The debut album from UK sensation Rox Tataei truly lives up to its name. This is indeed a warts-and-all exposé of her romantic history so far.  From regret over the one that got away (‘Heart Ran Dry’) to recounting the unhinged antics of her current beau’s ex-girlfriend- a menace to the happiness of her relationship (hidden track ‘Gallais’), Rox does not hold back.

Such honesty can provoke one of two reactions from the listener-either it isolates us because it’s all a little too personal or it endears us to the artist, as if we’re being let into their confidence.  In this instance it’s a case of the latter, thanks to Rox’ lovely alchemy of memorable melodies and well-crafted lyrics.

This is a pop/soul record with emphatic stress on the ‘pop’.  However this is good, splendidly arranged pop, pop with substance-an increasingly rare occurrence these days.  Several of Memoirs songs could be released as singles; not an easy feat to achieve.

Lyrically, Rox displays sagacity beyond her years; there’s very little in the way of trite, throwaway lines. The poetic astuteness of tracks such as ‘Page Unfolds’, ‘My Baby Left Me’ and ‘Forever Always Wishing’ give rise to a few, ‘Wow, I wish I wrote that’ moments.  Vocally, she is quite the powerhouse too.

It’s reassuring to hear a strong female vocalist from the UK who isn’t going the way of the bland, forgettable pop that Leona Lewis churns out most of the time.  Rox demonstrates that there is an alternative route for young women with powerful voices who have their sights set on mainstream success but don’t wish to specialise in the anodyne ballad.

Miss Tataei is blessed to have a soprano that behaves so consistently throughout its range; her chest voice has a lot of body whilst her falsetto/head voice retains such clarity and nimbleness.  Rox also brings theatricality to her singing that harks back to a time when the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Barbra Streisand were doing the same.  The lyrics tell only half the story; she colours in the rest of the detail with nuance of tone and expressive vocal quirks.

The bleak subject matter of most of Memoirs coats the album in a layer of tristesse that is difficult to shake.  I had to resist the urge to sob on the first few listens of gorgeous ’90s-style heart breaker ‘Oh, My’.  But perhaps it’s this sincerity and openness that will help set Rox apart from some of her peers.  After all, for better or for worse, the likes of Mary J Blige and Amy Winehouse have carved out very successful careers peddling tales of woe so why not Rox?

Still, it might be too early to label her as just another chanteuse of misery; there’s every indication on Memoirs that she could go any direction she chooses.  Rox makes a very strong impression with her debut without it threatening to eclipse everything she does in future; it’s simply a taste of what’s to come.  As she continues to tap into her potential, I for one eagerly await what she’ll do next.

–Tola Ositelu

Memoirs is out now via Rough Trade Records.

Clue yourself up on ROX in our interview:

The name of good ’80s music has too often been taken in vain of late with many wannabes riding the retro bandwagon.  They abuse the synth by over-use, totally missing the point of what made that particular decade stand out – its diversity and, more importantly, its innovation. Yet once in a while you hear something that evinces the spirit of the last musical golden age so accurately you could mistake it for a recently discovered long-lost ’80s gem.

Broken Bells’ delicious self-titled electro-indie debut – the love child of producer Danger Mouse and Shins frontman James Mercer – is such a record.  Try to pin down its influences to a single source and you come unstuck; there are just so many overlaps.  

This is, however, in no way a criticism. At under 40 minutes long, ‘Broken Bells’ is a succinct and wholly satisfying sample of superior songwriting and excellent production completely sympathetic to the compositions it brings to life.

You are reminded that it is Danger Mouse’s ability to push himself creatively without letting vainglory get in the way of doing a song justice, that helped make Gnarls Barkley’s St Elsewhere the modern masterpiece that it is.  Mercer combines songwriting prowess with vocals that are at once confident and vulnerable.  The result is surprisingly moving.

Broken Bells opens triumphantly with the anthem-like single ‘High Road’ – a wonderful fusion of melodic rock sensibility and Hip Hop percussion.  It succeeds in a similar way to Coldplay’s ‘Lost’ in that it has the potential to be a fist-in-the-air stadium favourite that brings together fans of seemingly disparate genres.

Follow up single ‘The Ghost Inside’ – its bassline bearing a strong resemblance to that of Janet Jackson’s underrated party jam ‘Go Deep’ – is another slice of perfectly-executed, credible, radio-friendly pop/rock.

