The Layabouts feat Kathy Brown – Choices

This one's been out a few weeks but had to get a mention, just for the talent roster involved. Team up Kathy Brown's legendary tonsils with The Layabouts – for me, among the best of the UK's current crop of up-and-comers on the 'deep and soulful' side of things – was a stroke almost guaranteed to bring results, n'est-ce pas?

Well, yes, but look at the remixers too! The headline for me is the inclusion of two mixes by the legend that is Jovonn. If you're an old skool garage head, then Jovonn's name on anything is cause for salivation, and his deep New Jersey-flavoured Vocal and Instrumental are no disappointment (esp the latter). That said, neither are Restless Souls' Chicago-y Vocal and Instrumental, nor The Layabouts' own Main Vocal and Sax Dub. The latter two are very contemporary-sounding and deeper than you might expect: indeed, the Sax Dub could happily fit into a minimal-y kinda deep house set. Be assured that even with Ms Brown onboard this is no Kandi-tastic screamalong!

About the label: This is on MN2s, one of the UK's finest when it comes to soulful house and latterly, with the no-longer-shouty 1Trax imprint, a good source of deeper tackle, too. Their website is 'under construction' as I write, but here's the link anyway.