If It's Too Loud...

This summer is undeniably horrible, but one thing we can look forward to every week is Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead singles series. Thanks to this series we've discovered some great neo-soul bands we had never heard of, like Dojo Cuts, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, and Thee Sinseers. Last week's single was from a band we do know: Boston's GA-20. Since GA-20 throw back to traditional blues, it's quite fitting that they're covering Jimmy Reed's classic "I Ain't Got You." How faithful is GA-20's version? Jimmy Reed's original is two minutes, sixteen seconds. GA-20's is two minutes, seventeen seconds. This isn't so much a cover as a loving tribute. It's the kind of cover that will make you immediately go check out the original and then fall into a Jimmy Reed wormhole for an afternoon. And, yes, I'm speaking from personal experience. You can listen to GA-20's version of "I Ain't Got You" below. ...

The latest single from Colemine Records's Brighter Days Ahead singles series was a Juneteenth release from The Harlem Gospel Travelers. The Harlem Gospel Travelers were assembled by Eli "Paperboy" Reed when they were his students in a gospel class. Listening to "Fight On!" you won't believe they're young enough to be students of Reed's. This band sounds like they've been together for years, if not decades. "Fight On!" isn't purely an old school soul or gospel song. It sounds more modern while keeping the spirit of classic soul alive.  The song is obviously highly political. Bandmember Thomas Gatling explains: “During slavery, songs were a form of communication for black people. These songs became known as hymns, or as our seasoned saints call them, the songs that brought us over. 'Fight On' was inspired by a hymn called 'Hold On (Just A Little While Longer),' a song used to encourage black people to not give up...

Dojo Cuts may very well be the first soul band from Australia we've ever brought you. "Here We Are" is their first single on Colemine Records, as part of their "Brighter Days Ahead" singles series. It's the kind of music most people will claim isn't made any more, but if you pay any attention to Colemine Records, you'll know true soul is still alive. "Here We Are" sounds like it could be straight from the 60's. It's a perfect, powerful soul song that we don't get nearly enough of nowadays. You can listen to "Here We Are" below. The song is available via Colemine Records as part of their "Brighter Days Ahead" series. You can get a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Dojo Cuts, check them out on Facebook .