Wikstrom & Lewen Ft. Tommy Blaize – Time To Make A Change / Good Good Feeling 45 (Home Of The Good Groove) 7″ Vinyl

Welcome to the third release on Home of The Good Groove Records cat: GG003.

It’s been a journey, but thanks to the guys at Universal Music we are very grateful and privileged to bring you this fine piece of modern soul music on vinyl.

Both tracks, on the 7-inch, are taken from the MP3 only 2020 album “Vintage R&B”.
It’s an Anglo-Swedish affair, delivered to you by Swedish songwriters, composers and musicians, Henrik Wikstrom and Anders Lewen, together with UK producer Andrew Stannard.

It was Andrew Stannard who initially had the idea to add some authentic sounding classic soul and R&B to the Universal Music catalogue. He reached out to Lewen and Wikstrom, both excellent songwriters and composers in their own right. Wikstrom is a renowned song and music writer in Europe, and creates great melodies. Lewen a proficient guitarist and multi instrumentalist, playing on the global Soul and Blues scene for over 30 years, is a self-confessed vintage music enthusiast. Lewen has knowledge of the relevant equipment and instruments used back in the day to capture that feel and that sound. His experience includes working closely with Sven Zetterberg (incl. “Heartaches was all you got”), Magnus Carlson, Elin Ruth and James King amongst others. For the whole Vintage R&B album, the music was recorded in the European mainland and then the vocals were laid down in the UK.

Side A “Time to Make A Change”, features in Episode One of the 2023 BBC documentary “Fight the Power – How Hip Hop Changed the World”. A track to surely get the dancefloor moving.
After some deliberation of which track to include as a Side B, it was decided as a “Thank you” gesture to invite Universal Music to pick the song of their choice from the MP3 album. “Good, Good Feeling” was the proposal, a song title that is reflected in the composition and as Anders tells us has a little flirt with Little Milton’s “Grits AIn’t Groceries” with reference to Mona Lisa smiling.

Credits:
Anders Lewen – guitars, bass, percussion, keys, Drums* (*provided by Anders Lewen) Henrik Wikström – keys
Karl Olandersson – trumpets, flugelhorn
Magnus Wiklund – trombones
Per Grebacken – saxophones, flutes
Tommy Blaize – vocals
Louise Marshall – vocals

Gareth Donovan gives his review…………..
The third release from Home of The Good Groove Records somewhat sees a re-direction in style compared to the two previous releases on the label. Quite a surprise that this is music made as recently as 2020.
Each side delivers a slightly different sixties influenced vibe, which will appeal to a wider audience considering previous releases, enhancing the reach of this recently formed record label.
The top side, with its driving beat and the strong vocal ability of Liverpudlian Tommy Blaize, is reminiscent of a Motown track at the peak of its popularity. After listening to the lyrics, it is understandable why this track was used in a “Civil rights” segment within a documentary. A seemingly timeless message that can be applied to many socially conscious situations and occasions. Listen to the tight musical arrangement. These guys know what they are doing. A track that will surely even get my ageing hips loosened up for the dancefloor. Don’t be tricked by the “paused” ending, a wonderful touch!

The title of the flip side, “Good, good feeling” is exactly that……… A “good feeling” song. Here, the tempo is lowered slightly and the sixties vibe here also leads to a more mainstream direction compared to the A side. Those floaty soulful tones from the UK’s Louise Marshall are very pleasant to the ears, lifting your spirits on any day of the week. Like the A side, get your earlobes in to that musical arrangement. There was no holding back with the broadness of musical instruments in the studio and I especially like the sound of the flute happily skipping throughout. Overall, an enjoyable easy listen.

Another great 7-inch vinyl release on Home of The Good Groove Records that should reach every collector’s box. – Gareth Donovan.