ISSUE 1039 INTERVIEWS INC: Mario Biondi, Paul Carrack, Kandace Springs, Raphael Saadiq, Kerri Chandler, The Allergies and Zapp's Lester Troutman.
LIVE REVIEWS: SW4 in Clapham, London. Also, Toots & The Maytals, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, The Beat starring Dave Wakeling, Pama International, DJ David Rodigan and the Trojan Sound System + more at London's Alexandria Palace.
ALBUM/SINGLE REVIEWS: Jose James "Lean On Me", Macy Gray "Ruby", J.P. Bimeni and the Black Belts "Free Me", Jodie Abacus "Take This And Grow Flowers", Anthony David "Hello Like Before-Songs of Bill Withers", Joseph Malik "Diverse Part 2", The Marcus King Band "Carolina Confessions", James Francies "Flight", Lenny Harold "Cosmic", The Doggett Brothers "Get High", Ladybird "All I Want To Say", Mella Dee "Not Here To Make Friends" EP, "Lumberjacks In Hell" Various, Phenomenal Handclap Band "Judge Not" and Thor Rixon "Michele".
ARTICLE: Without doubt, one of the jazz discoveries of the year, we take a look at the recently discovered recordings of late and ever so great jazz bassist, Charles Mingus.
RELEASE SPOTLIGHT: B&S Editor Lee Tyler reviews late Screaming Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley, posthumous release “Black Velvet”.
REGULAR FEATURE: Duncan Payne's Blues & Soul Years visits the changing times of 1968.
EVENT REVIEW: Frank Elson check’s out the East Lancs Soul club in Accrington.
CHARTS: B&S Hot Chart (biggest tunes of the moment across all genres), Smoove Grooves R&B chart, Grooveyard Essentinals Dance Chart and Richard Searling lists his Northern Soul ‘Fantastic Flipsides’ plus the tracks which made Wolverhampton’s famous Catacombs Club one of the best known Northern Soul venues in the UK.
B&S COLUMNISTS THIS ISSUE: Richard Searling (Blues), Ralph Tee (Modern Soul), Jon Harrington (Blues), Ben Lovett (Dance) and Bigger (R&B)