Thursday 31 December 2009

SoulNRnB's Street Sound Sessions 7



Happy 2010 to all of you!

Out with the old and in with the new.....specifically 10 tunes that will make up for any duff presents you got over the holiday period!

From a triumphant return of Reflection Eternal (What a sample, nice one Hi-Tek!), to great new tunes from Mary J Blige (That dosent seem to be on the LP and is better that anything on it IMO), to a blinding unreleased Donell Jones tune.

Thanks to all those wishing us the best, and keep visiting us to get the heads up on what's Soulful past, present and future.

6 minutes DJ Grizz your on!!

http://rapidshare.com/files/328529297/SoulNRnB_s_Street_Sound_Sessions_7.rar

Monday 28 December 2009

Mellow Mix Re-up

Apologies but appears that the 1st copy of 'Mellow Mix' was skipping and jumping in parts so I've deleted that one and 'remastered' and reposted a shiney new one for you to enjoy. At least remixing it gave me something to distract me from watching another loss by my underperforming West Ham Utd on the TV.


http://rapidshare.com/files/327033376/mellowg1.mp3

Tracklist remains as per below.

DJ Grizz- Mellow Groove Mix

Now I dunno about you but after all the activity of the last few weeks its about now I need to chill- whether its a long long 'lay in' or leaning back in my favorite armchair with a glass of Glenfiddich or just crashed out on the sofa with a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie!

Heres some of my fave 'Quiet Storm', 'Wind Down Zone', 'Mellow Groove' sublime laid back old soul 'n' jazz tunes. So just take some time and let the river of life flow over you.
See you in 2010 for loads more good-stuff from me and Mr SoulNRnB!
Grizz

Tracklist in comments


Thursday 24 December 2009

SoulNRnB's 11 Lp's of the Noughties YOU MUST OWN!


















So, 11 LP's huh? Yeah yeah, 11. Shoot me. It was hard enough getting it down to those.

I dont think theres much to say about the 11 LP's Ive picked except that:

A) You should own them.
B) There are no filler or half hearted attempts to round up the track numbers. Whilst you may not like every single track on these LP's, they are from the heart and artistically sound.
C) Having said that, I would happily listen to each of these LP's from begining to end.
D) Whatever Genre they belong to within Black Music, they are all Soulful.
In no particular Order:

The Rebirth - This Journey In - November 27, 2005
4 Hero - Play With the Changes - February 27, 2007
Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage - June 11, 2002
Masters at Work - Our time is coming - April 9, 2002
D'angelo - Voodoo - January 25, 2000
Eric Roberson - Left - June 27, 2007
Donnie - The Coloured Section - October 29, 2002
Slum Village - Fantastic Vol.2 - June 13, 2000
Jill Scott - Beautifully Human: Vol. 2 - August 31, 2004
Foreign Exchange - Leave it all Behind - October 14, 2008
Common - Like Water for Chocolate - March 28, 2000

So. Thats out the way. What I do have to mention are the nearly made its. The Other LP's that I just love that by all rights should be on a list of this type, but for personal reasons arn't.

I dont like a track. Dont like the Album cover. Not "Organic" enough. Too "Organic". Stupid ass shit that you have to nit-pick about so that you can make a list at all. These "Nearly made its" at least deserve a mention, not least so that those who don't own them can purchase them.

Angie Stone - Mahogany Soul
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show/The Listening
Blaze - Spiritually Speaking
Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun
Earth, Wind and Fire - Illumination
Musiq Soulchild - Aijuswanaseing/Soulstar
The Sunburst Band - Until the end of time
Slakah the Beatchild - Soul Movement
Frank Mccomb - The Truth Vol 1 & 2
Dwele - Subject
Anthony Hamilton - Aint Nobody Worrying
Angela Johnson - They Dont Know
Bilal - 1st Born Section
Visioneers - Dirty Old Hip Hop
Glenn Lewis - World outside my Window
Amp Fiddler - Waltz of a Ghetto Fly
Raheem Devaughn - The Love Experience
Leela James - A Change is gonna come
Jauguar Wright - Denials Delusions and Decisions
DJ Rogers JR - Ecosoul
Jamie Hawkins - Jamie Hawkins
and Im sure that theres more Ive forgotten......

Enjoy the mix below of tracks from my 11 top LP's, and if youve got spare Amazon/Itunes vouchers this holiday season, you cant go wrong with any of these LP's!

http://rapidshare.com/files/322563829/SoulNRnB_s_11_LPs_of_the_Noughties.rar

Tuesday 22 December 2009

DJ Grizz- Boogie Tunes Mix

Its the party season so it put me in mind to lay down some of those Soul, Jazz Funk, Philly type club tunes. The sort you'd hear 25-30 years ago at any self respecting underground Soul/JazzFunk club, party or weekender! Time to brush off those steps that time forgot!

I hear Mr SoulNRnB has been working on a wicked upfront ending to the year too, so keep tuned!

Grizz

http://rapidshare.com/files/324052857/boogietunes1.mp3

Tracklist in comments

Friday 18 December 2009




















All Soul Mixtape Readers:

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Xmas (or Holiday!) and a great new year. Thanks for visiting, and we hope well hear more from you in 2010!