‘Sailing to Nowhere’ sounds like a demented waltz-cum-lullaby but in the best possible way; as if Lewis Carroll himself would choose it as the soundtrack to some of Alice’s misadventures.  Its gorgeous, stringed denouement is the calm after the storm.

The sense of isolation depicted in the epic ‘Citizen’ is captured expertly in the beleaguered strumming of beautifully melancholic chords on the acoustic guitar. It would be good to hear this one live with a cameo appearance from Peter Gabriel; his voice comes to mind for some reason.

The final two tracks ‘The Mall & Misery’ and ‘Mongrel Heart’ (which reflects some of the rhythmic urgency of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’) are the most reminiscent of a much-missed bygone era.  It’s as if Mercer’s plaintive yet defiant vocals have been building up to this point lest the listener be in any doubt they’ve just experienced something quite special.

The elegiac organ and bass duet that draws ‘The Mall & Misery’ to a close tugs at your heart just that little bit more.  An entirely fitting, if doleful, way to end an album that very aptly honours its musical forbears.

–Tola Ositelu

Broken Bells debut self-titled album is out now via Columbia Records.

You could be forgiven for assuming, at first glance, that singer/songwriter Matt Goodman – better known as Matti Roots - thinks he’s too cool for school.  We’re sitting in one of the many eateries that dot the plush new shopping plaza in London’s Victoria. Sporting shades, a number one, designer stubble and a cucumber demeanour, Roots looks quite the archetypal Blues man.

The dark glasses stay on for the duration of our interview, Matti only removing them momentarily to reveal large hazel eyes with cow-lashes. Still, although he might look the part he thankfully doesn’t have the Rock’n’Roll ego.  Relaxed whilst tucking into Wasabi peas (after first offering me some), Matti turns out to be quite the easy-going conversationalist, seasoning his anecdotes with cheeky wit and pearly-white smiles.

A classically trained pianist since the tender age of three he later picked up his brother’s saxophone at 12, eventually mastering that too.  Neither of his parents were music aficionados according to Roots and he was raised on a pop diet of the Beatles, Elton John and Neil Diamond as well as the classical music he discovered learning the piano.  It was at secondary school that he was introduced to Jazz greats such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and John Coltrane and his appetite for the genre grew.  This must have come in handy when Matti went on to compose instrumentals for Big Bands.  Dalliance with more contemporary production came with the ’90s DnB and Garage crazes.

“I used to sit at the computer making tunes,”  he tells SoulCulture. “Sampling, messing around and just coming up with sonic constructions basically. Not 100% sure why I was doing it but I was inspired by music around me and wanted to make stuff.  I then got into production more seriously and started working with ‘singers’ – in inverted commas…”

Come again? That’s a loaded statement. Matti grins conspiratorially before giving a very diplomatic response. “There were some good ones and there were some who would be good in time.”  He continues, “I learned a lot working with singers; the way they approached writing a song over an instrumental, their points of reference.  I always wanted to write melodies especially playing saxophone.  It’s a frontline instrument; it plays the melody, it sits on top of everything else.  So it wasn’t an unnatural transition to songwriting.  In terms of singing, I always sang but never on the microphone.  It just kind of happened.”

As ever, necessity is the mother of all invention.  Constantly being let down by whimsical vocalists forced Matti to tap into his latent abilities. “I worked with these singers who for one reason or the other were really unreliable.  I got to a point that I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t meshing with the people I was working with. I thought, I might as well do it myself and see.  And so I did and people started saying, ‘That’s all right, you know.  You don’t actually sound bad’.”

Listening to Matti, vocal-wise you will hear strong traces of D’Angelo and his musical progenitor, a certain Mr Rogers Nelson whom Matti sees as a kindred spirit in terms of ‘how he feels music’.  Roots also cites Fela Kuti, James Brown and Joni Mitchell as inspirations and his musical palette takes him on a sonic Safari everywhere from Latin America to India.   I ask if he ever feels pressure to represent these styles in his own work.

“Sometimes I wish I could condense every bit of music that excites me into one thing and create it. Maybe that’s what I’m on a quest to do at the moment.  I get different things from different types of music.  If I’m listening to a particular composer or artist – their emphasis might be on harmonies, on rhythm, instrumentation or lyrical content.  There are many aspects to feed on which is why I’m so interested in different types of music.  I hope to evolve gradually and be able to express those influences at some point.”

