Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Rootsy gospel from The Como Mamas – a tremendous trio of female singers, working here in an all-acapella mode that's completely sublime! The set's an offshoot of the Como Now project done by Daptone a few years ago, and has the same timeless feel – quite a difference from the heavy... read more

A sweet set of sounds from disco maestro Boris Midney – an artist who rarely recorded under his own name, but was the guiding force behind a great range of famous studio projects! The first half of the set features music from the Companion album – a set moves along in a way that's... read more

Funky genius from Con Funk Shun – a pair of late 70s albums – together in a single set! Loveshine finds the group working under the production helm of Skip Scarborough, who seems to give them an even sharper edge than usual! The album's filled with those tightly compressed rhythms... read more

A trio of early 80s efforts from Con Funk Shun in a 2CD set – with bonus tracks! Touch is a killer from the group – one of the few mainstream funk groups who actually managed to sound better and better with each new record – and on this set, they really seem to come into their... read more

A full length debut knockout for The Congregation – who had more-or-less been serving as the live soul house band on the north side of Chicago in the months leading up to Right Now Everything – and deservedly so! The group might take the most cues from classic raw soul and live show... read more

The second Arthur Conley album for Atlantic – and like the first, a record that really cooks with some great Otis Redding production! The sound and style is very similar to Otis' work for Stax during the 60s – but the album was recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, with... read more

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks – one that reaches back to some of Norman's earlier records for inspiration, and which takes the sound up a few notches to expand the groove. Norman gets help on the arranging tip from Al Johnson, McKinley Jackson, and Paul Riser – which is why... read more

A pair of groovers by Norman Connors from the start of the 80s – Take It To The Limit and Mr C – together in a single set! Take It To The Limit is excellent album of smooth soul – one that reaches back to some of Norman's earlier records for inspiration, and which takes the sound... read more

A fantastic bit of modern soul from Norman Connors – proof that he was still growing and changing as an artist, continuing to push his groove into whole new areas as the 70s progressed. The record takes the smooth jazzy sound of the earlier Buddah sides, sharpens it into a more sophisticated... read more

A pair of mellow soul and jazzy groove masterpieces by Norman Connors – You Are My Starship form '76 and Romantic Journey from '77 in a single set! The former opens with the heavenly title cut – which features Michael Henderson on vocals and Gary Bartz on sax. Bartz plays on a number... read more

The legendary unreleased Motown recordings by The Contours – material that should have been issued as a full length LP in 1964 – but all but a couple tunes have languished in the vaults until now! The group simply kills on on these dancefloor ready stormers, with raucous, charismatic... read more

An overlooked gem from The Controllers – one issued a bit late to be part of the classic wave of group soul, but a set that's still overflowing with really old school harmonies! The Controllers really have a wonderful way of putting over a ballad – letting things build slow and mellow,... read more

A legendary run of music from the late, great Sam Cooke – almost all of his recordings for RCA Records, packaged here in one sweet little package! The scope of the set is wonderful – and almost something of a revelation, given that a number of these titles have never appeared on CD in... read more

A classic live album – one of the first in soul music, and a beautiful set of smooth soul tunes from Sam Cooke! Sam's singing at the high-end nitespot The Copacabana – and like many live sets performed there, this one's tailored a bit to the classy crowd at the show – but that... read more

A posthumous collection of material that Sam recorded for RCA before his untimely death – not really a greatest hits collection, but a lot better than the usual "house cleaning" type of record that gets issued in this sort of situation! Arrangements are by Stan Applebaum, Jimmie... read more

A second sublime set from Ruth Copeland – a funky female singer from the Detroit scene of the early 70s, with key ties to the P-Funk universe, and a unique groove that mixes singer/songwriter modes with the fuzzier funkier elements of artists like Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair! There's a bit... read more

A surprisingly groovy little set – one of a few outings cut by singer Ruth Copeland – kind of an enigmatic figure in the early P-Funk years! The approach here is more rock than soul, but there's definitely some funky undercurrents too – of the sort that have always made Copeland... read more

What's in the groove is plenty of funk – served up in an overstuffed package that includes all the tracks from The Counts' 2 albums on Aware, plus a few more bonus numbers! The best work here is from the mighty Love Sign album – quite possibly the most righteous work ever from The... read more

A rare bit of Cali soul – and a lot groovier than you'd guess from the cover! The music is rich in jazzy inflections – funky fusion used behind the lead vocals of Errol Knowles, in a blend that's quite similar to the best Bay Area funk of the time – particularly some of the... read more

