Caroline Lacaze - En Route (Légère Recordings)

I recently featured Caroline Lacaze's new single 'L'Etrange' on the Stop.Look.Listen. Podcast, but am since ashamed to admit I only included the instrumental (*blush*). For some reason vocals sang in a different language have always jarred with me in the past. Thankfully, having just received Caroline's full-length album, I'm delighted to say it's finally time to put those demons to rest.

'En Route' is Caroline's first album and comes following a string of successful 45 releases and live appearances, including a spot on Craig Charles' famed Radio 6 Funk & Soul Show. The album is truly eclectic and soundtracked as a roadtrip mixtape - as I grapple to find the most suitable adjectives to describe the album, let me quote the press release directly: 

The mixture on “En Route” is eclectic: nonchalant 60s beat, mysterious psych-pop, raucous funk and longing French chanson, all held together by the energetic raw soul sound and the skillful ‘mise-en-scene’ of the Mocambo Electric Sound Orchestra.

I couldn't have put it better myself. ;-)

Safe to say this is a wonderfully inspired and inspiring selection of tracks spanning a multitude of moods and styles. Looking forward to hearing much more from the 'swinging mademoiselle' in the future - a rising star for sure!

En Route is out 19th April on Légère Recordings | lounge-records.de

The Impellers - Do What I Wanna Do (Légère Recordings)

I've recently been hooked up with Légère Recordings out of Hamburg, purveyors of some serious sexy nu funk (think big Craig Charles-eque fodder) and this latest release has cemented them as one of my favourite new labels.

The Impellers are a 10-strong heavy soul and funk band who released their first album on another SLL label fave - Freestyle - in 2009. The guys are already famed for their multitude of styles and influences, both across their original material and covers - a perfect blend of deep funk, latin and afrobeats for the more upbeat floors.

Their latest release is the typically wicked 'Do What I Wanna Do' (as featured on this week's Podcast), with the guys again putting the 'fun' into funk with massive piano and guitar riffs meeting crazy afro adlibs and a peak-time singalong vocal. The package comes with an equally bonkers video from a band who clearly know how to bring the party - check the vid above.

'Do What I Wanna Do' is out now on Légère Records. | theimpellers.com