Soulacoaster Reviews

As a general rule, I am usually slightly wary of albums by producers that feature nearly as many different vocalists as it does songs. In a lot of cases the result is disjointed, confusing and difficult to listen to as a whole. Thankfully this is not the case with Soulpersona’s Soulacoaster.

In many ways this album reminds me of Eric Lau’s (masterpiece) New Territories. Rather than simply filling the album with beats and picking so-so vocalists to sing a hook on top, Soulpersonahas chosen the vocalists carefully and has held back from over-producing the songs. The balance between production and letting the vocalist shine is just right.

I’ll admit I wasn’t familiar with many of the vocalists on this project. I have albums by Deborah Jordan and Darien, and i’ve heard a few tarcks by Replife but that is about it. However I will definitely be checking for each and every one of them from now on, especially Kia Bennett whose ‘So Natural’ is one of my favourite cuts on the album.

I’d have no hesitation in recommending this album to anyone who is a fan of soul, funk, jazz or hip-hop. All elements are expertly combined and the result is an album you can put on repeat and happily listen to all day (I should know, I’ve done it!).

Review by Souluk

Soulful music from Soulpersona -- a warm and just smooth enough ride on the Soulacoaster! Soulpersona is the producer, arranger and instrumentalist behind the curtain -- a genuine talent who has attracted an impressive roster of singers and collaborators for this set -- including Sibel Thrasher of the legendary Roy Ayers Ramp group -- plus Deborah Jordan, Darien of Reel People, Kia Bennett, Replife and Juliet Ashby. This is a fresh, timeless modern take on classic and cosmic soul, with a breezy and moving sound, bits of 70s soul jazz and keyboard funk and programmed beats with real heart and soul! Titles include "Flying Easy" and "Weightless" feat Deborah Jordan, "Candy Wrapper", "Walk On Through" and "Perfect Life" feat Princess Fressia, "In Your Eyes" feat Sibel Thrasher, "Can't Hide" feat Darien, "Lifetime" and "So Natural" feat Kia Bennett and more...

Dusty Groove America

The soulful heat coming from across the pond has been keeping our ears nice and toasty with beautiful beats, sultry voices and universal subject matters. UK-based producer extraordinaire, Soulpersona (aka SoulP), has collaborated with a number of talented singers from around the globe. The result is Soulacoaster, a profound LP that captures the essence of soul, jazz, funk, disco and hip hop.

The album features the vocal stylings of Princess Freesia, Darien, Kia Bennett, Sibel Thrasher (from the Roy Ayers Music Project) and a host of other artists who make great additions to your playlist. Soulacoaster was produced virtually--with SoulP's tracks and artists' vocals being transferred via e-mail before being mixed and mastered. "Candy Wrapper" is a sexy, soul-hop single with an irresistible beat and solid performance by Princess Freesia. Her invitation to "make you sweat and sautee" will cause your eyebrow to raise as your inhibitions do the opposite. Be warned, this one is solely for the grown and sexy.

Darien and SoulP deliver an ambient, groovy vibe with "Don't Go." The snare pops and the synths dance in the air with Darien's declaration that he's willing to do what it takes to make love work.

Overall, this project is a sincere voyage through a collective passion for soul music. I encourage you to join the journey when the album drops on October 19th.

Soulbounce.com

This is...expansive, ethereal, cosmic soul. And Soulpersona is originally from from Wales! Well, there's lovely for you! Appealing to fans of 4Hero, our man, Soulpersona, treats our ears to a chilled set of songs that bodes us well for the coming new decade. Exemplifying this further, if you really warmed to the more futuristic, sensual modes of soul on Marva King's latest set (think "Lovely") the you will very much know what you are in for. match to this the more lkeft-field moments from 4Hero (aided and abetted by the legendary Larry Mizell) then sonically you bang this album on the head. I defy anyone with an ounce of soul and sensuality in their body to not seriously dig "Flying Easy" featuring the wispish, seductive Marva King-ish Deborah Jordan. This isn't a cover of the Pete Escovedo classic, but a brand new jam of real note. To be honest, the whole album is a weighty item and well worth your serious consideration. Attracting positive comments from the likes of Oliver Cheatham, Patti Austin and Leon Ware, it will be mere seconds of your listening time to hear exactly why the Legends have such positive things to say about this gentleman.

