Leftfield " Leftism " .....a great article from BBC celebrating the best album I worked on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39870759?SThisFB

I signed Leftfield and the creation of " Leftism " was just incredible....I knew that Neil and Paul were making a GREAT album

The Gorillaz new album "Humanz " may be their best yet

Greetings everyone.......The Soul Guru here to talk Gorilllaz ,not Gorillas as much as I love them .
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's virtual art/funk/rap project is one of the most innovative musical/visual projects I've ever seen......truly unique and outstanding . The cartoon characters featured in the videos are are Noodle, 2-D, Murdoc and Russell Hobbs.

" Clint Eastwood " ,Produced by Dan The Automator ,remains a Soul Guru top tune,released in 2001....the video is a classic featuring Del The Funky Homosapien

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclCCFNG9q4

Their debut album " The Gorillaz " was released shortly after featuring " 19-2000 " , another tune I really like with another brilliant video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq7Ovshz1UI

May 2005 saw the release of " Demon Days "....a reallly excellent album featuring " Dirty Harry another great tune with a BRILLIANT video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLnkQAeMbIM

My favourite track is Dare featuring the GREAT Shaun Ryder and this amazing video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAOR6ib95kQ

Then came "  Plastic Beach " featuring Snoop Dog,Bobby Womack,Mos Def,Lou Reed ,Mark E Smith,Kano, Bashy,DeLa Soul and more......it's another great album....here's " Welcome To The World Of Plastic Beach " featuring Snoop...he's SO cool !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OVD0_YJnU

In 2012 Albarn and Hewlett fell out...making the possibilty of new music from The Gorillaz unlikely...but of course never say never in the music biz and today " Humanz " was made available and it has been well worth the wait !
The album features De La Soul,Grace Jones, Rag " n" Bone Man, Vince Staples,Noel Gallagher , Pusha T and more .
The single " Sturnz Bars " featuring Popcaan is really great as is the video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJp6xlKEug

Ascension featuring Vince Staple is equally brilliant :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBA0PUQCvIA

WRITING ABOUT THE GORILLAZ,LISTENING TO THEIR MUSIC AND WATCHING THEIR VIDEOS HAS MADE ME REALISE JUST HOW UNIQUE AND BRILLIANT THEY ARE.....LISTEN TO HUMANZ NOW ON SPOTIFY

The Soul Guru Loves YOU xx

Jessie Reyez...where did she come from ? She's amazing !

Hello dear friends,believers,non-believers and " just don't give a fuck " folk....regardless I come bearing great news !
Even my age - 125 in thetanyears ) I am still enthralled and excited by great new music.....and this week I heard a new female artist who I believe is truly outstanding.....ladies and gentlemen I give you Jessie Reyez whose debut album " Kiddo " appeared this week and it is magnificent !

I don't know much about her except she's a singer/songwriter from Toronto and her album was made available on Friday .

It's a very deep album.....just listen to and watch the video to " Shutter Island " ( what a great book that is and the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7_BJveYMF4

" Figures " is another track fro " Kiddo "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLUj1Mrars

I need to know more about Jessie Reyez because her music is really fresh, passionate and truly outstanding....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The Soul Guru loves YOU
xx

Kendrick Lamaar " Damn "

Just over a year ago I wrote about Kendrick about his latest album

http://thesoulguru.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-soul-guru-recommends-kendrick.html

Previously I'd written about " To Pimp A Butterfly " which remains one of my favourite contemporary albums .

Yesterday Kendrick released his new album " Damn " preceded by the outstanding single " Humble "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTRZJ-4EyI

Compared to Kanye West Kendrick wipes the floor with an artist whose music I find vacuous and purely ego-driven.....and that's being complimentary .
Since " To Pimp A Butterfly " Kendrick has been compared to Marvin Gaye ,John Coltrane and even Mahatma  Ghandi which is clearly unfair on such a young artist . Maybe as an attempt to redress the balance he did guest appearances on tracks by Beyonce ,Kanye West,Sia and incredibly Maroon 5 !

So we come to " Damn "....which i-tunes described as a " grab-you-by-the-throat thats as blunt,complex and unfliching as the name suggests "....I couldn't have put it better myself

If you're interested in contemporary Black Music " Damn " is essential listening and Kendrick Lamar is an artist at the peak of his powers .

The Soul Guru loves YOU xx

Jo Harman ... a great talent !

Good morning disciples ,believers ,,non-believers and just " don't knows " welcome to this week's edition of " Music For The Soul ". Today I want to tell you about a great English SOUL/blues/gospel talent whose new album " People We Become " is truly outstanding .

I was introduced to Jo's music by a great friend who I signed to Virgin Records a few years ago....another lady with a great voice...Eugenie Arrowsmith who is currently making some terrific new music with her husband ,the supremely gifted Pepps Pepper . Once there's something I can share with you I will.

So who is Jo Harman ? She was born in Luton but raised in that well-known hotbed of SOUL music....Lustleigh in Devon . The Soul Guru grew up in rural Gloucestershire, Alice Russell in Suffolk and Jo in Devon.......we all share a love of SOUL music .....I think it was something in the country air that lead us to live SOUL lives !

