Street soul grail alert! Freestyle reissue the previously white label-only Guess Who LP, originally released anonymously by Rick Clarke in 1992.
Crossing ruff-but-sweet UK street soul sensibilities with stripped-back house, garage and hip-hop flavours, the Guess Who LP was dropped covertly during a period in the early 90s when Rick was signed up to Soul II Soul's Funki Dreds label, contractually restricting him from releasing his music elsewhere. Bubbling with creative energy and a slew of ideas that he just couldn't help himself from getting out there, Rick brought a range of friends and collaborators to his MJB Records studio in West Kensington where the LP was produced and recorded on his trusty Fostex E16 in a matter of a couple of days.
Raw drum machines and simple but effective basslines & melodies abound across the album's 9 offerings - with tracks at times feeling like pencilled musical ideas still in flux. Highlights include Jill Francis' sublime vocal riding the stripped-back samba-esque groove of Gonna Make You Happy, the sugary soul harmonies of Imaani's Share My Love With You, and criminally short outro track Sweet Vibrations.