and charted) many of her past singles output such as Good For The Goose, Footloose, Cheatin' On Da
Backstreet, In This Club Tonight and He
Won't Leave His Wife. Several additional strong tunes were included on
her 2010 Thoughts Of A Woman CD. Adrienne
Ervin hails from Jackson, MS, being raised on Gospel music in the County Line Baptist Church. She began her secular career
in her early twenties singing background for the next 10 years for the likes of Peggy Scott-Adams, William Bell and Vick Allen.
She lists the late Koko Taylor and Aretha Franklin as large influences on the style that she has developed. Her musical creativity
as a singer/songwriter has certainly begun to flourish.
Adrena's latest album, Better
Days, was just released in February. The lead off track, Man Gone Do, is a mid-tempo smoker that has already seen some level of acclaim. Right Here With Me is a little more up tempo and equally as good. Better Thangs is a minute and change prelude
to Better Thangs 2, a full grown jam
about what else? that man runnin' around! Do
It Up is party music, a good candidate to chart right here next month! Ready To Love is a slow smoothie that accentuates the soft tone capabilities of
Adrena's voice. The album cover has that Advisory label on it, uh oh, that means it is grown folkz music!! Ten tracks in all,
a solid effort for the up and coming Mississippi Diva of Southern Soul!
Blues Mix 19 Total Southern
Soul
from Ecko Records, released in the middle of March, is the newest compilation of what has now become a tradition in the genre.
They are most often a combination of previously released tracks deserving a level of recognition along with new tunes that
have already begun to break out. Such is the case here on the new with Trail Ride from Jaye Hammer, already a hot one, Sonny Mack's Cheatin' Is The Way To Go and Ms. Jody's Don't Back Up Off It are making some waves. The old - Rick Lawson's I Wanna Have Some Fun was the title track of his 2003 Ecko album, Red Onions for Dr. Feelgood Potts appeared in 2004 and Just Be A Man About It first appeared for OB Buchana in 2006. On the newer side we do have joints from Donnie Ray, Big Poppa G, Val McKnight and
Joe Blues Butler. Ms. Jody's Double Dealer
has been a charter here at the Corner for the last 6 months. This comp is another in the long line of mixes coming
from Ecko - I expect we will see #20 to be released very soon!
LaMorris Williams has a Gospel heritage as the son, nephew and grandson of the founders/original
members of the Mississippi based Williams Brothers. He grew up playing drums, showing great promise while participating in
both Gospel and Hip-Hop recording projects. He began grooving to this style of
music in roughly 1999 - and has become what we might call a Southern Soul young gun. He has developed a creative and innovative
style in the last 8 years or so that has established him in the genre. LaMorris broke out in a big way with singles such as
Ring On Your Finger, Impala, Make Your Body
Roll, Just For A Little While, Pretty Lady and You Make Me Happy. He blends heartfelt Soul music with a touch
of jack R&B in the mix of his own compositions and arrangements. The production result becomes 'listen closely to the words' real music balladry!
Mississippi Motown is the title of the new
album release, eighteen tracks of well produced output. There are three half minute talk/interview segments in the mix, a
self evaluation of the release. Junk In Yo
Trunk has been the advance cut that is already charting - I am not sure, however, that it is representative of the
entire album. Actually, You Bad and It's Whatever which
are both great, were released as 'underground' singles some time ago. Tunes here such as Slow Motion, Elevator Love, I Need You, Let Me Know and Superman are so smooth I could listen to them all day. Hearing these
grooves, strong even lyrics with soulful background harmonies, lead me to understand the album title. The songs are saying
"this is our Soulsville, today's style that is coming out of Jackson MS". Several of these slow and easy grooves would make for good steppin' club dance tracks. The vocal and
production quality here really deserves national album chart recognition - it will definitely be one of the best Southern
Soul releases of 2016!
Soul
Dog’s Smokin' Top 45 Southern Soul Hits
March/April 2016
$ - new entry
1.
Ole School Style - Miss Mini
2.
(Let Me See You) Back It Up - Charles Wilson
3.
Let's Get It Started - Lady Audrey
4.
True Love - Carolina Soul Band
5.
You Can Get It - Toia Jones
6.
Knock Down Inn - Lomax
7.
Big Hip Woman - Rue Davis
8.
Cornbread & Greens - Cupid w/ Pokey
9.
A Man's World - Shay Denise
$
10.
I Had To Tell Somebody - LJ Echols
11.
I Want Me A Country Girl - Terry Wright
12.
Old School Jam - Willie Clayton
$
13.
Get Loose - CoCo Wade
14.
Ohhh Baby - Till 1
15.
Coke Bottle Frame - Nelson Curry
$
16.
My Main Squeeze - Ghetto Cowboy
17.
My Time To Shine - Shirley Jones
$
18.
Mississippi Delta - Theodis Ealey
19.
When She Said Goodbye - Tucka
$
20.
Trail Ride - Jaye Hammer
$
21.
Pop It Baby - Donnie Ray
$
22.
Give My Love 2 U - Ms Yanni
23.
Little Bit - Rob Hewz
$
24.
Mississippi Folks - OB Buchana
$
25.
Double Dealer - Ms. Jody
26.
Stand By Man - Mr. Sam
$
27.
Cheatin' Is The Only Way To Go - Sonny Mack
$
28.
Cancel Him - LaRose Jackson
29.
Standing Here Knocking - Avail Hollywood $
30.
Right Kind Of Woman - Andre' Lee
31.
Drop That (Thang) - J Red w/ D Aaron & J Nice
$
32.
Dancin' - Klass Band Brotherhood
$
33.
Steps To Love - Sweet Angel
$
34.
Zydeco With Me - Jeter Jones
35.
I Found You - Big G
$
36.
We Gone Party - J Wonn
$
37.
He Put A Rockin' Chair On Me - LeAundra Lively
38.
You Gotta Let It Go - Carl Marshall w/ Gary Brown
39.
Make Her Feel It - Tony Tatum
$
40.
Candy Lover - Mys. Niki
41.
I Will (Remix) - Black Diamond w/ J Red
$
42.
That's My Baby - Superior Band with Miss
Rebekah $
43.
We Jukin' - Nelson Curry with Jerone Da
Entertainer
44.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It - Pokey
Bear
$
45.
Love On The Dance Floor - Lady Di
$
|
