Soul — In Stock — CDs  

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Gritty, powerful raw soul from Charles Bradley – the full length debut from the 62-year-old Brooklyn singer – backed perfectly by The Menahan Street Band! It's incredible, a record that sounds just as rawly emotional and impeccably soulful in 2011 as it would have in 1971 – much... read more

A set that definitely lives up to its title – a stone stormer from Brainstorm – one of the tightest funky ensembles of their generation, and one of the few who could go deep while still laying down a groove! The set's got a perfect balance of modes – enough of the appeal of... read more

15 classic tracks from Brass Construction – featuring mid 70s tunes lifted from the group's well-selling albums on United Artists! The tracks are a blend of disco, soul, and funk – with more than a bit of the horn-heavy groove that earns the group their "brass construction"... read more

A classic set that goes "slam" from the very first note – and which helped to set the pace for countless ensemble funk acts to come! Brass Construction had a wonderful sound that was the best-realized version of the east coast indie club combos of the mid 70s – funky at the... read more

The second album from Brass Construction – heavy horns, basslines, and stellar dancefloor grooves – a stone classic! The first one was totally great, but they cast a wider stylistic claim on II – their trademark funky sound is still very firmly in place, but they bring more to... read more

Soulful fusion from The Brecker Brothers – a set that's one of their standout efforts from the 70s – and a record that went onto influence a whole generation of jazz musicians too! The album features the twin horns of Randy & Michael Brecker, along with alto by David Sanborn,... read more

Seminal work from The Brecker Brothers – 6 of the group's best albums, plus the two Blue Montreux live albums – packaged together in one very cool set, in tiny LP-like sleeves! The self-titled Brecker Brothers album is the first super effort from the team of Randy & Michael Brecker... read more

That's Brenda & Herb, not Peaches & Herb – Herb Rooney and Brenda Reid of the excellent 60s group The Exciters – grooving together here in a really full-on vocal approach that's clearly inspired by the best aspects of Ashford & Simpson! Tracks have a lush, full feel –... read more

Great stuff – and possibly the best album ever by this classic harmony soul group! The style is wonderful – with Brenda's sweet voice in the lead, and backing by the all-male Tabulations. The overall approach was used by Gladys Knight & The Pips for years, but we've always liked... read more

Classic work from Brick – a group who went onto become surprisingly successful during the 70s with a hot Atlanta blend of funky soul and uptempo club grooves. The group has a feel that would be taken up heavily a few years later by LA funk combos – particularly those on the Solar label... read more

Previously unreleased live set by this George Clinton spinoff band, recorded at the legendary Howard Theatre in Washington, DC in 1978. Although the Brides were more of Clinton's disco group, this live set has more of a P-Funk feel to it, with lots of nice live touches in the classic goofy P-Funk... read more

Wow, we knew almost nothing about this record! Freddy Briggs is the main force behind Coldwater Stone – as he wrote and produced all the tracks, and sings lead vocals throughout the record. His style's sort of a mix of funk and soul, and he works in the heavier style that was used by some... read more

The only full album ever cut by Tina Britt – a great female soul singer who really should have scored big with work like this! Tina was a discovery of Juggy Murray – the Sue Records soul powerhouse who'd helped set fire in the careers of Inez Foxx, Baby Washington, and Tina Turner... read more

Brilliant work from this long-lost Barry White protege! Tom Brock was one of the leading lights in Barry's stable of sweet mid 70s soul talents – a great writer who contributed songs to the legendary Gloria Scott album, and a heck of a great mellow soul singer on his own – with a style... read more

Deep southern soul from vocalists Chuck Brooks, Joe Wilson and George Soule – a both gritty and and some sweeter material cut at Malaco Studios, mostly in the early-to-mid 70s – with some rare 45 numbers, and others that were never issued at all! The Chuck Brooks tracks are wonderful... read more

Smooth jazzy soul from the Brothers – still sounding wonderful at this point, producing themselves for the record, and using the best parts of all those lessons they learned from Quincy Jones! The bass is a bit down in the mix for this album – a good move, considering that 1981 was... read more

Breakout brilliance from Bobby Brown – the album that really showed the world he could stand on his own strongly after leaving New Edition! Given the tight production from LA & Babyface, among others, the sound here is hardly cruel – and instead, the album's got a catchily... read more

