En Vogue - Giving Him Something He Can Feel 1992

East West Records A8524CD

After recovering from some serious computer problems I find myself with very little time to post music. In addition, the stats are virtually zero which is a real kick in the... teeth. No worries, I have a little time today and a request for En Vogue, Heavy D and Ce Ce Rogers. Hmmm, dissapointing again coz I do not have Thick Girlz or the 12" release of You Don't Have To Worry, only the Frankie Knuckles Mix on this Remix CDS. On a positive note (thank gawd for that) this is a great collection of mixes.

OK, so Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson were rounded up by producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy when they decided to put a girl group together. In 1990 En Vogue hit the UK with Hold On and it was a slam dunk. Clearly, the girls image was classy eye candy but damn, these girls could sing too. Their debut album Born To Sing was a reasonable effort but the single releases that followed in 1991 were even more impressive. Leading up to the excellent 1992 Funky Divas album, this single collected a handful of remixes together.

The main track is a Curtis Mayfield classic. En Vogue pulled off a great coup made Giving Him Something He Can Feel their own. It is a somewhat slinky but stunning rendition and should be on every genuine soul lovers ipod. Hold On is here with a great remix from Marley Marl. The Hyperradio Remix of My Lovin' is THE mix for me, bringing out the best in this track. More fizz that a can of Dr Pepper. Last but not least, Frankie Knuckles provides a Def Mix of You Don't Have To Worry. All in all, I fine collection but I have added Kevin's Jazz Mix of Give It Up, Turn It Loose because it's a cracking mix by Kevin Dean and I haven't got the rest of the 12" to post. Enjoy!

• Giving Him Something He Can Feel
• Hold On (Marley Marl Hip Hop Remix)
• My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) (Hyperadio Remix)
• You Don't Have To Worry (Frankie Knuckles Club Remix)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: En Vogue.rar Filesize: 54.3 MB

Steinski & Mass Media - We'll Be Right Back 1986

4th & Broadway Records 12 BRWX 59

"We'll be right back after this word from our sponsor."

Only the mind of Steve Stein could come up with this gem. OK, it's not soul but it is an important sidebar in the colourful tomes of Soul & Dance history. After the legend that was Double Dee & Steinski, this could only be an anti-climax but in true Steinski style, it disappointed with pure genius.

Mr. 'Mastercuts' himself, the one and only, Ian Dewhirst tried hard with the remix but there is little that can be done with this piece of cut 'n' paste tomfoolery. Find it on YouTube, enjoy it for what it is, a tip of the hat to a true Americanism.

Why is it in demand, well check out the Acappella Bonus Voices.

• Hard Sell Mix
• Acappella Bonus Voices
• Hard Sell Dub
• Re-Edit

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Steinski.rar Filesize: 35.77 MB

Sly & Robbie - Make 'em Move 1985

Island Records 12 ISX 251

Sly & Robbie are one of reggae's most prolific production teams. The rhythm section of drummer Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar and bass guitarist Robert Shakespeare started working together in the mid 1970s but both made their name independently on the Jamaican music scene.

They changed the face of reggae several times: in 1976, they introduced the harder style called Rockers, which quickly replaced the then prevalent One Drop style, then introduced the Rub a Dub" sound in the early 1980s. Sly and Robbie were important in developing the trend towards computer assisted music and programming in the mid 1980s.

Chris Blackwell made them the core of the Compass Point All Stars at the Nassau (Bahamas) recording studios where they recorded their 1985 Language Barrier album from which these tracks are taken. Every one's a winner, Bass & Trouble taken straight from the album. The Riot Zone Mixes are Paul 'Groucho' Smykle remixes #2 being the instrumental.

Riot Zone #1
Riot Zone #2
Bass & Trouble

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Sly & Robbie.rar Filesize: 41.96 MB

SWV - I'm So Into You 1993

RCA Records SWV 2

OK, I lost the cover to this so I've managed to find the front but not the back. However, this is a must have. SWV, another 'BAM Jam' Brian Alexander Morgan production, Teddy Riley on the Remix with Wreck-N-Effect along for the ride but, for Mikey, it's all about track 4.

Allstar's Drop Check Dance Mix is all you need. Allen 'Allstar' Gordon Jr. cuttin' it up for Blackstar and boy, does he know how to rinse it out. It's a mutha, if you don't know, you better get to know!

• Allstar's Drop Radio Mix
• Teddy's Radio feat. Wrecks-N-Effect
• Teddy's Radio Mix
  
• Allstar's Drop Check Dance Mix
• Teddy's Extended Mix feat. Wrecks-N-Effect

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: SWV.rar Filesize: 36.85 MB

Omar - Golden Brown 1997

RCA Records 74321 52542 2

In 1997 Omar released his new album, This Is Not A Love Song. Before it's release, he released a single from the album which surprised many. A cover of a Punk Rock ballad, an Ode to Heroin, a Heart FM classic?