Matti is one of those irritatingly adept folk who take to multiple instruments like the proverbial duck to water.  In addition to the piano and saxophone he plays guitar and drums ‘very badly’, he claims (yeah, right).  However it’s the piano that’s his instrument of choice. “A keyboard is an orchestra at your fingertips,” he explains. “I love that you can buy a synthesiser and it’s just got thousands of sounds on it.  Because my skills on the keyboard are quite proficient, I can take any sound, replicate it and it just opens up a world of music.”

Judging from the blurb on his MySpace, Matti is very keen to preserve the craftsmanship in his songs that is missing from a lot of today’s mainstream. In a 2009 interview with American radio station WDKK he says he is into ‘the progression of music’.  Yet as admirable as it is, such a purist approach can come into conflict with being a working musician and putting food on the table.  Matti appears to have found a way to strike a satisfactory balance.

“I think I have to be slightly schizophrenic actually…” he muses, smiling. “I don’t feel I’m not making enough money so I should manipulate what I do.  I can make money other ways; I do advertising music and pop music and I produce for other people” [Matti has worked with and done remixes for the likes of So Solid Crew, Ms Dynamite, Slum Village, Justin Timberlake and more recently a track featuring Wiley for whom he has much respect].  “If I wanna do stuff that is pop, almost contrived, I can do that for other artists.  But because the songs that I write [for myself] are so personal, I don’t feel the need to represent it any other way.”

Does Matti still bring intention and artistry to his pop compositions?

“I think I do; I try.  As a process I’m trying to get more of me into the pop… find a way of merging these two sounds. If I was in a bubble not paying attention to the outside world I probably couldn’t make pop music.  You have to have an awareness of culture and what gets people excited. That’s what makes me grow as an artist and as an individual; putting myself out of a comfort zone and forcing myself to do things that wouldn’t necessarily come naturally.  I enjoy the challenge actually. This project [the debut album] has evolved another side of me that I just let grow naturally.”

Matti’s debut BeatRoot, pencilled for release sometime this Autumn, is a veritable labour of love.  Dissatisfied with the first cut, Roots undertook the considerable task of re-recording the whole thing. “The [original] album didn’t have any homogeny.  The songs had been written over four or five years, all interspersed with production for other people and life generally.  At the end I had these songs that I felt worked well together because there was a common thread i.e. me, but they didn’t sound cohesive.  I just thought, I performed these live in a set together and that felt quite decent; maybe I can draw on that, bring it into the album and create a package.”

See You Again by MattiRoots:

It’s hard to ignore Roots’ heart-on-sleeve, often painfully candid lyrics.  Mid-tempo number ‘OCD’ for instance, has a jauntiness that belies a darker story of an ex-girlfriend who showed subtle obsessive compulsive tendencies. After breaking up, Matti noticed the propensity to fixate had rubbed off on him temporarily.  He must have apprehensions about being so lyrically exposed and vulnerable, surely.

“Yeah I do,” he admits. “Like right now, when I’m having to sit here and actually talk about it and know that it’s going out and to however many people; I suddenly think, ‘Hang on a sec? I’m really laying myself bare’.  But I mentally close my eyes, float above myself and just think, ‘It doesn’t matter’.  The making of the music is absolutely cathartic; turning something negative into something positive.  That’s why even though the subject matter is pretty gritty, if you listen to the music it’s not wrist-slitting indie.”

BeatRoot will feature a duet with legendary singer-songwriter Susaye Greene who has worked with Ray Charles, Leon Ware and Stevie Wonder and co-wrote Deniece William’s classic ‘Free’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘I Can’t Help It’ with Wonder.  Roots and Greene found each other on Myspace.  He asked her to critique the album and it was “Love at first listen,” chirps Matti. “I was really amazed to find someone of that pedigree.  She said she liked this one song called ‘Dope’ where she was jealous of the singer.  So I offered for her to sing on it and she was totally up for it.”

