I first coined the term Deep Soul in the mid-60s to define a style that had surfaced earlier, but which, in the Golden Age of American Soul, became increasingly a force to reckon with. I described Deep Soul at the time as "the ultimate in American Soul music", but I'd not argue if you claimed it was simply the sort of music that "made your liver quiver" or "your knees freeze". Either way it's music that gets to you and, once it's under your skin, there's no known cure-.-you're hooked for life. Not that any of those held in its thrall would want to take any such cure anyway-.-for many, Deep Soul is where it's ultimately at...and it brings it all home without fear or favour!
Compiling a collection such as this has not been an easy task. This kind of music has tended to manifest itself on a variety of labels scattered over a wide area of the USA, appearing and re-appearing at various times in Soul history. But, this project is a labour of love. We've assembled some of the most breathtakingly wondrous and stunning examples of Deep Soul, performed by artists who are profoundly respected icons in the field. The majority of these tracks are making their debut in the UK here and now, (Jaibi's legendary You Got Me, Larry Banks' I'm Not The One and Brendetta Davis' tempestuous I Can't Make It Without You etc). You'll also find a few long-standing golden favourites which are perpetually fresh sounding and meaningful. But like all great artistic endeavours, Deep Soul never dates. As in other fields of specialist activity, there is no space for compromise here-.-no bending of the genre ground-rules. Deep Soul is an uncompromising style which, like the blues, has a pretty strict and mean code of ethics to which it must always adhere. The genre has one of the most avid and loyal followings of any musical style. But at the same time, because the fans are so staunch, they can be as vocally critical as any Apollo audience - spotting the sham and the second-rate a mile off. So you can be sure this disc was compiled with its constituency well-in-mind! I think this is quite simply the greatest CD of all time, but in saying that I'm not blowing my own trumpet. All I did was pick the sides that make my heart skip a beat-.-the credit and glory belongs to the artists, composers, musicians and producers who have, between them, produced what I consider to be 25 of the greatest Deep Soul sides ever! Deep satisfaction guaranteed...and then some!
