If you're anything like me, you love diving into the Top of the Pops reruns on BBC Four. Whenever I catch the 1987 episodes, one name always grabs me: Johnny Hates Jazz.

Step out of that '80s time warp, and you can slip right into their brand-new 2026 release, "Soul Believer". It’s like an audio version of the Up documentary series—fast-forwarding 40 years through the magic of music.

This time around, Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito have teamed up with British soul legend Jaki Graham. Surprisingly, despite both dominating the charts in the '80s, they didn't properly connect until they bumped into each other backstage at London's Uptown Festival recently. The timing was perfect. Clark actually wrote this track pre-pandemic, but held it back from their 2020 album because he felt it was destined for a different journey. He was right! In fact, once Jaki added her tremendous vocals to the track, Clark admitted he actually had to go back and re-record some of his own parts just to keep up.

What drew me to this one (aside from the time travel) is how it pays tribute to soul legends. (Johnny Loves Soul!) Co-written with Average White Band's Hamish Stuart, the lyrics cleverly weave together more than 27 classic soul song titles from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. They’re so passionate about the genre's history that Clark and Jaki even launched a 12-part "Soul Believers" podcast to accompany the single.

That instinct to celebrate great music is exactly why I’m building this site.

I think there is something in us that wants to share great music from the past, we just have to pass it on. Johnny Hates Jazz and Jaki Graham have done it with the three Ps: polished, pop precision! I, on the other hand, am doing it with a rather plain-looking website!

I see they have a number of live shows coming up, including the Blackpool 80s Weekender at the Winter Gardens this September, and some big arena dates in late 2027. They are celebrating 40 years of the release of their iconic "Shattered Dreams" single! I have no doubt that "Soul Believer" is going to go down an absolute treat!