Review: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers - Interstate 75 EP (No'West Remixes) (Ramrock Red Records)

This week it's all about the "douze points" for some folks whilst the rest of us only have one winner, the long awaited release of the No'West remix EP of Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers' Interstate 75 EP (see review of the original HERE).

They've roped in Craig Charles (he of Liverpool) on the Eurovision coverage, but Sir Craig's electoral fanbase is in soul 'n' funk and he's a fan of the original and the new remix having played it a couple of times on his influencial BBC 6 Music show already.

As the Beedle/Wallace/Morris team reorganise the original version, especially falling for those Stax horns, the big Hammond and the "northern" hand claps on the instrumental] as this will fill out the Baker's Lounge all-day long.

And don't forget that this is the team that brought you our current #1, 77:78's Love Said (Let's Go) (Wallace & Morris Rework) (see review HERE) and the outstanding Robb Scott & Leee John's 'Gotta Get Over You' (see review HERE) and the wheels keep on turning out these great hits.

“I’ve got a future Blues classic on my hands with an indefinable time scale – it could’ve been recorded in the mid 70’s and feels like an instant crate diggers delight!” – Jo Wallace (Ramrock Records)

Artist: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers

Title: Interstate 75 (No'West Remixes) EP

Release date: 12th May, 2023

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRR040

Review: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers - Interstate 75 (Ramrock Red Records)

If you've ever been motorvatin' on the U.S. Interstates, here's a musical postcard to bring

60s soul into today's electric car Detroit offramp.

You can reel off the influences here of Stax, Motown and Cadet along with pre-glam rock funk, R&B V1.0, James Brown (of course) and a touch of Prince, you'll be getting this from ya Bruick to ya Memphis horns.

And if you didn't think Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers could back-up the previous single, 'Can't Take The Fight' (see review HERE), well they are back in the ring ready to punch ya soul lights out; starting with the opener 'Ain't No Telling'.

In fact, all ten tracks are a funk 'n' soul battering (in a more than good way) as there's definitely the "protest" in here that was totally lost from "modern" music at one stage; "Fight the power" as they'd say.

But this isn't all retrospecitve 60s soul with Woodstock idealism, there's a sexy blue machine on the cover and it's leaving Detroit on the I75 (come on you TV exec producers, there's a soul-umentary here following the boys on tour down to Miami, Florida, Georgia and the rest) and don't forget there's a single version out there with an instrumental.

You don't have to be a fan of Downtown Soulville to love 'Good Lovin' (love the the big horns and "loud" electric guitar solo) or the ballad 'Hurt Walks Out Of The Door'; but if you are, you're going to be shocked that 'If You See My Baby' isn't a long lost 45 on ATCO/Sue or similar.

Whilst the revival of Northern Soul never ends, this is old soul/funk/rock and is now now; and we need more.  And, talking of Northern Soul, Marcus was once a member of Mitch Rider's band 'Detroit Wheels'(!) so even stranger that he and Dan Smith (one time of The Noisettes) met in a Croydon club (that's Croydon, S. London not Croydon, Penn State).

This album has come out just in time for some holiday get away soundtrack and once you've heard Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers, they ain't never going to leave you... well they might if that blue Bruick has half a tank of gas in it.

Artist: Marcus Malone & The Motor City Hustlers

Title: Interstate 75 

Release date: 21st April, 2023

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRRLP008