Antique Soul Album Preview

Smoove & Turrell - Antique Soul
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Antique: valuable because of its beauty or rarity; out of fashion
and belonging to or lasting from times long ago

Soul: deep feeling or emotion; the human embodiment of something

Raw and retro with a rich deep story-telling vein Smoove & Turrell release their emotional debut album, “Antique Soul”. Opening a different musical door, its “old dusty feel mixed with fresh contemporary edges” delivers eleven songs that grow on the listener with every play. This unpretentious debut is already bending the ears of Radio 6’s funk afficionado and occasional hellraiser, Craig Charles, who has written the album’s sleevenotes.

From the home of label mates Kraak & Smaak, geordie partnership Smoove & Turrell combine live music with the latest technology to create a set that’s timeless in its appeal. From fat funk rippling over ace beats and breaks, Northern soul to stomping 60’s sounding jams, this picturesque album plugs in 2009 for another great year of new music. Great songs swinging over a new funk breeze; there’s shades of Mark Ronson, soul loving Modfather Paul Weller and early story-telling Bowie circa “London Boys” mixed up with the last four decades of breaks and beats.

From the opening gritty JB-fluenced “Hammond”, rolling out that vintage Hammond organ sound over some sweet soulified beats and Turrell’s urgent vocal; “Antique Soul” is one of the first standout albums of 2009. The single “I Can’t Give You Up” which was their first collaboration, offers up some unbridled Northern funk with amazing horns.

“You Don’t Know’ could be an Amy Winehouse soundtrack or backing band number with its sassy kick-ass funk ripping its way into your heart, alongside the more laid-back but equally heart-felt grooving “Hypnotised”. “The Difference” is a love song rippling against a dubby, jazz background while “You Got Me Bad”’ has a retro feel-good raw approach. “Beggarman”s credit crunch lyrics rubs a retro story-tellling 60s soul-talking vibe with great horns and backing vocals...yeah yeah. The upbeat funk cover of Yazoo’s 80s classic “Don’t Go” gives way to the album’s deeper side with songs like “Darker Days” and “Without You” illustrating the album’s depth with a soul that can be as twisted and dark as it is joyful. “Latin Groove” is a lighter breaks excursion with sax blowing up a storm, and a great conga drum breakout.

Geordie lads, Smoove & Turrell, unveil some deep Northern soul mining and grit on their raw and unpretentious debut album, “Antique Soul”.
The duo knew they had found something a bit special in each other when the last copies of their first single, “I Can’t Give You Up” (a track that was never meant to go beyond a 500 edition run on 7” on the German label, Muto) reached £166 on Ebay as Northern Soul and funk fanatics fired a bidding frenzy. And so the seeds of “Antique Soul” was born...

In between lighting up the local boozers with their infectious laughter and impromptu sessions, Smoove & Turrell honed their songs in the studio.

Known mostly for uptempo, northern soul influenced funk and beat jams, Smoove had already released his “Dead Men’s Shirts” album debut on the legendary Acid Jazz label three years ago. But in teaming up with Turrell, Smoove found his vocal match, someone to roll with him on the lofty highs and then dig deep with gravel-voiced soul for the comedowns.

Throwing down somewhere between a 60’s soulman and Animals frontman, Eric Burdon, John Turrell is the epitome of blue-eyed soul. A working class family man with a voice that takes him and everyone who hears it to a place far away from everyday life. A singer and lyricist who defiantly wears his heart on his sleeve, whether it involves belting out his angst on dancefloor fillers like “I Can't Give You Up” or bearing his soul on the deep and funky “Darker Days”.

Brought up by family members on a diet of Steely Dan, Free, Joni Mitchell and Cream, as he grew older it was the soulboy delivery of Richie Havens, George Benson and Stevie Wonder that started to inform his musical education.

The lyrics that Turrell brings to the game reflect his own life experiences, from his relationship with his wife and family to his bingeing habits over cigarettes and alcohol. But whilst he deals with everyday subjects, his lyrics are never mundane, finding beauty in the ordinary and elevating the everyday to poetry.

“Reflecting the different styles I play in my DJ sets - soul, latin, funk, jazz, easy listening, northern soul and hip hop. I'm a real crate digger and only play vinyl in my DJ sets. I found an amazing track by 70's songwriter Lynsey de Paul that we sampled for “You Don't Know”. Normally samples take forever to clear but someone played it directly to Lynsey and she loved it. We got everything cleared the same day ” Smoove

“Antique Soul” is the raw debut from Smoove & Turrell and is released at the end of March 2009. With the cracking single “I Can't Give you Up” already buzzing with mixes from A Skillz, Lack of Afro and a man like Smoove,
2009 will see Smoove & Turrell hit their stride.

'Sure to be one of the best albums of 2009 - This should be the future of Soul music in my book!' - DJ Andy Smith