As it goes, Matti has a very open attitude towards working with other acts. “I’m a bit of a whore when it comes to [collaborations], honestly I am.  That probably sounds bad. What I mean is I’m open-minded about these things.  I’ll give it a go with anyone; variety is the spice of life.  I might want to leave straight after but I might want to hang around for a bit.  Now I’m getting more of a sense of when it’s going to work and when it’s not, I may be a little bit more selective than I was in the past.  When you’re working with other people you’re working out yourself as well.   I think I’m starting to get more of a sense of myself so as a result I’m getting more of what I need.”

In his interview with WDKK, it sounded as if Roots was lamenting the demise of decent mainstream UK radio.  Nonetheless, when I ask if he feels iTunes, Spotify and the like have made radio less significant, he is hesitant to draw any conclusions. “I don’t feel qualified to answer these sorts of things.  I need to be more aware of the way all these companies operate.  It’s very easy to form a reactionary opinion; I try not to do that.  Sit on the fence all my bloody life!”

Modesty aside, don’t think that Matti is burying his head in the artistic sand.  His insightful, cogent ideas on the way the current socio-political situation is impacting the music industry demonstrate that he’s better informed than he’d give himself credit. “Music has always been a reflection of times and culture,” he posits. “A lot of political ideals have gone out the window.”

“Even if you look at our government here… At the moment we’ve got a coalition between left and right wing [parties] because they don’t mean what they used to mean anymore.  I think it’s what they call a post-ideological age; that’s why I think music is so mixed up.  With Hip Hop [for example] there used to be a politics behind it and there isn’t really now… Well there is but I think poor people have become less poor, in the West anyway.  The whole divide is narrowing.”

“I’m careful not to judge things but you can have an opinion.  Sometimes the mass culture doesn’t always go in the right direction.  You can look at [ancient] Greek culture or others that have imploded because they haven’t kept themselves in check.”

Blimey. If only more artists were this engaged.

Keep your eyes on mattiroots.com for more information about Matti Roots.

Photography by Neil Raja

Hands down one of my top unsigned artists for some time now and fresh from gracing the Lovebox stage on Friday, the lovely, highly talented singer-songwriter Miss Kersha Bailey finally gave her fans something on which to get our grubby mitts yesterday and 100% free. Those familiar with her live sets will find all her staples on there including her inspired interpretation of Jazz standard ‘Autumn Leaves’.

Follow the link to access the download.

You can keep up to date on Facebook with her week long Vlog leading up to the release, explaining the stories behind some of the songs. Below is a clip from Summer 2008 of Kersha and her terrific band Groove Control performing at a showcase I used to host. The song is ‘Promises’ one of my two Bailey favourites and this is, in my humble opinion, the best performance of it. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

My summer so far has had a distinctly Iberian flavour with artists from the former Spanish and Portuguese Colonies delightfully colouring my musical landscape.  Thanks to the Barbican Centre’s Blaze and the Festival Brazil hosted by the Southbank centre this Aestival Latin exposure looks set to continue for the months to come.

Keeping in step with this theme last Saturday 10 July, Brazilian Samba queen Mart’Nália took to the Queen Elizabeth Hall stage flanked by her airtight band and with a cornucopia of percussion instruments at her disposal (of which she made ample use).

The atmosphere was charged with high levels of positive energy from the get-go.  The audience sprang to their feet at any given opportunity with absolutely no coaxing needed from Mart’Nália.   And it’s not hard to understand why.  Whilst not necessarily having the sweetest voice in the world, she is blissfully uninhibited.

This is an artist who can give so much during her performance precisely because she is not afraid to show how much fun she’s having.  Coupled with the chemistry Mart’Nália shares with the other musicians-so versatile and astute themselves, this makes for an explosive mix.

In turn her audience can’t help but respond to all the passion and joy that emanates from the stage.  The Brazilians in the crowd represented well by singing along enthusiastically.  There was dancing in the aisles, couples twirling at the front of the stage… It didn’t even matter if you sat in your assigned seat or not.   The only rule seemed to be that when the rhythm called, the body must answer; I’ve never seen the Southbank Centre so relaxed yet so alive.  Then again, there was something so atomic about tracks such as ‘Mulheres’ (Women) and ‘Cabide’ (The Hanger) it was impossible not to move.  It was as if everyone in attendance-musicians and fans alike-had brought some of the London heatwave inside with them. The lack of adequate air-conditioning merely added to the sentiment.

