The quality of the singles in the run-up to the release of Soul Woman, Michelle David & The True Tones’ second LP for Record Kicks (and their seventh overall) boded very well for the album and found the band ranging across the golden era territory of soul taking in its funky, northern and psychedelic incarnations. Indeed, such was the buzz that the monkey predicted the album might finally catapult David and her band into the space long occupied by the now sadly departed Sharon Jones & The Daptones in the contemporary deep funk and raw soul scene. Could it be possible?
Well, the band certainly hit the ground running with opener, er, Running, a northern soul stomper for days which is followed by striking title track Soul Woman. This is a totally different kind of uptempo affair with David in spoken word mode over an afro-funky rhythm with the delivery and lyrics making it a kind of soul counterpart to the cut on Blackalicious’ Nia LP on which Erinn Anova delivered Nikki Giovanni’s 1970 poem Ego Tripping. The Age of Aquarius vibes don’t end there either for next up is Golden Sun on which the band take a visit to the psychedelic shack and channel The Temptations’ Norman Whitfield era.
That’s a powerful trio of cuts to open with but there’s no drop in impact with the slightly slower tempo fourth cut You’ll Never Know – a 60s-style R&B groover – or a second trip to the psychedelic shack on the wistfully lyrical let all hang out-isms of Flow. Here on this mid-point in the LP, you wouldn’t need a David biography to realise that she once sang with Diana Ross, or that the former Motown chanteuse is a key influence. Speak To Me stays in a Supremes/ Ross zone while picking up the pace and then it’s all about lilting torch song Pick Up The Pieces. Well, you’ve got to have at least one slowie. Or maybe two
or three since When All Is Said And Done has an intimate feel and even the loping funk of Seasons has those smouldering torch song organs in the background. Finally I Thank You provides a scorching end to proceedings by going right back to David’s roots on southern Gospel-styled 155-bpm stomper I Thank You.
If anyone these days can fill the void left by Sharon Jones it’s surely the gospel-trained Michelle David whose career began at the age of four and has included a pre-True-Tones stint singing with Motown legend Diana Ross. And in the sense that the scene has been missing an elder stateswoman, it’s arguably fair to say that Soul Woman has elevated David to that status and is the band’s strongest effort to date. In doing so however, it’s not so much that David has filled the space left by Jones as created a new one for herself. Long may it exist.
(Out now on Record Kicks)