pastimes thinly into your subconscious...if this song doesn't grab you then shame on you!!! The glorious 70s sounding "Walk On Through" complete with flute is simply delightful, and the brilliant "So Natural" featuring Come, check out the dirty, sexy groove "Candy Wrapper". Complete with heavy bassline and guitar this could easily be Mtume for the 21st Century. The slinky vocals courtesy of Princess Freesia lays open more sensual, warm and wet feelings, the emphasis on pleasure and tantalisingveiled under the notion of unwrapping a candy. Such naughtiness so early on in a recording. Very promising indeed! The risque lyrics are veiled in metaphor and yet very sexy indeed. No lewdness or filth here, pure imagination only required! Darien appears on the KILLER "Don't Go". Oh, this is SUPERB! A futuristic yet traditional groove that simply flaotsKia Bennett cannot be beaten. The vocal harmonies easily on par with Zhané, this is a great, great tune. Fans of Liquid Spirits or Jazzanova will so feel the rap vibe of "Alright" - an Erykah Badu type of jam, and a strong rap paying homage to the soul greats. It gets no better. "In Your Eyes" pays such homage to the Ubiquitous soul sounds of Roy Ayers / Ramp and works magnificently. The delicious Deborah Jordan again pleases with the summery "Weightless" and Kia Bennet's "Lifetime" adds some real cold chill to proceedings. The closing call, "Imagine" is yet another KILLER that pays homage to the Roy Ayers sound, and draws to a close one of the most essential albums of the moment. Please do not let this homegrown gem slip away.

Soulchoonz.com

Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe

Ain't That Peculiar, Kool & The Gang, Marvin & SoulP

Just wanted to say a few words about "Ain't That Peculiar"... This music was originally just a mess about with Kool & The Gangs "Summer Madness" track, I posted the track on facebook and through that a geezer called Neil Thompson got in touch and told me that he has fitted an old Marvin Gaye song over the instrumental of my re-edit. He sent it over and I nearly lost my mind. I then got him to send me the accapella because I wanted to add some more musical arrangements, some Marvin style piano, strings, chimes and some of the delicious Moog sounds you hear in his songs, especially from the "I Want You" album... One of the best albums made, EVER!...So, if you hear the original of "Aint that peculiar" it's a much faster backing track, you don't really get to hear the lyrics, but with this more emotional, laid back, backing track, you get to hear the pain and troubled soul of Marvin Gaye, the lyric "But each hurt, makes my love stronger, stronger than before" is really fucking deep, genuis writing... The summer madness groove just makes the track so more emotional and sad.

When I was adding stuff to this track and mixing it, it was like working with the ghost of Marvin Gaye, it was late, there was no-one in the house but me and I ust admit, it was so overwhelming that it nearly (just nearly) brought a tear to my eye. Those who know me well know that I idolise Marvin Gaye, listening to his albums have given me so much inspiration on so many levels. Marvin was deep, he wasn't only the most wonderful singer to ever grace this earth, but he was also a multi instrumentalist, a great keys player, drummer, arranger and producer. Marvin Gaye is the reason I got into producing music, I just wanted to make beautiful simple soul music that gives people goosebumps, just like he did.

Anyways, here it is in all it's glory, if your a deejay and want to support this, drop me a message at soulpersona@gmail.com. Close your eyes and hear the haunting vocals of Marvin Gaye doing his thing, the way he knows best.

Marvin Gaye "Ain't That Peculiar" (SoulP & Neil Tomo's Summer Madness Mix) by Soulpersona

A&R Dickheads

If you are an artist, producer or musician, beware of the people that come up with any of these "buzzwords" I usually use these words as a bullshit detector, because the people in this shallow music industry who speak this bullshit are normally the bullshitters. Theses are not made up, these are genuine phrases that I have been victim of. So here we go...Here are my top 10...Don't trust anyone who says ANY of these.

10. "No Brainer" eg."He can mix the album by next week...Seriously, it's a no brainer"...

9. "Blue sky thinking" eg. "We need to take this urban talent and give it some blue sky thinking"...Oh fuck off!

8. Beware of words like "Urban" "Showcase" & "Talent" In the same sentance, all of these words should tell you that there is no oppertunity to be gained. eg.

A&R/Promoter: "Hi SoulP! We've got this showcase for unsigned, urban talent, are you coming?"

SoulP: "No, I'd rather drink my own piss thanks" ...What this geezer has just said, tells me it's gonna be it's gonna be average. Am I wrong?

