Founder of the Gap Band, Charlie Wilson, just recorded his latest album 'Love, Charlie' on RCA records. He delivers again a superb album with outstanding tracks. This albums consist twelve of these amazing songs. For me this album is definitely the album of year 2013. Listen to the smooth soul tracks 'I still have you', 'Show You', 'ooh Wee', 'Whisper' featuring Keith Sweat. Don't get me wrong but the other tracks are worth listening to.

Charlie on his best. An Album you need in your collection. I have order mine already.

 

Mark Berbiers

Lynne Fiddmont is not new in the music scene. She has worked as background singer for the greatest soul artists like Stevie Wonder, Carl Anderson, Patti Austin, Babyface, Norman Brown, Bill Withers and Whitney Houston. She also appeared on the soul scene in 1991 with Linsey , a husband-and-wife team consisting of keyboardist/songwriter Wayne Linsey and Lynne Fiddmont. The album they recorded was 'Perfect Love '.

Sometimes I'm not proud to be a Dutchman but this is different cake, now I'm proud as a chicken with seven cocks. May I introduce to you an other fellow Dutchman Robert Kramers. Robert Kramers is an outstanding bass player and writer as well producer. Kramers just released his first solo album 'On The Block' on his own independent label 'Robert Kramers'. The album consist of ten tracks which he all produced. The styles on this album are Smooth Jazz, Jazz Funk, Rap, Soul.

Robert was inspired by bands like 'Earth Wind And Fire', 'Commodores', 'George Benson', Motown Bass Legend 'James Jamerson' and an other old school bass hero 'Marcus Miller'. When you hear Robert play he just sounds like Miller and that is a very big compliment and i really mean it. That's why I'm so proud. The album sounds very fresh because the mastering is very good, sounds like an American production.

The opening track 'Back To Now' is a killer instrumental smooth jazz tune. Superb bass play, check the bridge. On top of the bass you hear beautiful strings. It has a nice melody and some great 'seventies/blaxploitation' sounds like the organ and synths. What a track.

Funkytowngrooves just released the first ever expanded CD release of George Duke's 1983 album Guardian Of The Light, Expanded with 3 bonus tracks.

This is a great funk album with tracks like 'Silly Fightin'', 'Reach Out' and the funky 'Stand'.

Vinyl Masterpiece, a Dutch reissuer of great funk albums, has just reissued two fantastic albums by Kool and The Gang. The first of two is the album 'The Force' from 1977 original pressed on DE-LITE Records (940558).

This and the other reissue album 'Everybody's Dancing' are recorded for the period that Kool and the Gang hit the charts with 'Celebrations', 'Ladies Night', 'Too Hot' and a few years later with 'Cherish' and 'Fresh'.

The tracks on this album are from a different cake than the mentioned previous tracks. Let's start with track #1-2 respectively 'A place in Space' and 'Slick Superchick'. Both have superb heavy Funk bass lines, a lot of brass, synth, Synthesized vocal sounds. Almost no Lyrics, just chants and shouts. You can compare track #3 'just Be True' with the 'Roy Ayers' sound from the seventies. My favorite. Back to the funk with the album title track 'The Force'. Again heavy funk, just like 'Mighty Mighty High'. 'Oasis' is a down-tempo mellow type of song with great female vocals. 'Life's A Song' is also in the style of 'Just Be True'. If you like heavy funk then this album is a killer. Don't make any conclusions when looking at the group name.
Sound samples and CD available at vinyl Masterpiece

Sound Gems Records has compiled 11 of the greatest soul songs you've never heard for 'Lost Soul Gems.' The label famous for defining R&B/Soul's "Philadelphia Sound" in the 1970s presents a truly timeless collection decades in the making.