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Listening Report: Colemine Records’ Soul Slabs Vol.2 Showcases Rare Singles From The Now Times

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Mark Smotroff

The other day I was playing my new copy of Colemine Records’ Soul Slabs Vol. 2 collection when a visiting friend asked if I was listening to The Stylistics. When I told him it was not an old record from the 1970s but a newer release by current talents, his jaw dropped more than a bit!

And such is the joy of much new music from Colemine Records, a label out of Ohio which I’ve written about before here on Audiophile Review. An outgrowth of their physical record shop — Plaidroom Records — these folks have been curating a fantastic array of new era Soul artists from around the country. These are real bands playing real instruments and singing (mostly) songs they wrote. It is quite a community this label has tapped into, no doubt a spiritual outgrowth of the late Sharon Jones’ great modern soul label Daptone Records.

On the covers of the individual albums in the Soul Slabs Vol. 2 boxed set are photos of the bands and artists in their studios, on stages and in the shops, showcasing a love for this vintage analog era of music.

Colemine Records has issued many individual 45 RPM singles for these artists — the Soul Slabs series cover art features the labels of these records which pay tribute to the look and feel of vintage 45s from the 1960s and early 1970s. Many of those releases are limited editions which have become collectible in their own right.

I have to admit, I am still collecting singles by the old acts and even that process has become overwhelming — I have way too many singles! So, being able to at least keep pace with this fresh music scene via a finely curated compilation like Soul Slabs Vol. 2 is a welcome joy. This album was issued in 2019 on red vinyl for Record Store Day and it was one of those elusive releases absolutely no one I knew was able to get their hands on. Indeed today, that initial edition sells for upwards of $100 on Discogs these days (there are only four copies up there).

So I was pleased when I learned that Colemine Records had reissued Soul Slabs Vol. 2 in 2021 on standard black vinyl. Still, given it was a three-LP set, I waited a while until a copy showed up in my local stores to avoid the no-doubt pricey shipping costs for a three-LP boxed set. Well, that day arrived a week or so ago when I scored a copy at Amoeba Music. Three lovely, standard weight, well pressed and fine sounding LPs for 50 dollars all housed in individual LP covers, each protected in audiophile grade plastic sleeves within a sturdy boxed slip case.

In total you get 27 songs by 27 different artists, which amounts to less than 2 bucks a tune. This is totally fair, especially since so many of the songs are fantastic and if you were to buy all the individual singles, you’d end up spending between $7-9 each disc! So note for note, song for song, pound for pound and dollar for dollar, Soul Slabs Vol. 2 is the most cost efficient way to go.

My favorite tracks thus far include Kelly Finnegan’s debut single for the label — “I Don’t Wanna Wait” — which features a groovy distorted electric guitar signature hook softed by lovely glockenspiel bell tones and piano over a sultry Marvin Gaye meets Issac Hayes sort of groove. “It Is What It Is” by A.J. & The Jiggawatts is rich funky-slinky groove this side of War (think “Cisco Kid,” “Slippin’ Into Darkness,” etc.). Speaking of War, the song “War Room” by Black Market Brass is a baddass churner with a near Ethio-jazz 6/8 time vibe that rocks like mad with deep percussion (congas! drums!) guitar riff and a deep horn section which sounds like it has saxes, trumpet and maybe even a tuba or trombone in the mix…. and maybe even a Farfisa Organ!

Perhaps my all time favorite track thus far is The Monophonics’ absolutely killer soul take on Sonny & Cher’s classic pop hit “Bang Bang,” here bringing out the song’s deep darkness wrapped in a slow-and-hard near-funk rock groove. I need to check out some of this band’s albums, for sure — they are from my home-base of San Francisco and I’ve been hearing good buzz about them.

And there-in lies the purpose of a collection like Soul Slabs Vol. 2: new music discovery!

I’ve posted YouTube video links to several of these songs below so do check them out!

The standard weight vinyl pressings are excellent, well centered, dark and quiet. The sound quality varies a bit at times which is to be expected (remember: 27 songs by 27 artists likely also means there were effectively 27 different recording engineers working on this album!), So kudos to the producers from Colemine Records for a lovely job mastering the whole Soul Slabs Vol. 2 album into a tasty listening experience.

Previously, I reviewed Soul Slabs Vol. 3 a while back, a two-LP set on red vinyl issued for Record Store Day in 2021 (click here for that review). I also reviewed their fantastic Brighter Days Ahead collection (click here for that one).

