Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Amazing sounds from the legendary Rodriguez – the brilliant 70s singer who had a groove that was equal parts soul, funk, rock, and folk – and an overall approach that was pretty darn unique! Most numbers here have some acoustic guitar over slightly funky rhythms – perfectly... read more

A nice reissue which brings together 3 LPs by one of the most underrecognized talents of 70's soul! DJ's deep soul voice is smooth and mellow, with the kind of honest heartbreaking quality that you find in the best work by Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. It's Good To Be Alive finds DJ in a... read more

Rose Royce are certainly plenty strong at this point in their career – working with a tight modern soul groove on Epic Records – away from their previous placement on the Whitfield label, even though Norman Whitfield's still very actively handling production here! The album does a... read more

Essential peak solo material from Diana – her aptly self-titled set from 1976, showing Ms. Ross stretching out stylistically with incredible style and with beautiful vocals! Diana '76 is among her best work of the 70s – and that's saying something! It opens with the gorgeous "Them... read more

One of the more righteous albums from the early years of Diana Ross' solo career – a set that really has her moving past the familiar Motown groove of previous years, into a vibe that really shows the label's new California influence! The tracks here often feature expansive arrangements that... read more

An amazing collection of work from Jackie Ross – a singer who was arguably the greatest female soul artist in Chicago during the 60s! Jackie's got a really wonderful approach – sweet on top, but with a hard punch below – very much at the best level of some of Motown's... read more

Some of the most godlike soul music to be recorded on this planet, and two of the best-ever albums by this amazing Chicago collective that included the late Minnie Riperton, and who were arranged and produced by the great Charles Stepney! Both albums feature swirling complex arrangements, filled... read more

A real stormer from Round Trip – a group whose roots go back to the legendary Sins Of Satan album on Buddah, and who also work here with great production from Al Perkins – in a style that's a bit like his music with One Way! We're not sure if "round trip" was an answer to One... read more

Sublime baroque soul from David Ruffin – material recorded for his 3rd solo album, but never released until now! The quality of the work is incredible – done in a soaring style that's a perfect summation of the genius of Motown at the end of the 60s. Ruffin really steps away from his... read more

Patrice Rushen in a crisp 80s soul mode! Watch Out finds Patrice really cutting down the keyboards in favor of stronger vocals right out front – breaking all the rules, as the title of the second song tells it – and it works really well! Most of the arrangements, synth and drum... read more

An avant dancefloor work of genius by Arthur Russell – the frantically beat-heavy, sunny and psychedelic single "Let's Go Swimming" that's from 1986, but it's really a unique piece of work that exists out of place and time – here in 3 distinctive versions along with a... read more

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work... read more

A classic album of short hard funky grooves – put together by the legendary Oliver Sain, a genius instrumentalist/producer from St. Louis, and the man behind more soul classics than you might imagine! Oliver plays alto, organ, and piano on most cuts – and the backing is spare and hard... read more

Classic Sam & Dave work for Stax – a searing batch of hard soul tracks that forever redefined the concept of a male soul duet! This was the sound that put Sam & Dave over the top hard – and which left a generation of similar acts trying to catch up. The album sports a sublime... read more

A beautiful little record by Pharoah Sanders – quite different than most of his other recordings of the 70s, and done in a smoothly jazzy mode that also features plenty of soul! Sanders did the set in collaboration with Norman Connors – and the style is in that same great mix of mellow... read more

A stone 70s classic from Carlos Santana's lesser-known brother – a set that effortlessly brings together Latin and soul, often with the same sort of vibe as the Coke Escovedo records on Mercury from the same time! Jorge plays guitar, but lead vocals are from Richard Bean (of Malo and Sapo... read more

The complete Tamla and Motown singles of The Satintones – the soul, R&B & popular music juggernaut's first male vocal group – and a treasure trove of rare post doo wop from the end of the 50s/beginning of the 60s! It's fascinating for the history herein – the group is... read more

A really compelling little set from Satisfaction Unlimited – a group we only know from this one corker of a record on the Hot Wax label! The style's a bit in some of the harmony modes of the east coast scene of the time – yet like most Hot Wax/Invictus work, there's also a bit of an... read more

2 albums in one – back to back club from the Saturday Night Disco Band! First up is the Come On Dance Dance album – Prelude Records disco at its best, and a soulful side from the team of Jesse Boyce and Moses Dillard – formerly of the southern soul scene, and working here in an... read more

A set recorded late in the career of Millie Scott – given that she contributed vocals to some hip girl groups in the 70s – but a standout solo moment too, and one that showed she could make some big waves on her own! The album's got a nice early urban sort of feel – echoes of... read more