To Our Favorite Blogs:

You know who you are, (Most are listed on here!) keep up the good work. Its Hard and unappreciated at times, but its all good. Seasons greetings to you and we'll be checking you out in 2010 too!

Grizz will be back next week with something special, and my last post of the year will be another Holiday Special of the Best LP's of the decade. STAY TUNED!


A Soulful Christmas to you all!

Tuesday 15 December 2009

DJ Grizz- Soulful Xmas

Now I dunno about you but all the so-called xmas pop classics that are played in every shop, cafe and pub at this time of year makes me wanna bang my head on the nearest wall. But don't worry fellow Soul-heads, theres some quality soul n jazz out there with a Xmas theme so heres a little mix of stuff i'll be listening to on the 25th whilst carving the turkey, shouting at the kids and waiting for the 'The Great Escape' to start.

Grizz

http://rapidshare.com/files/321259904/xmassoulmix.mp3

Tracklist in comments

Friday 11 December 2009

Holiday Special ONE: TOP 10 LP's of 2009 MIX



SoulNRnB's Top 10 LP's 2009


Here is my selection of the 10 LP's YOU MUST OWN of this year. Truth be told,recent years have not been great for soul LP's. Theres been a tendency for artists to move to Electro/Pop, and so real soul albums are hard to come by.


The last couple of years has seen the trend of looking back to the 60's for influences, and for more emphasis on groove rather than melody.
That being said, there are always LP's out there that soul lovers must own, andso this mix is a representation of this years best in no particular order save for my number one. Thats the best LP of the year in my opinion.
As Marcell from Marcell and the Truth said this year...."SOUL IS THE NEW HIP HOP." Soul music is Underground but its followers are passionate. Its cool to love Soul music dontacha know?


10. Eric Roberson - Music Fan First
Ive always been a big fan of Eric, and this LP was widely anticipated by all soul lovers.He writes great melodies, has a soulful voice and turn of phrase, and is an honest to godall round artist. Independant too, so add buisinessman!Whilst I didnt think this LP was as rounded as "LEFT", its still a must haveand contains great tunes like "Newness", "Borrow You" and "Howard Girls". His duet with Lalah Hathaway is a peach too. A must purchase!


9. N'Dambi - Pink Elephant
Truth be told, Ive enjoyed and respected N'Dambi's previous LP's rather than Loved them. She has a wonderful voice, and a good ear for grooves but I haven't "felt" a complete LP of hers. Until now. Maybe its the input from the great Leon Sylvers (a personal hero from his SOLAR days), maybe its a development in songwriting.....maybe its just me being an ass. Who knows!What I do know is that this LP is one of the years best with the cheeky "Cant Hardly Wait", the topical "L.I.E", Soulful "Take it out" and "Nobody Jones". Looking forward to her next LP thats for sure! Quality SOUL.


8. 4Hero - Extensions
Only 4Hero could get a "remix" project on a top 10 list. Well, thats a lie....(see later)...they are in a handful of artists that could get a remix project on this list. Mainly because this aint a remix project per se, but an interpretation of some of thier tunes by modern Nu Jazz artists,signed and unsigned.


No shortchanging the fans here.


By the nature of this kind of project, there will be some tracks where you prefer the original. But thats not the point. These are interpretations...EXTENTIONS....and so bask in the greatness of tracks like SKO's version of "Universal Love". It makes you appreciate the original whilst enjoying the new twist. Open your mind, ears and purchase!


7. Michael Olatuja - Speak
This man came out of nowhere for me, and what a pleasant suprise. Some great UK vocalists like Lynden David Hall (R.I.P) and Terri Walker along with musical stylings from all over the globe. Lyrics move from English to other languages, music moves from Soul to Jazz to Afro....class.Highlights for me are the percussion led afro tune "Ma Fova", the midtempo jazz/soul tunes "Little Sister" and "Unconditional", and the haunting downtempo tune "Le Jardin" with a touch of the Stevie's about it.


6. Marsha Ambrosius - Yours Truly
Dont actually know if this ever got a proper release, but this is probably the best R&B LP of the year. Never been a Big Fan of Floetry, more respected than loved thier tunes, but they did write the only great Michael Jackson song of his latter period, Butterflies. As for this LP, its quality R&B.
"Co-star" is a great soul tune, "Cloud 9" the closest to a collabo with 4Hero and a left field grower, and then theres "I lost you", "Impossible", "Forget about you" and "Sunshine" which are all excellent. Guest spots from Little Brother and Busta Rhymes for that hip hop flavour too.


5. Ryan Leslie - Transition
Probably my hardest choice on here, mainly because Im a musical snob a I really didnt want to like this LP. Ryan is definately talented, especially as a writer and producer. But to be fair hes not the greatest vocalist in the world.
BUT - Like the Marsha Ambrosius LP, this has great moments of modern R&B. Ryan writes nice hooks and soulful melodies. He also dosent stetch too much vocally, which works for him. He incorporates organic instruments into modern R&B grooves, which is refreshing.
Out of all these notes Ive written, this may seem the most negative, but remember, this things on my top 10 of the year. And thats because tunes like "Your not my girl", "Zodiac" and "Promise not to call" are catchy R&B tunes whilst "Rescue Me" is an instant classic in my opinion.


