Afterschool Special - The 123s of Kid Soul album review: soul and funk galore

Meet the kids with soul and funk galore. Like the label's previous Homeschooled release, this new compilation focuses on the music 70s schoolgoing ensembles were making when classes ended.

The Jackson 5 were the big influence for most of these kids – the brothers' blend of pop, R&B and soul was a winner in playgrounds everywhere. You can hear shades of the Jacksons in the work of Georgia's The Scott Brothers, whose Runnin' Wild is a serious slab of funky pop. But it wasn't all about the J5, as shown by the Bethlehem Center Children's Choir's touching I'm a Special Kid; Nancy Dupree and her students' James Brown; and a great cover of Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised from Brother's Rap.

A fascinating insight into what happens when music education goes beyond the classroom.

[ numerogroup.com ]