My love affair with JB’s larynx is now well into its third decade. Not since “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Caught Up In A One Night Love Affair” in the late-’70s has there been another who can excite, memorize and paint a myriad of images with their vocal chords. Don’t let the title fool you: “Unreleased” isn’t 25 years of castoffs from the vaults, instead this is a worthy companion to her wonderful catalogue. Recorded over the last five years, the majority of the cuts here are polished funk affairs with JB sounding her assured and commanding self. “Find Someone To Love” echoes of “Somebody Else’s Guy”, “That’s Just Me” is a beautifully spiritual ode, while “Real Thing” sounds uncannily like Tom Browne’s horn blowing on “Funkin’ For Jamaica”. The sweet disco sound of her early Inner Life recordings are stamped over cuts like “Sweet Fine Baby” and “I Love You”, but for me it’s “Buttaflies”, set to a shuffling Soul II Soul beat and backed by Oliver Cheatham and Connie Harvey, that’s pure vintage JB magic. The unmistakable lady is back.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene
