HUMAN BLOOM | KATE TEMPEST | SKINNY PELEMBE | CID RIM FEAT. LYLIT | JJ WHITEFIELD

Hello again friends, freaks and fans of nu-jazz music of the kind that wouldn’t win a variety show contest if it turned up with a bass drum on its back, a pack of magic cards up its sleeve and a heartbreaking back story in its back pocket.

Have I got some bangers for you this week!

First up, like the wide-eyed cute kid that would get the likability vote even if they weren’t so bloody precocious comes Human Bloom with their new soul/funk single Capillary. That provides our Charm Offensive this week.

And like any good ‘… Got Talent’ format, there’s got to be a foreign act doing something bloody dangerous. Our equivalent is spoken word artist Kate Tempest’s Holy Elixir (providing our Military Coup choice). The only difference being that she’s from London. And probably does knitting or professional tea-drinking in her spare time.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, there’s always a surprise package, isn’t there? A chubby lad who can break dance or the half-wit with the voice of an angel. And it sort of makes you feel like you don’t know how to feel doesn’t it? Well, Skinny Pelembe’s No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish – this week’s Peaceful Protest – does the same thing, pairing quite a serious lyric with the most damn danceable backbeat you’ll hear all year.

Harnessing their super-human energy and vitality like a super-honed urban dance troupe are CID RIM and Lylit. Their electronic soul track Further is this week’s Guerrilla Warfare choice.

And finally, like the OAP that shows too much flesh, funk and soul legend JJ Whitefield shows up in our Quiet Riot spot with his retro, but weirdly sexy Yellow Sari.

So, if you still haven’t pressed your red buzzer and fancy giving one of them your vote (no apps need be downloaded), read on my friends…

HUMAN BLOOM: CAPILLARY
KATE TEMPEST: HOLY ELIXIR
SKINNY PELEMBE: NO BLACKS, NO DOGS, NO IRISH
CID RIM FEAT. LYLIT: FURTHER
JJ WHITEFIELD: YELLOW SARI

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –