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Valique hails from the unlikely funk capital of Moscow. He’s already had one release on Freestyle called ‘Taking Your Seat’ but boy is this a corker of a Fred Wesley & The JB’s meets Cal Tjader. It’s an awesome track that’s been created with love and respect for 70s jazz-funk classics. The fact that Valique is actually playing the vibes makes it even more impressive and to think, when he started out in the mid 90s as a producer/arranger he was specialising in jungle and industrial! Even now, as a much in demand session musician, he’s recently recorded an album of Russian folk and war songs in a nu-jazz-funk stylee (ouch!).

The b-side is equally as good as the a-side as it’s an updated cover version of Betty Wright’s classic, ‘Where Is The Love?’ featuring the vocals of Fanny Franklin (of the band Orgone, Nuffrope/Ubiquity Records). Note, this is not the same track as the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway tune of the same name. Apart from Ms. Wright’s great voice, we also loved her for her album covers. Now that was when album covers were works of art; think of a sexy Sun Ra (if you can). Anyway, this is a superb disco funk version with racey guitars, big horns and Ms. Franklin’s powerful vocals.

Since we reviewed Diesler, Lack Of Afro and Cookin’ On 3 Burners, the label has released a load of quality soul, funk and jazz with including the long awaited return of the Messin’ Around (Est. since 1996 by JazzCotech Dancers’ Perry Louis and Andy Hobdell with Adrian Gibson) jazz-dance compilation to come. All quality stuff and well worth checking their web site (see links below).

Reviewed: Valique - (Let Go) Trouble Girl (Freestyle Records) Cat. No. FSR 060 Vinyl 12”, 45 RPM Release date: 12 May 2008
Tracklisting:
A (Let Go) Trouble Girl
B Where Is The Love? Featuring Fanny Franklin

Links
www.freestylerecords.co.uk
www.myspace.com/freestylerecordsuk
Fanny Franklin www.myspace.com/fannyfranklin
Orgone www.myspace.com/orgonemusic