Som-Soy

Soma White (Poland): Soma White (No label, CD, with box sleeve, 2013)
Rock/Progressive
Hania Zmuda (lead vocals)
The most striking thing about this album is its packaging: the disc comes housed in a very thick card foldout sleeve with a velvet lining. Musically, the disc has elements of space-rock, with a definite Pink Floyd influence, but is also heavily rooted in post-rock, with a pop feel to much of the songs and occasional jazzy tinges. The result is a strange, minimalistic LP containing some fine passages, but which never really seems to go anywhere. GRADE: C+.

Somerset (USA): East Of The Sun (American Gramophone SR-4534, 1977)
Country/Folk/Rock
Laura Olshefski (backing vocals), Joni Potts (backing vocals)
Whilst firmly rooted in rural rock, this unusual album has a dreamy, slightly trippy sound that sets it apart from most LPs in the genre. This is best demonstrated on the lovely, haunting ‘Someday’, but the disc is pleasant and gentle throughout, with a procession of chilled-out ballads distinguished by some fine flute work. GRADE: C+.

Something Purple (Russian Federation): 16/17 (No label, download, 2017)
Rock
Elena Ivanova (lead vocals)
Song titles like ‘POS’, ‘Fat Wallet’ and ‘Feed It’ might imply something punky, but this seven-song, 25-minute EP is actually nimble rock with funky, bluesy and proggy edges. As its best – as on ‘SOE’ – this is lovely and rather dreamy, but it’s also a touch tentative and a mite generic. GRADE: C+.

Sonatinenblues (West Germany): Sonatinenblues (No label 141180, 1972?)
Progressive
Ingelore Hinnersmann (flute), Hedda Gerdes (cello)
Only a couple of copies are known of this privately pressed album, which comes housed in a striking and very basic orange paste-on sleeve. The music is rather folky and all-instrumental, but with full rock arrangements, most comparable to the Dutch band Avalanche (although nowhere near as fiery or psychedelic). GRADE: C+.

Songs Of Our Land (Papua New Guinea): Songs Of Our Land (Niugini Press, 1976?)
Folk
From the cover, one would expect this to be a world music cash-in aimed at tourists; in fact, it’s schoolgirl folk in a very English style. All the songs are self-penned, with massed vocals and simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, and all are very short; the album crams around twenty songs into as many minutes. GRADE: C+.

Sonja-Kristina (UK): Sonja-Kristina (Chopper CHOP E 5, 1980)
Rock
Sonja-Kristina Linwood (lead vocals)
The former Curved Air singer’s solo debut has an interesting line-up of musicians (Liam Genockey, Colin Towns, Gaspar Lawal, Nigel Gray, Lawrence Juber and old colleague Darryl Way) but the same can’t be said of the material. Whilst this is pleasant and highly competent, it’s also a pretty bland set of mainstream rock and folk/rock, with nothing to suggest that Linwood had an illustrious background in progressive music. Only the intense, new wave-flavoured ‘The Comforter’ really stands out from the crowd. GRADE: C.
Sonja-Kristina With Ty*lôr & Friends (UK): Songs From The Acid Folk (Fruithouse FHCD1, CD, 1991)
Folk/Rock
Sonja-Kristina Linwood (principal vocals, guitar, accordion)
Far superior to her solo debut, this is a very enjoyable album of acoustic folk/rock, varying from the gentle to the intense. Whilst a few songs are remakes of material from earlier in her career, most of the compositions are new and they’re generally of a high standard. However, lovely as this is, this is nowhere near as psychedelic as the title suggests. GRADE: C+.
Sonja-Kristina & Cloud 10 (UK): Harmonics Of Love (HTD CD 34, CD, 1995)
Folk/Rock
Sonja-Kristina Linwood (lead vocals, guitar)
Recorded with some of the same musicians as Songs From The Acid-Folk, Harmonics Of Love is often to similar its predecessor whilst adding a dreamier, new age-ish edge (as interludes of marimbas, birdsongs and storms suggest). Once again, most of the songs are new, but there are remakes of ‘Blind Man’ and ‘Elfin Boy’. Overall I slightly prefer this album, but there’s not much in it. GRADE: C+.
Sonja-Kristina (UK): Cri De Coeur (Market Square Music MSMCD116, CD, 2003)
Jazz
Sonja-Kristina Linwood (lead vocals)
As a collection of jazz standards (‘Round Midnight’, ‘Love For Sale’, ‘Cry Me A River’ et al) Cri De Coeur shouldn’t really be my tasse de thé. However, it’s beautifully done, with sparse, spare backing and some of Linwood’s best singing. In particular, an almost psychedelic version of ‘Solitude’, drenched in echo effects, is quite outstanding. GRADE: C+.
See also Curved Air, Mask

