Review: “Northern Soul” by M People (CD, 1992)

Today’s Pop Rescue from a fate unknown, is the 1992 re-released edition of the debut album Northern Soul by dance act M People. Will this be the sound of your kind of People, or is it just a bit grim? Read on…

M People - Northern Soul (1992) album cover — M People – Northern Soul (1992) album

The album opens with Excited (M People Master Mix), the track that ultimately caused this album to be re-released a year after its first edition. Here, we find a thumping beat, an initially mysterious piano, and a plethora of percussive sounds leading us towards the first verse. Before that, is the signature 90’s house piano style before vocalist Heather Small arrives to bless her with her iconic voice. Her voice is confident, rich, warm, and in the spirit of this track, I can hear her smiling her way through it. It’s a cheerful and upbeat start to the album. The album’s fourth single, Excited, took the group to #29.

Next up is hit single How Can I Love You More? which gave them a moderate UK position of #29 when it was the album’s first single. It wasn’t until 1993 that the track would get a remix (released as the fifth single) that would take them to #8 instead. Either way, this version starts with some delicious sounding pianos, but flanked by a little synth that reminds me a lot of something ’80s from The Human League. The chorus is a whole ton of catchiness and Heather once again brings this song to life perfectly.

That’s followed by a gentler track with some nice percussion and gurgling synths and pads of Colour My Life (Part One). This shows us Heather’s vocals differently, and it has a beautiful sound to it as the synth-scapes bring warmth to this softer track. It’s a really nice track, and the single, released as the album’s second one, took the group to #35.

Aptly, car hooters lead us into Inner City Cruise, and this has a repetitive music track, and it is one of those occasional M People album tracks where a male vocalist (uncredited here) takes the microphone whilst Heather presumably popped to the studio loo. It’s not bad, but certainly doesn’t have single potential.

It’s Your World is next, and this time we get Heather and vocalist Mark Bell. Whilst there is some catchiness to it, the track does feel quite simple and perhaps lacks a bit of interest for its demo-like feel.

Next is Someday (Sasha’s Full Master), weighing in at 7m 43s. This version gives us a flittering synth, breathy sounds, and a slowly evolving dreamy introduction before a gospel choir arrives as Heather’s vocals ‘ooh’ their way towards the mic. This sees Heather strike some low register and muted vocals, although she gets a few big notes at times, and this works nicely in harmony with the gospel vocalists. It’s a slow grow track, and even then it’s pretty sedated. This track was the album’s third single and it stumbled at #38.

A brooding bass line, synth and drum machine leads us towards Sexual Freedom (not literally), and this is another dreamy and drifting song in which Heather’s vocals waft in and out on top of gurgling synths and warm pads. It sounds like a filler that just happened to get some vocals thrown on it in the last take.

Then it’s Landscape Of Love, a flurry of drum machines and brass riffs, with affected vocals (again, Heather appears to be absent). It again feels like a filler track, and one that just showcases a new synth or something.

Tumbling Down is next, opening with some almost comedic synths and a brooding bass line. Mark Bell is on the mic again and sounding sort of Seal-ish. He is capable of throwing his soulful voice around with seemingly ease. Whilst his vocals work a treat, the accompanying track is dull and repetitive and he’s let down. Imagining his vocals with a full-sounding backing track is hard to do, but I think that’s what he ultimately deserved.

That’s followed by Kiss It Better, and we’re returned to Heather, and a really nice warm and gentle track. Again, a male vocalist joins her (i’m guessing either bandmates Paul Heard or Mike Pickering this time). The track does fleetingly take on a semi-Indian musical sound, but by the time you hear it, it’s gone again as Heather repeatedly asks ‘what price beauty now?’.

Next up is Man Smart, and in a welcome turn, this track gives Heather some bigger and more interesting vocals which she takes on with the familiar power and volume. The track sounds more like the style we’d become familiar with by the time of the next album, so it’s great to have this stronger track here.

Colour My Life (Part Two) follows this, and this time we have lots of snares, cymbal crashes, and brass stabs. Heather’s familiar vocal line returns and she gently weaves this through the more upbeat sound. It sounds nice, but it lacks the interest from the Part One earlier on in the album.

The album closes with Excited (Judge Jules Remix), and this gives us some really nice acoustic guitar work and drum fills. The thudding bass drum ushers in a harder beat and it feels like this track has some energy. Then suddenly, Heather arrives and the tracks takes full form and blossoms into a belter. The acoustic guitar and dance beat combination works a treat. An excellent end to this album.

M People’s lead single ‘How Can I Love You More?’ from 1991.

Verdict

Over all, this album isn’t quite the fully fledged M People sound you’re likely to be familiar with, but there’s plenty of glimmers of it.

If you’re a fan from what was likely M People’s phenomenal success around 1993-1995, then this album has some treats for you, but rather than the lush ballad or thumping dance track with Heather’s big vocals, here instead you get a mixture of semi-big tracks, blended with what now sounds like some filler demos showcasing a new sound/synth they’ve just bought. Heather’s vocals work the best here, but the lack of dance tracks in favour for mid-tempo tracks does this album harm.

The highlights here are definitely the closing Excited (Judge Jules Remix), How Can I Love You More?, and Colour My Life (Part One), and it’s a shame that Man Smart didn’t become a single. There’s also some mis-steps here too though, and these sit within the middle of the album from It’s Your World to Landscape Of Love, which mostly don’t contain Heather’s voice. Thankfully Heather would take the mic full time, and usher in their ultimate success.

It’s a nice album, and if you enjoyed their later albums it definitely feels like an almost ‘origins’ album with a few catchy tracks on it.