7. "Think...Out the box" If somebody ever tells you to "Think out of the box" they are really telling you not to have your own imagination...They're telling you that their ideas will be much better. Its a control buzzword, often used in this scenario eg. "I like your ideas. but let's try thinking out of the box on this one" ... I get so angry when I hear this one that sometimes I think about slapping them round the face...

6. "At the end of the day" Normally used to summerise a meeting. "At the end of the day, the long and short of it is, that there's just no market for it...Soul music just doesn't sell" I was actually told that by a complete twat who shall remain nameless for legal reasons...You know who you are... You probably don't actually, cos you've said that shit to thousands of people for years.

5. "Ping" Or "Shoot" you an email... If anyone tells you that they'll ping, or shoot you an email...They probably won't...I prefer to "send" or "fire" emails accross personally... Also don't ask me to "Touch base" with you either.

4. What the fuck is "Chillax"... That's just stupid...

3. "Hook up" or "Do lunch".... NEVER hook up or do lunch with anyone...I prefer to meet up and have lunch..... And if anyone ever asks you out for "Brunch" tell them to fuck off.

2. "Lets raise the anchor and let this one drift" This one should only be used if your either a sailor, a boat owner, ..Or a pirate...However if your a complete cunt, this works great as well.

1. "I don't say this very often, but this song has number one written all over it"... This usually means that it wont.

SoulP's advice is to always be aware that 90% of managers and record label people are out to musically rape you of your sound, talent, passion and your integrety. These people arn't even musicians, so they have no right to tell you to change anything that your musically proud of.

Realise that you can now sell your music without having to rely on a record label and that you can have your own publishing, your own online shop and your own image. Just steer clear of labels unless they offer you a deal that you just can't refuse.... But if it sounds too good to be true, it normally is....

SoulP

SoulP's Summer Madness Free Download

...For the next 14 days, my version of Kool & The Gangs "Summer Madness" will be available for free download. The download link is below the video.

Download Here:

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/779999084/183a07780163bfaa47909ad9a5fee89f

Soulacoaster Quotes

I've been fortunate enough to have some good reviews... No bad ones yet, fingers crossed!... Here's what's being said about it.

" Soulpersona is family to me and if you have not got his new album you are missing out on the some of the best music that I have heard in the past year or so! Soul Music is so important for all of us right now,it shares alot of the passion and heartache and love that we all are going through and listening to Soulpersona's new album SOULACOASTER, it's taking me right back to that good ole soul sound that makes me want to groove and dance! Ya'll better Hur-rup and get cho CD TODAY!! YOU WILL LOVE IT!!"
Jocelyn Brown. Singer/Songwriter

"Warm, fuzzy, danceable, sexy soul music"
Garth Trinidad Deejay/Presenter KCRW

"Sounding wicked mate i must say loving it all!!!"
Derrick McKenzie. Drummer Jamiroquai

"Just finished listening to SoulPersona's new album Soulcoaster, and it is one of the best British soul albums I have heard. The sound quality, the music, the singers, the vibe, the instruments, consistency.
Boy!!! England is in for a surprise when this shit comes out"
Diane Laidlaw, Female Beatmakers, Dj/ Presenter, Playvybz Radio

"Head on over to Digisoul to grab your copy now, if you don’t then your going to have to live with the fact you have missed out on one of the standout albums of 2009"
Soul:UK

"A profound LP that captures the essence of soul, jazz, funk, disco and hip hop."
Soulbounce.com

"Soulacoaster” is a prime example that you don’t need a major label to deliver quality music for people to enjoy"
Todd Kelly. Flowlink

"The album sounds fantastic, they are flying out, we are going to need some more real soon!"
Soulbrother Records

The Struggle

...Why do I hear so many artists harping on about the "struggle"?... Moaning about how hard it is to make music and get it out there. To me the struggle is a brilliant part of becoming a musician. It's the part where you really learn about what you are doing, and put every bit of passion you have into everything you do. Like a footballer has to josstle for his place in a football team, a musician has to raise his or her game to be recognised. This is the music business, probably the one of the hardest busnesses in the world.

Some musicains and artists moan about struggling so much, it becomes all they talk about, all they think about. Try using the "Struggle" as inspiration. For me it's the most enjoyable part, it's a time to find your strong points, assess your weak points, hone your skills and find your sound. If your going to be a boxer and fight an opponent, you have to train if you want to stand any chance, you can't just jump into the ring with no preperation.

