A sublime set of soul instrumentals -- very funky work, and sort of a 70s follow-up to the Soulful Strings albums on Cadet Records from the 60s! Maestro Richard Evans is at the top of his game here -- stepping out with that hip Chisoul mode he first forged at Chess, tuned here towards some even ... (Soul)

One of the most unique albums to ever come out of the Miami soul scene of the 70s -- a sublime set of work that we'd easily rank right up there with the best material of the time from Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder! Milton Wright has a really jazzy groove to his music -- and he mixes his own ... (Soul)

Bossa piano genius from a young Manfredo Fest -- one of his first albums, and a very jazzy set at that! The group's his original trio from the early days, a very soulful ensemble with work on bass and drums that is every bit as great as Manfredo's own strong lines on piano -- tight, in a bossa ... (Brazil)

An oft-overlooked funky soul gem from the incredible Roy Ayers -- taking turns with both uptempo material and more smoothed out soul sounds -- all done with Roy's trademark jazzy approach to the dancefloor! No Stranger To Love is a sly, and often funky set that deserves to be mentioned with his ... (Soul)

A cool crime soundtrack from the Italian scene -- one that's served up with lots of 70s-styled instrumentation, and a great jazzy feel on some of the best cuts! The sound here is a bit less polished than on some of the other Italian scores of the time -- almost played live, and spontaneously by ... (Soundtracks)

Atlantic Starr definitely get straight to the point on this set -- bursting out strongly with an upbeat groove from the very first note -- all produced to perfection by maestro Bobby Eli, in the same manner as some of his other great late 70s work for other artists! The group's a big one, but they' ... (Soul)

One of THE all-time indie funk classics of the 70s -- the standout LP by Bobby Williams, an obscure James Brown-styled vocalist with a really great sound! The style here cops plenty from JB at his funkiest -- but that's A-OK with us, because Bobby gets that sound so completely right -- and the raw ... (Soul)

A beautiful combination of piano and vibes -- performed here by a hip German combo from the postwar years! The quartet features piano from Wolfgang Lauth and vibes from Fritz Hartshuh -- the latter of whom plays with a nicely hard-edged, chromatic sound -- a great link between some of the first ... (Jazz)

After Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker came head to head with James Brown in the mid 70s, they broke off and formed the Horny Horns contingent -- a tight funky backing section that's featured on a number of late 70s funk sessions, and which also recorded some extremely nice numbers on their own! This ... (Soul)

A great mix of symphonic disco and Latin hustle -- one of the more compelling moments from The Rice & Beans Orchestra, served up with some tight arrangements by Hector Garrido! There's a nice blend of New York and Miami modes going on here -- and the proceedings are largely instrumental, with ... (Soul)

The earliest album we've ever seen from the legendary Djavan -- and a record that's even better than some of his classics for Columbia! The album has a sound that's relatively spare -- with Djavan's wonderful vocals backed by a small combo that mixes up samba and jazz -- using electric piano to ... (Brazil)

A soundtrack with a lot more class than you might guess from the image on the cover -- a really dark little score that shows composer Carlo Rustichelli at his best! Some of the best tunes here have a slinky, jazzy quality that almost takes us back to late 50s American crime jazz scores -- or even ... (Soundtracks)

Soaring soul from Stephanie Mills -- one of the lady's all-time hits, and for good reason too! The album really gives Stephanie's great voice a lot of focus -- an upbeat, uptempo groove that sets her firmly on the dancefloor, but always with a touch of class -- and a lot more depth than some of ... (Soul)

A killer full length set of work from Cliff Nobles -- the artist best known to the world for a late 60s instrumental hit, but a pretty great singer as well! This wonderful collection features both vocal and instrumental sides of the Cliff Nobles sound -- tunes that are a testament to his ... (Soul)

Revisions, reworked and re-imagined material from the mighty Madvillain! The original Madvillain LP is arguably one of the best Stones Throw album ever, held up by many as one of the best indie hip hop albums of the decade if not all time -- so Madlib is wise to take a freewheeling, fairly loose ... (Hip Hop)

A wonderfully modern little record from the team of Charlie Mariano and Jerry Dodgion -- a set that was originally issued with an old-timey bathing beauty cover image that obscured its fresh-voiced 50s appeal! Mariano and Dodgion work here to open up some older chestnuts from many years back -- ... (Jazz)

Blam is right -- an all-out batch of funky tracks from The Brothers Johnson -- captured here right in the middle of their classic period with Quincy Jones! The Q's at the helm on production for the set, and the record's a great extension of their earlier efforts with the man -- but a bit more ... (Soul)

A wonderful take on "Send In The Clowns" -- one that's recorded with the same modal style as Lorez Alexandria's rare version from the 70s! The rhythms here leap with a wonderful sort of groove -- a quick-stepping style that's made this variation a favorite with the Dingwalls scene for 20 ... (Funky 45's)

