LONDON, UK, 25 September 2026 - Expansion Records, the UK's number one independent soul label, is proud to announce the release of “Take Me In Your Arms,” the new single from acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Patrice Isley.

The track arrives via Expansion Records on 25 September 2026, marking the latest chapter in a label legacy that, since 1986, has provided the level of quality soul largely abandoned by the US majors. It is the newest addition to a catalogue that has carried the voices of Angie Stone, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Stephanie Mills, Leon Ware and Howard Hewett.

A Slow-Burn Soul Statement

“Take Me In Your Arms” is a mid-tempo groove built for the hours after midnight, unfolding over a warm, unhurried pulse in the key of C-sharp major across three minutes and forty-six seconds. Rather than chase a conventional chorus, the production settles into its groove and lets it breathe, favouring rounded low end and a softly rolled-off top over anything harsh or brittle.

Intentionally warm and radio-ready, the track rewards close headphone listening as much as it does a quiet room. It is a record about wanting to be held, and it sounds like it: patient, intimate and unmistakably grown-and-sexy in the classic Expansion tradition.

Lyrically, the song is a plea stripped of pretence-direct in its longing and unashamed in its vulnerability. Isley’s mesmerising five-octave range moves between a smoky lower register and soaring, restrained power notes, never over-sung and always in service of the ache at the song’s centre.

The song is written by David Kent, whose Expansion family credits include the stage musicals Soul Sisters The Musical, directed by Angie Le Mar, and Soul Mates The Musical. The latter’s lead single from the original soundtrack, “Break The Rules,” was released on Expansion’s imprint, Expansion Select. “Take Me In Your Arms” marks Kent’s first collaboration with Patrice Isley.

About Patrice Isley

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Patrice Isley began her musical education at the age of four. Her early influences included her father’s love of Sam Cooke and gospel quartets, alongside her mother’s eclectic taste, which ranged from Barry White to Barbra Streisand.

A graduate of Marquette University, Isley studied vocal performance under David Lee Brewer, developing the smooth yet powerful five-octave instrument that has since been described as “the voice of an angel.”

After relocating to Los Angeles, Isley quickly found work providing background vocals for Teddy Pendergrass and Barry White. She went on to collaborate with more than thirty A-list artists, including Gladys Knight, Philip Bailey, El DeBarge, Jermaine Dupri and Coolio.

Isley launched her solo career in 2016 with the album Believe in Love. Since then, she has achieved a string of chart successes: “Harvest for the World” reached number two on the UK charts, “Free” spent two weeks at number one on a UK regional chart in early 2024, and “Patrice’s Groove,” featuring Spyro Gyra keyboardist Tom Schuman, climbed to number eleven on the Smooth Jazz charts.

Isley has performed for audiences at the Grammy Awards, The Tonight Show, Soul Train and Arsenio Hall. She remains active as an educator, having led the Confident Performer Workshop at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and produced the acclaimed one-woman show A History of Black Women in Music.

About David Kent

David Kent is a songwriter for stage and record whose credits include Soul Sisters The Musical, directed by Angie Le Mar, and Soul Mates The Musical, the original soundtrack of which produced Expansion Select’s lead single “Break The Rules.”

He has written for numerous artists across the soul, cabaret and musical theatre worlds, a list that now includes Patrice Isley.

About Expansion Records

Founded in London in 1986 by Northern Soul DJ Richard Searling BEM and Soul Bowl owner John Anderson, and strengthened from 1989 by DJ, author and journalist Ralph Tee, Expansion Records has spent four decades building a reputation as the UK's number one independent soul label.

The label has released music by Leon Ware, Stephanie Mills, Leroy Hutson, Angie Stone, Gwen McCrae, Howard Hewett, Keni Burke, Lenny Williams, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Maysa, Frank McComb and many more.

Across vinyl singles, artist albums, digital releases and compilations, Expansion continues to curate what it calls the definitive soundtrack to the soul scene-bridging artist vision and true connoisseur while giving space to established legends and emerging talent alike.