Music Reviews: Soul Jazz

Like Song Cycle, Van Dyke Parks' ambitious 1967 debut, Lotti Golden's 1969 debut Motor-Cycle flopped when first released, but over the years both have gained cult followings and now finally Golden's gets a well-deserved reissue courtesy High Moon Records.The comparison may seem bizarre to anyone familiar with both (the "cycle" in both album titles has nothing to do with it), but as record biz tragi-stories they are surprisingly similar, though... Read More

One of the most fanatical groups of record collectors to emerge in the past decade are the (primarily western) devotees of a genre of Japanese popular music from the late 1970s and 80s, dubbed retroactively as ‘City Pop.’ City Pop, or in Japanese Shiti poppu (no I am not making that up), comprises a musical collective of soft rock, soul, R&B, funk, and disco artists whose rise in popularity and output mirrors the economic boom of the late 70s that transformed... Read More

Gil Scott-Heron’s Pieces Of A Man shouldn’t be relevant anymore. That is, it shouldn’t have to be relevant anymore, but it unfortunately still is. Since its 1971 release, its themes of racism, poverty, addiction, and the slight hope for a better future have retained a visceral urgency; partly because of Scott-Heron’s brilliant lyrics and powerful performances, and also because over 50 years later, the issues he wrote about continually worsen.Released on producer Bob... Read More