Smoove & Turrell

 

The story of Smoove & Turrell began in the post millennium North East of England with a group of working class lads and a shared passion for soul.

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The first few tracks producer Smoove and songwriter and vocalist John Turrell wrote were received with a rapturous response and their newfound northern soul style demanded that a Smoove & Turrell live band was formed so they swiftly filled out their ranks with a crack team of like-minded Geordie musicians. Now as a full soul band they were creatively allowed to really stretch their legs both live and in the studio and their debut Antique Soul was released in 2009 on Jalapeno Records.

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By the time their second album - Eccentric Audio was released the band had already been touring far and wide building up a loyal fan base helped by continued support from radio which culminated in two playlists and a New Year’s Eve live session on Radio 2.  With two critically acclaimed albums under their belts and word starting to spread across the pond to America - S&T tracks were used on TV shows, feature films and an ABC network primetime ad campaign, as well as in video games such as The Crew. KCRW in LA put Hard Work in their coveted Today’s Top Tune slot further exposing the band to west coast tastemakers and the boys becoming unlikely darlings of the US sync business.  

   

By Album 4, Crown Posada -  the whole band were involved in the writing process. An album which infused their northern soul and funk style with early electronica influences, rock, pop, disco and jazz whilst still maintaining the signature S&T sound. 

Socially conscious lyrics are very much a centre piece of the themes explored on the likes of ‘Beggarman’ and ‘Money’. Highlighting the divide between the rich and the poor and offering an insider’s look at what it’s like to grow up, live and raise a family in the North East. 

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As always though with Smoove & Turrell the highs and the lows of life are represented and the hard times realism of some of the lyrics is tempered by the irrepressible dancefloor euphoria of others. 

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The band return in 2020 with “Stratos Bleu” their 6th studio album and one that continues to pair Turrell’s conscious lyricism with Smoove’s impeccable production. Keyboard player Mike Porter’s collection of analogue synths comes to the fore on the new album with a nod to the heady days of early 90’s clubbing which may be a surprise to some but in the context of this band as dancefloor favourites makes perfect sense.

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The works of Smoove & Turrell – Over 10 years, 6 albums of original, one stop UK Funk & Soul.