Allen Toussaint - From A Whisper To A Scream

Allen Toussaint is a New Orleans legend. He wrote for years under the pseudonym Naomi Neville for people like Ernie K Doe, Lee Dorsey and Irma Thomas. He produced the Meters first records after having hired them to provide backing for his record company's late 60s releases. He also produced Lady Marmalade for Patti Labelle in 1975. Today, nearly 70 years old, he's living in New York while his New Orleans home is rebuilt following Hurricane Katrina. This album, released in 1970, was his first recorded under his own name. Both songs here are effortlessly brilliant and real growers - good friends that you might not have seen for years but with whom you can immediately relax and laugh over a beer.

Allen Toussaint - From A Whisper To A Scream
Allen Toussaint - What is Success

Check out Home of The Groove for unbelievable coverage of the New Orleans sound.

Billy Paul - When Love is New

Nice cushions. The first three tracks from this 1975 album on Philadelphia International just blow me away. It's the mid 70s and social conscience is de rigeur. People Power gets things started with great energy, especially when the vocals come in after 30 seconds. The feel good message keeps swinging along with high hats just a little less metronomic than on a lot of Philly Soul and better for it. If we all pull together we really can make a difference. Yeah baby. Next up, America, has a hopeful message both subtle and patriotic (in the real sense of the word rather than 'with us or against us') sung and spoken over skittering percussion and lush Bobby Martin production. Third is Let The Dollar Circulate, which takes the pace down a bit and just cries out to be looped, EQed and stretched by someone like J Dilla. Oh.

Billy Paul - People Power

Billy Paul - America (We Need The Light)

Billy Paul - Let The Dollar Circulate

Fallou Dieng - Feuk Dieuf

Photo taken on Gorée Island, Dakar

I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on holiday in Senegal just before Christmas. In the Yoff district of Dakar, a couple streets behind where the fishing boats come in on the beach, was a small shack. On either side, facing the street, were 6 foot high speakers, and in the back rack upon rack of amps, mixers and CD burners. After a café touba and some chat I came out with a fistfull of CDRs. These tunes are from Fallou Dieng's 2006 album Feuk Dieuf. Keening vocals, a light lilt and the insane rush of the Sabar.

Fallou Dieng - Feuk Dieuf

Fallou Dieng - Checikh Bethio
Fallou Dieng - Toucoleur Bi
Fallou Dieng - Ndongo Lo

Charles Rouse - Two Is One

Two tracks from Charlie Rouse's Two Is One album on Strata East from 1974. Both of them are dark & hulking bad news heavyweights that bulldoze you into their groove. Hopscotch is the lighter of the two but still conjures the tension of narcotic-induced insomnia. Two is One goes further. A nagging opening of over 5 minutes, in all kinds of times, gets you all wound up before a signature Strata East shimmery breakdown. Then things really start to rock with unrelenting incessant bass work and bluesy guitar taking over from Rouse's distinctive tenor.

Charles Rouse - Hopscotch
Charles Rouse - Two Is One

Dexter Wansel - Life on Mars

This is Dexter's debut album from 1976 and, as with much of his output, it's pretty hit and miss. From great funk workouts and luscious disco at one extreme to dire, sentimental sloppy claptrap at the other. Nevertheless it manages at least five killer cuts. You can't beat the title track for raw groove appeal - about the tightest jam around. But these others have their place, varying from the TV theme melodies of A Prophet Named KG, the strutting 'inspiring' disco of You Can Be What You Wanna Be, the slow-burning atmosphere of Theme From The Planets and the pure romance of Stargazer.

Dexter Wansel - Life on Mars
Dexter Wansel - A Prophet Named KG
Dexter Wansel - You Can Be What You Wanna Be
Dexter Wansel - Theme From The Planets
Dexter Wansel - Stargazer

Tim Maia

A selection of very decent Brazilian funk from Tim Maia from across a number of his albums. The first smoking, the second sunny, the third swaggering yet sweet and the fourth just consumate soul.

Tim Maia - No Camino do Bem

Tim Maia - Festo Do Santo Reis
Tim Maia - O Que Voce Quer Apostrar
Tim Maia - Imunizaco Racional Que Beleza

Make It Last Forever

I can't get enough. A bedroom selection perfect for that long evening in...

Gwen McCrae - Keep The Fire Burnin'
Sharon Redd - Can You Handle It (12")
Patrice Rushen - Remind Me
Dexter Wansel - The Sweetest Pain
The Three Degrees - I'll Be Around
Barry White - It's Only Love
Love Unlimited - Move Me No Mountain
Teddy Pendergrass - Come Go With Me
Inner Life & Jocelyn Brown - Make It Last Forever (Full Length Larry Levan Remix)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good

Soul E

The one and only Panni K visited last week and brought me a fistfull of the hottest albums from Lagos. There's a lot of good stuff to get through and first up are a few tracks from Soul E's Naija is Blessed album. Soule E Baba Dey Here was one of the Nigerian hits of the summer. Drop the middle, pump the bass and treble, enjoy the Timbaland-style beats and the Naija soul.

Soul E - Kekere Ni Yen
Soul E - Soul E Baba Dey Here (watch the not great video here)
Soul E - In My Life

Panni took this photo and writes about her experiences in West Africa here.