Killer contemporary bossa from the Far Out label -- easily one of the hippest Brazilian imprints going, and one of the few who really manage to get a classic sound right! The tracks here are pulled from the wealth of recent recordings on Far Out, and together they really demonstrate the label's ... (Brazil)

The second classic album that Fred Wesley cut with the legendary Horny Horns -- an all-star group that he led after parting company with James Brown and closing up the JBs! The group's got Fred upfront, great solos by Maceo Parker, and production by Bootsy and George Clinton -- making for a sound ... (Soul)

The band may be riding in a carriage on the cover, but there's nothing old-timey about this set -- as the record represents some of the best modern jazz on the Danish scene at the start of the 60s! The album's a rare gem from drummer Bjarne Rostvold -- one of the key exponents of his scene at the ... (Jazz)

One of the coolest projects ever to come from the Clarke Boland Big Band scene of the 60s -- an album done under the leadership of Austrian tenor player Carl Drewo, but one that features all of his bandmates from the better-known big band! The set's wonderfully swinging throughout -- done in a ... (Jazz)

C'mon, you can never have too much Love -- particularly the beautiful, soulful voice of Darlene Love -- and this fantastic compilation from Ace puts together a diverse set of singles from the 60s & 70s, a few rare demos, plus hard to find tunes from earlier and later years! Darlene had an ... (Soul)

A long-overdue look at the mighty mid 60s work of The Falcons -- a group who are usually only covered during their early doo wop years, but who went onto do some tremendous group soul as well! The work here features many of the group's excellent recordings for the Big Wheel label with vocalist ... (Soul)

A motherlode of socking soul from the Fantastic Johnny C -- a hard-grooving singer who definitely earns the "fantastic" in his name! Johnny's style here is somewhere between Wilson Pickett and Dyke & The Blazers -- both contemporaries of his on the late 60s scene, but better-known ... (Soul)

Sexy scoring from Fred Bongusto -- a really wonderful batch of tracks with a slow-moving, slinky finish! There's qualities to the music that remind us of some of our favorite French work of the period -- gentle rhythms, isolated piano notes, bits of whistling, and more -- all tied together in a ... (Soundtracks)

Celi Bee picks up a few 80s touches for this album -- mixing her usual disco groove with some slight Eruo electro touches -- adding in a nice dose of darkness to the set! Celi's still got an undeniably strong talent for a catchy tune -- the kind of vibe that first made us fall in love with her ... (Soul)

Flute, strings, and soul -- a wonderful counterpart to some of Hubert Laws' funkier albums of the time -- and a record cut with some tremendous backings! The core group features Hubert on assorted flutes, Gary Burton on vibes, Chick Corea on piano, and Bernard Purdie on drums -- all augmented by ... (Jazz)

Slow-moving beats from Afta-1 -- a set that's got a spacey feel on the top, and heavier elements on the bottom! The sound here is relatively stark and spare -- cosmic keys and splashy beats, but all taken at a pace that's much more laidback than other artists of this nature -- not really hip hop, ... (New Grooves)

Some of the earliest work as a leader from Paul Horn -- the inventive reed player who really sparkled in Chico Hamilton's group of the mid 50s, then went on to make some even more compelling records on his own! The first album in the set is House Of Horn -- recorded for Dot Records in 1957, and a ... (Jazz)

Tight early work from the great Joe Tex -- whose real commercial breakthrough was to come in the southern soul scene of the mid 60s -- but his early roots in jumpin' 50s cuts for the King label are pretty incredible! This set has some tight, mean little tunes that sound just as good to us as the ... (Soul)

Sublime genius from funky flute player Bobbi Humphrey -- a record we'd rank right up there with her classic Blacks & Blues set -- and like that one, another fantastic collaboration with producer Larry Mizell! The groove here is tremendous throughout -- a heady mix of Bobbi's flute, Larry's ... (Jazz)

A killer remake of "What Is Wrong With Groovin" -- a cut sung by Letta Mbulu at the end of the 60s, redone here with a groove that's just as great as the original! Backings are warmly jazzy, with a sweet dipping sense of funk in the rhythms -- and the female lead vocals have a soulful ... (Funky 45's)

A well-titled set from keyboardist Earl Johnson -- one that's definitely got a juicy groove overall, and a great mix of smooth and soulful styles! The sound here is nicely rougher than conventional commercial work of this nature -- and Johnson's almost got an underground George Duke-ish sort of ... (Neo Soul)

A wild wild album of Latin soul -- one of the maddest albums ever recorded for the legendary Speed label! The group, like a rare few others of their generation, are an insane mix of Latin jamming, psychedelic soul, and stoner funk riffing -- all sifted together in a blender, with a sound that ... (Latin)

