Jazz FM - Nu Cool - (1998)

Jazz FM Records ‎– JAZZFMCD09

This is a brilliant release packed with fantastic songs. It was later re-released on the Hed Kandi label, which itself was purchased by Ministry Of Sound, I believe?

Highlights for me include Nuyorican Soul's Rotary Connection cover 'I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun', Camelle Hinds' sublime 'Saulsalito Calling', Jamiroquai 'Blow Your Mind', Urban Species 'Spiritual Love' (this is the better version of it, strangely missing from the single), Leena Conquest's 'Boundaries' as featured elsewhere here, Mother Earth 'Jesse' and the superb Curtis Mayfield cover 'The Other Side Of Town' by Julian Joseph featuring Sharon Musgrave, which gives the haunting original a more upbeat feel.

And by listing those I'm doing the others a disservice. There's not a bad track here so enjoy!

Tracklist CD1

1. Nuyorican Soul - I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun 5:16
2. Camelle Hinds - Saulsalito Calling 4:02
3. Jamiroquai - Blow Your Mind 8:34
4. Nite Flyte - Coast To Coast (Extended Club Mix) 7:07
5. Hit The Boom - Here Comes The Sun 5:25
6. Blacknuss Feat. Robyn, Joshua* & Abel - Roll With Me 5:11
7. Drizabone - The Last Time 5:30
8. Soundscape UK With Rita Campbell - I'll Be Around 4:03
9. S-Tone Inc. - Time 4:58
10. Down To The Bone - Staten Island Groove 7:02
11. The Quiet Boys Feat. Camelle Hinds - Everybody Loves The Sunshine  5:25
12. Freedom Or Not - In The City 5:29

Tracklist CD2

1. Erykah Badu - Next Lifetime 6:30
2. Urban Species - Spiritual Love 5:12
3. Morcheeba - Part Of The Process 4:26
4. Greg Frank - Live And Love 3:57
5. Leena Conquest - Boundaries (Radio Edit) 4:12
6. Dust - Donna 5:25
7. Ohm Guru - Never Be There 6:31
8. Vanessa Rubin - Gotta B Everything 5:45
9. Julian Joseph Feat. Sharon Musgrave - The Other Side Of Town 5:40
10. Mother Earth - Jesse 5:02
11. Folasade - Eyes On The Prize 4:45
12. Anthea - Don't Explain 3:59
13. Rad. - Elboy 5:05
14. Four 80 East - Table For Two 4:30

Download: JFM-NC.7z | Filesize: 285.5MB

Steven Simmonds - Tears Never Dry - (1998)

Rhythm Series – CDRHYTHM 14, Parlophone – 7243 8 86116 2 6

Note - I originally posted this back in June 2012, but now re-upping in glorious 320! Enjoy!

Wow. This is such a badass, sexy track. You get the impression that poor Stephen Simmonds had been dumped by his woman when these tracks were recorded. He's really taking it hard, and beating himself up for having screwed up. Still, his pain seems to make for good music, and so we have the tracks Tears Never Dry featuring popular Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson, and One, which is track two (heh). Tears Never Dry is a catchy, nice little slice of pop soul. One is a man vs piano slow jam of repentance that's a little too self absorbed for me.

No disrespect to tracks one and two, but skip 'em and head straight into track three: the Soul Inside Mix. It's perfection. Dodge brings something really special to the table, and turns a good song into a f***ing great one. Better bassline, better beat, and you've got to love that mournful guitar. It's wicked (I'm sure that's Ronnie Jordan, considering his ties with the DCP boys, but he's not credited).  Anyway, this remix really brings the track to seductive, moody life, and is so good that I will always go straight for it.

Stephen Simmonds, big up your naughty, got caught cheating behind your girls back, chest.

By the way, his album Spirit Tales, which is the only other release I have by him, is excellent, and comes highly recommended by me.

Here's an artist bio stolen from LastFM:

Stephen Simmonds is a Swedish Alternative Soul recording artist, son of a Jamaican musician Father and Swedish Mother was raised in the south of Stockholm, the United States and Israel.

