Soul Scratch – Telephone b/w Triumphant Sunday

Today we have a little slice of heaven out of the Broken Complex camp. BC is an Los Angeles based (San Fernando Valley to be exact) record label and promotions company that has been doing their own thang since 2004. An all in one recording, production, promotion, and post production hose, one of their latest releases is the collective known as Soul Scratch. Featuring Dale Spollett vocals, Joel Givertz on guitar, Johnny Chou on bass, Adam Greenberg on drums, Matt Reale on trumpet, Ian Anderson on sax, and Joe Field on trombone, this West Coast band is taking their combined love of funk and soul music to another level. Their paying tribute to the past and adding their own sound to the mix, scratching that funky and soulful itch of audiences across the land.

Their newest release on the label is a diverse two sider with one strong thing in common: it’s soul music through and through. “Telephone”, the A side, is an upbeat soul strummer complete with crooning vocals, horns, and a sweet sound that is a bit of the old and a bit of the new. Clearly influenced by ’60’s and ’70’s soul and the sounds of Booker T., Curtis Mayfield, and others, Spollet injects his vocal stylings in beautifully over the backbeat and early on you get the idea where they are going with this tune. Straight to the heart. The flip, “Triumphant Sunday”, our personal favorite, is a moody instrumental stroll through Los Angeles complete with great horns, and mellow guitar and drums to propel your journey. The kicker for us at the 1:17 mark is the flute solo that just kills it and brings this track to another level. With hints of The Menehan Street Band or something off the Magnetic Fields label, Soul Scratch forges their own sound lovely and the B Side wins again here. A Soul Noir sound on this track, and a winner here at FMF. The boys are doing a residency next month at the Peppermill Casino in Reno, NV, and a special Valentine’s Day show at Soul Shakedown at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood. If you’re in the area, check them out. For those that can’t, pick up record below. If these guys aren’t scratching that itch, we don’t know what will.