With Valentine’s Day right around the corner on February 14th, I have put together 14 Soul 45s together for the lovers out there. You don’t just have to be a lover either, even if you’re single this Valentine’s Day, there is something on this mix for you. These Soul sides all are velvety smooth, hence the name, and what really got me was the drumming on each of the tracks. A tune can be soulful but yet so funky, and these are definitely both. I’ve touched on some Sweet Soul, some Northern, and even as I said before some funky Soul. Tracks by Eldridge Holmes, B-sides of Lee Moses and JJ Barnes scorchers, a completely mislabeled Donnie Elbert 7″, some reissue heat from Bob & Gene (Mo Do/Daptone), a newer side from Willie West & The High Society Brothers from Finland’s Timmion Records, a test pressing of Cultures of Soul’s Darling Dears 45, and various Soul tracks from The Dells, Flamingos, Bud Harper, The Odds and Ends, plus a heater from Darrell Banks fill up this just under forty minute mix. Drawing inspiration from 1976’s Velvet Smooth blaxploitation film for the cover design, I decided to switch up the flow in the latest mix in honor Valentine’s Day. This mix was done all live, in one take and is dedicated to my wife, who puts up with all this record nonsense on the daily. Enjoy it, play it with the one you love, the one you wish you loved, and when you do play it loud.

See the artwork here.

Velvet Smooth Tracklist

Eldridge Holmes – No Substitute/ Deesu Records
Lee Moses – I Can’t Take No Chances/ Front Page
Willie West & The High Society Brothers – Lesson of Love/ Timmion
Donnie Elbert – If You Were My Woman/ Trip
Flamingos – Lover Come Back To Me/ Polydor
The Dells – Closer/ Cadet
Don Gardner – You Babe/ Verve Records
Hot Sauce – I’ll Kill A Brick (About My Man)/ Volt
The Odds and Ends – Let Me Try/ today Records
Bud Harper – Let Me Love You/ Mr. Soul
J.J. Barnes – Baby Please Come Back Home/ Groovesville
Darrell Banks – Our Love (Is In the Pocket)/ Revilot Records
Bob & Gene – I Can Be Cool/ Mo Do
Darling Dears – And I Love You/ Cultures of Soul (Test Pressing)

Listen to Velvet Smooth from my mixcloud page.

Use the mixcloud downloader to download this mix.

Keep Diggin’!