When you name your debut album The Golden Sessions it suggests that either, A) your material is really first class or B) you are a slightly over-confident bunch. Thankfully, for the slightly awkwardly named Weeland & The Urban Soul Collective, their 11-track LP falls squarely into category A. With German producer/guitarist/songwriter Weeland (aka Patrick Weiland) at the helm, the band, consisting of vocalists Esther Cowens, Brandy Butler, Mika Doo, Raphael Jacob and trumpeter Joo Kraus, deliver a solid collection of contemporary soul music with just enough reference to the classic soul of yester-year to make the songs seem familiar yet still original. All the vocalists are on fine form but a special mention has to go to the sole male voice, Raphael Jacob, whose turns on the laid-back groove of "Lil' Sumthin" and the jazz-funk of "Butterfly" are real standouts.
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