A swirling blend of soul, funk, and jazzy grooves – and a super-rare album that we've never seen in the original! Supposedly, backing on the record is by the British Afro-Funk group Assagai – which sounds right to us, because there's a nice rolling conga groove on many of the tracks. ... read more

Quite possibly THE James Brown album of the mid 60s – a solid set of hard-grooving tracks, based around the monster title hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)"! The tune's one of those numbers that has been used a gajillion times over the years in commercials and promos – but which... read more

James Brown, proud and loud – a smoking 60s album that provides a great link between his earlier styles and his freer roots – with a brilliant blend of funk, soul, and a touch of raw R&B! Given the power of The Godfather at this point, there's no denying that even the older cuts... read more

Here's where things really started getting interesting for James Brown! The album was issued right around the same time as James' single "Out Of Sight" on Smash – and like that track, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" was one of the first to use that "instruments on the... read more

A masterpiece of funky soul – and one of the greatest albums of the early 70s! It all comes together on this one – funk, soul, politics, and production – and the record is still one of the clearest examples of James Brown's genius that you'll ever find! Recorded during the same... read more

James Brown cooking it live – recorded (as the cover says) "live at home in Augusta, Georgia with his bad self"! The groove here is a nice extension of earlier Apollo modes – one that shows the increasing funkiness of the James Brown Band, captured with a raw power that few... read more

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One of the last albums ever from the legendary Oscar Brown Jr – a set that features the famous vocalist working with daughter Maggie Brown – in a setting that's one of the most jazz-based that Oscar's used in years! Backing us by a hip small combo – and Oscar brings a hell of a... read more

Surprisingly nice work from Peter Brown – a groover who still managed to hit on all burners after his early years at TK Records! Brown's definitely got a crossover feel here – clubby rhythms, but topped with vocals that belie his look on the front – and which, along with the... read more

Get down with the sound of Peter Brown – one of the funkiest white cats on the Miami soul scene of the 70s! Peter originally hailed from the Chicago area, but he got the call down to Miami with his classic club groover "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" – a compelling blend of... read more

Sweet 80s disco from Peter Brown – proof that man still wants to get funky, even after most of his contemporaries had long left the dancefloor! The style here is as compellingly crossover as before – lots of lively rhythms that percolate with pop-inflected hooks – soul at the... read more

The second album from disco superstar Peter Brown – and a batch of tracks that's a bit less clubby than before! Brown's emerging here more as a fully-fledged pop singer in his own right – showing at least a bit of confidence by putting himself on the front cover this time around, even... read more

One of the first ladies of soul music – served up here in a classic album of Atlantic Records singles from the 50s! As you'd guess from the title, the tunes are a mighty rocking batch of tracks – upbeat, hard-edged groovers that really show off Brown's strong vocal range – and... read more

A key bit of jazz funk from trumpeter Tom Browne – still grooving strong here, with a sublime mix of modern soul, funky jazz, and some of the 80s groove touches that showed up on the best GRP titles from the time! The album's got a smooth compressed groove – kind of post-Donald Byrd,... read more

A classic killer from trumpeter Tom Browne – a smoking set that still has all the jazz funk touches of his earlier records, yet which also picks up a bit of an electro vibe as well! The move here is a bit like that taken by some of Browne's labelmates on GRP at the time – particularly... read more

Heavy ballads from Peabo Bryson – a perfect sampling of the style he did so well back in the day, including a few of his famous duets with Roberta Flack and Natalie Cole as well! The set's overflowing with mellow jams from Peabo – the kind of laidback numbers that really helped him... read more

A killer set from the young Kenny Dope – one of his first big-name projects of the 90s, and a great showcase for his already-mature approach to a groove! There's echoes here of the indie east coast club scene of a few years before – some of the soul of New Jersey, and the playful... read more

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One of our favorite albums ever from Solomon Burke – a great little set that draws on all of his deep soul roots for Atlantic, but also gets a little bit funky too! There's a growing maturity in Solomon's music here that we really love – a quality that gets past the churchy cliches,... read more

Seminal sounds from Solomon Burke – and a record that already has the young singer hitting the full heights of his greatness! There's a vibe here that's unlike anything else – even any of Burke's heavy-hitting contemporaries on Atlantic Records – and the album's key proof that... read more