Wonderfully catchy work from the team of Peggy Scott and JoJo Benson – easily one of the grooviest soul duos of the 60s! Peggy and JoJo were kind of the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell of southern soul – recording for Shelby Singleton's SSS International label in Nashville, with a... read more

An oft-overlooked jazzy gem from Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – and a beautifully swinging session that has Gil toning it down a bit, and working into a nicely musical groove that gets past the heavy politics of earlier years! The record's a great showcase for the more upbeat side of... read more

Gil Scott Heron's first album for Arista – very much in the mellow soul jazz work of his legendary album on Strata East! The record features some wonderfully moody jazz backing that really marks a shift in Gil's style – never going too far over the top, but hitting a sweet groove that... read more

A 70s soul classic – and the closest that Gil Scott-Heron ever came to having a hit! The album's best known for its anthemic classic "Johannesburg" – one of the first popular tunes to really push the cause of a free South Africa – but the whole album's a winner, filled... read more

A standout set from Gil Scott-Heron – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of his other 70s work! This album's a double-length live set – one that has Gil taking on the familiar format of the 70s, and using it to really push the boundaries of his own music too! Most tracks are... read more

One of Gil Scott-Heron's best albums from later years! The record's got some wonderful mellow cuts – the kind that send chills up our spine, and which remind us of Gil's stripped-down jazzy work on the album Winter In America. And in fact, Gil does an excellent remake of the classic track... read more

An 80s collection, but one that's filled with gems from Gil Scott-Heron's legendary early years at Flying Dutchman – a time when he was recording some of his most impressively righteous material ever! The music's a hip mix of protest poetry and sweet jazzy numbers – played with great... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous... read more

Some of the best tracks ever from the pair of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – some of most righteous, authoritative and thematically heavy soul music ever created – compiled in one incredible set! Messianic, emotive vocals from Gil and stunningly restrained, magical soul jazz... read more

Gil Scott-Heron at his early best and most revolutionary – circa Small Talk At 125th And Lenox, Pieces Of Man and Free Will, plus a host of rare and unreleased material – the complete Flying Dutchman Masters in a masterfully compiled anthology! Rather than simply collecting the... read more

A pair of classics from Sea Level – back to back on a single CD! First up is Cats On The Coast – sweet smooth grooves from Sea Level – a killer crossover 70s group, one with roots in the Allman Brothers, but a sound that's much more wide-reaching overall! This sublime album is... read more

Enough funk to stop a truck – and a rare collection of tracks made by Senor Soul, a heavy-hitting LA group from the 60s – and the precursor to War! The tunes on the set are pulled from the group's sessions for the Whiz and Double Shot labels, plus a few previously unissued tracks... read more

A key album in the legendary 80s run of Shalamar – and a set that gets a tremendous amount out of a very stripped-down sound! The sound of Shalamar builds from a bit of bass, some snapping drums, waves of keyboards, and especially great vocals – warm and sweet, but never too commercial... read more

An excellent set of sophisticated soul cuts from Marlena Shaw – and a album that more than lives up to the title! Marlena really sparkles here – thanks to impeccable arrangements by Wade Marcus that perfectly mix together jazz and soul – finding that unique space that Shaw and a... read more

Soaring soul from Marlena Shaw – her last recording for Blue Note, and a set that points the way towards her bigger fame to come at Columbia Records! Like some of her previous sets, there's definitely still some jazzy elements in the mix – yet the overall sound is much more fully... read more

A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw – and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip – a mixture of... read more

An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks – and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time – but digging deeper,... read more

A great record from the mid 70s – one that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer – dealing with issues that never would have gotten... read more

Beautiful early 70s Muscle Shoals recordings from Bobby Sheen – songs cut at Fame, Widget and Broadway Sound studios in the famed city – material that sounds as great to us as much of the best southern soul of the era! Bobby had been cutting terrific material as far back as the 50s,... read more

Quite possibly the greatest album ever from Side Effect – a wonderful set that mixes their soulful harmonies with some killer jazz funk from Wayne Henderson! The album may be the most perfect realization of the groove that Henderson was going for during his At Home Productions years –... read more

One of Ben Sidran's biggest records from the 70s – a smooth combination of jazz, fusion, soul, and a bit of New Orleans groove! There's still a very unique feel to Sidran's music here – a sense of personality that really makes the whole thing sparkle – and which keeps the record... read more

Spare genius from the legendary Labi Siffre – a record without categorization, and one that sits beautifully between soul, folk, and singer-songwriter styles of the early 70s! The record balances perfectly between simple tunes that just feature voice and guitar, and more complicated ones... read more