These are some great collections which I can’t recommend highly enough. If you like the sounds of vintage soul but with a modern twist, check these recordings out.

Now I just need to track down a copy of Soul Slabs Vol. 1 and I’ll be all caught up with these great compilations from the good folks at Colemine Records. Well, at least until Soul Slabs Vol. 4 is released!

World News

Why Are People Collecting Tomorrow’s Lowrider Rarities Today Via Colemine Records’ Soul Slabs?

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Mark Smotroff

There is a street level phenomenon that seems to be happening in real time around us: young musicians across the nation are crafting a new era of 21st Century soul which pay homage to the past while looking ahead to the future. I first caught wind of this when Leon Bridges’ debut actually got a big push from its major label Sony Music (click here for my review of that album). A bit earlier (for me at least) Toro Y Moi hinted at it a bit too, mixing up vintage sounds in his grooves. And I’ve been tickled to see Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic project capturing peoples imaginations and topping the charts (I’m late to the party on .Paak, admittedly).

The point is: there is no doubt a classic soul renaissance going on for sure. Recently, I’ve been learning about bands across the country who are mining rich vintage soul and R ’n B sounds, issuing singles — and by that I mean 45 RPM vinyl records — some of which have become almost instant collector’s items.

My first real “ah ha” moment in that regard came earlier this year when the midwestern label Colemine Records put out one of my favorite albums of the year so far called Brighter Days Ahead (click here for my review). There I was more or less gobsmacked by the barrage of melodic, heartfelt music which mostly sounded like it was recorded between 1967 and 1973. Rich instrumental hip shaker grooves, pop soul, even some Gospel-tinged songs that will have you rejoicing in even if you are not particularly religious.

Now when I started digging into this fine label I had to reign in my inner impulsive record collector self to start instantly snapping up some of those original 45 RPM singles of my favorite songs from the compilation. Knowing that I have literally thousands of 45s which I don’t get to play enough as it is — I let my wiser reality-based, apartment-dwelling adult-self remind me I have no room to start adding in more singles. That is, until I start purging some of the old stuff I don’t necessarily need to physically own anymore (which I do plan to do at some point soon).

Thankfully, I noticed that Colemine Records has a series of compilation albums called Soul Slabs, pulling together many of these A-sides and perhaps some B-sides too of the multitude of bands they work with. On Record Store Day this year one of the more in-demand albums was indeed their collection Soul Slabs Vol. 3, issued on translucent red vinyl. I got the last copy Amoeba Music had! And I’m mostly not disappointed, in fact, I’m ultimately happy.

I did get a wee bit of a surprise when I put this grand new compilation of already-rare singles from the label on my turntable to discover that it included quite a number of duplicated tracks which appeared on the aforementioned Brighter Days Ahead. In one of my Record Store Day posts on social media I mentioned this and the label kindly explained in one threat that Brighter Days Ahead was a special one-off release celebrating a sense of hope they found amidst the Covid pandemic from their artists and the music that was planned for physical release in 2020 but never got beyond a digital distribution.

So, while Soul Slabs Vol. 3 does duplicate some tracks from that other compilation, it is its own thing and I take solace knowing that many of my favorite tracks are reaching a broader audience.

Some of my favorites of the new (to me) tracks include the quirky-funky instrumental by Black Market Brass called “Omega” which feels like a lost outtake from Captain Beefheart’s Shiny Beast Bat Chain Puller by way of some of those wonderful moody instrumental pieces Terry Kath-era Chicago peppered their early albums with. “Slipshot” by Jungle Fire is another groovy instrumental and Aaron Frazer’s “Over You” a standout driving soul driver (note to self: pick up a copy of his album).

Bubaza opens the album with a kickin’ Latin-tinged soul groover appropriately titled “Ice Breaker.” Ikebe Shakedown’s “Unqualified” is driving horn-driven soul rocker with a nifty reverbed surf-guitar twist.

But then there are those other tracks I first heard on the Brighter Days Ahead collection, some of which could be modern day classic lowrider jams (and might well be depending on where you live) such as The Resonaires’ “Standing With You” and one of my all time favorites “What’s His Name” by Thee Sinseers. The Harlem Gospel Traveler’s “Nothing But His Love” could have been a hit on AM radio back in the early ‘70s when spiritually-themed songs were flooding the airwaves with hopeful positivity in the face of Vietnam War horrors and post-Woodstock bleakness.