Solomon Burke's years at Atlantic just kept getting better and better! He started out very strong at the beginning of the 60s – and by the time of a record like this, he was in strong command of his vocal talents and emotion, such that he could do a fantastic job with just about any song. ... read more

Genius work from Solomon Burke – the kind of all-out, no-nonsense soul album that made Atlantic Records one of the strongest forces in the genre during the 60s! If you've ever bought one of Solomon's weaker recent albums, you owe it to yourself to check this one out – as it's a... read more

Way more than just a greatest hits album from Solomon Burke – as the set's the only album appearance of most of his key early singles – making the whole thing pack the same punch as his other full-length records for Atlantic! Plus, given that although Burke's music was great, it never... read more

The complete Okeh label recordings of Billy Butler – Jerry Butler's lesser-known brother, but an even more grooving artist on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s! Billy's work at Okeh is easily some of the best of the all-great imprint – tracks that step, slide, and groove along in a... read more

A pair of overlooked 70s gems from Jerry Butler – back to back on a single CD! Love's On The Menu is understated genius from Jerry – the kind of record that follows nicely off of his best strengths for Mercury in the early 70s – and which has him furthering the level of mature... read more

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An insanely wonderful bit of Latin funk! The groove is super heavy, and falls somewhere in between NuYorican soul and Chicano Power rock – with a sound that's pretty close to Black Sugar, but a little bit more psychedelic, due to the heavy guitars and keyboards in the grooves. Hard congas... read more

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Get ready to discover a true soul genius – the vastly under-known Richard Caiton, an excellent sweet soul singer who hailed from the New Orleans scene of the 60s! Unlike some of his more famous Crescent City contemporaries, who sung in a chunkier funkier style, Caiton's got a mellow soul... read more

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An amazing full length collection of work from Rickey Calloway – an artist we've really only known from individual singles, but one who packs a hell of a punch in the space of this rock-solid CD! Rickey's groove is right out of the James Brown camp of the glory days – tight tight tight... read more

Great Mid 70s records from Cameo – Cardiac Arrest from 1975 and We All Know Who We Re from 1977 – together in a single set! Cardiac Arrest is excellent early work from the group. It's got a really sublime approach – tightly funking, but not too fast, in the mode of some of their... read more

Massively funk work from Cameo – a set that's right in the middle of their classic early run – and still quite strong on the bass-heavy grooves the group helped inspire in countless legions of imitators! The tightness of the set is incredible – moving at a pace that's simply... read more

A tremendous solo act from GC Cameron – a singer who first rose to fame in The Spinners, but who really sounds wonderful on his own! GC's moved away from The Spinners here – into a wide range of styles that show him ready to take on most of the rest of the competition! He's working... read more

A key chapter in the rich long legacy of Candido on record – a set that pushes the percussion maestro strongly into the disco generation – with wonderful results that are still massively strong all these many years later! Candido had always been one of the funkiest conga players around... read more

A near-lost chapter in the career of Jean Carn – her one and only album recorded for Motown, cut in the early 80s with production by Norman Connors! Oddly, although Connors was the first producer to give Jean Carn a chance back in the 70s as a smooth soul vocalist – finding her voice a... read more

Killer deep soul from James Carr – a landmark set that features 28 tracks pulled from his famous years at the Goldwax label! Carr's Goldwax recordings nearly died when they came out – hardly reaching the audience of contemporaries like Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett – but as... read more

The album that very firmly put Clarence Carter on the mainstream soul map – thanks to his brilliant version of the title tune! By the time of this set, Carter was already one hell of a soul singer – and really brought amazing sounds to play with classic production from Rick Hall and... read more

A seminal debut from the great Clarence Carter – proof that there was still a lot of genius to be heard in southern soul at the time! The 60s were just about over when Clarence appeared on the recording scene – and it seemed that most of the big names in soul had already grabbed most... read more

The full scope of genius from the legendary Alvin Cash – not just his 60s gritty groovers, but a host of later funk tracks as well – all packaged into a beautiful book-styled package! Cash is one of our favorite Chicago artists ever – a dancer by trade, but a flamboyant... read more

A killer set from Cashmere – and a batch of music that definitely turns us on! The album's got a lean, mean groove that's mighty nice – a tight, keyboard-driven approach to 80s soul – but one that's also held together beautifully by lead vocals from Dwight Dukes, who was... read more