A wonderful album of mellow soul tracks! The record is Lou Courtney's masterpiece – and it's a jam-packed set filled with great tracks that rank right up there with classic 70s work by artists like Marvin Gaye, Leroy Hutson, or Leon Ware! Leon Pendarvis handled most of the arrangements... read more

The killer first album from Don Covay – working here with his classic Goodtimers combo in a nicely gritty groove! The record really stands out from other Atlantic soul of the time – as Covay keeps things tight, and fresh – providing most of the tunes himself, and working in a... read more

A cool step sideways for the great Don Covay – a set that still holds onto all the soul of his earlier work for Atlantic – but one that also has Don hitting a rootsier, bluesier mode too! The combo's definitely a blues group at their core, but apart from some harmonica and a bit more... read more

Lost Philly soul from the end of the 70s – great falsetto vocals from the mighty Matt Covington! Covington was the lead singer in the Philly Devotions, but somehow shines even more brightly on his own – with a gentle, heartfelt style that's almost more east coast early 70s soul than... read more

A crossover classic from Deborah Cox – a record that's filled with plenty of tuneful tracks, yet sung with a surprising depth of soul! Production is top-shelf on most numbers – and is often in that great 90s mode that's reintroducing warmer sounds that had slipped out of soul music the... read more

Randy Crawford and Joe Sample – a mighty wonderful combination who've made some great studio sessions together – working here in an even more organic live concert setting! The album's got a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach – Joe just playing acoustic piano and working with... read more

A smooth later groover from Crown Heights Affair – a lot more 80s sounding than the group's classic work, but in a way that's actually totally great! CHA were never shy of hitting a mainstream sound – and early in the group's career, they traded harder funk for smoother disco –... read more

A mellow soul classic from Chicago – and one of the last great records to come out of the city's hip 70s soul scene! We know very little about Crystal Winds – save for this excellent record, one of the few titles issued on the short-lived Cash Ear label, a south-side imprint in the... read more

A massive set from Nigeria's CS Crew – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The bass is super-heavy on these grooves – way more so than on other Afro Funk records of the time, and in ways that easily match, if not beat, the early best by Fatback Band and Kool & The Gang... read more

Mad homegrown soul from the enigmatic Darondo – a brief Bay Area star back in the 70s, and also host of TV comedy and children's shows! Darondo only ever saw release of 3 singles, but they're all pretty darn great – a weird mix of funk, soul, and sly slinky grooves – very unique... read more

The great lost Darondo album – amazing Bay Area funky soul from a singular talent – and material that we did not even know existed! It was cut for Ray Dobard's Music City label – purportedly in just a couple of marathon sessions – most of which we've never heard before now,... read more

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on... read more

Killer work from Betty Davis – one of the most impressive female funk talents ever! If you ever needed a definition of funk, this record may well be it – snapping drums, sharp-edged guitars, and sex-filled basslines that slink and slide all over the bottom of the grooves – a... read more

Sweet disco and soulful jazz – the only album we've ever seen from Copeland Davis, a great talent on the piano, and a mellow soul singer with a clear inspiration from Marvin Gaye! The album's a pretty unusual one – in that the overall groove is instrumental, mostly tight rhythms and... read more

Forget blues, because Geater Davis is a soul singer through and through – a really incredible southern talent with a deep soul sound that few others can match! Although Davis didn't record nearly as much as his contemporaries, he's got a sound that matches or beats them – a raw, raspy... read more

An incredible collection of work from the vastly-overlooked Geater Davis – and a set that definitely lives up to its title! Geater Davis is a tremendous singer from the south – but one who barely ever got his due back in the 70s – even though these recordings for the tiny House... read more

Our favorite album ever from Tyrone Davis – even if it's completely different than most of his other work too! The set's got a wonderfully smooth feel right from the start – a mellow-grooving, slow-stepping approach that works perfectly for Tyrone's wonderful vocals – pushing... read more

A massively wonderful album from Dayton – an album that has the group really getting their groove together – still sticking a bit in the older funk mode from the past, but also bringing in some warmer, deeper touches to their music too! There's a solidness here that's undeniable –... read more

80s groove galore – a pair of classic albums form Dayton! Hot Fun is a wonderfully sweet groover from Dayton – a group that's equal parts modern soul and 80s groove – and outta site all the way! The album's big title hit is a remake of Sly Stone's classic "Hot Fun In The... read more