Soul Slabs Vol. 3 is still available at some stores and you can certainly get black vinyl copies from the label (click here) or on Amazon. And now more than ever I need to get Volumes 1 and 2 of this series! So much great music coming from this great indie label to watch.

World News

Grooving With The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on Vinyl and Qobuz / Tidal Streams

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Mark Smotroff

When considering a new artist in a category that has been arguably played to death over the years, one may give pause to think: do I really need to go there?

However when I first heard The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on the fine new compilation from Colemine Records that I reviewed earlier this month (click here) I had to check them out. I have to admit, I was initially a bit excited I’d (ahem) discovered something fresh before everyone else.

Well, not quite everyone, it seems… From the band’s website: “Since its humble beginnings in May, 2015, the trio has issued two Billboard-charting albums and a 45; toured nationally and internationally, and performed on live at Upstream Music Festival broadcast by KEXP that garnered over 7 million views.”

Well, I guess I’m better a little late to the party than never!

But seriously folks, the notion of an organ driven instrumental collaboration is not exactly a new thing, echoing back to the ‘60s when artists like Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Richard “Groove” Holmes, Shirley Scott were popular and often collaborated with other musicians such as George Benson and Wes Montgomery.

In more recent times, the great Medeski Martin & Wood collaborated a number of times with John Scofield. And of course there were organ-guitar hits in the rock and soul world, notably Booker T & The MGs (ie. “Green Onions”) and the great grooves of The Meters (“Cissy Strut”). And we can’t forget that James Brown put out several instrumental albums featuring his organ playing.

So, mash all that influence up with a decidedly harder edge (definitely closer to the Meters vibe) and you’ll get an idea of what The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is cooking up. These folks have found their own sweet little corner of this good vibe instrumental soul jazz / acid jazz niche.

On their new second studio album— called I Told You So — there aren’t really any big surprises but that isn’t a bad thing. It is all about the tunes and the grooves and this album has many greats in that regard.

The album is just so enjoyable I’ve played it over many times already and it only gets better, each spin revealing new layers. They do a sweet cover of Wham’s “Careless Whisper,” but other than that they are crafting their own originals.

Sonically, the album sounds terrific with a rich, earthy vibe to the recording. Guitarist Jimmy James’ sound oozes with big — at times seriously badass overdriven — amplifier tones.

I don’t know if I Told You So was made digitally or in the analog realm but I’m not especially concerned one way or another — I’m not hearing any harshness and overall the album sounds real nice. The lower end and mid range is sweet while the high-end is crisp and natural sounding. Grant Schroff’s drums are full bodied and organic. No gimmickry here.

I got my hands on one of the opaque pink vinyl limited editions of I Told You So and happily it is a great pressing — well centered and quiet. There is a red vinyl version out there as well for those of you who get into the colored vinyl thing.

It’s no accident at the cover for I Told You So seems to mirror the design aesthetics of vintage 1960s Blue Note jazz releases. The bold yellow and black vibe of Colemine’s label on this release echoes the classic early Prestige Records “fireworks” design from the late ’50s and early ’60s.

This is fun stuff, folks: groovy grooves you can dance, walk, drive, work and even just sit and listen to. You can’t beat that sort of flexibility when it comes to a listening experience. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio albums seem to sell out pretty quickly at stores from what I’ve seen so far, so you should jump on them soon if you want to grab a copy.

You can also find I Told You So streaming on Tidal and Qobuz and both versions sound fine. The Qobuz version is streaming in 24-bit, 44.1 kHz Hi Res form so it has something of an edge over the 16-bit Tidal stream, but both are fine and will let you get an idea of what this fine band sounds like.

I am looking forward to digging down into The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio‘s other releases soon.

World News

Brighter Days Ahead: The Colemine Records Sampler

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Mark Smotroff

Ok, so I already can tell you what one of my favorite albums of 2021 is going to be: Brighter Days Ahead, a fabulous sampler of new music from a neat independent label I just learned about recently, Colemine Records. When I received their press release for this album I was intrigued, so much so that I asked if they could send me a sample of the vinyl release for review consideration. Happily they sent it along. More on that in a moment.

