Look out below—Soul Sides just dropped the world’s 5 bazillionth soul compilation. In case this is your first time using the internet, Soul Sides is a popular blog focused on all things funky, souly and hip-hoppy. The site is run by Oliver Wang, an incredibly knowledgeable journalist and music nerd who has decided to bless us with yet another compilation of funk, Soul Sides, Vol. 2: The Covers (Zealous Records)While these sorts of compilations have become plentiful in the wake of the DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist Brainfreeze craze, if you’re a fan of the old school grooves that so much of today’s music is based on, you can never really have too much. With Soul Sides Vol. 2 Mr. Wang has put together a collection of funktastic covers, both old and new. The album bursts out of the gate with Sharon Cash’s down and dirty version of the classic “Fever,” made popular by Peggy Lee in 1958 and ends with Laura Lee’s equally groovy take on “What A Man.” Sandwiched in between are 12 more tracks of pure funky bliss.The compilation’s diversity is impressive, as classics from the ’70s blend smoothly into tracks released over the last few years, while funk and soul cohabitates with reggae and Latin vibes. In terms of quality, the album is so consistent it’s hard to pick highlights. Whether it’s Al Green transforming The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” from a teenybopper anthem into a groovy soul jam or Brooklyn’s Antibalas mixing Afrobeat with Latin flavor on “Che Che Cole,” there’s not a skip in sight. Even the instrumental jams are top notch, with El Michel’s Affair’s raw treatment of “Walk On By” somehow making the song even more badass. So if you like the funk and you’re looking for some new tunes, once again Oliver Wang and Soul Sides have something special for you.
