Soul Funk sextet Sho-Nuff who hailed from Jackson, Mississippi were formed in the mid seventies. They started creating a stir on the local music scene before signing with Stax and releasing their debut album “From The Gut To The Butt” in 1978. The album featured the tracks “Funkasize You” and “You Chose Me” which went on to become cult favourites on the international Funk scene over the years (the former was featured on “Grand Theft Auto V” in 2013).
After this first album which sold modestly, the group went on to sign with local label Malaco Records and released two further high quality albums, “Tonite” in 1980 followed by “Stand Up For Love” in 1982, embracing the Boogie/Modern Soul sound of the 80s and consolidating their status as local stars in the South.
In the process they began making waves outside of the US especially on the Japanese market. There they toured regularly leading to their signing a deal with King Records in Tokyo for an album to be released on their sub label Constellation, specifically for the Japanese market. The album, “Body Pressure” was duly recorded adding Japanese jazz funk guitarist Takao Naoi (who played with Akira Ishikawa and Yuji Ohno among many others) and was released in Japan in 1983. The album was never released outside of Japan (save two 7″ singles released on the tiny Jackson label Jamila in 1984 and 1985), making it one of the rarest 80s soul albums on the international scene.
A superb mix of styles, the album kicks off with the title track “Body Pressure“, a fast-paced horn-driven funk setting the mood, followed by “Yakki ! Yakki ! a tongue-in-cheek ode to Japanese culture served in a groovy mid-tempo style. The album then alternates between the hard funk of “Monster Monster” featuring Takao Naoi’s slick jazzy guitar opening solo and “Hollywood” and the languid synth modern soul of “Hold On For Love” one of the many highlights of the album.
Another mid tempo Soul gem “Don’t Keep Me Waiting” that wasn’t on the original 1983 album, was added to this reissue as a bonus track. The song was only released as the b-side for the 7″ single Yakki ! Yakki !”, a sought-after vinyl in its own right, making the reissue of “Body Pressure” by Wewantsounds an event for rare Boogie fans around the world, more than 40 years after its original release.
