Right from the intro, you can tell that this is liquid funk (literally).
Soul:R is a label well known for it's smooth, soulful, house and disco influenced take on drum & bass. This compilation basically consists of recent releases, a number of imminent releases, and one Warner Records track which they deemed not good enough to even release at all... a strange decision, bearing in mind that it is probably the best drum & bass record of 2003. Still, major labels eh ? Freak The Man, sitting on his massive shiny, plastic throne made from unsold 'One True Voice' cassette singles.
Each and every one of the 14 tracks here is excellent. Right from Calibre & Zero Tolerance's "Diamonds and Pearls" though to my personal favourite tune of last year, Sonic & Silver's utterly, utterly beautiful "Under the Sun". This is drum & bass to ride yer bird to, especially the bongo, acoustic guitar and sweet girly vocals of "Lover". One to make the ladies "legs" turn to jelly for sure. Anyway, if that doesn't do the trick, there's always Calibre's sweeter-than-a-cement-mixer-full-of-pick-n-mix take on Jaheim's "Put that Woman First". A proper freaking roller and no mistake.
Then there's M.I.S.T, Marky & XRS with "Back to Love", Marky & XRS sans M.I.S.T going super-samba mental on "Real Good", Calibre's wonderfully catchy "It's Over", the heavy bass er.. dub of "Mistical Dub pt 2", the Chicago House influenced "Devotion".... well, the whole freaking lot really. It's pure, concentrated aceness all round.
If there's nothing here for you, then you're a cold, cruel, joyless excuse for a human being who has no more right to blight God's good earth than the common Greater Reading sister-bucking inbred. Stick to yer poor-man's Spinal Tap cod-rock wink.
Basically, you can shove yer Dillinjas, yer Twisted Individuals an' all yer other clown-stepping, techno thrash metal d&b gayers up yer hoop - THIS IS WHERE IT'S IT, PHAT TUNES FANS.
Hammers rating : 11/10
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