Debut Album Hits #1 Spot

2015 – Diane Shaw finally releases her Debut Studio Album ‘Love, Life & Strings’ to great critical acclaim.

Recorded with a 20 piece orchestra, capturing the sound and feeling of Old School Soul from the 60s and 70s, it went on to be the Best Selling UK Soul Album of 2015.

Love, Life & Strings was championed by top DJ’s such as Craig Charles on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, and the legendary Tony Blackburn, playing it for 13 consecutive weeks on is Soul on Sunday show on BBC London.

Diane had spent the previous 20 years performing on stage alongside Soul Legends such as Tito Jackson, The Stylistics, Martha Reeves, Sister Sledge, Eddie Holman, George McCrae, Alexander O’Neal and many more, and she finally took her turn in the spotlight, encompassing everything she has learned from the masters, keeping that old school soul sound alive and delivering it to a new generation.  

Recorded as it was back in the old days, to analogue tape and with full orchestration of over thirty musicians, producing future classic soul songs with a sound that appears as fresh in an old soul playlist as it does on modern day commercial radio.   The album went on to further accolades:

#1 in the UK SOUL CHART for 2 weeks 

#1 on the AMAZON R&B New Release Chart 

#2 in the HMV Japan R&B / Soul Chart

Top 30 Soul Albums in the US in 2015, voted by SOULTRACKS USA

July 2015 – After release Diane Shaw’s ‘Love, Life & Strings’ Album spent 2 Weeks at the Top of the UK Soul Chart

Notable Album Reviews:  

✭✭✭✭✭ “The Best Soul Album of 21st Century……” – Tower Records, Tokyo, Japan

✭✭✭✭✭  “A contender for Debut Album of the Year, Diane Shaw’s Love, Life And Strings (Mecca Records) introduces the Manchester singer on a set of beautifully crafted ballads and dancers. In the former camp, the effusive ‘Leave A Little Love’. Over delicious Motown styled horns and strings arranged by Bert Decoteaux and Andy Birkinshaw, Shaw’s sweet but strong vocal delivery, think Brenda Holloway, is truly intoxicating ”

4/5 Stars – Lois Wilson, Record Collector/ MOJO Magazine 

 ✭✭✭✭✭  “The vocals sublime, the production exquisite, a fabulous album, and straight out of Manchester!”

Craig Charles, playing ‘Leave a little Love’ on Radio 2 

✭✭✭✭✭  “..the ease with which she soars and dips, shimmers and explodes….a voice that’s strong pure, gutsy and mellow…. sweet, smooth and unpretentious….the song left me speechless..”

“..an absolute gem in construction and delivery”  9/10 Stars – Sharon Davis (Motown UK, Blues & Soul, Soulmusic.com) 

✭✭✭✭✭  “…sounds like a lost artefact that’s been languishing in Motown’s vaults for 45 years…  

….Destined to be one of the best Soul LPs of 2015″  Charles Waring – Soul&Jazz&Funk.com 

✭✭✭✭✭  “…you could drop the needle on any track on offer here and come up with a winner”  Toby Walker – Soulwalking.com 

✭✭✭✭✭  “A marvellous meshing of a sophisticated vocalist with meaningful repertoire and classy arrangements” 

“Shining with both the nostalgia of Motown and Philadelphia International in an impressively fresh fashion…….Shaw’s bold, crisp vocal tones are beautifully unaffected” 

Justin Kantor – SoulTracks.com (USA) 

✭✭✭✭✭  “A future classic……This ambitious and optimistic album has that feel good factor and deserves to be one of the Soul albums of the year.“ 

Soul Brother Records 

You can Preview the Album, and purchase it from the links in the Discography here