'In The Company of Others' by Paul Randolph [Review]

The 2017 album from Detroit's own Paul Randolph could very well be his magnum opus...

The immeasurably talented singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist unveils a 28 track project released through Mahogani Music, which is also the shared home to projects by Amp Fiddler and Moodymann.  Randolph's contemporary and "Detroitesque" style - mixing new soul with elements of funk and house - fits in so comfortably amongst the aforementioned names that any other label home just wouldn't be the same.

Randolph sounds as good on 'In The Company of Others' as he did in 2008 when his voice was introduced to many through three tracks on Jazzanova's phenomenal album 'Of All The Things', and later as the main vocalist on their follow-up project, 'Funkhaus Studio Sessions'.  A slew of albums and collaborations have followed since then - including work with Kathy Kosins this year on a song called 'Could You Be Me'(which is definitely worth your time, as is the accompanying remix by Opolopo!).

'Heavy', 'How Does it Feel' and the cover of The Stylistics' 'People Make The World Go Round' are a few of the standouts for the first half of the album and the second half, which serves as the remix suite, boasts appearances from heavy-hitters including DJ Spinna, Opolopo and Dez Andres among several others.

In many ways, 'In The Company of Others' is the culmination of everything that came before it: an incredibly versatile release showcasing Randolph's ability to amalgamate all these different styles into a sound distinctly unique and something his very own.

'Record Kicks Soul Sides'

It's already been an incredible year for Record Kicks - the independent record label based in Italy who are clocking just over ten years of having released some of the absolute best in contemporary funk and soul have unveiled their brand-new digital compilation showcasing the brilliance the label boasts from all corners of the world.

The fiery Canadian singer, Tanika Charles, led the way for the label in 2017, scoring huge with her excellent album 'Soul Run'; then of course Hannah Williams & The Affirmations struck gold following the Jay-Z sample from their song 'Late Nights & Heartbreaks' which No ID masterfully wove into the title track of Jay's new album, '4:44', catapulting both them and the label into worldwide recognition.

So for this year, 'Record Kicks Soul Sides' is an aptly-timed compilation and serves as a great introduction to the label's current roster along with a few of the artists and songs that brought them to the dance...  Tracks by Tanika Charles and Hannah Williams can thankfully both be found here ('Love Fool' and 'Another Sunrise' respectively), as well as a number by Portugese group Marta Ren & The Groovelvets ('So Long') who seem poised for the same level of success; Nick Pride & The Pimptones - whose debut album was released through Record Kicks - have one of their most notable songs on display here, 'Waiting So Long', and Gizelle Smith's brilliant 'June' is offered up as well as tracks exquisiste soul numbers by Dojo Cuts, Third Coast Kings and Diplomats of Solid Sound.

Record Kicks have almost made their compilations an artfom all of their own (check out 'Mo Record Kicks Act 2' and Record Kicks' 10 year anniversary compilation as examples); they quite often host rare remixes and unreleased tracks but the strength of this compilation rests on the strength of the brilliant soul on offer here.  It's genuinely as good as it can get.  It's certainly not too late to jump aboard the Record Kicks soul train and this is a great compilation of twelve songs synonymous to the label that will give you twelve artists to want to further delve into.

'A Common Wonder' by Amerigo Gazaway

Amerigo Gazaway's genius dream-come-true pairing of Mos Def and Marvin Gaye (through the Yasiin Gaye project) worked so well that it's hard to believe that level of fan excitement and critical acclaim could be achieved again through a like-minded project.

But it has.

And this time, the wit, lyricism and conscious-styled poetic rhymes of Chicago rapper, Common, has had the fortune to be married to the iconic voice and production of Motown legend, Stevie Wonder.

Amerigo has made this style of union an artform all of itself and his efforts can't be praised enough.  The work here is beautifully executed and frankly anyone would be mad to pass this up.  Classics from both parties are present here, from Stevie's 'Superstitious', 'You Got It Bad Girl' and 'Living For The City' and Common's 'The Sixth Sense', 'I Used to Love HER' and 'Resurrection' so hop over to Bandcamp and bask in the glory that is the "free download".

So after Mos Def & Marvin Gaye, UGK & BB King and now Common & Stevie Wonder, all that's left is to ask is... who's next?