Thee Illusions - Baby Don't (Waste My Time)/Will You Love My Child 7" (Black Bird Records)(2022)

 

Thee Illusions with a solid release. Not as catchy as I hoped but worth exploring more. The B side, Will You Love My Child is the better side. Need to explore this label more.

Vicky Tafoya - The Moment/Love Don't Treat You Fair 7" (Penrose Records)(2023)

 

Very bluesy offering from Vicky Tafoya. Check out The Moment. 

Pugwash - The Pugwash Singles Club (self-released)(2024)

 

Sometimes you find an artist that has such a mastery of melody that you wished everyone could enjoy them. Thomas Walsh aka "Pugwash" is that type of artist. This compilation was put together for a U.S. West Coast tour in 2024. It is brilliant. So many good songs and so many melodies. This is the real deal folks. Pugwash is pop. Check out Fall Down

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.