Fleet Foxes - A Very Lonely Solstice (Anti)(2022)(CD)

 

Fleet Foxes just seems to calm me. I have mentioned this before but their music sets a beautiful mood for the mind and soul. It is a music that one should listen to on headphones in your dark room. Another gem. This is from 2022.  Listen to Tiger Mountain Peasant Song from this release.

Various - Pour A Little Sugar On It: The Chewy Chewy Sound of American Bubblegum 1966-1971 (Grapefruit USA)(2024)(3 x CD)

 

Great concept and idea. I had really high hopes for this compilation but for some reason it left me a little cold. Not sure what is wrong. The songs are melodic and are exactly what you would expect. The quality is good. It is not that it is bad. But the songs and the CDs when played all the way through left me a little bored. Maybe I need to listen to this box set a third time.  I did like the Cuff Links - Tracey a lot! I wish I was more excited about this box set.

Willie West & The Soul Investigators/The Soul Investigators - After the Storm/Instrumental 7" (Timmion Records)(2016)

 

This is the second 7" 45 from Timmion Records out of Helsinki, Finland that i have tried out and it is a cracker. Original release in 2016. If you like soul music, you are going to like this 45. The B-side is an instrumental of the A-side featuring the The Soul Investigators which may be the Timmion Records house band(?). Check out the song here.

Creole and Chinafrica - Journey from Creation 1975-1985 (Deeper Knowledge Records)(2023)

DKR Records with another great addition to reggae collections worldwide. Most serious reggae music fans are familiar with Creole through their various 45s in the 70s. In this collection, DKR gathers singles from the 1970s and 80s in one place and also adds a second LP of the dubs/versions. What is new to me is that Creole was also known as China-frica. The China-frica sound was a bit more of a fusion reggae sound and much of it was recorded in New York with the master Philip Smart engineering. Don't be scared away. The 'reggae/rock" fusion works well. 

This is a crucial collection. Tip of the hat to DKR. Check out Creole's version of Moving Away.

Dennis Brown - No Man Is An Island (Studio One)(2024)(LP Reissue/Remastered)

 New reissue and remastered Studio One albums! Every reggae person should have this record so I won't spend time on the music-it is classic. The key part is that this pressing is super clean. Forever, buying Studio One LPs was always a crap shoot because they often came pressed in 'rough' conditions - "Under duress" may be best way to describe the awful pressings that one would get when buying Studio One LPs. Well, this 2024 reissue of the 1970 release by Dennis Brown is worth having just to be able to hear the music clearly. I am sure some collectors will find fault with this reissue and remaster but that is ok...get it anyway...the music sounds good and you probably need a second copy!

Billy Tibbals - Stay Teenage (Silver Arrow Records)(12" 45 rpm)(2022)

 

Billy Tibbals released this 12" single back in 2022, and I am getting to it now. I do not know much about Tibbals, aside from the hype of heard around the internet about him. He is classified as a 'power-pop' but it is more than that. While he is a new artist, this 12" single sounds like Billy Tibbals recorded this in the 70s. To be frank, this sounds a bit glam at times. I would even say he sounds a bit "British".  In other words, this record does not sound like a straight-forward American power pop record. That is not a bad thing. If you like your music melodic, then you need to keep your eye on Billy Tibbals. For a taste of what I mean, check out the last cut on this 12" single Foreverland.

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.