Sonoma (USA): Sonoma (Dunhill DSX-50156, 1973)
Rock
Kathy Ward (joint lead vocals), Tricia Johns (joint lead vocals)
Relaxed, good-natured rock from the band formerly known as Punch. Ranging from rural material to folky stuff to borderline hard rock, it covers a fair range of territory but never threatens to leave its comfort zone. GRADE: C.
See also Punch

Sonship (USA): It Shall Be (Messianic LBA 2001-S, 1977)
Folk/Rock
Nancy J Helms (joint lead vocals, guitar)
No prizes for guessing from the band and label names that this is Christian folk/rock. Although rather slick, with full electric backing, it’s a nice example of the genre, with some flowing, melodic songs and some excellent vocals, particularly from Nancy Helms. In particular, the extended coda of the closing ‘Sing Halleluia’ is quite mesmerising, suggesting they could have made an outstanding progressive rock album. GRADE: C+.

Sonsong (UK): Sonsong (Zebra Music, with insert, 1976)
Folk/Rock
Jackie Stoner (occasional vocals), Barbara Hall (occasional vocals), Jo Orchard (violin), Melanie Smailes (autoharp), Helen Farr (backing vocals)
Linked to Narnia by keyboardist Peter Banks, Sonsong was a multimedia enterprise as much as a rock band, and this was the soundtrack to their stage show. It’s an unusual record, combining sweet, downbeat and dreamy folk/rock with lyrics focusing on apocalyptic concerns, and contains several excellent tracks; only the irritating ‘Glory Glory’ fails to pass muster and should have been removed from a lengthy LP. A couple of years later, the band resurfaced as Face To Face and released a second LP Turning To You. GRADE: C+.
See also Face To Face

Sonus Umbra (Mexico/USA): Snapshots From Limbo (Moonchild CD-7275, CD, USA. 2000)
Progressive/Metal
Lisa Francis (occasional vocals)
This band appeared to operate in parallel with Kurgan’s Bane, with Luis Nasser and Lisa Francis involved with both projects (although the latter is credited here as a guest, mostly sticking to backing vocals and only singing lead on part of the closing ‘Insects’). Based on this evidence, I think I prefer Sonus Umbra: this is a varied collection of electric and acoustic pieces stitched together with sound effects, containing several particularly good instrumentals (of which ‘Erich Zann’ has an astonishing 3D soundstage). GRADE: C+.
Sonus Umbra (Mexico/USA): Spiritual Vertigo (Sound Of Shadow SU5313, CD, with digipak and booklet, USA, 2003)
Progressive/Metal
Lisa Francis (occasional vocals)
Like its predecessor, this offers atmospheric song-based prog, with sound effects linking the pieces together. Once again, metal riffs are used relatively sparingly and to good effect, creating a nice tapestry of harder and more relaxed moments. GRADE: C+.

Jenny Sorrenti (Italy): Suspiro (Harvest 3C064-18174, with inner, 1976)
Folk/Rock
Jenny Sorrenti (lead vocals)
The former Saint Just singer’s first solo album is a gorgeous folk/rock affair, with consistently excellent self-penned material. ‘Canta (Immaginando Magico)’ is decidedly the best thing on offer, but there are no really weak moments. Her former Saint Just colleague Tony Verde helped out, while (more surprisingly) Peter Kaukonen, brother of Jefferson Aiplane’s Jorma, produced and played mandolin.

