VA - Wah Wah 45s: We Wah Fifteen (2014)

This year Wah Wah 45s, reach a landmark fifteen years in the music business. What began as a 'hobby' label run by Hospital Records boss Chris Goss and his late brother Simon, has grown into a full time job for label directors Dom Servini and Adam Scrimshire, ably assisted by young buck Neil Bopperson.

Wah Wah 45s now has over a dozen artists on its books, and many of them are featured on this exhaustive compilation, charting fifteen years of this fiercely independent soulful record label, and as you would expect, a soulful strand runs through it, from the brassy funk and jazz of Hackney Colliery Band (with their hand-to-find first single Money), Colman Brothers (On a Better Day) and The Gene Dudley Group (the summertime smasher Minnie) to the sonorous dubwise sounds of Resonators (with the classic Sweet Love Affair) via Paper Tiger and Lea Lea's more electronic edge, and Scrimshire, Stac and Bev Lee Harling's lush, organic leanings. And that's without mentioning a little Kompa Funk from our Haitian born Canadian pianist Henri-Pierre Noel demonstrating his vocal prowess, as well as his awesome piano skills on Merci Bon Dieu.

Kasar - Walk On (2014)

Arnold Kasar is a musical jack of all trades: in countless projects around the Berlin based label Sonar Kollektiv, the musician grown in the southern area of the picturesque Black Forest left his traces, among them Nylon, AtomHockey or with Volksbühne-player and latest Internet-Hype Friedrich Liechtenstein („Supergeil“).
However, the trained sound-engineer is also capable of going solo, as he proved with his solo debut „The Piano Has Been Smoking“ in 2012. Now he returned to his first instrument and his timing couldn't be better, since the piano returned to new strength in the music world, as the numerous releases of pianists in the past few years have shown.

Shaun Escoffery - In The Red Room (2014)

UK vocalist Shaun Escoffery, whose classic hits “Space Rider” and “Days Like This” are enjoyed by club goers worldwide, is back with a stunning new album “In The Red Room” which combines sheer gospel-tinged power – as on the single “Nature’s Call” – with soulful subtlety on ballads such as “Nobody Knows” and “Do U Remember”.

From his first recording with D-Influence at the tender age of 17, Shaun Escoffery has been one of the UK’s finest vocal talents – a singer with a glorious Isleys/Curtis Mayfield falsetto.  Along the way he has enjoyed support from Elton John – who has hailed Shaun as one of his favourite new artists – and actor Idris Elba, one of his oldest friends, who has contributed a remix of lead single “Nature’s Call”.

Prince Fatty meets Nostalgia 77 - In The Kingdom of Dub (2014)

The worlds of dub and jazz collide when Prince Fatty meets Nostalgia 77 ‘In The Kingdom Of Dub’; this intriguing collaborative album, out 22^nd September on Tru Thoughts, sees two like minded musical explorers joining forces to illuminate the shared roots and spirit of rebellion at the heart of these two genres. Early tastemaker support includes confirmed reviews in The Wire, Clash, Q, DJ Mag and Blues & Soul, and radio play from Jamie Cullum (BBC R2).

Prince Fatty – maverick producer of Hollie Cook and countless pop and reggae legends alongside his own Soundsystem projects – puts his spin on the music of bluesy jazz wunderkind Nostalgia 77, for a full set of exclusive new versions of tracks from across the latter’s prolific career, including collaborations with Alice Russell, Keith and Julie Tippett and Beth Rowley. The result is a deep, energetic and transporting listen, with an intense flavour that celebrates and builds upon the sonic and cultural beauty of both jazz and dub.

Lee Fields - Emma Jean (2014)

Soul legend Lee Fields has re-teamed with The Expressions for new album Emma Jean. Coming at a time when many new artists are trying to emulate the soul and swagger of the 1960s, Mr. Fields showers us with authenticity on the 11-track set, highlighted by first single “Magnolia.” Hear the refreshed cover of the JJ Cale track that embodies the late, great American singer-songwriter and the Tulsa Sound he helped create. Since releasing his first album in 1969, Fields has continued to make music for the last 45 years.

 And having been on the road, touring non-stop for the better part of the last decade, it's evident that Fields has hit an elevated stride both as a recording artist and live performer. Emma Jean is the follow up to Fields’ widely praised first two Truth & Soul albums—2009’s My World and 2012’s Faithful Man. Lee Fields & The Expressions have forged a distinct soulful sound and a grown style with this album. They’ve pushed their sound in new directions, moving from being content as contemporary soul music royalty and instead delving into and exploring its next steps. 

Red Snapper - Hyena (2014)

 

The first thing that strikes you about the new Red Snapper album is how much the band have raised their game. There's no reason why bands shouldn't get better over time, it's just that a lot of names don't stay hungry and creative.

To start with it's a great idea; an album inspired by the band’s recent soundtrack for cult 70s Senegalese road movie "ToukiBouki" - the first independent African film which was recently restored by Martin Scorcese and which is first and foremost an afro-funk odyssey in itself. Red Snapper have toured with the film for a year, playing the soundtrack live to audiences across Europe; themes from the score having been developed and extended to form Hyena. Hitting the studio at the end of this long haul on the road has delivered a super-tight energized performance, reminiscent of a 1970’s approach to recording.

Myles Sanko - Forever Dreaming (2014)

The soul singer and songwriter based in England known as Myles Sanko released his debut “Born in Black & White” to broad critical and fan acclaim in 2013. Featuring seven original funk and soul tracks written and performed by Myles himself, this EP was perceived and played in the style of soul greats such as Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Al Green and James Brown, all of whom Myles openly names and proudly as his main musical influences. A stop-to-finish work of deep grooves and jazzy musical knowledge, Now “Born in Black & White” is followed up by Myles Sanko’s first full-length album “Forever Dreaming”.