Totally groovy work from the legendary Piero Piccioni -- a score for an obscure "mondo" documentary about the sad state of culture in late 60s England! The score is probably best known for its "Richmondo Bridge" theme -- but it's filled with loads of other really wonderful cuts ... (Soundtracks)

Monster funk from Hammond hero Reuben Wilson -- an album of hard-burning, bad-walking tunes that are a fair bit different than most of his other work! Although Wilson recorded some pretty traditional organ jazz for the Blue Note and Groove Merchant labels, this album has him working with his " ... (Jazz)

Very free work from the duo of Joe Maneri and Peter Dolger -- playing here in open, unstructured format that predates later experiments on labels like ESP and Impulse! Maneri's playing alto sax for the date, and Dolger's on drums -- and the performance of "Peace Concert" runs for almost ... (Jazz)

Bill Evans is reunited with singer Monica Zetterlund -- in a live date done more than a decade after their classic Waltz For Debby album! The first side of the record features Evans in a trio mode -- working instrumentally, without Monica, in a group that features the great Eddie Gomez on bass and ... (Jazz)

Benchmark 80s electro -- and also part of the blueprint for the sound of west coast hip hop -- the groundbreaking work of Arabian Prince! Perhaps one of the most overlooked innovators of the west coast scene, Arabian Prince played an integral role in shaping the LA hip-hop sound, from the early ... (Hip Hop)

Really wonderful early work from pianist Berndt Egerbladh -- a player who's gotten a lot more global attention in recent years, but who sounds especially great on this rare date from the 60s! The album's a masterful showcase for Berndt's warm, fluid approach on the keys of the piano -- a style ... (Jazz)

A great bit of modern soul from Tolbert -- a cut that's presented here both in its original 7" version, and an unreleased 12" take! The tune's got a hell of a lot of warmth -- a glowing sort of glide that's completely seductive, and much more late 70s than you'd guess from the date of ... (Soul)

The kind of music that made Miami discos just as happening as the clubs up north at the end of the 70s -- and a great batch of cuts that kept the city's scene burning strongly into the next decade! Not all of the artists here are of southern origin, but they either recorded for Miami labels, or ... (Funky Compilations)

Classic styled funk mastery from Breakestra -- back in the Stones Throw family with this incredible 12-inch single on the Now Again imprint -- and as fiercely gritty and funky as ever! "Lowdown Stank" is a 9+ minute killer that truly sounds like a lost funk treasure. Music Man Miles ... (Deep Funk)

Fiery little surf and drag rockers from the vaults of California's Downey Records -- rumbling, pulpy tunes from The Rumblers, The Ramblers, The Blazers, The Hustlers, The Chevells, The Revells and others! Clean lead and mean rhythm guitars, fuzzy bass lines, snapping drums and bleary sax -- we ... (Rock)

Powerhouse soul from singer Doris Allen -- who made a bit of a splash in the late 60s southern soul scene with duet partner Big John Hamilton -- but who's own work from that time and a couple decades later have been under acknowledged in the digital era until now! The first half of the CD ... (Soul)

That's "fource", not "force" -- so don't get these guys mixed up with the bigger soul act of the time -- because Full Fource have a groove that's a lot more soulful overall, inflected with some great funky club touches throughout! The combo hails from California, and the style ... (Soul)

A cool collection of early work by Irma Thomas -- some of the best tracks from her initial years on the Crescent City scene! Most of the numbers were written by Aaron Neville, with a sound that certainly indicates his influence -- and Irma's vocals have a crackling quality that's pretty darn great ... (Soul)

A novel idea for a stylistically rich compilation of classic tunes -- in most cases far lesser known late 50s and 60s original (or if not always original, very early) versions of songs made famous by the superstars to come! The songs range from uptempo soul, to early rock, to loungey groovers, to ... (Rock)

Shook's definitely shaking things up this time around -- really stepping strongly past its first two issues, with even more material than before! The range of articles is totally great -- features on The Young Disciples, Chaka Khan, Charles Burnette, Kid Creole, Hector Lavoe, and others -- as well ... (Books & Magazines)

A live performance of material from Tom Ze's Danc-eh-sa project -- done here with tones that are even quirkier and more angular than the original! Most of the tracks have a strongly instrumental focus, but vocals are often used in an almost instrumental mode -- chanted along with the rhythms, and ... (Brazil)

The Copenhagen Airport's a mighty busy place these days -- especially given all the great compilations issued under that name by the folks at Rambling Records! This set's every bit as great as the rest -- a strong collection of dancefloor tracks from the underground scene in the north of Europe -- ... (New Grooves)

3 albums worth of material from trombonist Curtis Fuller and saxophonist Sonny Red! First up is New Trombone -- an excellent album of hard-blown soul jazz, especially if you dig Sonny Red! Curtis Fuller is the leader of the group, but Sonny Red's also on the record as well -- playing some of the ... (Jazz)