Mart’Nália’s downtempo numbers were just as stirring.  As is the case with so much of the vast Brazilian songbook, the sheer beauty of the melodies transcends any linguistic barriers non-Lusophones might face.  Drawing inspiration not only from her native land but from Portuguese-speaking Africa as well, Mart’Nália’s repertoire consisted of original compositions, covers of her fellow countrymen such as Djavan and tunes penned by her producer and songwriting legend in his own right, Caetano Veloso.  One such ‘Pé Do Meu Samba’, possibly one of Mart’Nália’s best known, is a failsafe crowd favourite and was a highlight of an already dynamic show.  She also used the occasion to show off her skills on the guitar at this point, which got the audience going even more.

If venue time restrictions weren’t a consideration Mart’Nália and co could have gone on entertaining us all night with no objections from the crowd.  Alas, after a rigorously enjoyable set and encore the show drew to a reluctant end.  A jubilant evening from start to finish.

–Tola Ositelu

www.martnalia.com.br

One of the few DJs on mainstream UK radio whose name is synonymous with unmitigated credibility, Gilles Peterson has deservedly earned his reputation as a tastemaker of some serious mettle. Having brought to wider attention hidden musical gems from Brazil and Africa, two years ago Peterson set his sights on Cuba having been invited to sample some of the exciting sounds courtesy of the island’s gifted young things.

The Havana Cultura project was born and what was at first meant to solely generate another compilation CD turned into something of a movement; this generation’s Buena Vista Social Club, perhaps.

Gilles brought a cross section of some of his ‘discoveries’ to the packed out Barbican Hall last Tuesday with virtuoso Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca [pictured below], in turn backed by a superlative band. Initially the venue appeared too formal and subdued for the kind of hip-swinging fayre manifest on stage. Nevertheless, thanks to the boundless energy of the artists and a very responsive crowd, the Barbican was to be set ablaze with Fonseca and co’s heady mix of the Tango, various other Afro-Latin rhythms, Jazz, Hip Hop and Funk.

The night was presented by Peterson, unassuming as ever behind his decks, making sure the focus was on the incredible talent that graced the stage. Gilles seems to be a rare example of a celebrated DJ not suffering from egomania.

Fonseca – looking dishy in his crisp white shirt and black trilby – displayed his immense skills with a gusto that had him frequently jumping up from his stool, thrashing away with abandon (Roberto started out as a drummer which might explain his especially percussive piano technique on occasion). Other times he sat more calmly, lost in an ecstatic musical daze, his nimble fingers flying over the keys as if they had a life of their own.

With the ability to transfix, Fonseca proves that it never gets old watching someone excel at their craft. The fantastic quality of all the musicians present, however, ensured that they were not left behind by Roberto. Their breathtaking stamina – particularly that of the percussionists – was put to full use on some of the more frenzied tracks.

Lead vocals were provided by newcomer Danay Suarez [pictured below]. It quickly became clear why Gilles was so excited about crossing paths with this Chica Bonita on his Cuban travels; Miss Suarez is quite a find. She possesses amazing vocal control, effortlessly singing lengthy phrases that would collapse the lungs of lesser singers. Yet she is no machine, completely losing herself to the mood of each song. Her comfortable stage presence also makes her riveting to watch.

Rap duo Ulises and Edrey aka Ogguere had us on our feet shaking our culos the way the beat demanded; demonstrating that Roberto, Gilles and the gang had sufficiently loosened us up as the night progressed. As it goes, the Cultura team give several nods of recognition to the international Hip Hop scene. Danay impressed us further with some quickfire Hispanophone raps and during the course of the evening, Fonseca and Peterson squeezed in a segment dedicated to J Dilla which opened teasingly with a brief interpretation of Slum Village’s ‘Fall in Love’.

The Cultura crew returned for a very generous encore, that commenced with a mysterious lachrymose number on which Danay’s heart-rending delivery made it the most mellow not to mention moving moment of the show. The ensemble then picked up the pace again ending the night on a sweet, danceable high. Very much an ideal way to spend a mid-summer evening.

