“A smiling face, a thumping bass, for a loving race” ~ Jazzie B
Hello all
Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One is one of those rare albums that make you want to listen to every single track, over and over, again and again, but it was a British Soul album and more.
Back in 1989, American R&B artists have saturated the charts at the time, and the houses music/rave scene was well on the way. Soul II Soul released their debut album, and the music was so totally original, it even gains its own name, the Soul II Soul sound. But it was much more than this, yes it did have soul, but it incorporated a fusion of styles, Hip Hop, Funk, House, Jazz, and Afro-beat, and I loved it.
Yer it got the massive hit “Keep On Movin’” and an Accapella version of “Back To Life” which was how it was originally recorded before it was reworked as a single.
But for me, it was some of the instrumentals that really stuck out, “Happiness (Dub)” with its houses piano and that groovy bass. “ Togetherness, foreverness means nothing less than happiness”
Jazzie B is going to put us in a trance on “Dance”
Then you got that grove and all that attitude in the vocals on “Feel Free”
For a dance album that is more than 30 years old, this album still sounds fresh today, I will leave the last words to Jazzie B.
Funny Comments from the web: Went to a restaurant once with my parents…and my parents looked over and said: “wow she is pretty, but she dresses like she is from overseas…” I look over to see who they were talking about and said ” mom, do you you know who that is?!!! ” it was Caron Wheeler and the rest of Soul to Soul eating dinner after a show they did in the town we were in!! I got an autographed Picture and a hug from Caron!! big thrill
Fruitless Fact: The Canadian and American release of this album includes the dance version of Back to Life and not the accapella version
For the geeks: I have it on CD, and on vinyl I have a 1989 UK pressing.