4.Jiva - Reloved and Reloving
Like the 4Hero LP, this is another remix project, albeit with some classy remixers like Louie Vega. From the great Jiva remix of "The Dove" featuring Julie Dexter which floats on some great bass work and feels like summer 1978, to Tom & Joyce laying down some vocals on "Stars", to a great guest spot from Anthony David on the "50/50" remix (With a great Latin Vibe), this was another great project that sits alongside the 4Hero project as more than a remix LP.


3.Marwan - Immortal
Cross Dwele with Jamie Hawkins, and you have the feel of the majority of tunes on this LP. "I got you" has a great Dwele feel,whilst "Aint Nobody Better" could have been a cut off that aforementioned unreleased Jamie Hawkins gem of an LP.


Great guest spots from Patrice on the old school "If you want it", and Ezra on down tempo jam called "Follow me". Tempo is definately slower than others on this list, but Marwans vocals are very good, and this is nice soulful listening music. And the Title track is a potential modern rare groove IMO.


2.Excellent Gentlemen - Just say yes
From the organic and Funky "Yeah Yeah Yeah", coming over like a Rebirth track, to the Clinton/Zapp Like Vocoder led "Get Down Baby", great modern soul track "You Gotta Believe", old school good time mid-tempo hand clapper with a modern twist "All in time", to the soulful "Remember your Love". Diverse, organic, and most importantly soulful in a way that few of the other LP's of this year were.


1. Slakah the Beatchild - The Soul Movement


LP of the year. No doubt.
Heres the cocktail. One part Jay Dee. A splash of 4Hero. A touch of ATCQ.
Where to start? "Crate Love" with Divine Brown is a Jay Dee like soul joint with some great vocals, "The answer" feat. Melanie Durrant is Latin Hip hop, "Share" is like a Tribe called Quest/Jay Dee produced joint and is TOO SHORT! "B Boy Beef" reminds me of a Marc Mac production, as does "A way". "Its all good" is Neo Soul at its best.


And theres more. Even when he tries his hand at a rock track, its like a Police outtake and you could be sure that Stewart Copeland was on drums. There are Hip hop beats and more full blown tunes and I would urge you to pick this LP up as its SLEPT ON.


LP of the year 2009, for sure.

Nearly made its....Maxwell, whos LP had moments, but there was something missing for me, and I cant put my finger on it yet. Want to love the LP cause the mans doing his own thing, but........Marcell and The Truth came out with a quality soul LP which almost made this list. Marcells vocal's are quality, and thier sound is refreshing, but there wasnt a jam on the lp that I LOVED. Thats not to say you wont, and Ive got a feeling I'll regret this as the LP could be a grower....Ayah's 4:15, Produced by this years hero Slakah, was also a quality release....


BIG DISAPPOINTMENTS. Angie. What have you done?? My Neo Soul goddess...why make a pop LP??? And as for you Alicia Keys....your more talented than this! The world has Beyonce and Lady Gaga....why go to the dark side??

Below is the link to my mix of a selection from the above LP's. Support the artists!!

http://rapidshare.com/files/317988296/The_Soul_Mixtapes_TOP_10_LPs_of_2009.rar

Sunday 6 December 2009

DJ Grizz- Uplifting Soul

We are coming to the end of a difficult year for many what with the credit crunch, jobs losses, rising prices, floods etc. Especially if like me you sat in the rain and watched your beloved but floundering West Ham FC get stuffed by Man Utd at the weekend. Hence I'd thought we'd end 2009 on a positive note with a mix of some uplifting 70's soul and rare grooves!

Don't forget- you only live once but if you do it right, once is enough!!

http://rapidshare.com/files/317430191/upliftsoul.mp3

Grizz

Tracklist in comments



Friday 4 December 2009

SoulNRnB Loves the 80's TWO

















In readiness for the Holiday/Party Season, my last 80's mix before the upcoming specials. "Hosted" by Grandmaster Flash, revel in tunes from the S.O.S band, Change, Skyy and more..............

Looking through the blog, we have 60's, 80's, 90's and up to date covered. MR GRIZZ!!! A 70's Mix please!! (We have got a plethora of Rare Groove from the 70's to keep you happy meantime. Do a search!)

Grizz to come mid-week, see you next weekend.

http://rapidshare.com/files/307787448/SoulNRnB_Loves_the_80_s_TWO.rar

Tuesday 1 December 2009

DJ Grizz- 60's Soul Mix

As I promised a little detour back to the roots of soul music with some corking tunes. Now I don't profess to be an expert in this area, being more of a 70's guy, and there are plenty of Northern guys out there who really know their onions but I've a few crates worth of 60's stuff and I certainly know what I like!! So go ahead-try it, you may like it!

Grizz

Tracklist in comments