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or... read more

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or... read more

The Dazz Band may be wild and free in the title, but the album's tighter than ever – a lean, focused approach to the Dazz Band sound – done here with loads of 80s production and instrumentation in the mix! The rhythms are heavy with drum machine lines – often mixed with keyboard... read more

A much-needed look at the mighty Sugar Pie DeSanto – a singer who really rocked Chess Records back in the 60s! DeSanto came to the label already boasting one hell of a groove – a rock-solid sense of rhythm that made all of her tunes groovers right from the get-go – and a raw... read more

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way... read more

A wonderful gem from Leon Dubouse – a singer whose voice is definitely the fine instrument promised in the title! The set's obscure, but put together with a really top-shelf approach – a mellow groove that's often a bit funky, too – even when warmly gliding on Leon's soulful... read more

A pretty cool collection produced by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee – focusing on famous speeches by important female African-Americans – mostly focusing on the civil rights era, but also featuring an early speech by Ida B Wells. Ruby reads the speeches, and works include "I Am A Black... read more

The only full album ever recorded by the legendary Sam Dees – an artist who's probably best known for his songwriting skills on other records, but who really shines here as a lead star on his own! Dees' approach is wonderful – a bit rootsy, with some slight southern soul elements... read more

A beautiful bit of funky rocking soul – and the one and only album by the Deirdre Wilson Tabac – a group whose name is as strange as their grooves are funky! The group are best known for their well-compiled track "I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes" – an uptempo jazzy... read more

Delegation really hold onto their groove in this rock-solid second set – an album that burns with vibrant energy right from the start – but all in ways that are really a cut above the usual uptempo soul of the time! Rhythms are a key part of the sound, but it's the trio's vocals that... read more

A sweet duo groover from Delegation – easily the group's most obscure album, but also one of their best! The set's got loads of great keyboards and basslines – much more electric than the mode used on the group's earlier records, but handled with a great deal of class – never... read more

2 great later gems from The Dells – both essential sides of their later catalog! I Touched A Dream is an especially tremendous record – a bit smoother than before, but still much more daring vocally than most other harmony groups at the time, cutting through some smoother arrangements... read more

One thing you have to remember about The Dells – they always sound great! Even here, in later years, their sound is superb – a rich, deep approach to harmonies that's still head and shoulders above most other groups in the business! The production on the set is by Norman Harris and... read more

Heavy funk from the legendary Bo Diddley – one of his amazing comeback albums from the early 70s for Chess, all of which are plenty darn great! For this set, Bo's traded in the scratchy guitar mode of his classic work for a sweeter, tighter funk-based sound – a groove that's supported... read more

The best collection we've ever seen on Ernie K Doe – a really massive set that not only features all the tracks from his early years on the New Orleans soul scene, but also includes his great comeback album from 1970 too – plus some killer cuts from the mid 70s as well! Allen Toussaint... read more

A hip little look at Lee Dorsey's best music of the late 60s and 1970s – and a set that features some really great surprises! The core of the collection is some of Lee's funky work recorded with Allen Toussaint on production, and the Meters helping out in the backing – the kind of... read more

Sublime work from one of our favorite groups ever on Salsoul Records – the amazing harmony quartet Double Expsoure – soaring out here in a set of Philly gems produced by Norman Harris! The album's got a wonderful sound right from the start – rich in rhythms, yet also soaring on... read more

One of the hottest locker rooms in town – thanks to sublime Salsoul grooves from the always-great Double Exposure! The album's got a bouncy groove that's topped by the quartet's wonderfully warm harmonies – easily some of the best from the disco generation, served up in a careful... read more

A wonderful album – one of those underground classics that seems to show up in everyone's record collection, even though it was never a huge chart hit. Double Exposure are part of the "second wave" of East Coast vocal groups – and like their contemporaries, they mix the sweet... read more

A sterling set from the great Will Downing – and a record that definitely has the master at the top of his game throughout! The package features some songs from his recent trilogy of EP releases – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow – but also includes five new songs too – and... read more

A sweet mellow groover from the mighty Lamont Dozier – a set that's not nearly as well known as his earlier work of the 70s, but one that has the Motown man still riding strong! In contrast to the fuller, clubbier grooves of Dozier's ABC work, most of the tunes here are a bit more laidback... read more

The best record in years – maybe decades – from the legendary Dr John – and a set that stands up strongly next to the messed-up Crescent City vibe of his 70s classics! Big thanks are due to Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach – who produced and supervised the whole recording... read more

