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Marcel Smith—From My Soul—Little Village
(www.littlevillage foundation.com)

I somehow missed Marcel’s first album for Little Village and now
I’m really regretting it. “From My Soul” is the follow-up and it is a

thoroughly lovely release, full of classy 60s Rn’B and soul, and
pop-soul styled numbers, with a side order of blues. I’m playing
it a lot.

Recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios, this set uses
some of the West Coast’s best musicians for this kind of music.
When the guests include Johnny Rawls (with two very impressive
duets: a stupendous cover of O.V Wright’s ‘There Goes My Used To Be’ and a pulsating ‘Turn
Back The Hands Of Time’), plus backing vocalists The Sons Of The Soul Revivers and a top-notch
band, it is certainly a case of quality guaranteed.

I have to admit that Marcel hits the spot for me every time – he has a noticeable touch of Sam
Cooke that I’m a sucker for. This is soul singing and then some, right from the off with ‘I’m
Coming Home to You’ – and then some. There is a jazzy sophistication to ‘If You Miss Me’ and the
classy blues ‘Wake Me When It’s Over’ (from Willie Nelson!), and the ecologically sound ‘What
Can We Do’ has a big string arrangement, again a little reminiscent of Sam Cooke, and maybe
Ben E. King.

Little Richard’s catchy ‘Freedom Blues’ gets a beaty treatment (and has a harp solo by Rick
Estrin) and another fine cover is Jimmy Liggins’ hit for Specialty in 1953, ‘Drunk’ – Marcel and
the band add some funk and soul. ‘Nothing Left To Burn’, co-written with Anthony Paule, is a
pointed modern soul-blues with impressive vocal to match.

As you might be able to tell, I am very much taken with this release - highly recommended!

Norman Darwen

The Pszenny Project—The Pszenny Project—Independent

The rock ‘n’ roll tinged opener, ‘Hoochie Mama’ makes for a great
introduction to this band. Singer, guitarist and bandleader Mark
Pszenny moved from New England to North Carolina and formed
the present band in 2019, and they sure know how to hit a
muscular, catchy blues groove as on ‘I Told You’. This is the good
old-fashioned brash sound of blues and blues-rock for dancing, or
“roadhouse blues”, if you prefer.

Not that Mark and his band don’t do the slow blues – try ‘2 A.M
Blues’ for a convincing “wee wee hours” number. But they do tend
to keep things lively - there are the unambiguously titled numbers ‘What The Funk’ and the
closing ‘All Funked Up’ and the revved-up, relentless groove of the supercharged Mississippi
blues of ‘Knee Deep’ with its massive slide guitar work.

Mark is a strong, powerful singer, his guitar work merits the same description overall, and the
band is tough. In other words, this is a listenable, unpretentious and very entertaining and
enjoyable set.

Norman Darwen