"Struggling" also makes you stronger, shit, things are looking up for me at the moment, but i'm still struggling. The difference is that I love the "Struggle" because every day i'm thinking about how the fuck to get out of it. The music buisness is like a game of chess, you have to be patient and wait your turn. Frustration, depression and anger are themes that run deeply through my productions. Shit, I locked myself away for a year of my life when I first got some recording equipment, i lived off a credit card, smoked copious amounts of ganja, grew a beard and made music every fucking day!... I didn't really have a clue what I was doing, I was just making music that I loved and really didn't give a shit about the bigger picture. That for me was a "struggle" because I took a gamble, but thinking back it was a great moment of my life. For the first time ever I was making music that I wanted to make with no-one telling how I should be doing it. I was in musical heaven, and quite litterally couldn't give a fuck what happened in the future.

My point is to embrace the struggle instead of winging and harping on about it. If you work hard and love what you do, keep doing the same thing, enjoy it, write about it, spill your heart out, the "Struggle" is just the begining, it's what we all go through to become what we are. "Struggle" is standard, your not alone. Remember that.

Drums & SoulP

I promised myself that if can i'll try and write at least a paragraph of stuff a day. So today i'm gonna talk about live drumming. As well as producing music I am originally a drummer, I played on tabletops and ice cream tubs as a kid, but when I was 11, a youth club I attended gave me a drum kit. I had never played an actual drum kit before and I still think about those first moments quite often. I remember setting it up so it looked like the drumkits I'd seen on Top Of The Pops, and when I had set it up, I sat behind it and it just came naturally. I'd never had a lesson (apart from a couple of snare drum technique lessons, parradiddle's, two stroke rolls etc) and the whole thing just seemed so natural, almost as if i'd been playing for years... It was the best feeling in the world, and i'm glad to say, that it still is..

As the next few years past, I played almost every week for one band or another, Rock, Punk, Metal... Anything in fact!... As long as I was playing drums, I really didn't give a shit, as long as I could play. At home I was restricted to 30 minutes after school becuase we had grumpy nieghbours who went mental if I played any longer!

At school I was a dreamer. I used to sit by the window gazing out accross the playing fields imagining what it would be like to be a proffessional drummer. I'd often fantasise that I was going to live some rock and roll lifestyle, filled with late night recording sessions, album tours, beautiful women etc etc... As I said, I was a dreamer.

I'd get home and go straight into the spare room where my drums were set up, i'd go to my Dads Hi Fi and stick in a tape or put on one of his records.. Which didn't work too well as the records always jumped with my kick drum vibrations. I quickly learned that a two pence piece sat on top of the needle cartridge ammended this problem.

I played along to Jeff Lorber, Phil Collins, Bob James, Chris Rea, Level 42, Hall & Oats... You name it, if it gave me goosebumps, I was piping it through the headphones, closing my eyes and playing along. Often imagining I was the drummer playing it at a live show... Sad eh?

Anyways, to cut a long story short, in my early teens I met a bass player with the same passion as me, we loved the same bands and when he sat in his bedroom and played me the Level 42 track "Children Say" bass lick for bass lick, whilst singing, I knew that we were gonna be in a band together... This bass player was a 14 year old kid called Paul Lancaster, you might know him now as Punk Pappa of Wonderlush. We have been friends ever since and have recorded countlesss songs with one an other...

As the years past by, I gradually played drums less and less. I was busy being a teenager, getting drunk, pulling girls and getting into trouble, I played drums now and again for favours, but i'd never found a band that I wanted to be in. I was craving soulful, jazz funk bands, and where I grew up the most soulful you got was "Mustang Sally" ... Then the drumming went dry.

15 years later in 2008, myself Punk Pappa (bass) and another old friend Richard Molyneux (Guitar) got together for a jam. Also at the jam was my good mate Michael Rendall (Jackanory) who is one of the finest keyboard players i've ever heard. Watch out for his name cos this boy is gonna be huge. Trust me.
I hadn't really touched a kit for soooooo long, and neither of us had played as a band before. I had just sent one of my songs to everyone beforehand as a groove reference. We mic'd up the instruments, and pressed record... And this is what happened and it felt so good!

So just to re-cap:

Bass: Punk Pappa
Guitar: Richard Molyneux
Keys: Michael Rendall
Drums: Me, SoulP

Hear what happened, below.