My love affair with soul music began in 1964. I was just about old enough to scrape into the now famous Cavern Club – a twenty minute bus ride away from the drab, austere post-war council estate where I grew up. The music played in that dank, disinfectant flavoured basement provided a wonderful escape from all the drabness and the austerity. In those days the repertoire of the beat groups (they were never bands!) consisted chiefly of cover versions of obscure American songs. One evening, one group, The Escorts, announced that their next song was to be their take on a tune called ‘It’s All Right’ by a group called the Impressions. They sang; I was mesmerised. (If you truly know soul, you’ll know what I mean). If a second-hand version by four scruffy Scousers could be that good I just had to have the original by those exotic Impressions. I found it in NEMS Records Store (owned by Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, by the way) and I played it to death. Now, 45 years later, I still play it almost every week. I’ve even stipulated that it must be played at my funeral - not that I’m planning to have it just yet! The point of all this nostalgia is that, yes, we all vividly remember our soul entry point, but real soul lovers (like their passion) evolve and move on. It’s clear I dearly love ‘It’s All Right’. But I equally adore Maxwell’s ‘Ascension’, Anthony Hamilton’s ‘Change Your World’ and thousands more. When I fell in love with them they were all brand new and very different to ‘It’s All Right’, but with the same ability to affect your emotions and connect with your soul. And hitting on new music is part of the joy of a true soul fan’s odyssey. Which, finally, brings us to Phil Driver and this compilation, the third in the Contemporary Soul Songbook series. The music here is all shining new and, believe me, there’s plenty here that will go onto my ever-evolving, life-enhancing playlist. Stuff like Kenny Wesley’s ‘Serenity’ and Seductive Soul’s ‘Your Love’ have already had the same impact on me as ‘It’s All Right’ did all those years ago. There’s still a huge thrill to be had from hearing a new, quality cut for the first time, and thanks go to Soul Unsigned for allowing us to do just that. Real soul people love and respect the past but delight in the new. There’s a lot to delight in here... Bill Buckley soulandjazzandfunk.com