Performers and Band members:
Gilles Peterson – DJ & vocals
Roberto Fonseca – Piano & Keyboard and vocals
Joel Hierrezuelo – Congas & vocals
Javier Zalba – Clarinet, flute & saxophone
Ramsés Rodríguez – Drums & timbales
Omar González – Double bass
Vince Vella – Percussion
Danay Suarez – Vocals
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Ogguere (Ulises and Edrey) – Rap/Vocals

So, I know I’m probably a bit late in flagging up cover band extraordinaire Pomplamoose since they appear to have been knocking around for a good while. However up until a few days ago, when I heard another artist recommend them on TV5′s live music show ‘Acoustique’, I was unaware of them. The band are Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn and only after two years of officially being a band they have quite an online following. Check out the videos below of their take on MJ‘s ‘Beat It’, EWF‘s ‘September’, Nat King Cole‘s ‘Nature Boy’ and Beyoncé‘s ‘Single Ladies’, you’ll begin to understand why. Nataly’s got a pleasantly scratchy Feist-esque quality to her voice. And isn’t her mildly startled deer-in-the-headlights singing expression just adorable if slightly disturbing? I really like their version of ‘My Favourite Things’ from ‘The Sound of Music’. During the intro Nataly’s doing some fiendishly clever chord inversions whilst apparently modulating the key mid-phrase…at least that what’s it sounds like to me! The bass line on ‘Nature Boy’ is pretty damn brilliant as well.

Acts such as Pomplamoose remind me that good interpretation is truly an art in itself that demands as much originality as composing a song from scratch.

Live showcases come two a penny in London and are often a hit-and-miss affair. Thus it’s always a relief to stumble across up and coming acts who set such high standards that they leave the rest lagging behind. These discoveries are motivation enough to keep going to such events. Last Wednesday at the Troubadour Club, South-West London was a case in point.

I went with the intention of watching singer-songwriter U’mau perform some new material with her terrific band-and she did not disappoint. I didn’t bargain, however, on the room-silencing talents of composer, pianist and vocalist Jana Tyrrell, who took to the stage not too long before U’mau.

Miss Tyrrell by her own admission is relatively new to the live scene but is definitely an example of an artist who is close to being the complete package early on in her career. She started her PA with ‘Imperfect Masterpiece’ and as the title suggests there was something appealingly unpolished yet undeniably impressive about it. Jana’s confidence grew as her set progressed, revealing hints of the epic but accessible quality to her compositions that made Kate Bush a household name. Her voice has a soulful sensibility that doesn’t eschew the flavours of credible pop. There’s little doubt that Tyrrell’s name will be heard a lot more in the not too distant future.

Nonetheless not to be upstaged, U’mau delivered the goods for the many in the audience who came to support her. Incorporating Afrobeat, Bossa Nova, Folk and Soul into her sound, she is reassuringly difficult to pigeonhole. In turn, her voice has a soothing, almost child-like cadence that doesn’t place itself neatly into any particular genre. There’s nothing samey about the subject matter of U’mau’s songs either. This is ‘life’ music; she is as convincing on her inspirational numbers as she is singing about unfaithful friends and/or lovers on ‘Too Hot to Argue’.

Wednesday’s set also included the most distinctive interpretation of the Rod Temperton-penned Michael Jackson classic ‘Human Nature’ that I’ve yet heard.

When U’mau refers to her ‘amazing’ band she is not exaggerating. With the jaw-dropping skills of the likes of Femi Temowo on guitar and songwriting credits, these musicians bring the requisite energy to the main lady’s classy compositions that make for a very sophisticated, not to mention groove-worthy evening.

U’mau and Friends are:
U’mau – Vocals and Acoustic Guitar.
Femi Temowo – Guitar
Ayesha Pike– BGVs
Paolo Minervini – Bass
Graham Godfrey – Drums

www.umau.com | MySpace.com/Umau

Wendy Moten

Once again I can’t resist the urge to re-visit forgotten hits and underrated would-be stars from the last decent era of mainstream music. Now some of you might notice that not all of these are technically one hit wonders and had other singles to their name. I decided not to be too pedantic for once and just focus on the songs by which they are best remembered. Happy reminiscing.

Alfonzo Hunter ‘Just the Way’- nuff said. If this isn’t a bona fide ’90s one-hit R&B wonder I don’t know what is. I really thought bigger things would have happened for Mr Hunter; he had a good voice after all. But if you’re going to be remembered for just one song heck let it be this one featuring green-eyed bandit Erick Sermon. The bass line is pure murder, yikes!