Majestic Motown from the 70s – an almost-overlooked record, but a surprisingly sophisticated gem that's well worth discovering again! The album's definitely soul at the core, but embraces so many other rich styles too – and at points, almost feels like some of the most ambitious... read more

The sweetly grooving first album from Central Line – one of the few British soul groups to really kick it in the early 80s scene – with a catchy dancefloor sound that both encapsulates the era and lays down a killer groove for the ages! The album is a blend of bass riffing, keyboards,... read more

Contemporary soul from Miami – a set issued by the legendary Henry Stone, and done with a vibe that's a great update of his TK Records sound from the 70s! Certified Slim is a singer with a definite southern pedigree – a soulful style that's got a few undercurrents of blues, in a way... read more

Sweet British harmony soul from this overlooked 70s group – a really wonderful record that continues some of the best mellow group styles of the earlier part of the decade! Dave Collins – of Dave & Ansel Collins fame – is a member of the trio – but the sound here is... read more

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An excellent album from this sublime soul trio! The record's got a nice heavy style – similar to the funky soul that was creeping into the sound of other artists on the Invictus label – and it rumbles along with a nice fuzzy edge that adds a whole new dimension to the incredible vocals... read more

A motherlode of music from the glory days of Chairmen Of The Board – tremendous tunes from that time when the group were one of the freshest things in soul music – partly for their unique vocal approach, and partly for the bold, upbeat sound of their backings! All the work here comes... read more

A landmark album of 70s soul – and perhaps the most enduring full LP by this enigmatic harmony group! The vocals of General Crook alone are more than enough to win us over – some of the most distinct lead soul singing we've ever heard, pitched perfectly with the backings of the rest of... read more

A killer album by the Chairmen of the Board! The record's their second – and although the "In Session" title, photos on the front, and liner notes all make it appear to be a live album, it's actually a studio session, with the same great Holland-Dozier-Holland production as the... read more

Probably the rarest of all albums by The Chairmen Of The Board – and also the last! The album was cut after the band re-formed briefly, and it's got a fuzzed-out heavy soul sound that's quite different from some of the group's earlier work. There's heavy guitar on many tracks –... read more

The first album ever from The Chambers Brother – a much rootsier set than the psychedelic soul that later earned them fame in the 60s! The set's heavy on influences from folk, blues, and gospel – and pitches the group more towards the crossover college scene than the mainstream soul... read more

A wonderful treasure from the early 80s soul scene – the first album from Champaign, and an instant winner right from the start! The group may not have been one of the bigger names of their time, but they really won a lot of favor with soul listeners over the years – and this album's... read more

A pair of great ones from this overlooked soul group from Illinois! Modern Heart is wonderful work from Champaign – a really self-contained group, and one who really rise above the rest of the early 80s soul scene! The album's got a tightness that's hard to beat – yet a sound that's... read more

Sublime soul from Change – an Italian combo who got some great American help on their early 80s for Warner Brothers! The Change groove is totally great – a stripped-down blend of beats, bass, and keyboards that was head and shoulders above much of the clunkier 80s soul of the time... read more

Razor-sharp funk from The Chapparals – an Atlanta group from the 70s, and one with a great balance of ensemble grooving and deeper soul roots! There was really something special in the Atlanta scene at the time – an approach to large group funk that was different than most northern... read more

One of the most easy-going Motown albums of the early 80s – a set that steps past some of the heavier funk the label's other acts were using, and which goes for kind of a crossover mix of ballads and heartfelt numbers! The title track is something of a post-70s feminist statement, although... read more

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Forget everything you know about Chubby Checker – because this album's unlike any of his 60s hits – and instead shows the singer as a hipper, funkier, more soulful talent than before! As you might guess from the spelling in the title, the set's got overseas origins – and really... read more

Nothing Fragile here – as Cherrelle comes across with plenty of power on this debut LP – thanks to sharp production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on some of the best cuts, and an overall groove that's right on the best side of early 80s soul! The Jam/Lewis tracks are heavy on... read more

Sweet 80s grooves from Cherrelle – a set that really has the singer cooking strongly with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – complete with all the heavy beats you might expect! Jam and Lewis borrow plenty of bottom sounds from the styles of hip hop and electro, and do a... read more