An incredible record from Labi Siffre – spare, simple, and totally beautiful – in a space beyond category! The album is the sort that should have been a real standout in the 70s – early work by one of the freshest songwriters to hit the British scene, sung in a style that's a bit... read more

One of the best of Bunny Sigler's disco albums – a classic pairing with a the group Instant Funk, and a record that helped define the second generation of the Philly groove! Bunny's still got some of the sweeter touches of earlier years, but he also comes across with a much fuller vocal... read more

Great work by Bunny Sigler – and a perfect bridge between his earlier Philly soul from the late 60s, and his later disco from the end of the 70s! Bunny's in perfect form vocally – and the record is a super-strong batch of tracks that deserves to be well up there in the Gamble/Huff... read more

This is the kind of Italian disco we can get our ears around! Bebu Silvetti is on keyboards, and at the helm of the orchestra – working here like an Italian Barry White, on a groove that's very similar to the best work of the Love Unlimited Orchestra. The tracks have a harder focus on the... read more

Soaring grooves from Bebu Silvetti – a set that definitely has the disco touches you'd expect on the Salsoul label, but which also seems to pick up a few soundtracky styles as well! Some tunes are upbeat and grooving, with a great blend of strings and beats – the kind that Silvetti... read more

One of the best collections of work by Joe Simon we've ever seen – a well-done 26 track set that really pulls together the best cuts from his years at Sound Stage Seven! Joe was unusual in that he was a country singer working out of Nashville, not Memphis, at the end of the 60s – but... read more

A real standout 70s set from Nina Simone – a one-off date for CTI Records, done with a sound that's different than her earlier work for RCA, Philips, and Colpix! The groove here is often as soul-based as it is vocal jazz – thanks to arrangements from David Matthews, who brings a... read more

Quite possibly the greatest music that Nina Simone ever recorded – brought together beautifully in one compact yet complete set! Nina Simone recorded some great music before she hit the RCA label in the late 60s – but her time at that company really saw a flowering of her unique... read more

The first-ever full length collection of work by The Sisters Love – an ultra-hip female soul group who cut some incredibly funky singles, but never issued a full album – finally given their due in this amazing batch of singles from the late 60s and early 70s! The Sisters Love sound is... read more

A stone classic from Skyy – one of those groups who virtually helped invent 80s groove! Like the best of the genre – such as Slave, BB&Q Band, and others – Skyy have a soulful approach that goes way past the simple cliches that other groups were so content to only muddle... read more

Warm and tender, but pretty darn rootsy too – a beautiful illustration of the sound that made Percy Sledge one of the deepest soul singers to record for Atlantic in the 60s! Sledge has this raspy power that grabs us right from the start – that quality that made his music resonate... read more

A stone classic from Percy Sledge – and a set that really put southern soul on the map! Along with the familiar title hit – one of those tunes you'll recognize instantly – the album's a treasure trove of deep soul numbers – done under the supervision of Quin Ivy, in... read more

A rich document of the talents of Huey Piano Smith – a set that not only features some of his classic work for Ace Records in the US, but which also includes some key performances on other folks' records too! Huey's piano is at the forefront of most of the tracks here, even when the vocals... read more

Great late 70s work from Jimmy Smith – two albums back to back on a single CD! One of our favorite later albums from organist Jimmy Smith – and a set that cooks heavily in a wicked blend of jazz, funk, and soul! The style's a bit like the groove that Johnny Hammond hit during his... read more

Righteous jazz, with plenty of soul – a killer collection of the mid 70s work of Lonnie Liston Smith – all based around his legendary recordings for the Flying Dutchman label! Lonnie got his start on the hippest side of the jazz spectrum – including work with Pharoah Sanders on... read more

An unusual split album – and one that features excellent work from two great vocal groups from the east coast scene – both of them working here in a great mix of groovers and laidback mellow cuts! Both The Softones and First Class issued albums on their own – but their cuts here... read more

A beautiful, beautiful little record – as righteous and soulful as some of the best spiritual jazz classics of the 70s – and arguably even rarer, as it was only issued on a tiny label from Atlanta! Solar have a sound that uses 3 female lead vocalists in chorus formation – one... read more

The seminal first album from the SOS Band – a record that really showcases the new sound of soul for the 80s, yet still holds onto all the best elements of the previous decade too! These guys have a great ear for groovers – well-demonstrated by the play they got on the dancefloor... read more

Incredible work from a group who've definitely earned their name! Naming a group SOUL might be suicide for a band that can't carry off the groove – but these guys are funky monsters, with a real talent for a hard heavy sound that was rarely matched by other combos. The band have a great... read more