GRADE: B–.
Jenny Sorrenti (Italy): Jenny Sorrenti (RCA PL 31425, 1979)
Folk/Rock
Jenny Sorrenti (lead vocals, guitar)
This is in a similar style to her debut, but the songwriting is not as inspired. Nonetheless this is a lovely album with some beautifully crafted hooks and arrangements creating a mellow mood throughout. GRADE: C+.
Jenny Sorrenti (Italy): Medieval Zone (Celtica Napoletana CN001, CD, 2001)
Folk/Rock
Jenny Sorrenti (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, mandola)
After a silence of more than twenty years, Sorrenti returned with a fine new album. As its title suggests, this features quite a few mediaeval texts and traditional songs, with only about half the material being self-penned. However, there is no mediaeval instrumentation, with the album alternating between Clannad-style spaciness (good) and electric folk/rock (excellent). GRADE: C+.
Jenny Sorrenti (Italy): Com’è Grande Enfermidade (Polosud PS054, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2004)
Folk/Rock
Jenny Sorrenti (lead vocals, keyboards)
A much more consistent album than its predecessor, this features mostly original songs and some beautiful, crystalline atmospheres. At times, Sorrenti sounds uncannily similar to Máire Brennan, and this does occasionally tend towards the same kind of Celtic sleepiness as latter-day Clannad, but mostly this is a very strong set. GRADE: B–.
Jenny Sorrenti (Italy): Burattina (Odd Times, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2009)
Folk/Rock/World Music
Jenny Sorrenti (principal vocals, keyboards)
The dramatic opening suggests that Sorrenti has returned to the avant-gardism of the first Saint Just album, but this soon settles down into a more conventional folk/rock style. Unlike her earlier albums, most cuts feature strong world music elements, drawing on a number of ethnic traditions. This is another enjoyable set, showing a commendable willingness to take some (minor) risks. GRADE: C+.

Jenny Sorrenti & Tullio Angelini (Italy): Néos Saint Just (MoreMusic Momus 015, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2024)
Singer/Songwriter/Ambient
Jenny Sorrenti (lead vocals, keyboards)
Despite the title, this is nothing like Saint Just: it’s essentially ambient music, with Jenny Sorrenti’s haunting voice and piano overlaid with electronics and occasionally other instruments. The results are haunting, beautiful and sepulchral, with a slight psychedelic edge, though with seven songs spanning 31½ minutes the term ‘slight’ also applies in a more pejorative context. GRADE: C+.
See also Curva Di Lesmo, Saint Just, Arturo Stàlteri

SOUL 50 Voices’ Groove (Germany): The SOUL 50 Voices’ Groove (A Band On…, CD, 1999)
Soul/Blues/Rock
Antje Münder (joint lead vocals), Inga Rumpf (joint lead vocals)
This 50-voice gospel choir’s main claim to fame was the involvement of the well-travelled Inga Rumpf, who gets star billing on the front cover. That said, she sings solo on just two of the 12 cuts and writes just one. Musically, this is far better than I expected, with the full electric band backing adding a nice bluesy mood that occasionally recalls Rumpf’s work with Frumpy and Atlantis (though of course without any of the progressive elements). GRADE: C+.

See also Atlantis, City Preachers, Frumpy, ID Company, Inga Rumpf

Soul Doubt (Italy): Winter’s Tale (No label, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2010)
Progressive
Francesca Pretolani (keyboards)
This concept album is packed with lyrics, as these things tend to be: that’s a pity, as it’s only during the instrumental sections that the music really takes flight. In fairness, this is well-crafted, elegant Italian prog, but it’s also noticeably lacking in excitement. GRADE: C+.
Soul Doubt (Italy): The Dance Of Light And Shade (No label, double CD, with digipak, booklet and slipcase, 2010)
Progressive
Emma Ronca (occasional vocals), Francesca Pretolani (keyboards)
Despite the lower grade, the problem with Soul Doubt’s second album isn’t that it’s inferior than their first; the problem is that it’s exactly the same but more than twice as long. Once again, it mixes folkier and harder rocking passages; once again it’s absolutely packed with lyrics; and once again the music never really has room to breathe and the words (this time in the form of a borderline rock opera) have a lot less to say than the band imagine. Over the course of an hour and three quarters, it all becomes a touch tedious. GRADE: C.

