Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Apparently it took five years to put this compilation together as the Ian Wright of vinyl insists that scoring is down to having only original 45s on the decks. “I believe in no bullshit; all killers, no fillers, so if you can’t dance to it I won’t be playing it. I DJ because I enjoy seeing people getting down to stuff they’ve probably never heard before, in other words the music ALWAYS comes first, no scratching, beat juggling or gimmicks.”

Now that’s not a bad mantra to live by, but can he deliver for the second edition of Sister Funk? Of course he can as we benefit from his sweat and toil with these 20 tracks.

Perhaps the first thing to note is that these sisters are not just funky as they’ve got a lotta soul. Particularly, the opening track by Rhetta Hughes is a Northern way with the “should have been me” tale of ‘Doing It With Her’.

I can’t imagine Dolly Gilmore could “whisper in your ear”, or guess why Coletta Woodson would want to ‘Follow The Wind’ but as soon as you hear Big Ella, you know she’s ‘The Queen’ (one of those tracks the crowd clap when it finishes).

These some big horn tracks here (‘Watcha Need’, ‘If You Want Your Man’, ‘Muddy Waters’) that would satisfy even Mark Ronson but the highlight for me is the Barbara Trent version of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ complete with vibes!

Getting back to the Northern Soul scene, another Barbara (this time Mason) might be known for other songs that have turned up on previous compilations, but her track on this compilation is a rare one of a 60s room style.

Getting afro-funky are the same folks called the Hard Drivers (Ooooh!) who show you how to move your hips and the CD finishes on another high with some disco-funk by Florence Tapp.

That said, once you put this CD on, there’s some sort of funky superglue reaction as it’s almost impossible to eject. Especially recommended if you can’t wait for the next albums from the modern day sisters of soul ‘n’ funk like Nicole Willis And Soul Investigators or Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.

This is a must have album as well as a see-through shirt to impress Keisa — take me Baby.

Forthcoming Gig:
Apr 21 2007 DJ Ian Wright in PORTO @ PITCH CLUB

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘You’re Doing It With Her’, ‘Sweet Sweet Baby’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘You Better Stop It’, ‘Since I Was A Little Girl’, ‘Love Came Into My Life’. ‘Take Me Baby’, ‘Muddy Waters’, Watcha Need’, ‘If You Want Your Man’, ‘The Dance Man’ [errm..isn’t that all of them?]

Reviewed: V/A — Sister Funk 2 (Jazzman) Cat. No. JMANCD.016/JMANLP.016 Release Date: April 2007
Track Listings
1. Rhetta Huhes — ‘You’re Doing It With Her’ (2:39)
2. Honey & Bees — ‘Love Addict’ (2:33)
3. Dolly Gilmore — ‘Sweet Sweet Baby’ (2:17)
4. Barbara King — ‘What I did In The Street’ (2:56)
5. Coletta Woodson — ‘Follow The Wind’ (2:37)
6. Sandy Gaye — ‘Watch The Dog’ (2:10)
7. Big Ella — ‘The Queen’ (2:05)
8. Sheila Wilkerson — ‘Baby You’re A Jive Cat’ (2:16)
9. Richi Corbin Trio — ‘A Woman Was Made For A Man’ (2:22)
10. Barbara Trent — ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ (2:16)
11. Althea Spencer — ‘Take Me Baby’ (2:21)
12. Cheryl Johnson — ‘It’s Not Too Late’ (2:23)
13. Barbara Howard — ‘I Dont Want your Love’ (2:35)
14. Leon Mitchison — ‘Whatcha Need’ (2:31)
15. Cheryl Dorsey — ‘If You Want Your Man’ (3:02)
16. The Fabulettes — ‘Muddy Waters’ (3:12)
17. Keisa Brown — ‘The Dance Man’ (2:30)
18. Barbara Mason — ‘You Better Stop It’ (2:18)
19. Hard Drivers feat. Vivian Lee — ‘Since I Was A Little Girl’ (3:29)
20. Florence Trapp — ‘Love Came Into My Life’ (3:31)

Links:
www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk
www.myspace.com/djianwright
www.daptonerecords.com
www.john-cale.com
www.soulgeneration.co.uk
The Hush Club “Playing the finest in British Beat, Northern Soul, Classic Indie, 60s RnB, Ska, Garage and Psych” 31st March 2007 at The Centre Stage, Westbourne, Bournemouth 9pm-2am £5.00 www.thehushclub.co.uk
The Times, 22 March 2007 — John Cale live at the Mean Fiddler, WC2 by David Sinclair
“There was a deep electronic grumble going on for at least five minutes on the darkened stage before the musicians finally emerged. Taking up position behind a keyboard, Cale started picking out spiky little clusters of notes in odd, atonal intervals, which turned out to be the intro to his highly customised version of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. Jerome’s fidgety tom-tom syncopations were hypnotic, and as an exercise in how to turn one of the most familiar songs in the pop canon into a throbbing hotbed of drones and dissonance it was unbeatable.”