Album Notes

A year after the release of Volume 1, and here we are with the third instalment of what is fast becoming a must-have purchase for soul music fans who like something a little bit different.

If one word appeared more than any other in the reviews and general feedback from Volume 1 and Volume 2 it was “variety”.

It’s quite clear that we’ve created a compilation series that stands out from the crowd. The eclectic mix of tunes, vibes and tempos seem to meet with everyone’s approval.

One reviewer referred to the series as a “perfect antidote to the predictability and minimum-risk approach that dominates the industry”. Blimey, I couldn’t have put it better myself...!

Of course, we acknowledge that very few people like every single track. But what’s clear is that anyone who is into black oriented music usually finds at least something of interest to them.

And it’s fascinating to see which tracks people pick as their own favourites, especially the radio DJs, who often latch on to a different killer track!

The variety continues on this latest compilation, with yet another mix of musical styles and genres, which are all connected with the same underlying soulfulness that is the hallmark of the series.

Another common theme, which has been with us since Volume 1, is the diversity of artists on display. Once again, we step outside the USA/UK comfort zone and bring you acts from Italy, New Zealand, France, Germany, Latvia, Denmark and Sweden.

Volume 3 sees a welcome return of two of our favourite acts; Candycream and Excellent Gentlemen. It’s particularly pleasing when artists come back to work with us again. What better way to demonstrate that we fulfil our promise of offering tangible support to artists and their music?

It’s also nice to see a loyal fan base building up. As we watched the sales of Volume 2 coming through on the online stores, it was great to see people who bought Volume 1 coming back for more.

What was even more satisfying was seeing a new customer buy Volume 2, and then go back a week or so later to pick up Volume 1 and, in some cases, EP:001 and EP:002 as well...!

We must be getting something right. Volume 2 got to No. 3 in Solar Radio’s Sweet Rhythms chart, and it reached No. 4 in Soul Tracks’ Top Ten, eclipsing the performance of its predecessor.

Back in July, we launched the first in a new series of compilations. The Contemporary Soul Songbook Volume 1 featured a generally more laid-back and chilled range of soulful tracks.

This prompted numerous emails and texts to the office asking if it meant we would be discontinuing the “unsigned” series. Are you kidding? We see the two series as entirely different, and they will quite comfortably sit side-by-side in our expanding release schedule.

So, fear not, Volume 4 is already in development. And I promise that it will be as varied, unpredictable and eclectic as ever!