Monday, March 12, 2007

CD Feature: California Soul


Back in 2000, the fine folks at Ubiquity Records' soul & rare groove subsidiary Luv N' Haight put out a tremendous compilation of rare California based soul recorded from 1965-1981 entitled (duh) California Soul. I have to admit, I still give this CD a spin just as often as when I first picked it up nearly seven years ago. This set features many hard to find and out of print tracks covering jazz, Latin groove, soul and funk. Here's just a few, but I suggest you all pick it up as it never gets old.

West Coast Revival: Feelin' Alright

Here's a track from West Coast Revival's 1977 self titled LP. More familiarly recorded first by Traffic and soon after by Joe Cocker, this tune was produced by War producer Jerry Goldstein. This version has many of the same qualities in style and atmosphere as the War recordings of the seventies.

Courtial: Losing You

A Latin piano riff opens up this track from 1976. Once the guitar kicks in it's pure soul. I love that bridge, too!

Sons And Daughters Of Lite: A Real Thing

All at once jazzy, soulful & mystical, Oakland based The Sons And Daughters Of Lite exemplified the more spiritual side of seventies soul music. This track quickly turns into a jazz exploration in the style of Fela Kuti and Sun Ra. Mad horns, vibes, keys & yes...jazz flute!

2 comments:

The Humanity Critic said...

Those are some great tunes, than for posting that. Its great to hear outstanding music that you've never heard before. Peace.

Buffalo West Music said...

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear folks appreciating the music. Check back often for new posts.