Soulful Bowlful (Canada): Sweet Soul Music (Arc 747, 1969)
Soul/Rock
As the band name and album title suggest, this is a soul music cash-in featuring covers of familiar material (‘The Letter’, ‘Rescue Me’, ‘When A Man Loves A Women’ et al). Surprisingly for an exploitation LP, it’s sought-after by collectors – probably for the heavier, more psychedelic ‘Heartful Of Soul’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, both of which are excellent. GRADE: C.

Sound Of Feeling (USA): Leonard Feather Presents The Sound Of Feeling And The Sound Of Oliver Nelson (Verve VS-8743,

split LP, 1968)
Jazz/Avant-Garde
Alyce Andrece, Rhae Andrece
This split LP features the Sound Of Feeling on one side and Leonard Feather’s Encyclopaedia Of Jazz All-Stars, arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson, on the other. The Sound Of Feeling side features dissonant and sometimes quite weird modern jazz, fronted by twin sisters Alyce and Rhae Andrece (best remembered for a cameo appearance in 'Star Trek'), who sometimes sing words and sometimes scat in a similar manner to Urszula Dudziak. The second side offers more melodic and conventional instrumental jazz, once again with plenty of horns. Overall it’s a fine album, but one for jazz and avant-garde fans: this has nothing to do with rock, let alone psychedelia. GRADE: C+.
Sound Of Feeling (USA): Spleen (Limelight LS 86063, 1969)
Jazz/Avant-Garde
Alyce Andrece, Rhae Andrece
The band’s first album proper tones down the free jazz edges considerably, largely replacing scuttling horns and flailing drumming with slow, spare arrangements built around double bass, piano, vibes and electronics. The result is more original and unusual, with a greater likelihood of appealing to rock and progressive listeners (although it’s still very much rooted in jazz). However, it’s mostly very eerie and minimalist, so those disliking avant-garde music will find little to enjoy. GRADE: C+.
Sound Of Feeling (USA): The Sound Of Feeling (No label R-2557, single-sided LP, 1971)
Rock
Alyce Andrece, Rhae Andrece
Only one copy is known of this single-sided demo album, which features a number of later recordings in a very different style. Much more accessible than their earlier work, this retains occasional jazz elements, but mostly offers funky rock or delicate ballad backing, sometimes with a heavier sound. It’s mostly excellent, and likely to appeal to those who struggle with their other recordings. Four of the seven songs later appeared on the Sunbeam Records compilation Up Into Silence, along with ‘Spring Rain’, a beautiful ballad from the same sessions that failed to make it onto the demo LP. GRADE: C+.

Sounds Of Brass Featuring Dennie Loren (South Africa): Live! Live! Live! (Continental SZB 8269, 1969)
Soul/Rock/Lounge
Dennie Loren (joint lead vocals)
The band name might make you expect some kind of James Last exploitation fare, but this is actually rather good soulful rock with a loungy edge. Dennie Loren has an excellent voice and the instrumental backing is suitably slick and funky on fine versions of ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’, ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’, ‘Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In’, ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight’ and especially a superb version of ‘Nothing But A Heartache’. In fact, this is better than most of the more sought-after American lounge private pressings. Despite the triple assertion of the title, I question whether this was actually recorded live: the applause certainly sounds overdubbed (and not particularly carefully). As a footnote, two members of the band later went on to work with the post-Mellow Candle outfit Flibbertigibbet. GRADE: C+.