Two groovy albums from the early 60s -- both of which have Lena Horne singing in much hipper territory than the 50s! Lena Horne Sings Your Requests features arrangements from Marty Paich and Bob Florence -- both of whom bring a swinging, uptempo feel to the music -- one touched with lots of hip ... (Vocalists)

The beats have Super Smoky Soul all right -- but they're also loaded with atmospheric instrumental hip hop and headnodding funk! The Tokyo based production duo of Super Smoky Soul blend a solidly funky beat with off kilter samples, cosmic keys and layers of off kilter elements around the edges -- ... (New Grooves)

There's plenty bubbling under at Brownswood these days -- the house of music headed by the legendary Gilles Peterson, easily one of our favorite talents ever for picking a groove! As with the previous volumes, this set features some of the best up-and-coming artists to fall under Peterson's ear in ... (New Grooves)

A new sort of funky groove from The Bamboos -- breaking a bit from their familiar deep funk mode! "King Of The Rodeo" is still plenty funky, but the rhythms are a bit different too -- nicely skittish, and almost contemporary at times -- although still clearly played live, and topped with ... (Funky 45's)

A bright, upbeat and sunny orch pop effort from the man who invented sunny orch pop -- free of the dour, troubled undertow of his tortured masterpieces of the late 60s -- and lets face it, we want the man healthy so that's a good thing! Brian Wilson composed and arranged with many of the ... (Rock)

A Silver Mt Zion graces the cover of the 51st issue of Signal To Noise -- representing the stylistically sprawling, ultra creative Montreal scene -- an apt flagship piece for one the best print journals of boundary busting, uncompromising music from around the globe! STN does a fine job here ... (Books & Magazines)

An obscure late 50s set from the mighty Hank Mobley -- and like all of the tenorist's sides for Blue Note, an essential gem that tops most work by the rest of his contemporaries! The setting here is a really warm and lyrical one -- as Mobley's playing with Horace Silver on piano, Doug Watkins on ... (Jazz)

One of the darkest Bruno Nicolai soundtracks we've ever heard -- penned for an equally dark film directed by Jess Franco! The style here is a bit more tense than the usual light melodies we'd expect from the Nicolai/Franco team -- still somewhat spacious, but with very tentative notes at times -- ... (Soundtracks)

The second in the anthology project of the mighty Wax Poetics magazine -- Issues 6-10 of the deep funk, jazz, soul and hip hop journal of record -- an excellent run with pieces on 45 King, Eugene McDaniels, Sun Ra, Roy Ayers, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Wilson Simonal, Eddie Bo, Oliver Sain, Willie ... (Books & Magazines)

An amazing little groover from the combo of pianist Overton Berry -- and one of THE 70s funk classics from the Pacific Northwest! The record's really just a simple trio outing, but other elements drift into the mix as the record grooves on -- including vibes, guitar, and even a bit of vocals on a ... (Jazz)

Contemporary grooves from Linda Laws -- a soul singer who's destined to put the Las Vegas scene on the map! Vegas isn't normally a place we'd look for soul music, but Linda's been singing around the city for a number of years now -- and she kicks off this set with the sweetly-stepping "Las ... (Neo Soul)

Tripped-out, hypnotic grooves from Thailand -- music that's almost got a gamelon-like approach to building percussion, but which also features some very groovy guitar over the top! The sounds here are stark and highly percussive, but also quite melodic as well -- coming together with a compelling ... (Global Grooves)

A great groover from Italian pianist Romano Mussolini -- a really cool little session that features some key instrumental elements joining his core trio sound! Romano's at the helm on acoustic piano, with support on bass and drums -- but the set also features guest guitar, tenor, and added ... (Jazz)

A lovely little meeting between bossa guitarist Toquinho and Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe -- a set that has Sadao returning to some of the Brazilian styles he first recorded back in the 60s! There's a nicely warm feel to the set, but the sound is still pretty intimate overall -- not nearly ... (Brazil)

Very nice spacey soul from the late 70s Columbus, Ohio scene by Norman Whiteside's Wee -- a mindblowing mix of jazz funk sophistication, harmony vocals and electric keyboard led psychedelic soul! Whiteside started Wee after the dissolution of Capsoul Records, where he was an important figure to ... (Soul)

Italo club from Tom Hooker -- a singer working here with a fair bit of keyboards in the mix! The album's got a nicely spare, stripped-down sort of feel -- kind of a catchier version of the electronic elements from the Cosmic scene, taken towards tunes that have a nice boogie bounce at the bottom, ... (Soul)

A funky holy grail -- one of the rarest of the rare, and the only album ever cut by funky guitarist Carl "Sherlock" Holmes! Carl's work on the guitar is incredible -- fast riffing and jazzy, with a style that's dirtier and messier than some of his 70s jazz funk contemporaries, but which ... (Soul)