Review: Various Artists - Let Me Down Easy: Echoes From Cheri Records (Miles Away Records)

Don't be surprised that you're thinking, who are/were Cheri Records as they were a subsidiary of Springboard in New Jersey focusing on soul and gospel in the 70s/80s: but what will surprise you is how good these 14 'unknown' tracks are that DJ Colin Curtis has dug up from his base 'Miles Away' in Northern Soul/Jazz-funk danceland.

From a limited catalogue of a mere 11 releases between 1975-82, you'd have thought you'd have to be let down easy in quality but when you've got a rosta including Julius Brockington (he of 'Sophisticated Funk' and 'The United Chair' - see review HERE), the surprisingly overlooked Roslyn & Charles, Rare Pleasure,The Family Tree and more.

After the first couple of track on this album, you'll say to yourself, this has peaked too early: but then they proove you so wrong.  If you're funk bones don't get movin' and groovin' to 'Boogie Man Pt.1' by Brooklyn People, there's no hope for ya bootie.  

There's lots to praise the lord about with this album, obviously 'God Is' and the totally amazing 'Brand New Day' by The Family Tree (being Brockington with an truly outstanding array of vocal talent; plus Ron Carter on bass!)   And they also do the most challenging version of Stevie Wonder's 'As': what would J. Rocc play? Or Dilla for that matter?

The album finishes with a 12" version of the label's best known/cross-over disco hit, Rare Pleasure's 'Let Me Down Easy' that came out in the 70s on DJM, the label best known for releasing Elton John records at he time.

It was around the mid-70s that 'down South', there was birth of Punk and "up North", Blackpool pioneers like Curtis were slowly introducing disco into the Northern Soul which you can no doubt read in the vinyl's gatefold sleeve liner notes that features interviews with Colin "From Northern Soul to Dancefloor Jazz, touching Street Soul, Boogie and Disco along the way"* Curtis and David Morales.  

And as Curtis was doing that, it marked the birth (or perhaps more acurately, the seed of) 'the Modern Room' as 'Don't Make Me Sorry (For Loving You)' by Sherman Nesbary (Ed. Who?) swings you around the dancefloor at slower pace.

I wonder if they'll say that Chicago is the birthplace of gospel (which I read recently whilst researching something else; remember kids, don't believe everything on the Internet) and whilst it would be even more of a push for any New Jersey claims, remember that it's said that DJ Tony Humphries was playing out the Joubert Singers' 'Stand On The Word' at 'Zanzibar' in New Jersey before Larry Levan go his hands on it: so who knows how far back this goes? 

 

This is going to save loads of time for diggers (well, perhaps not as that's what they like to do) and money to have such a great collection all together that's agelessly good; make yourself happy and get this as you didn't know how happy you could be.

We're promised more in format of influencial labels that have left their mark in an 'Echoes From' and no doubt they'll all be as good as this one.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER:  VARIOUS - Let Me Down Easy: Echoes From Cheri Records CD at Juno Records.

Artist: Various Artists

Title: Let Me Down Easy: Echoes From Cheri Records

Release date: 7th November, 2025

Label: Miles Away Records

Cat. No: MALP 002/MACD 002

Format: Limited Edition LP Vinyl / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

*Dom Servini, WahWah45s