Joey Quiñones – ‘Inna Soul Steady Situation’ album review: An autobiography of soul
Heatwaves bring with them numerous difficulties when they hit the United Kingdom; namely, what to listen to. All of a sudden, the miserable post-punk offerings that populate the UK’s sweaty underground venues no longer seem appropriate, and so the most attuned listeners invariably turn to the sunsoaked rhythms of ska and soul. Luckily, the latest offering by Los Angeles’ Joey Quiñones is awash with both those styles.
The Skinny: Opening into the record’s ska-fused title track, harking back to the golden age of Caribbean rhythm, and their inherently uplifting atmosphere, Inna Soul Steady Situation immediately sets itself up as an album that is paying homage to Quiñones’ extensive pool of influences, without ever feeling overly reliant on them. As he moves into the timeless, pulchritudinous romance of the follow-up, ‘Guess That’s Just Loving You’, the composer gives each effort his own distinctive mark, even if you can typically tell the roots of the sound he is evoking.
Were you to travel back in time and present this Colemine-released LP to the soul circles of the 1960s, or even a group of particularly suave Californians hanging around low-riders and blasting WAR from their stereos, there would be little indication that this is an album from the future. Such is its faithfulness to the history, sound, and identity of soul music that the record feels rather timeless. Timelessness, it should be noted, does not always mean tiresome, either. While it is rather easy to link ‘There Must Be Something’, for instance, to the sound of Sam Cooke, Quiñones never comes across as a tribute act.
No disrespect to tribute acts, but while they might be content to devote their output to emulating somebody else, Inna Soul Steady Situation is unmistakably Joey Quiñones at every turn… Nobody else could have created an album like this, so rich in its musical heritage, the diversity of its influences, and the sheer skill with which each and every track is delivered.
That skill is further exemplified by the fact that the album is self-produced, allowing the songwriter to draw upon his extensive experiences to make each track feel as though it has been tirelessly crafted – impressively, though, that polished production doesn’t detract from the organic, spontaneous quality that makes soul music so special.
In many ways, Inna Soul Steady Situation is an autobiography in sound, travelling through the performer’s Chicano soul upbringing in East LA, and the countless hours spent working with ska, rocksteady, and roots reggae outfits during his earlier years. The LP marks the first time Quiñones has fully delved into that side of his musical identity and, as a result, the more reggae-inspired efforts on the album mark inescapable highlights.
Standout Track: ‘Don’t Let Go’
The Verdict: An awe-inspiring anthology of Joey Quiñones’ personal history, Inna Soul Steady Situation is a beautifully crafted and endlessly replayable record, bursting with the timeless sounds of ska, soul, and R&B, but with Quiñones emotive power and dedication to the source material always prevailing. As far as summer soundtracks go, we could do a lot worse.
Release Date: May 29th, 2026 | Producer: Joey Quiñones | Label: Colemine Records
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.