Soul

Bobby Womack - The Bravest Man in the Universe

A wise yet not world-weary record from the soul legend

22 May 2012

‘As a singer grows older, his conception goes a little deeper, because he lives life and he understands what he’s trying to say a little more...’ So said Sam Cooke back in the day, and so opens electro-soul hymn ‘Dayglo Reflection’, the fourth track…

Speech Debelle: Speech Therapy

28 May 2009

Sister label Ninja Tunes has recently diversified out beyond the stoner electronica it’s been famed for with quality acts like Yppah and Fink, and now hip hop heavyweights Big Dada are proving they’re no slouches either. First came the post-Basement…

Emeli Sande - King Tut’s, Glasgow, Mon 15 Nov, 2010

Voice of UK rap-pop hits tours classically-styled soul material

23 Nov 2010

Acknowledging the fact there were representatives of London record labels in the house for this last date of a short Scottish tour, Aberdonian singer Emeli Sande seemed every inch the promising young singer-songwriter trying hard to make an impression.

DJ Yogi Haughton presents Scottish Soulful Weekender

Dumfries event features Todd Terry, Kerri Chandler and Joey Negro

18 Oct 2011

A weekend of soul music held at a hotel in Dumfries & Galloway sounds almost like a niche market event, a retro get-together for old school Northern Soul junkies to relive the glory days. Yet Yogi Haughton, the promoter of the first Scottish Soulful…

YolanDa Brown

11 Jun 2009

SOUL JAZZ Twenty-six-year-old London-born saxophonist YolanDa Brown is already remarkably successful, winning a MOBO award last year and collaborating with Alexander O’Neil, Mica Paris and The Temptations, all on the back of just two self-released…

Terry Callier - Welcome Home

3 Jul 2008

SOUL JAZZ (Mr Bongo Recordings) Terry Callier, a true great, overlooked back in the day, but now receiving the recognition he deserves after UK DJ’s picked up his classic 70’s cuts. Welcome is a live recording from The Jazz Café, a taster prior to his…

Born To Be Wide - Wide Days

1 Apr 2010

It's business time! Scottish music scene-nurturing organisation Born To Be Wide has another fantastic event planned, with a line up of acts equally as impressive as the industry figures sharing their music industry knowhow. Seminars and showcases have…

Bonobo set for Edinburgh show at Departure Lounge

17 Feb 2010

Name Bonobo Occupation Soul, jazz, hip hop and electronica producer of note What kind of monkey business is this? OK, very clever. Bonobos are indeed a species of small Chimpanzees (which are apes not monkeys for the record) but the Bonobo…

Superfly

9 Jul 2009

Although the 100th month of a club night is a strange anniversary to be celebrating, it isn’t the only reason we’re recommending broad-minded soul, funk, classic rock and indie night Superfly this time round. This edition is also the last Superfly to be…

Student guide: Clubbing hitlist - Glasgow

15 Sep 2008

David Pollock selects the top ten club nights you cannot afford to miss. OPTIMO Riding the crest of a wave for the best part of a decade now, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes’ Optimo (Espacio), which borrows the aesthetic of early 80s New York nightlife and…

Student guide: Clubbing hitlist - Edinburgh

15 Sep 2008

David Pollock selects the top ten club nights you cannot afford to miss. Residents Hobbes and Erik D’Viking DJ all over town, but the eclectic party night Trouble is still their biggest deal. Diversity is key; since the start of 2007, Rob Da Bank…

Crate Digging: Andrew Divine

The Divine DJ picks some of the long-running indie night's best

21 Sep 2011

Divine’s summer vacation has been a perfect opportunity to stock-pile some new (old) vinyl ammo aimed straight at the dancefloor. These recent 7” excavations are all awaiting their debut Divine spins at The Admiral, beginning with Tangerine Peel ‘Solid…

Niki King & The Elements - It’s All Good

New York-based Scottish jazz vocalist with new band and soul-funk sound

13 Jul 2011

(Soul Route Records) When Edinburgh jazz vocalist Niki King relocated to New York at the end of last year, it was inevitable that the city would lend its magic to her creative impulses. So, with the backing of her new ten-piece New York band, The…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo set for Glasgow Jazz festival date