The Dramatics hit an 80s groove mood here – and as on their clubbier sides from the end of the 70s, the vocals are still wonderful – and more than anything, the set's a strong soul-based set that still has the group at the top of their game! Ballads actually sparkle the best here... read more

One of the excellent recordings made by The Dramatics at ABC – great group soul gems that are sometimes overlooked because they didn't yield as many hits as earlier sets – but which are stellar records nonetheless! This one's got all the right elements firmly in place – killer... read more

Excellent middle period work by the Dramatics – recorded after their years at Stax, with a slightly smoother groove, and featuring some great tunes that really sparkle! By this point, the group were hitting a Detroit modern mode – with less of the rough edges of the Stax work, which... read more

Seminal work from the post-Clyde McPhatter version of The Drifters – a sublime batch of singles that really showcase all that's great from the second chapter of the group! The set's way more than a "best of" – as it was the only full album to feature most of these cuts –... read more

A wonderful album of hip jazzy vocals from Urszula Dudziak – an amazing singer who was sort of Poland's version of Flora Purim! Like Flora, Urszula had a fierce scatting and riffing style that broke way past the work of earlier female jazz singers – and she always applied this style to... read more

A wonderful album from George Duke – and one of our favorite records from his legendary years at Columbia! George Duke's always had plenty of Brazilian elements in his music – but this album really brings them all together – offering up a perfect blend of Duke's keyboards and... read more

A sweet bit of modern funk from George Duke – working here in a mode that's definitely tighter and more soul-based than his trippier albums of the early 70s – but also in a groove that's pretty darn sweet! George wonderfully blends together his jazz roots and some of the wider soul... read more

A great lost bit of mid 70s Motown – a pair of should-be classic albums by Dynamic Superiors – in a single set! Dynamic Superiors were a great harmony group with an east coast sound – quite different from the usual Motown combo in that their vocals were often allowed very free... read more

Sweet group soul from The Dynamic Superiors – one of the few late 70s comers who still held onto that great falsetto lead that was big in the earlier part of the decade! The album does a great job of mixing funky numbers with sweeter, mellower cuts – in ways that also kind of bridge... read more

An overlooked treasure from the Atlantic vaults – the first album by The Dynamics, and arguably a much greater record than the group's better-known set from the 70s! The Dynamics were a Detroit group from the late 60s, with that heavy harmony sound that was becoming a standard for the city's... read more

A pair of overlooked gems from Ronnie Dyson – both of which show there's way more to love than just his early hits! On Love In All Flavors, Ronnie's older than during his falsetto soul early years – and he's working here with some impeccably mature Chicago soul arrangements by Gene... read more

Stellar grooves from Charles Earland – a great mix of jazz, soul, and funk – put together in a way that's quite different from his previous records on Prestige or Mercury Records! The sound here is tight 80s soul – put together by Tom Tom Washington, who gives the whole thing a... read more

A great little groover from keyboardist Charles Earland – and an album that definitely lives up to its title! There's plenty of street sounds going on here – lots of modern R&B modes that echo the changing styles of early 80s soul music, especially on the east coast! And as part... read more

A killer batch of work from Eastside Connection – one of the hippest soul groups on the LA scene of the 70s, and a key link to that city's older tradition of Latino soul! Eastside Connection have a sound that's a bit more smooth and aimed at the clubs than earlier LA groups of their type... read more

The Ebonys sing about life, and a host of other groovy topics too – in this lost soul treasure from the 70s! The set is one of only two albums ever cut by The Ebonys – a consistently great group from the 70s, as is testified by their constant popularity in our racks! The quartet has a... read more

2 early 70s sessions from Billy Eckstine – both recorded for Stax Records! First up is Senior Soul – a well-titled set not only given Billy's age, but also because of the surprisingly soulful undercurrent to the record – an extension into the genre even greater than Eckstine's... read more

A stellar solo set from John Edwards – one of the tightest talents of the southern scene in the mid 70s, and a singer who would later break big with The Spinners! This album's got a really unique vibe – with some slight tropical touches hinted at by the cover image – and some... read more

The first album by 8th Day – a record with a bit of a complicated pedigree, but a massive amount of 70s Detroit soul as well! The set was supposedly compiled to cash in on the group's hit single "She's Not Just Another Woman" – reportedly recorded by 100 Proof Aged In Soul,... read more

