The Mighty Sceptres sound like a lost musical treasure from the vaults of soul. Featuring the combined musical imaginations of collaborators Nick Radford (Frootful) and Angeline Morrison (Freestyle Records / The Ambassadors of Sorrow), The Mighty Sceptres cut heavy beats with soulful yearning and shots of funky sensibility.
“Siren Call” is the duo’s first single as “The Mighty Sceptres” and is the perfect introduction to their sound. The song itself is rich with significance. Its heritage is firmly in the minor blues tradition, exemplified by tracks like Rose Mitchell's 'Baby Please Don't Go'. Angeline is heavily influenced by Alan Lomax's recordings of prison songs and spirituals, and also by Emily Bronte's classic 'Wuthering Heights'. The eerie music seemed to lend itself to the development of a story around a little lovelorn ghost returning to its beloved, hiding shyly and tapping on the window when it felt its confidence surge. The song evolves into a swinging tempo as the ghost realises the futility of her endeavor...
With influences as diverse as Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Irma Thomas, The Impressions and The Soul Brothers Six, getting the "right sound", from the writing through to the recording, engineering, production, mixing and mastering, is of paramount importance to this sort of music. As such, The Mighty Sceptres are careful to work with people who understand where they are coming from, while using suitable vintage instruments and analog equipment that will help achieve an authentic sound. Kryzysztof Oktalski, who co-produced the debut single is himself a big Northern Soul collector, with an encyclopedic knowledge of recording, engineering and mixing techniques from the best studios and labels of the 60s.
