Sunday, November 4, 2012

Martha High - Soul Overdue




Martha High's impeccable soul credentials are beyond question. She was a member of  The Jewels, who in the mid 60s were part of The James Brown Revue, and also released two 45s produced by James Brown. Although The Jewels eventually disbanded, Martha continued to be a part of the live James Brown show for the next 30 years! It's Martha's voice that graces JB classics such as 'Say It Loud - I'm Black & I'm Proud' 'The Big Payback' amongst many others.
Soul Overdue is an incredibly apt title for a project that has been over 40 years in the making, and it shows that Martha's voice remains undiminished, her youthful vocal clarity and style quite simply dazzles, as she shows a host of young pretenders the way it should be done!
Kicking off with a high octane rendition of ‘No More Heartaches’, Martha and Speedometer prove to be a perfect match as the bands super tight musicianship provides a formidable backdrop to her searing, soaring vocals. In comparison, the more subtle, tender moments on this album, in particular the heart wrenching version of Etta James' 'I'd Rather Go Blind' had already been proven as a show stopper live, and now that it has been committed to tape, with The Voxettes added backing vocals, and Andy Fairclough's masterful organ playing, it must surely be one of the finest examples of contemporary bluesy soul around.
The entire album has garnered masses of love & support and seems destined to be one of the most exciting & vital new soul releases for many years. 

Reviews:
"An album that captures one of soul music’s most powerful voices. 4 Stars!"  Mojo magazine

"A beautifully measured album full of vim and vigour" Blues & Soul magazine

"Martha was good enough for ‘The Godfather’ – she’s good enough for me. Funky heaven!"  Peter Young, Jazz FM

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