This is our second track with Big Al Cooper. He was discovered and brought to me by Tahira Jumah. He played the lead in a musical about Luther Vandross's life story. He comes from Guyana originally, and lives in London now. For our first track together, he did the most amazing job with my classic James Wells hit, "True Love Is My Destiny", which, along with "My Claim To Fame", topped the US Billboard disco charts for seven weeks back in 1978. He has turned it from an old disco record into a soul classic, and I'm very proud, as it was such a major important track for my previous album, "Yesterday And Tomorrow", and Big Al had us dancing in the aisles with his killer remake of the James Wells song, and now we have just cut another stunning song with him, "Top Secret", for our album, "Northern Soul 2008", which we launched on Centre City Records. Big Al is just fabulous, so willing, so cooperative, and such a warm hearted person, and it makes me proud to have artists of this calibre on Centre City Records, and along with Kitty Corbin, Jennifer Dee, Verna Francis, Marvin Cotterell, Shenton Dixon and my new male soul group, The Concentrations, these artists represent the new generation of Centre City artists. Thanks to the wonderful Tahira Jumah, who has been scouring England for the best soul talent there is, our new album is a vocal masterpiece, a new hope for the future, and a proof positive that great soul music is far far far from dead and buried. Thankyou my wonderful wonderful Tahira. You have done me proud. The best A&R talent scout there ever was. It is true to say that I have tried many times in my life to capture that quintessence of what makes a Northern Soul record actually work on the dancefloor, and with records like Sidney Barnes "Standing On Solid Ground" and Chuck Jackson "All Over The World", I certainly hit a popular chord. But this time I have never been more artistically satisfied. Everything about this wonderful song suggests the magic and energy of the era that I fell in love with as a teenager. Forget the purists - this one has it all. If you can keep your feet still while listening to this, then you must be a country and western fan or something. The album, "Northern Soul 2008" was distributed once again by Passion Music and Pinnacle and is available on iTunes. This Northern Soul album is a sequel to our album, "Northern Soul 2007" which was the very first release on Centre City Records. I have spent thirty two years honing my craft to the point when I am able to produce authentic records like this. There are some small minded people who call themselves fans of Northern Soul who refuse to accept that anybody can make a new record that sounds like the real thing. But with over t19 million YouTube hits, they seem to be thankfully a very small minority. The work that we have all put into this project is quite staggering, and I hope it will break down the barriers between the older Northern Soul stalwarts and a new generation who need younger acts who still produce the same vibe we all witnessed forty years ago for Motown's glory years. Play the CD, watch the DVD, and give new Northern Soul a chance this time. Big Al and I co-wrote this fabulous uplifting song with my long time producing partner Clive Scott.
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