From 1999-2003 Strut Records was a UK-based label specialising in re-releasing original funk, disco, soul and afrobeat. Recently acquired and revived by the !K7 group, ‘Calypsoul 70’ follows the recent Nigeria 70 compilation. While the former delivered delectable Nigerian afrobeat and funk, this new release unearths some gorgeous Caribbean gems. Funk and soul were always big influences on the development of Jamaican music in particular, along with calypso, mento and jazz. This compilation brings together all these influences into a package that demonstrates that there is most definitely more to music from the Caribbean than Robert Nesta Marley.

The album opens with the cool Meters-like groove of The Revolution of St. Vincent’s ‘The Little You Say’ – a track that could have originated from New Orleans just as much as from Kingston or Port of Spain. St Maarten’s The Rolling Tones bring a disco vibe to the very upbeat ‘It’s a Feeling’, while Juan Formel & Los Van Van add a little Latin flavour with ‘A Ver Que Sale’. Biosis Now have a fairly clear message in their slow-burning classic ‘Independent Bahamas’. It’s soulful, but with it’s complex percussion it’s much more than merely a copy of a Stax or Mowtown record.

Similarly, Amral’s Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra, who cover the Gwen McRae’s ‘90% of Me Is You’ on steel drums, making the piece their own, while retaining the soul and style of the original. While these tracks have all been remastered, where possible, from the original 1970s recordings, it’s still surprising just how modern the music sounds. The Wadadli Experience’s ‘We See Jah’ is probably the best example of this, with its crisp guitar and scorching organs. Cedric Im Brooks, also responsible for one of the stand-out tracks on the Soul-Jazz Records compilation ‘Jamaican Funk’, shows he’s equally at home with jazz with the excellent ‘Blackness of Darkness’, a track that drops into a reggae skank halfway through.

This is an outstanding collection of music. Rather than trying to merely copy American music, all the tracks have a distinct Caribbean flavour to them, and are all the better for it. Watch your back Soul Jazz, Strut are back!