Sounds Of Salvation (UK): Sounds Of Salvation (Reflection RL 310, with booklet, 1974)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Gill Adams (joint lead vocals), Carol Gledhill (joint lead vocals, recorder), Rita Aldington (percussion)
Eschewing the praise-the-Lord format favoured by so many Christian albums, this LP opens with a lengthy and bizarre sound collage, which ends with the sound of glass breaking, before segueing into ‘Overseers’, a manic piece of heavy psychedelic rock with screaming fuzz guitar leads. The album never reaches the same level of intensity again, but remains consistently interesting throughout, with a very eerie and stoned atmosphere. A cover of Country Joe & The Fish’s ‘Who Am I?’ gives a fair indication as to the band’s influences. GRADE: B–.

Sounds Of Synanon & The Synanon Choir (USA): The Prince Of Peace (Epic BN 26475, 1969)
Jazz/Rock
The subtitle ‘a rock-jazz cantata’ adequately describes this complex and ambitious album, which is definitely worth hearing. Apparently, Synanon was ‘a re-education community… founded in 1958, it provides an answer for people for people who seek a more fulfilling way of life – and find it in Synanon’s totally integrated, non-violent and drug-free community’. Other recordings had previously been issued under the same name. GRADE: C+.

Soundsations (USA): Shout (Phalanx PH-001, 1966)
Lounge/Garage
Patsy Stevens (joint lead vocals)
Recorded in mono, this garage lounge album is nice enough, with some lively performances and lots of trebly organ. However, there’s nothing here you won’t have heard before – and that extends to their choice of material, including ‘Unchained Melody’, ‘Johnny B Goode’, ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ and ‘In The Midnight Hour’. GRADE: C+.

Sourdeline (France): La Reine Blanche (Discovale WM 03, 1976)
Folk
Catherine Burban (joint lead vocals, percussion, dulcimer, psaltery), Pascale Piat (violin)
Whilst this French folk LP is firmly traditional and all-acoustic, the droning vocals and exotic instrumentation (including tablas, dulcimers, psalteries, mandocello and crumhorn) place it firmly in the acid-folk camp. Sourdeline’s music could be regarded as an acoustic sidestep from Malicorne or a Gallic twist on early Pentangle, and with its crystalline atmospheres and early music edges makes for delightful listening. GRADE: B–.
Sourdeline (France): Jeanne d’Aymé (Discovale WM 22, 1978)
Folk/Psychedelic
Catherine Burban (joint lead vocals, spinet, dulcimer, psaltery)
Their second album adds electric guitar leads and heavier percussion, moving the feel of the music slightly closer to rock and significantly strengthening the psychedelic dimension. This time round, one side is all-traditional and the other is self-penned (with the sides oddly reversed on the CD reissue, at the band’s request); both are excellent and easily the equal of their first. GRADE: B–.
Sourdeline (France): Sourdeline And Friends (Reverb Worship RW 261, CDR, with minisleeve and insert, UK, 2014)
Folk/Psychedelic
Catherine Burban (joint lead vocals, dulcimer, psaltery), Margaret Ayre (occasional vocals, guitar, cello)
The reissues of La Reine Blanche and Jeanne d’Aymé prompted the nucleus of Sourdeline to come out of retirement after more than 35 years. Aided by a number of ‘Friends’ (including Fern Knight’s Margaret Ayre, who appears on three out of eight songs) they returned with an album that was true to their seventies style. In fact, this could be their best album, though there’s not much in it. GRADE: B.

See also Difference Engine, Hare & The Moon/Futur Passé, Fern Knight

Sourvein (USA): Sourvein (Game Two GT 15, CD, 2000)
Metal
Liz Buckingham (guitar)
Falling somewhere between doom metal, stoner rock and grunge, the music here is wonderfully stripped-down and swampy. For sure, they’re one-trick ponies, and the metalcore-style vocals (which also recall Lemmy Kilmister) don’t do much for me, but this is admirably single-minded and uncompromising stuff. GRADE: C+.

Sourvein (USA): Will To Mangle (Southern Lord sunn20, CD, 2002)
Metal
Liz Buckingham (guitar)
Like their first, this is impressive in small doses, but they don’t vary their formula across the album’s length, making it rather one-dimensional. Nonetheless this is undeniably fine sludge metal and probably a bit of a step up from its predecessor. GRADE: C+.