Various - Penrose Showcase Vol. II (Penrose)(2024)(LP)

 

If you are not keeping up with the Penrose 45s as they come out, then get this compilation from one of the premier soul labels in the U.S. Classic soul music made today! This is from 2024. I picked up mine a while ago but I decided to open this up and put on the turntable. 

Thee Sacred Souls - Running Away/Loves Comes Easy 7" (Penrose)(2023)

 

Thee Sacred Souls are world class in the new soul scene. Running Away is an uptempo song with sweet vocals on top. Love the sharp back-up vocals. The B side is a slow burn soul lament of the old school type. Great single. From 2023. Listen to Love Comes Easy is here

Various - Lost Deep Soul Treasures Volume 4 (Sounds of Soul) (CD)(2001)

 

Random purchase from Norton Records during one of their sales. I saw this title and I immediately wanted to buy it. According to Discogs this is listed as an 'unofficial' release. There is no booklet, no information on the artists, no credits of any sort. This compilation just contains 23 tracks of great soul music. Based on what I hear,  I would agree that this is a deep soul compilation. That is, the songs are more heartfelt cries and laments. Lots of songs to slow dance to with your partner. For example, give a listen to Blues Brothers No. 1's Letter of Regret. This was released in 1976. Another representative record is Freddie Watson's It's All Over Now. This was a B side from 1970! I really think it is worth trying to find all the volumes of this great series. If you like soul music, get this..Great soul music for all that love this genre.

Various Artists - East Side Story Limited Edition CD Box Set

While the picture is of Volume 1, I actually purchased the 12 CD box set. This collection is legendary, especially on the West Coast, as it is dedicated to the low riders and the low rider culture. Over the years it has become more a symbol of the East LA Latino population and Latinos in general. For more background, please go to here to see the article written up in the LA Weekly. Here is a good description from that article on what you are listening to:

These were the songs often associated with Mexican-American lowrider culture, the types of songs one could expect to hear floating from the windows of a car like Ruiz's, cruising down Whittier Boulevard or similar thoroughfares in San Jose, San Antonio or Chicago circa 1978. The songs on the records weren't necessarily from L.A., but the East Side Story records originated here, and were particularly cherished for their covers, which featured snapshots of East L.A. Chicanos and Chicanas and their cars.

The music contained over these 12 CDs is really a type of  sad, sweet soul music best represented by bands like The Delfonics or The Four Tops. The songs mostly deal with a love-lost, and are moody and melodic; The songs here are the type of soul music that you would listen to when driving around late at night, on the boulevard, reminiscing about a lost love. Initially released in the 70s and the 80s, if you like your soul music sweet and love to cruise on the boulevard, this set is for you. Here is a sample from Vol. 4. Mr Garland Green with Jealous Kind of Fella. Also, check out the beautiful song by Baby Washington, That is How Heartaches Are Made.  Both of these are on Vol. 4 which I am listening to as I type this.