In retrospect, it was a move of pure genius. Golden Brown, by The Stranglers, is a song that millions of normal everyday people feel comfortable with (many don't even realise it's about drugs) and therefore it might get the multi talented, under appreciated, genius that is Omar some kudos. It didn't of course, but it did give us this CD single release.

This release is all about Wherever, which is also from the album but on the album it is not remixed by the Blacksmith team though. The Blacksmith Full R&B Rub is eight minutes of pure class, leaving the, otherwise good, Blacksmith Hip Hop Mix in the shade.

The Brass Tooth "Well Constructed" Mix is a fine example of just how good a 4x4 remix can be. It plays a little fast for Omar but Croydon's Neville Smith who would put out the excellent Celebrate Life on Well Built Records the following year, has done a great job. This mix puts the song on the dance floor whilst retaining the soulful body of the song and giving it an uplifting gospel element.

• Golden Brown
• Wherever (Blacksmith Full R&B Rub)
• Wherever (Blacksmith Hip Hop Mix)
• Wherever (Brass Tooth "Well Constructed" Mix)

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Omar.rar Filesize: 35.89 MB

Cameo - Skin I'm In 1988

Club Records JABCD 77

Last week, Larry Blackmon strutted his stuff at the O2 Indigo. I had the opportunity to go but couldn't make it. Absolutely gutted. As a tribute to a fine group who have contributed far more than most to dancefloor history, The Soul Vendor proudly presents Cameo.

By 1980, Cameo already had a history as a 13 piece, funk and soul phenomenon. Albums such as Cameosis and Knights of the Sound Table were laid on a foundation of legend.

In the mid-80's Larry Blackmon and his crew were ready to move on. With Alligator Woman in 1982, the band stripped down to five main members. Blackmon moved the band in a new direction, giving them a cutting edge sound dominated by a drum machine and prominent bass line. He donned 'a red codpiece', added his trademark "Ooow!" into the mix and totally reinvented the group.

Cameo's 1983 release Style was one of the first to come from this new label and was the first disc to capitalize on Cameo's new sound. She's Strange came out in 1984 and its '12-inch mix' was a major smash in the clubs. 1985's Single Life was also a major club hit that saw some crossover success, especially in the UK.

Word Up! hit the airwaves in mid-1986, the resulting album turned Cameo into superstars. The follow-up tracks, Candy and Back and Forth, were also huge hits for the funk trio. By this time, the band were included in every mix or album compilation going. Les Adams remixed Word Up! to great effect and soon after the original Cameo Megamix made it's presence felt. The Cameo Megamix Two is an epic 10 mins of blistering anthems that doesn't sell you short.

Two years later, Cameo released Machismo to lukewarm response despite favourable review. It's a good song with a positive message and yet Skin I'm In sunk without a trace in the UK. It would appear Cameo's reign was over. Almost in reflection of this, Honey is a short reprise of Candy without a song as such. It simply echoes a song that once was.

• Skin I'm In
• Honey
• The Cameo Megamix Two

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Cameo.rar Filesize: 33.75 MB

Jomanda - I Like It 1993

Big Beat Records A8377CD

Jomanda are from New Jersey and comprised of Joanne Thomas, Cheri Williams and Renee Washington. Their 1990 album was a house music affair that delivered several US dance chart hits, including Got a Love for You, which made US #1 in 1991. It also crossed over to the mainstream, peaking at number 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

I first encounted Jomanda during the 'Summer Of Love', courtesy of a blinding House classic entitled Make My Body Rock. It certainly did and when I came across this release, I hoped for another belter. I was in for a bit of a shock. To my surprise, I Like It turned out to be an R&B track. In 1993, they released their second album, Nubia Soul, which was an R&B/Hip Hop joint from which this single was released.

The track play list is perfect though. The Radio Edit introduces you to a great R&B joint. It's followed by the Smoove Edit. Eric 'E Smoove' Miller was the third part of the Chicago Trax team, along with Steve 'Silk' Hurley and Maurice Joshua. His mixes are of the 4x4 variety, walking that thin line between Dance and House. It's good ground in the right hands but the Extended Smoove Club Mix is to cheesey for my liking and the Smoove Edit has nothing to offer at all. What can I say, I'm honest and it's only my opinion?

The Original Mix puts you back in an R&B mood and then up steps Kenny 'Rah-Rah Smoove' Kornegay with his Nubia Soul Remix for an Untouchables Production that gives us that last minute slam dunk. Bam!

• Radio Edit
• Smoove Edit
• Extended Smoove Club Mix
• Original Mix
• Nubia Soul Remix

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Jomanda.rar Filesize: 35.62MB

Joanne Thomas also went under the name of Yavahn and in 1998 she released a track called Baby You which is one of my (many) all time favourite songs. Sadly, she died in October 2003 after a three year battle with cancer.