Brighter Days Ahead has it genesis in the Covid lockdown, as described on the cover by label owner Terry Cole: “We knew we wanted to continue to release new music, but proceeding with our heavy 2020 release schedule as planned seemed ill advised. So the idea was to release individual tracks from many of our artists on a weekly basis and as a musical family, we could all help shine light on each individual artist weekly. Strength in numbers! So throughout the summer and into the fall, that’s what we did. We released several dozen tracks and the weekly announcements certainly garnered a strong sense of community for our artists and fans alike”

This 22-track two LP set compiles the digital singles which the label released during the 2020 pandemic. One LP features Colemine artists and the other features artists on their sister label, Karma Chief.

From the moment I opened the package, the producers of Brighter Days Ahead won me over.

Working backwards from my normal approach, I’m going to start with the cover design. This album feels like it might fit in with the classic “Loss Leaders” samplers which Warner Brothers Records put out in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. It also echoes recent samplers Rhino Records put out such as the recent Nuggets series collection Come To The Sunshine (click here for my review).

Making this feel even more special and period accurate (if you will), they even included a bright pink promotional sticker modeled after a sticker Warner Brothers used in the ‘70s. Then I took out the record and as I pulled the black disc out of the audiophile grade inner-sleeve, I smiled the widest grin: their white promo label design mimics Atlantic Records promos of the late ‘60s and the early ‘70s!

So… here I am falling in love with Brighter Days Ahead and I haven’t even played it yet! It might be awful, I wonder… Still, I go to the website and find more about the label which has a rich roster of artists and a clear passion for the music.

Finally, I put on the album and was transported to an alternate universe of Lowrider vibes and Northern Soul styled pop soul and even some Rocksteady styled ska grooves, should-a-been-hits that might have existed in the 60s and 70s… but didn’t! These are current artists and current bands (there are even videos of them up on YouTube performing… I had to check!).

So, unlike the fantastic and influential albums by The Dukes of Stratosphear and The Rutles — imaginary bands and amazing music based on 60s psychedelia and Beatles influences, respectively, created by real musicians, but which for the most part has never really been played out live — all the artists on this two album set are current performers you might get to see in concert someday.

I make the comparisons to those two imaginary bands with a great deal of respect as I love those recordings, the former being a psychedelic alter ego for Britain’s XTC and the latter being the musical brainchild of the late Neil Innes (RIP) and a musical outgrowth of the Monty Python universe and Eric Idle’s Rutland Weekend Television comedy program.

There are really no bad songs on Brighter Days Ahead, the weakest tend to be gathered toward the end of Side Four (and even those are growing on me). And while these songs no doubt mine many touchstones of their influences, they are distinct tunes which hold up. All this reminds me of something but that is part of the fun about an album like this, playing “connect the dots” and “spot the influence” while also enjoying the new songs.

The first song that knocked me out was “Starting With You” by The Resonaires which feels like a lost A-side by The Chi-Lites and The Delfonics. Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos “Sunk In The Mist” could be a Rocksteady ska track from the mid ‘60s.

“Baby Girl” by Young Gun Silver Fox sounds like a lost Hall & Oates hit from the late 1970s. Kendra Morris’ “This Life” could have been a hit any time and has slinky-sultry groove and lush production that grows including a string section.

Ben Pirani’s “More Than A Memory” feels like some fabulous obscure Northern Soul side from 1969. “Nothing But Love” by The Harlem Gospel Travelers feels like a lost Brenda & The Tabulations track by way of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (with a neatly subtle nod to the intro hook-riff from Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour”). Devon Lamar’s Organ Trio’s “Inner City Blues” feels like what might have happened had jazz organist Jimmy Smith sat in with James Brown’s band around 1968-69.

One of the interesting things about all these productions is the remarkable attention to period details. For the most part, these works sound like they could have been made anytime between 1967 and 1977.

And when you look at the Colemine Records website at all the singles they have issued — for these and many other artists — the records look like record from the past. It is a very cool bit of record collector geekery but one that adds up to a very special quality. Some of these records have been very limited editions and are now collector’s items in their own right, which pretty amazing when you stop to think about it.

Something special seems to be happening here, folks… This isn’t even the first compilation they’ve done. Soul Slabs Vol. 1 pulls together 22 tracks from their catalog of seven-inch 45 RPM singles. I hope to get my hands on that soon…

In the grand tradition of modern soul labels like Daptone Records, Colemine seems to have been curating a sound and feel for their label. I look forward to hearing more of albums and singles from these and other artists on the label.

Since the album isn’t out until mid February, here is a Spotify playlist from the label where you can sample the tracks.

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