Review: Thee Baby Cuffs and Cold Diamond & Mink - There Ain't Enough Roses b/w Instrumental (Stylart Records)

Spring is springing in the garden, check 'Weeds Up To Me Knees' if you've not noticed, but you don't need Garden's Question Time to tell you 'There Ain't Enough Roses' as the new soul sensation, The Baby Cuffs are there for you.

This is totally different from the Cold Diamond & Mink's last appearance on a 7" (Emilia Sisco and Cold Diamond & Mink - see review HERE) or even when they were Jimi Tenor on the LP,  'Is There Love In Outer Space?' (see review HERE), so much so, it's on a different label: Stylart Records!

 

Currently comprising Joe Narvaez and Reality Jonez, this is the romantic Modern Room soul as backed by the equally fantastic Timmion House band, Cold Diamond & Mink as per the b-side instrumental.

If this is West Coast soul, watch out if Deptford Northern Soul move to join their Bristol counter-parts?

Artist: Thee Baby Cuffs and Cold Diamond & Mink

Title:  There Ain't Enough Roses b/w Instrumental

Release date: 18th April, 2025

Label : Stylart Records (Timmion Records)

Catalog Number : SO010

Format: 7" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Emilia Sisco, Cold Diamond & Mink - Let Me In (Timmion Records)

'Let Me In' is not a tribute to footie fans bangin' on the pub doors for early orders - this is pure soul.

This is totally different from the label's last release, Jimi Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink's LP,  'Is There Love In Outer Space?' (see review HERE) even though the 'house' band is featured in that they've gone deep south for a soul that matches Emilia Sisco's vocals perfectly.

Artist: Emilia Sisco and Cold Diamond & Mink

Title:  Let Me In / Way Past Midnight (Let Me In (Instrumental))

Release date: 9th August, 2024

Label : Timmion Records

Catalog Number : TR760

Format: 7" / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Jimi Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink - Is There Love In Outer Space? (Timmion Records)

Is there a more consistent jazz space cowboy from Finland than Jimi Tenor? We very much doubt it and the new album with label house band,  Cold Diamond & Mink, is packed with 110 year old Sun Ra spaceways.

Sun Ra might be a founding influence but these six track are far more ingrained with 60s soul with the added benefit of Jimi's flautist excellence.

There might only be six tracks but if you were after some space funk 'n' soul, hip-hop roots this is the place to start a modern appreciation.

Long time fan, Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music and lots more) recently played 'What Are You Doing' on his Saturday show  and it's a stand-out 'Saturday Night' ESG/post-punk funk party as the title track is deep blue eyed space soul-jazz.

Cold Diamond & Mink are the Finnish version of Daptone, Menahan Street Band or more recently JJ Whitefield & Forced Meditation (and when I say recent, their album, 'The Infinity Of Nothingness' is out today! - see review HERE) and whilst the vocal/instrumental 'Gaia Sunset ' Parts 1&2 is ideal '45' sized retro space funk, the reduced opus is lo-fi-minimal Motown at it's best.

'Orbiting Telesto' and 'Laputa' are more OST/Joe Meek sideways psych tribute at the Gates of Dawn by cosmic Jim and regular readers will know I not a huge fan of "La, la, laars" but that a  minor gripe when you see them "sweaty and hot" with BBC Radiolab synth alarms ('What Are You Doing').

Jimi always looks to me like a jazz-mod that's lost his space-ship (which is a good thing) and whether it's Jimi's work on the Philophon label, (a label run by JJ's brother, Max Whitefield) like the recent 'My Mind' (see review HERE) or this collaboration, he's an absolute star in our eyes and this is a definite 'Must Have' for 2024.

Artist: Jimi Tenor and Cold Diamond & Mink

Title:  Is There Love In Outer Space?

Release date: 31st May, 2024

Label : Timmion Records

Catalog Number : TRLP12014

Format: LP / Digital / Bandcamp