To celebrate what will be the fifth anniversary of their annual concerts this year, the Melbourne Women of Soul collective have put together a fantastic album of all original tracks written exclusively for this release. What began life in 2010 as a coming together of some of this town’s swingingest soul sistas for a live show, the collaboration has gone from strength to strength based on their glowing live performances. So much so that they’ve wisely decided that a record was in order – much to our gain.

One glance at this line up – which reads as a who’s who of talent from the local soul/ funk scene – is enough to get any soul fan salivating and feeling a little weak kneed. The MWOS features the scintillating vocal stylings of Kylie Auldist, Chelsea Wilson, Candice Monique, Stella Angelico, May Johnston, Lisa Faithfull, Rita Satch and Christina Perfection. Not enough? Throw in a backing band made up of members of the Bamboos, Cookin’ on Three Burners and the Putbacks and, well, you’ve got yourself a unit positively hell-bent on a deep groove.

Whether it’s Candice Monique’s Al Green-esque ‘My Beautifully Broken Heart’, the scorching funk workout of Christina Perfection’s ‘Back It Up’, the always immense Kylie Auldist’s ‘More Than a Mouthful’ or May Johnston channeling Betty Davis on ‘Love Connection’, there really are too many highlights on this record to mention in one review. My only piece of advice is this – get on board the soul train and let these first ladies of funk show you why our home town has become internationally recognised as producing some of the finest current exponents of the genre anywhere in the world. Kinda makes you proud, right down to your soul.

Declan Murphy