A great little record – and perhaps the most soulful outing by this white rock band with a great talent for crossing over! The record was partially produced by Gamble & Huff, and partially produced by Rick Hall at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals – and it's a wonderful blend of the... read more

Pre-Philly magic from The Spinners – a wonderful early album recorded for Motown – done with a heady Detroit sound that's quite different than their later work in the 70s! The album already has the group sounding amazing on the harmonic tip – definitely a cut above the groups... read more

A sweetly grooving set from The Spinners – one that moves along nicely at the midtempo clip the "trippin" in the title might imply – thanks to production and arrangements from Michael Zager! Zager nicely puts aside some of his more disco-oriented modes here – keeping... read more

About as classic as you can get for The Spinners – and one of the group's marvelous 70s collaborations with the mighty Thom Bell! Before hooking up with Philly, The Spinners were already a wonderful vocal group – but here, in the hands of Bell, they hit a sound that's completely... read more

A sweet sweet set from The Spinners – and a record that's more "today" than "yesterday", given the tight 70s arrangements from Thom Bell! Bell's Philly approach is still perfect for the group – unlocking their harmonies in very different ways than back in their... read more

An incredible relic of the righteous underground of the late 60s from the Spirit House Movers – and one of the few classic albums on the Jihad label! The group was a vocal group of sorts – sometimes singing, sometimes rapping in a Last Poets-styled way – often doing both at the... read more

Deep down rare soul from Barbara Stant – all of the known recordings of this beautiful 70s soul singer – obscure singles cut for the Shiptown label in Norfolk, VA! Barbara has a lovely voice that exudes emotion naturally, and she has remarkable control that can work in a number of... read more

The Staple Singers are cooking on all burners at this point – and it's hard to stop them with that much power – a soaring, searing sort of energy that definitely earns them a place in the sky! The set's a totally strong batch of gospelly soul tracks – produced by Al Bell with... read more

The Staple Singers in a direction none would have guessed a decade before – a half-pop, half-arty approach to the dancefloor – served up in a surprisingly nice batch of jaunty tunes! The approach here mixes electric rhythms with the deeper soul vocals of the group – often putting... read more

The Staples and Curtis Mayfield – working together here in a very Curtom groove! This great little set picks off where the group's work on the Let's Do It Again soundtrack left off – taking The Staples far past their Memphis sound of the Stax years, into a hipper, more adult kind of... read more

An incredible bit of funky fusion from the Texas scene of the 70s – a record that's unlike anything else we've ever heard from the Lone Star state, and which still sounds plenty fresh all these many years later! Starcrost have a sound that mixes jazzy riffing with great female lead vocals... read more

Amazing sounds from The Stark Reality – an obscure group from the early 70s, but one who've really risen to fame over the years – thanks to their groundbreaking ear for new music, and their freewheeling way with a funky groove! This package brings together all the incredible work... read more

A real breakout album for Edwin Starr – and the kind of full-on set that really helped give his music a bold new focus! Starr had already scored nicely on some playful tracks from the Motor City scene of the late 60s – but here, he emerges as a singer with a lot more depth than before... read more

Massive massive work from Starship Orchestra – a trio of talents from the Norman Connors universe, but one who get some heavy help in the studio from arrangers Bobby Lyle, McKinley Jackson, and Jerry Peters! There's a real Aquarian Dream sound at play here – all the best energy of... read more

A 2CD set of Candi Staton – the complete Fame masters recorded by the female southern soul great and producer Rick Hall at the fabled Muscle Shoals studios – including a dozen previously unreleased tracks! It's one heartbreaking, soul stirring masterpiece after another on this set... read more

The best secular soul work in years from Candi Staton – and the first album in decades that recalls the strength and raw power of her early work on Fame Records! The set was done in Nashville with a rootsy, earthy feel – and a fair bit of country soul touches in the mix – an... read more

A legendary album from the Texas scene of the 70s – exactly the kind of set that helps the city of Austin live up to its massive reputation for music! The group's got a wonderful blend of jazz, soul, and funk – a unique blend that reminds us of our favorite funky Fantasy Records sides... read more

Back to back killers from the legendary Billy Stewart – two great albums for Chess in one sweet set! First up is Unbelievable – a truly unbelievable album from Billy – maybe his standout moment of the 60s, and a record that set him apart from every other singer of his time! ... read more

Uptempo east coast club soul – not entirely disco, and more like the indie work of the immediate generation before – a time when groups were picking up their groove a bit more than before, creating some lean, soulful tempos for the dancefloor! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux and... read more

