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“It’s a Sunday kind of love – when you’re with the right person and you just wish it would last forever,” says Honoré, describing “We’re Still Making Love,” the single set to be the third vinyl release on Soul Jones Records and the herald for her long-awaited debut album.
Honoré’s story began with the double A-side debut “It’s Over” / “Innocent & Real” – the former picking up airplay on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM on its way to #2 on the UK Soul Chart, the latter a soul connoisseur favourite. “Ain’t No Substitute” followed and went one better, hitting #1. Along the way, SoulTracks voted her Newcomer Soul Artist of the Year for 2025 – proof of an artist going from strength to strength. Now comes “We’re Still Making Love,” setting the stage for the self-titled album’s arrival this autumn. All four songs will feature on the record, alongside a clutch of new material yet to be heard.
Honoré’s new single, “We’re Still Making Love,” started life as a country song – road-tested in a short-lived weekend band she called Love & Honoré. It’s one of the very first songs she brought to producer and arranger Maurice “Pirahnahead” Herd, handing it over as a test of faith in something bigger. “I had the song in my head a different way,” she says, “then I gave my little demo to Pirahna.”
What he heard was the sweet, tender touch of southern soul – Hi Records vintage, the perfect backdrop for her voice, the arrangement giving her backing band, the Detroit Lovers – Takashi Iio and Ron Otis among them – permission to work the low end in their best Al Green homage, Chris Codish’s organ supplying the sanctified flourish. It’s a groove built for stepping in the ballrooms of Detroit. “To me it’s that down-home country soul,” says Honoré. “The Spanish moss is coming off the trees, my mom and dad dancing together in the kitchen. That’s the kind of wonderful love.”
The arrangement sparkles like first love – sunlight poking through the blinds, the world slowed right down, nowhere else either of you has to be. At the close, Honoré holds a note deep into ecstasy – her fella staying the course.
On the flip, the acclaimed “Gratitude Remix” of “Ain’t No Substitute” makes its first appearance on wax, having already been played on over 50 radio stations this spring. The original thrived under pressure – co-writer Thomas McKay, of Nightcrawlers fame, suggested the album needed two fast songs, and this monster was one of them. Its title was lifted from a cheeky Facebook post made years earlier as a joke – “Accept no substitute.” McKay’s nous is evident: it was his idea to repeat “ain’t no substitute” as the hook, turning a throwaway line into an anthem.
Estonian maestro Martin Laksberg (Lexsoul Dance Machine, Rita Ray, Reti) was tapped to rebuild it from the ground up: a minimalist opening chorus lets Honoré’s vocal breathe, before the full Detroit Soulchestra crashes in on the second pre-chorus like a night at the Apollo. Sophisticated string-soaked funk, a jazzy spoken mid-section, then a euphoric EWF-style finale.
Sweet soul and the beautiful funk. Dig it.
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Side A: “We’re Still Making Love”
Written by: Maureen Honoré
Produced by: Maurice “Pirahnahead” Herd and Thomas McKay
Arranged by: Maurice “Pirahnahead” Herd
Vocals, backing vocals: Maureen Honoré
Bass: Takashi Iio
Guitar: Wayne Gerard
Organ: Chris Codish
Drums: Ron Otis
Strings & Horns: Detroit Soulchestra Ensemble by Maurice Herd, contractor: John Madison
Instruments, backing vocals recorded at: Rustbelt Studios, Royal Oak, MI
Vocals, backing vocals recorded at: Exeter Sound Studios, Toronto, ONB-Side: “Ain’t No Substitute” (Gratitude Remix – Martin Laksberg Edit)
Written by: Maureen Honoré & Thomas McKay
Original production by: Maurice “Pirahnahead” Herd and Thomas McKay
Remix by: Martin Laksberg
Arranged by: Maurice “Pirahnahead” Herd
Vocals, backing vocals: Maureen Honoré
Bass: Takashi Iio
Rhythm Guitar: KC Roberts
Keys/Synth: Antony Gordon
Drums: Ron Otis
Strings & Horns: Detroit Soulchestra Ensemble by Maurice Herd, contractor: John Madison
Band recorded at: Willis Sound, Willis, MI
Strings and Horns recorded at: Black Sheep Audio & Production, Novi, MI
Vocals, backing vocals recorded at: Exeter Sound Studios, Toronto, ONCat. No: SJR105
Label: Soul Jones Records© all rights reserved