West African afro-beat band tour their new album Cotonou Club

23 Jun 2011

The influential West African band have set a series of tour dates circling the UK this summer, visiting Glasgow for the first time in the 30-plus years that they have been a band. Having formed in the late 60s, they have accumulated a collection of…

Glasgow club institution Divine reaches 20th birthday

The Retro perspective from Glasgow’s longest running club night

17 Feb 2011

‘Twenty years ago I was a student at the Art School,’ recalls Andrew ‘Divine’ Symington. ‘One day a newsletter went round all the departments saying that the students’ union was looking for a DJ. I’d run a few clubs and I could design posters, so I…

Janelle Monae brings high-concept pop statement ArchAndroid to UK

Soul fused with elements of cabaret, movie scores, psychedelia and English folk

11 Feb 2011

The immaculate pop offspring of Little Richard, Annie Lennox and David Bowie, Janelle Monáe is the most exciting figure to enjoy – and court – mainstream exposure since the entrance of a certain bad romancer. But whereas Gaga often relies on well worn…

Soulsville aim to rejuvenate music from the 40s and 50s

Live soul in the heart of the Capital

30 Nov 2010

Name: Soulsville Occupation: Edinburgh’s hub for soul, swing and rock’n’roll. ‘We’re trying to rejuvenate music from the 40s and 50s by finding music I think is relevant to current times,’ explains promoter Francis Dosoo (aka DJ Tsatsu). ‘So…

New Edinburgh club Soul Kitchen plays hip hop and soul

Hip hop, souls and soulful house on menu at Medina

19 Nov 2010

Edinburgh’s club scene isn’t as bad as its detractors might make out, but it isn’t thriving. Fewer good venues have been taking up the slack over the last decade, which is why anywhere that’s trying to do its own thing should be celebrated. Take compact…

Terry Callier lines up UK tour date

Warm and beautiful soul jazz veteran

22 Sep 2010

He was an old schoolfriend of Curtis Mayfield, a touring buddy of Gil Scott-Heron and, in the days when he was starting out in the clubs of his native Chicago, he saw John Coltrane play. Yet the first two decades of Terry Callier’s life in music weren’t…

Plan B

Rap and hip hop and deep heart-felt soul

7 Sep 2010

There is no doubt that Plan B's Ben Drew is an accomplished rapper and singer, but it's not until you see him live that you can appreciate how immensely talented he is. Many artists work across several genres, but very few have successful attempted…

Movin' Melvin Brown

Tap dance and song homage to African American music

12 Aug 2010

Hitting last year’s Fringe as Ray Charles (and Sammy Davis Jr), the majestic Movin’ Melvin this time around takes us on a song and tap-dancing journey from African slavery to the American roots of soul music, through songs of gospel and R&B. Backed…

Ali McGregor – Jazz Cigarette

A sexy soulful rendition of songs that inspire

30 Jul 2010

It’s a fine woman who can wrap her vocal chords round Ella, Billie and, er, Britney, with suitable pizzazz. This is sexy soulfulness at its finest, with a harp thrown in. Having warmed up with stints in La Clique and Variety-Nite, here she keeps it real…

Lizzard Lounge back for Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2010

Fred Wesley and Rumba Caliente Afro Latin Soul Orchestra head up club's return

23 Jul 2010

Toby Shippey, the founder of the Lizzard Lounge club night and later Scots fusion group Salsa Celtica, is waxing nostalgic about the good old days. ‘We used to bring bands over from Cuba and New York,’ he tells, ‘and they would say: “This is the best…

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed - Come And Get It

29 Apr 2010

(Parlophone) A perfect facsimile of Motown soul – but unlike, say, Amy Winehouse, Reed refuses to innovate and sticks rigidly to the formula.

The Go-Go 10th Birthday Bash

31 Mar 2010

Edinburgh’s finest beat night The Go-Go has been on the go for ten years and celebrate with a live set from Them Beatles. Here founder and resident DJ Tall Paul remembers ten great crucial moments from the decade.