After completing a high-school education at the Stockholm music school Södra Latin, Swedish producer Peter Cartriers heard of Stephens talent in 1995 and invited him to his studio in Stockholm where they made a demo that first attracted the attention of a Swedish indie label and then secured a record deal with the UK major label Parlophone/EMI Music as well as Priority Records in the US. Stephen wrote and Peter produced Stephens first critically acclaimed and 5 times Grammy nominated album “Alone” (the album was re-mixed and re-named “Spirit Tales” for his UK and US release) and Stephen Simmonds had his breakthrough in 1997 with the hit “Tears Never Dry” a duet with Swedish superstar Lisa Nilsson that quickly became the most played track on radio that year.

Since then his talent has brought him to the US and the UK where he has collaborated with renowned artists such as Raphael Saadiq, Masters At Work and Mica Paris. His US release “Spirit Tales” was highly recommended by Prince and the New Power Generation on their official website.

He has performed for Stevie Wonder and Amnesty and he is the only Swedish artist who has been reviewed in the Quincy Jones founded Soul and R&B bible Vibe Magazine.

PS - I think there are some other mixes of this floating around, which I've never heard, so if you have these, why not share the love with us?

Tracklist

1. Tears Never Dry
2. One
3. Tears Never Dry (Soul Inside Mix)

Download: SS-TND.7z | Filesize: 33.6MB

Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (1998)

Cooltempo Records CDCOOL 333

Kym says: This is another 320 re-up of a Mick original post from back in the day. New rips, fresh scans. Enjoy.

Lynden David Hall, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist: Born in Wandsworth, South London, 7 May 1974; married; died London 14 February 2006. He won the 'Best Newcomer' accolade at the 1998 MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards. Hall appeared in the hit film Love Actually in 2003, where he sang at the wedding of the characters played by Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The 1997 debut album Medicine 4 My Pain made an unprecedented impact on the discerning tastes of the Brit-Soul fraternity being one of the earlier works to get tagged Neo Soul.

Lynden helped pioneer a domestic live arena for British R&B acts, his 1998 highly-publicised headlining shows in Johannesburg and Durban additionally broke interesting new international ground for a contemporary UK soul act. In 1999, he was the first U.K. performer ever voted "Best Male Artist" by the readers of Britain's Blues & Soul magazine. Medicine For My Pain, as well as the singles Do I Qualify and Sexy Cinderella, had an instant appeal to soul fans in the UK and elsewhere, but it was not until his work got the remix treatment that he got his major breakthrough. Hall was, without doubt, the undisputed King of contemporary UK soul. Crescent Moon was the third single from the album, remixed for 1998 by Dodge for Inside (UK) and Cutfather & Joe (US)

Kym's take: I dig the Album Version, St Anne's Jamdown and the 12" Extended Disco Mix. Ain't no disco about that one though!

Tracklist

1. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (Album Version)
2. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (C&J Stripped Mix)
3. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (St. Anne's Jamdown Mix)
4. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (12" Extended Disco Mix)
5. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (Raw Dawg Mix)
6. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (C&J Long Version)
7. Lynden David Hall - Crescent Moon (Radio Edit)

 Download: LDH-CM.7z | Filesize: 73.3MB

D'Angelo - Always in My Hair (Scream 2 Promo) (1998)

Buena Vista International (UK) Ltd. ‎– MOVM17/6/98

A quick and dirty post for you my Soulistas: D'Angelo with a rare, full length version of his cover of Prince's Always In My Hair.

This is a four track promo CD for the movie Scream 2, multimedia section not included. I've never seen the film and I can't even remember exactly where I got this promo CD from now. It says Total Film in the album title - I expect I saw D'Angelo on there at random and impulse purchased it.

There's an okay Jon Spencer Blues Explosion track if you fancy going off-piste, but tracks 3 & 4 are... not for me. Yuck. :D

The first track, however, is D'Angelo at his Voodoo era best, rocking it out with the dopest Prince cover I've ever heard. It sounds like it really belongs on Voodoo and I can imagine it being one of the tracks that didn't quite make the cut. This DL is essential for this one track, even if you delete the rest.

Here's the Discogs entry https://www.discogs.com/Various-Multimedia-And-Audio-CD-Scream-2/release/6538608

Enjoy!

Tracklist

1. D'Angelo - She's Always In My Hair
2. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Right Place Wrong Time
3. Everclear - The Swing
4. Less Than Jake - I Think I Love You

Download: Scream 2 Multimedia & Audio Promo.7z | Filesize: 31.3MB