Studio One Soul 2 (18th Anniversary Edition) Various Artists / Soul Jazz Records

New 18th anniversary edition of the long out of print ‘Studio One Soul 2’, the long-awaited second volume of one of the largest selling Soul Jazz Records Studio One collections.

‘Studio One Soul 2’ takes us deep into Jamaica’s long-standing fascination with American soul and funk music.

Featuring a host of seminal Reggae artists who all first established their careers at Studio One before finding worldwide success. Featured artists include Horace Andy, The Heptones, Cornell Campbell, Ken Boothe, Jackie Mittoo, Jacob Miller and many more Studio One legends interpreting both classic and little-known American soul and funk tunes by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, The Five Stairsteps, Marvin Gaye, The Stylistics, Lee Dorsey, Al Green, Syl Johnson and more.

Curtis Mayfield is without a doubt the main soul influence for many reggae groups in the 1960s and 1970s. Cornell Campbell’s ‘Ten to One’ is a stunning recut of the original Studio One single by The Mad Lads, who first covered this Curtis-penned hit for the Impressions. Another great Curtis Mayfield production, The Five Stairsteps and Cubie’s ‘Don’t Change’ is interpreted by Studio One soul man Winston Francis. Similarly, Devon Russell’s superb ‘Make Me Believe in You’ is, if anything, superior to Curtis Mayfield’s ground-breaking original.

While American soul and funk remain a constant source of inspiration on this album, classic DJs such as Prince Jazzbo and Little Joe also used these rhythms to ride vocal toasts over to serious effect.

This selection features a mixture of classics, rare and unreleased tracks from Studio One, all lovingly digitally re-mastered for this release.