Aril Brikha

Iranian-Swedish music on Transmat. Warm, lush, enveloping synths. Worm-like bass. Cassio percussion. Tight Tight. This is how electronic music should be. Made with soul. Taken from one of my all-time favourite albums: Deeparture in Time.

Aril Brikha - Otill
Aril Brikha - Setting Sun

Two Lone Swordsmen - Spin Desire

An epic. Some giant caravan slithering its way like a caterpillar through a moonlit desert. It’s all tin pots, scrapes and muffled horns with heavily reverbed wind and stars. But it’s the bowed cello-effect bass that gives it its sliding, shuffling, persistently hypnotic groove. Deep electrohousetechno. Released on the relatively under-the-radar Stockwell Steppas EP in ‘97. 10 years old, but still fresh like lime sorbet. One Lone Swordsman is Andy Weatherall – the man whose production wizardry turned Screamadelica into a genre-busting hit.

Two Lone Swordsmen - Spin Desire

Fela Footage

Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.1



Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.2



Fela Kuti - Music is the Weapon - Pt.3

Ascension

Transcendental meditation, the half world between waking and sleeping, soothing spiritual lullabyes.

Ascension (66 minutes, 61mb)

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - Peaceful Ones
Pharoah Sanders - Astral Travelling
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda
John Coltrane - Naima
Meirelles E Os Copa 5 - Contemplacao
Mulatu Astatke - Ene Alantchi Alnorem
Doug Hammond - Moves
Pharoah Sanders - Colors
Norman Connors - Welcome
Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord
McCoy Tyner - His Blessings
Stanley Cowell - Lullabye

Ethio-Jazz

There’s been a fair amount of hype about Mulatu Astatke, with plays on Gilles Peterson’s show and strong presence in Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. It’s soft and gentle lilting music - exotic in tone, but very accessible groove-based jazz. Take Tony Allen and the urgency out of a 70s Fela recording, swap Yoruba for Amharic, add in a dose of melancholy melody and you’ve got it. Best served through a dusty gramophone on a humid veranda with cicadas and G&T.

Mulatu Astatke - Ene Alantchi Alnorem
Mulatu Astatke – Yekermo Sew (a minor-key version of "Song For My Father" by Horace Silver).
Mulatu Astatke – Tezeta
Mulatu Astatke – Yegelle Tezeta

In a similar vein here are some other nice tunes, with vocals, from the excellent Ethiopiques compilations:

Seyoum Gèbrèyès & Wallias Band - Mètch Ené Terf Fèlèghu
Hirut Bèqèlè & Police Orchestra - Ewnètègna Feqer
Alèmayèhu Eshèté & Shèbèlé's Band - Tashamanalètch
Ayaléw Mèsfin & Black Lion Band - Gedawo

While we’re on an Ethiopian theme I’d like to plug a couple great London places:

Lalibela – in Tufnell Park – is one of my favourite restaurants: rich food in a warm atmosphere with low tables and decorated walls. They have all the signature Ethiopian dishes and are by far the best of the 5 or so Ethiopian places I’ve tried in London and New York.

Menelik – on Caledonian road – is another restaurant although I’ve not eaten there. It’s special for the live music (Ethiopian torch songs over 80s synths with body-popping) and late closing on a Saturday night.

Every taxi driver I've ever had in Dallas has been Ethiopian.

Lascivious: '72 to '79

Can you overdose on strings? On luscious funked soul? Here are 10 of the best, collected with rich production, grooves and sweet longing in mind. Starts off with one of my all time favourite songs and just gets sweeter. So sweet that by the end you might just have to dig out some Dead Kennedys to stop the onset of diabetes.

Stevie Wonder - As - Songs in the Key of Life - 1976 (watch Theo Parrish eulogise)
Syreeta - To Know You Is To Love You - Syreeta - 1972
Leon Ware - Share Your Love - Musical Massage - 1976
Minnie Riperton - Reasons - Perfect Angel - 1974
Leroy Hutson - All Because of You - Hutson - 1975
Marvin Gaye - I Want You - I Want You - 1976
Norman Connors & The Starship Orchestra - Wouldn't You Like To See - This Is Your Life - 1977
Deniece Williams - How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away - This Is Niecy - 1976
Phyllis Hyman - Under Your Spell - You Know How To Love Me - 1979
Jean Carn - You Are All I Need - Jean Carn - 1977

Join the dots. Stevie of course needs no introduction. Syreeta was Mrs Stevie Wonder for two years. Niecy Williams made her breakthrough after successfully auditioning for Wonder when she was 26. She toured with him and also sang backing vocals for Minnie Riperton. Leon Ware sang with Minnie Riperton on several recordings including on songs from the same album as Share Your Love. He also co-wrote and produced Marvin Gaye's I Want You album. When Riperton was in Rotary Connection she worked with Phil Upchurch on guitar. He also adds the guitar to this Leroy Hutson track. Hutson was Donny Hathaway's room mate at university. Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack's 1980 album featured vocals from Stevie Wonder and Eleanore Mills. Eleanore Mills sings this Norman Connors tune and Jean Carn appears elsewhere on the same album. Connors also featured Phyllis Hyman on several records over the years, most notably You Are My Starship.