Sanctuary Records Group – Trojan

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Various Artists: Soul Power (Funky Kingston Vol.II) (TJDCD263)

Reggae goes funky, a Jamaican slant on the Funk Soul Power of the late 60’s early 70’s. Most of it is based around JB style funk grooves, covers with a different slant, and if funk was raw this is rawer. A plethora of producers and artists cutting some funky stuff, bothin Ja and the Uk. I’m not sure that a lot of this really hit home at the time because generally the jamaican groove was emerging into reggae (from it’s predecessors) and the funk boys were too ‘snobbish’ to look outside of the US.

Nonetheless this is good, or at least good fun with a Ja slant, like for example Hoace Faith’s fatback Wicki Wacki , a Jamaican James Brown – eh? For the most part it is good, though one or two tracks are quite poor like Spinning Wheel and Get up stand up.

Various Artists: Soul Power (Funky Kingston Vol.II) (TJDCD263)

Format: CD album Released: Jun 27 2005 Price: £13.99 Arguably an even funkier selection than 'Funky Kingston', this follow-on compilation features some of the biggest names in Reggae music performing either funky Reggae or the pure, unadulterated real thing. Many of these tracks have become underground hits on the UK Funk scene over the years, while others are long-lost gems frm the Trojan and Creole vaults and although there are a sprinkling of covers, the bulk of the tracks are originals, so proving Jamaicans could strut their staff with the best of them. Get down, y'all!

Tracklisting

Soul Power - Nicky Thomas

Make It Reggae - Shark Wilson & The Basement Heater

Time Passage - Ken Boothe & The Cimarons

9I Can't Get Enough Of That) Reggae Stuff - Matumbi

Sticky Fingers - Jamaica Jam

All Things Change - King Sporty

Keep Stepping - The Cimarons

The Change - Greyhound

Kinky Fly - Bunny Scott & Lee Perry

Freak - Tapper Zukie

Slow Rock - Laurel Aitken

Penguin Funk - Mike Dorane & The Cimarons

Funky Buttercup - The Chosen Few

Get Up Stand Up - The Chequers

Uppity Up Y'All - Bruce Ruffin

The Message - Tinga Stewart

You're The One - Greyhound

The Ghetto - Mike Dorane

We're Not The Same - The Cimarons

Give Me Some More - The Studio Sound

Don't Let Me Down - King Sporty

Spinning Wheel - Horace Faith

Why Can't We Live - The Chosen Few

Meditation - Annetta Jackson