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A massive 2-fer from The Chi-Lites – 2 amazing post-Brunswick records on a single CD! Happy Being Lonely is beautiful beautiful work from The Chi-Lites – and a record that we might even say tops the best of their late Brunswick book! Despite the move from that label to Mercury, the... read more

Really sweet later work from The Chi Lites – 2 classics on a single set! The sound on Heavenly Body is less Brunswick Chicago soul than before – and the group step along in warm and sophisticated backings that sparkle in the best Chi-Sound style – uptempo at some times, but sweet... read more

11 tasty numbers by Chic, all filled with the lively guitar work and tight production of Nile Rodgers – and the group's own strong talent for delivering a hook that won't miss. Sure, it's pop disco for the masses, but most of these cuts still sound surprisingly good these days. Includes the... read more

Club classics and a whole lot more – a massive package of work that contains most of the biggest Chic cuts from the glory days of the group, plus some surprisingly nice bits from later years too! All production here is by the team of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers – that groove-heavy... read more

No friction here, as the groove is mighty tight, and plenty smooth – a great example of the way that Chocolate Milk found a whole new sound in the 80s! Gone are the heavier modes of the 70s, and in their place are some wicked keyboards and bass-heavy rhythms – snapping and popping with... read more

A dozen tracks – and a pretty expansive retrospective of the career of 70s funk stalwarts Chocolate Milk! The package starts with their early heavy funk days recording with Allen Toussaint, and it moves up to their smoother sounds of the early 80s – when the band was hitting more of a... read more

Sweet Miami funk from the team of George "Chocolate" Perry and Clay Cropper – one of the rarest TK albums from the time, and also one of the funkiest too! The sound here is slightly polished, but never too much – a bit more in the sound of bigger Florida groups, like Miami,... read more

Rare work from the Circle City Band – the first-ever full length album from the group – and a set that brings together their few club singles and a host of previously unreleased tracks! The CCB are well remembered for the roller skating jam "Magic" – and the rest of... read more

Sweet electro funk from Civil Attack – a sweet project from the team of Sheila and Stephen Washington – the latter of whom was crucial to the hard-grooving sound of Aurra! The vibe here is almost pointing towards the Prince sound of the mid 80s – as the bass chops around with as... read more

Totally great work from Chris Clark – a real surprise, given that we haven't really heard the singer since her Motown records of the 60s! Chris sounds wonderful here – every bit as soulful as before, but even more deeply expressive – yet in ways that aren't hokey or overdone at... read more

A mighty run of classic fusion from Stanley Clarke – some of his biggest albums for Columbia Records, packaged here in mini LP-styled sleeves in a 6CD slipcase! The package is a great one – especially given that some of these records aren't easy to find on CD – and it traces the... read more

A trio of funky electric albums from Stanley Clarke's mid 80s R&B years – 1984's Time Exposure, ''85's Find Out and '86's Hideaway – in a 2CD set! Time Exposure has a lot of 80s electro funk in the mix, particularly Clarke's impeccable bass lines, which are heavy throughout. ... read more

A great mix of modes – and a set that represents a real turning point in the career of Otis Clay! The rougher edges of Clay's Chicago soul are warmed up here substantially by producer Willie Mitchell – bubbling up some Memphis soul for Otis, in a style that's similar to some of his... read more

Otis Clay, still going strong – stepping out here on a sweet new recording from the Chicago scene – done with that warm mix of modern modes and deep soul roots we really love from his work of the late 70s! Clay's vocals have, if anything, only gotten better with age – really able... read more

Otis Clay in a gospel setting – yet still working with all the deep soul we've come to love in his secular work! And in fact, given the style of the album, Otis is more paying tribute to gospel's influence on soul instead of serving up a straight gospel session – really recalling the... read more

Righteous and rocking soul from Merry Clayton! The set was done in LA with arrangements by insiders that include Jerry Peters, Carole King, and Billy Preston – and features some tight and sometimes funky backing from players that include David T Walker, Wilton Felder, Paul Humphrey, and... read more

Soaring vocals from Angela Clemmons – a set that really has an amazing range, and a depth of sound that goes way past the usual from Epic Records at the time! Angela's got a way of stretching out right from the start – inflecting the lyrics with a rich power that easily matches or... read more