A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel... read more

Ahh, the dancefloor soul perfection of the beautiful Donna Summer – and classic late 70s production by Giorgio Morodor and Pete Bellotte – songs that are played often, even to this day, but will never be played out! Was this the one that coined the phrase "shipped gold, returned... read more

A double-length, 4 act disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the height of their powers here – and able to keep up enough energy to make it through what was originally 2LP set! The work's a unified sort of story – kind of a disco opera of sorts... read more

Masterful funky soul jazz from the mid 70s – and one of the best solo albums recorded by Headhunter Bill Summers – a sunny batch of Bay Area funk that really grooves with the best of Fantasy Records from the time! The set was produced by Skip Scarborough, and has that great bubbling,... read more

One of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – the late 70s funk group who some excellent albums for Capitol Records – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk with an... read more

A pair of stormers from Sun – back to back on a single CD! Wanna Make Love is one of the greatest records ever cut by Sun – a group whose records never made the charts as strongly as their contemporaries, but not for lack of quality! This set's a great batch of heavy ensemble funk... read more

A great batch of lost funky club tracks – heavy moog in the mix, making some great wikki-wikki sounds over the album's smoothly grooving tunes! The group's got Gregg Phillinganes and Roger Smith in the frontline on keyboards – they also play Arp and Fender Rhodes next to moog –... read more

Cream Of The Crop may not have been a huge hit for The Supremes, but the record has them handling a variety of interesting work – mostly done in modes that bring the best Motown styles of the 60s into closer contact with the label's more expansive sound to come in the 70s! There's a really... read more

One of the great mid 60s Supremes album – at a time when they could really do no wrong – and featuring a couple of their bigger hits! I Hear A Symphony was produced by the team of Holland & Dozier – and Holland-Dozier-Holland are the credited composers for most of it –... read more

Groovy late 60s work from Diana Ross & The Supremes – a record that has them breaking the Motown mold a bit, and hooking up with a nice variety of modder soul and pop modes! Tracks on the set include a few Motown-penned numbers, but the trio also tackle hits like "Everyday... read more

Really one of the nicer late 60s efforts by the Supremes – now with Cindy Birdsong in the group in place of the departed Florence Ballard – with the now well known title track, and a number of other great pop soul numbers, with the classic Motown sound! The Supremes could arguably... read more

One of the later Supremes albums with Diana Ross as the headliner – and the final Supremes album with Holland-Dozier-Holland pulling the strings – and led of by the incredible title track! "Reflections" is a straight up incredible tune – one of those late 60s Motown... read more

The Supremes take on the classy Copa nightclub – and really bring down the house with a stunning mix of warmth, charm, and soul – especially on this incredible expanded edition from Hip-O Select! The original album is perhaps one of the "livest" of Motown live albums from... read more

A record that might be easy to write this off as a mistake or inessential session – but thanks to some great arrangements by HB Barnum, Paul Riser, and Gene Page, plus great vocals by the groups, the record shines as much as any other Motown set from the time! The vocals are traded back and... read more

Great waves of sound here from Surface – a set that has the trio sounding even tighter and more fluid than ever – perfectly blending midtempo rhythms with their warm and sweet harmony vocals! The vibe's a bit classier than the usual mellow soul of the time – almost with a jazzy... read more

Swamp Dogg's on the cover, riding a giant rat out of the ghetto – an image that definitely hints at some of the politics on the record! The album's one of Swamp's key classics from the early 70s – recorded at a time when he was still super-sharp – and when the character was a... read more

24 tracks of heavy deep soul from Bettye Swann – a great female soul singer from the 60s who's rarely ever gotten her due! There have been some cheaply done reissues of Bettye's work over the years, but this is the first time a full set of her best work has been put together with a good set... read more

A tasty bit of late P-Funk! The album was recorded in 1980, on the wane of the main P-Funk groups – and it features Bootsy and Fred Wesley teaming up on the arrangements, in a set of bass-heavy, mostly instrumental tracks that groove hard like the best early work by Zapp! There's a great... read more

A great back-to-basics set for the Sweet Inspirations – now working here as the trio of Estelle Brown, Myrna Smith, and Sylvia Shamwell – and working with David Porter in a strongly Memphis mode! The arrangements on the set are a bit more ambitious than usual for Stax at the time... read more

The Sweet Sweet Sweet Inspirations get the Gamble Huff treatment – and as it worked with Archie Bell, so it works with these guys – really well! The Philly sound gives the girls the right push that they need to keep from being just another snoozy Atlantic stable band, and it pushes... read more