After releasing her debut album " Live At The Hideaway " in 2011 it was her debut studio album " Dirt On My Tongue " that started to make the British Blues community take notice of a prodigious new voice .
The beautiful track written about her father " Sweet Man Moses " was nominated for Best Composition at 2012's British Blues Awards but to these ears it's a great SOUL song....here's link to the track on youtube .....ENJOY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYMIi8LyBzM

In February this year Jo released her stunning album " People We Become " which is the album Eugenie played me.....it's a  really outstanding SOUL album recorded in Nashville Tennessee with Producer  Fred Mollin . This quote from Jo's biog perfectly describes the sound " full of upright piano, Rhodes, unaffected bursts of electric guitar  and the SOULFUL sweep of Jo's vocal " " People We Become " is bringing Jo and her music to much wider audience .

The debut single " When We Were Young " ,featuring the legendary Michael McDonald on backing vocals , was playlisted on Radio 2......here's link to the video ,it's a fabulous song that shows just what a great SOUL voice Jo has

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyWw7ixwKjs

As Jo said " I've learned how to express myself a bit better , and to convincingly put across the stories I'm telling "

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Jo live yet but I'm sure I will sooner rather than later as I'm told she's absolutely brilliant .
If you like great SOUL songs beautifully played and sung then Jo Harman's " People We Become " is HIGHLY recommended.....listen on Spotify then buy on i-tunes or CD .

The Soul Guru loves YOU xx

John Legend is the " new " Marvin Gaye

Good morning disciples,believers,non-believers,sceptics and just " don't knows "....welcome to The Soul Guru's " Music For The Soul " ....not just about SOUL music but about music that touches my Soul .
Today's subject does just that....in fact I think he is the " new " Marvin Gaye.....Marvin is my hero,my idol my inspiration so I don't say that lightly . He's also a fine actor too who is great inLa La Land .

Originally I didn't pay him much attention ,thinking he was just another SOUL lover-man whose music was lightweight and insubstantial but in the years since the release of his debut album " Get Lifted " he has matured into a truly great artist who sings songs of social injustice for African Americans in the USA .....his latest album " Darkness And Light " is a great contemporary SOUL album ...but more of that later .

The first time I realised what a great artist he is was when I listened to his album  in collaboration with The Roots " Wake Up " which included covers of seminal SOUL songs .Inspired by the 2008 US Presidential election and includes covers of some of the great 60's and 70's SOUL songs including Marvin's " Wholy Holy " , Donny Hathaway's " Little Ghetto Boy " , and the brilliant " Hard Times " by Baby Huey and The Babysitters ( what a great name for a band ! ) . Here's a great live performance with The Roots and Black Thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxMm0lYx08

If you haven't heard the album I urge you to listen.....it's a classic .

2013's " Love In The Future "  is another good album ,executive Produced by John,Kanye West and Dave Tozer I like it but found it a bit disappointing overall.....here the video to the first singlr from the album " Who Do We Think We Are " featuring Rick Ross

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYrpNHQ6hg

This brings me to his latest album " Darkness and Light " released in December 2016 . I really LOVE this album !
John Legend has an amazing SOUL voice ,he sounds better on each album . Featuring collaborations with Chance The Rapper , Brittany Howard and Miquel this is his best album so far .
Here's  " Penthouse Floor " featuring Chance The Rapper :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHdBsQFcYrw

The album's first single " Love Me Now " is a beautiful song with great lyrics and outstanding Production by Blake Mills and John Ryan....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmCFY1oYDeM

The more I listen the more I love the album

John and Common collaborated on the Grammy Award winning " Glory " from Selma....a truly GREAT collaboration  from a GREAT movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZOKvYcx_o

John's career as an actoe is not to overlooked as those of us who have seen La La Land know but this is a post about John Legend's music career....a LEGEND of contemporary SOUL music

The Soul Guru loves YOU xx

Thundercat' s new album " Drunk " is exceptional

Welcome believers,non-believers,sceptics and just " don't knows " to another post from The Soul Guru
Over the past month I've been listening to Thundercat's new album " Drunk " a lot.....and each time I listen I like it more .
Thundercat ( Stephen Bruner ) is a multi-talented musician ( bass player par excellence ) , vocalist and Producer whose list of credits is as long as both my arms but is most well known for his work with Kendrick Lamar,Erykah Badu and Flying Lotus .
He was also in seminal thrash metal band Suicidal Tendencies.....but I haven't a clue what they sound like !

" Drunk " is his finest work to date ,featuring collaborations with the legendary Michael McDonald and Hawaiian shirt expert Kenny Loggins on " Show You The Way "....here it is ( please let me know if these links work ) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62EmHhZSjEI

My favourite track is " Walk On By " featuring the best MC in the world ....Kendrick Lamar , here it is :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV8HYokDWeE

Thundercat has collaborated with Kendrick before,winning a Grammy for " Best Rap/Sung Collaboration " for "These Walls " with Bilal and Anna Crane from Kendricks brilliant " To Pimp A Butterfly " album . Here it is :

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kendrick+lamar+these+walls

His collaborations with Erykah Badu on " New Amerykah  Part One " ....4th World War ( 2008 ) and " New Amerykah Part Two " ..." Return Of The Ankh "( 2010 ) are both exceptional .
He also Produced 2 tracks on Mac Miller's " GO.OD AM " album including " Brand Name :...here it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuCyrtGQhAk

I urge you to take time to listen to Thundercat's new album " Drunk "....it's well worth it

The Soul Guru loves YOU xx

A MESSAGE FROM THE SOUL GURU .....IF YOU'RE READING THIS AND HAVEN'T " LIKED " THE SOUL GURU'S FACEBOOK PAGE PLEASE DO NOW....IT TAKES 10 SECONDS TO CLICK....PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @THESOULGURU