A nicely complicated little record – and one of the funkiest albums on the legendary Invictus label! The 8th Day group was a loosely-conceived batch of Detroit soul talents designed to cash in on a concept of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team – and they weren't just a studio project, as... read more

An excellent reissue of funky work by this obscure European combo – a favorite with grooveheads for years because of their unique mix of funk, exotica, and strange studio touches! In a way, these guys are kind of like a collision between Mandingo, Chakachas, and Serge Gainsbourg – with... read more

Not necessarily the true story of house music – but a set that's mighty darn nice – and filled with a range of grooves that will definitely make you a fan of Elbee Bad right from the start! The music here is often way more complex than both standard dance and house – and... read more

Kind of a silly name for a group – but the record's pretty nice! Elbow Bones & The Racketeers were one of the many retro-soul groups working under the guidance of producer August Darnell – aka Kid Creole – who gave the group a style that was similar to his own unique blend of... read more

Heavy funk from the great Jimmy Ellis – billed here with a "preacher" in his name, which is a great indication of the spiritual soul going on in the music! Jimmy's grooves here are definitely secular, but there's a depth that definitely echoes some gospel roots too – mixed... read more

A soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the... read more

Soaring soul from Enchantment – one of the smoothest groups of their generation, and an outfit who could sound equally great on the dancefloor or for more laidback listening! The harmonies here are really great – stepping out strongly, and often breaking with an extra effort that... read more

A collection of club tracks from the Erotic Drum Band – a group with a sound that definitely lives up to their name! Most of the numbers here build up heavily from percussion on the bottom – sometimes raw congas layered in among the basslines and keyboards, sometimes rhythms that are a... read more

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... read more

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat... read more

Incredible work by The Exciters – material we totally love to death, most of which is a lot harder-hitting than the group's earlier hits in the 60s! The package pulls together their post-UA recordings for the Bang, Shout, and RCA labels – the first to of which are represented by... read more

A perfect follow-up to Exuma's first album on Mercury – and like that one, a really rootsy blend of soul, funk, and other global sounds! Percussion and acoustic guitar dominate most of the instrumentation – just right for the rough-edged vocals on the set – in ways that help... read more

Eight soulful brothers of the Luckett family – all coming together here in a wonderful gospel set from the 70s! The harmonies are tremendous, and often balanced with great leads from Rev LC Luckett – creating the kind of interplay you might get in the front of a church, yet given a lot... read more

A hip little rock group from the upstate NY scene – and heck, they had to be hip, to record on the Just Sunshine label! The sound here has a bit of a funky rock approach, colored by a Band-like hominess – but thanks to some strong famous guests on the session, the instrumentation steps... read more

A killer album of southern soul harmony from The Facts Of Life – a trio with one female singer, two guys, and a great sound overall! The album's actually produced by Millie Jackson – and has that great blend of modern and southern modes that she was hitting in her best mid 70s years. ... read more

Rare funk from the New Orleans scene of the late 70s – work by an obscure combo with a great ear for the dancefloor! The overall sound is much more like music coming from Chicago, Detroit, or New York at the time – a post-Earth Wind & Fire style of funk that's got lots of tight... read more

One of the proudest moments of the New York Latin underground – a time when some of its best players wound up playing for Columbia, through a brief affiliation between Fania and the larger label! And although you might think that the album would totally sell out the group's best points, it's... read more

Incredible stuff – a never-issued funky soul record from the 70s – but one that you'll proudly stack next to your rare classics from Ramp, 24-Carat Black, and James Mason! Like work by all three of those acts, this early set by Father's Children is massive righteous – filled with... read more

Wicked funk from Faze-O – a group who seem even tighter than before on this smoking album – yet still hold onto all the laidback modes that made them so great in the first place! There's a lean quality here that really prefaces the direction so many funk acts would take a few years... read more

A spacey soul classic – with a sound that never gets old! Faze-O will be forever remembered for their massive cut "Riding High", the leadoff on this album – a stretched out slow funk jam that has amazing keyboards, floating guitars, and a super-dope groove that's stayed fresh... read more

A totally amazing little package – every single album recorded by Fela Kuti, served up in tiny LP-style sleeves, and brought together in one excellent box set – with a bonus movie as well! The collection features a total of 46 albums, most of which are paired up with crucial... read more

Amazing sounds from Fela – a previously-unreleased live show from the mid 80s! Given that there's very few live recordings of Fela at all, the album's quite a treasure – and is almost even more important, as it's one of the few from a time when Fela was hardly recording at all –... read more