Pot of Gold opens up with Turn an Run, a track that instantly made me think of The Weather Girls' hit It's Raining Men. It's got that funky late 70's / turn of the 80's disco exuberance to it that makes it irresistibly playful (and in this case I genuinely mean it). As enjoyable as it is, thankfully the rest of the album doesn't follow down the same path, dooming it to the 80's tribute album bargain bin. Instead Alice Russell (the newest, latest, most current British soul songstress whose voice has crossed the Atlantic) blends in equal measures of 70's funk and soul to make it an appetizing combination.Alice just didn't appear out of thin air though. She's been honing her style and vocals for a while now, including collaborations with acts such as Massive Attack, The Roots, Lonnie Liston Smith, Femi Kuti, De La Soul, Quantic, and The Quantic Soul Orchestra. She also appears on Mr. Scuff's recently released album, Ninja Tuna on the track Music Takes Me Up (listen to it below, and then use that as a springboard to check out the entire album and Mr. Scruff's skills). As you might guess from that list, she's got a full, strong, and soulful voice that proves she's for real.
Her album features upbeat drivers that the opening track I mentioned above, to slow burners like Let Us Be Loving, to the guitar driven funk of Got the Hunger?, to the bluesy Lights Went Out (with its exotic stringed opening), to her Gospelish cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.
The album is already available digitally, but if you prefer to get your hands on a physical copy, they'll be available here in the States on January 6th. In the meantime, enjoy the following:
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The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men : Super Hits
Mr. Scruff - Music Takes Me Up (Feat. Alice Russell) : Ninja Tuna
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