You know, you wouldn’t think it but back in the day being tipped ‘as the next Whitney Houston‘ didn’t do favours for a girl’s career. It’s a bit like being one of Prince‘s protegées-it’s not the fast track to success one would expect. Deborah Cox was one of those heralded as the next Ms H and although she’s done quite well still remains fairly under-exposed. Wendy Moten however truly experienced what a poisoned chalice that this prediction could be. ‘Come On In Out of the Rain’ conjures up memories of 1993 when I was 11/12 and taping hits off the radio. Moten was a vocal powerhouse at only 18 and it’s a damn shame she never managed to re-create the success of her torchlight breakthrough ballad. Seriously underrated talent.

Mo-Ken-Stef ‘He’s Mine’ – again a band that brings new meaning to the one-hit phenomenon. I didn’t so much as hear another song from them. Doesn’t stop it being an anthem for the ladies, n’est pas? I always preferred the remix; sorry kids, I’m posting that promo instead of the original, so there!

Yvette Michelle was a bit of a female Keith Sweat. Not much vocal beauty there but goodness ‘Everynight, Everyday’ was a flippin’ great song thanks mostly to Funkmaster Flex’ disgusting bassline. I know, I know ‘I’m not Feelin’ You’ starring Chuck D in the video did pretty well too but ‘Everynight…’ is the killer track. Takes me back to Jazzie B‘s show on Kiss FM, Monday nights. Sweet.

Some soulful European Hip-Hop now with Swedish band Blacknuss featuring the Scandinavian heir-apparent to Eric Benet, Stephen Simmons (and if anyone has any info on what happened to him, I’d really like to know!). Another monster underground tune ‘Dinah’ sampling Patrice Rushen. A special prize for all those who actually remember this one as they’re not many of us out there it seems, on these shores at least. Again they did make other tunes but this was their most inspired IMHO. I still play this one with gusto and it hits the spot every time…amusing vid too.

Ahhh, 1995. A great year for R&B music. Back in the day when every other video featured a rooftop party, my best friend at the time and I would sing Monifah‘s ‘I Miss You’ feat Heavy D ad nauseum. Forget ‘Touch It’ and it’s air of desperation, this was the real classic. Apologies for video quality but it was the best I could find…

Very obscure one here so wouldn’t blame anyone for scratching their heads at a loss, trying to recollect. Elusion were two sets of sexy twins knocking around in the late 1990s. High concept band (read: gimmicky); not the greatest voices in the world. Like quite a few girl groups at the time, they tried to replicate the TLC sound but were unable to duplicate the success. ‘Reality’ is a gorgeous mid-tempo number though.

This next one needs no introduction. Again, from the great summer of 1995 where we had close to two months of uninterrupted sunshine, maybe more. Skee-Lo was an antidote to all that male posturing common to Hip-Hop and his self-deprecation elevated an already contagious tune to the next level. In an era when the compilation CD/Tape was king, ‘I Wish’ found its way on to quite a few. Skee-Lo’s follow up ‘Top of the Stairs’ featuring another Patrice Rushen sample ‘Remind Me’ (incidentally the same one on the aforementioned MoKenStef remix) was also a very good tune but unfortunately rather overlooked. That’s the problem sometimes when your debut single is such a funky rally call for the marginalised.

‘…They say I’m hopeless; as a penny with a hole in it…bah,bah, bah, bahbah, bah, bah…’

Anyone remember the ‘Love Jones’ soundtrack? With contributions from Maxwell, Groove Theory, Xscape, the Refugee Allstars featuring Lauryn Hill and Jermaine Dupri protégée Trina Broussard (whatever happened to her promising career?), I recall the OST being better than the (rather pretentious) film itself starring Nia Long and Larenz Tate, as is sometimes the case.

Apart from Hill’s classic ‘The Sweetest Thing’ perhaps the most popular song from the soundtrack was ‘Hopeless’ by ex-Arrested Development member Dionne Farris. My mum’s work colleague dubbed a cassette copy of the OST back in 1997. It got played a lot in my household and ‘Hopeless’ was always one of the tunes I’d rinse. Heard it on internet radio this morning and thought it more than worthy of a nostalgic post. Thanks to the ever faithful MsHoneyChile for uploading it onto Youtube. Hers is a great channel to visit if you’re hankering to reminisce on obscure-ish 90s soul/R&B tunes. Enjoy.