Soul — In Stock — CDs  

Sublime soulful sax from Grover Washington – the man who virtually reinvented the sound of the instrument for a decade! The package here brings together some of the coolest cuts from Grover's years on Kudu Records – a place that really helped him hone his sound after initial recordings... read more

Sweet Motown grooving from Grover Washington – a set that has him working with slightly larger backings than his Kudu years, but in a way that still lets his soulful horn stand strongly out front! As always, Washington is a killer talent on the soprano sax – able to inflect the... read more

A funky fusion classic from guitarist Wah Wah Watson – his only album as a leader, despite countless appearances as a sideman on 70s soul, jazz, and pop sessions! The album's got a really wonderful sort of west coast groove – one that takes bits of spacey fusion, bassy funk, and... read more

Funky treasures back to back – two Watsonian albums from the late 70s on one CD! Master Funk is a great Johnny Guitar Watson side project – a set not billed directly to his name on the front, but which has all the great hallmarks of the best Watson albums from the 70s! Johnny produced... read more

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... read more

Fully righteous work from singer Maxine Weldon – working here with bigger backings from Ernie Wilkins that mix in a bit of blues, soul, and funk! The style's never too polished, and almost has a similar feel to some of Esther Phillips' work on the Kudu label during the early 70s –... read more

A pair of lost classics – back to back in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Mary Wells album – non-Motown magic from Wells – a killer 60s album that really lives up to her previous promise! The scope is a bit wider here than before – and Mary'... read more

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's... read more

A classic post-Prince project from the team of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman – work that builds off the funky pop sensibility they first forged with the purple one, but which comes across a bit more mainstream overall! There's certainly some of the snappier rhythms that the pair worked in... read more

Can't get enough of Barry White at this key point in his career – a time when he was stepping from the shadows as one of the most sensuous soul stars of the 70s! The album's a near-perfect effort throughout – a great blend of the soaring strings and funkier rhythms that always made... read more

A wonderfully expanded version of this classic of funky funky female soul! Marva Whitney was one of the greatest singers in the James Brown stable of stars during the late 60s – and she sang with a hard raw style worth of The Godfather himself! Brother James produced and wrote a good part... read more

Weird work from Wicked Witch – tunes that are half funky, half punky – with a mysterious sound that's all their own! At some level, Wicked Witch might be an offshoot of the P-Funk empire – a lost mission to a dark planet way out in the galaxy – trapped out there on their... read more

Classic New Orleans funk featuring backing from the "New Orleans Project" that includes the Gaturs' Willie Tee, Earl Turbinton, and other Crescent City session stalwarts like Larry Panna and Julius Farmer. Includes lots of tracks that rocked the rare groove scene in the 80s, including... read more

Sweet electric soul from Carol Williams – a rich voice from the disco generation, served up here with some great Philly club arrangements from Vince Montana! The groove is great, right from the get-go – thanks to rhythm from the team of Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, and Ronnie Baker –... read more

Deniece Williams is hot on the trail of an 80s groove here – working with lots of tight keyboards and contemporary rhythms, yet still staying true to that amazing vocal approach she first worked out in the Chicago scene of the 60s! The style is a great mix of crossover soul and deeper lines... read more

An album that crossed over for Deniece in a big way – and it's a great one, with crisp, lean pop soul production that's as gratifying as any of the era – with a few ballads that are totally top notch, too! This is definitely the best of her more pop oriented records, with hooks galore... read more

My Melody from Deniece Williams and it's definitely one of here most beautiful albums of the early 80s – the more we think about it, it may be one of her best ever from beginning-to-end! It's lush and beautifully produced set Thom Bell, providing such a lovely backdrop for Deniece's... read more

A pretty sweet late 70s set from Deniece Williams – produced by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire – and it sounds like it! The set ranges from catchy, crossover ready funky soul sweetened ever more by Deniece's amazing voice, to more stripped down and intimate numbers. There's a... read more

Genius work from Denice Williams – a singer who'd cracked the charts a bit as Denice Chandler, with a little girl soul sound, way back in the 60s – but who's grown up considerably by this essential 70s set! Chandler's voice is still a bit high – almost in a Minnie Riperton sort... read more

A massive blend of funk, soul, and gospel – from a small side label in the TK Records universe of the 70s! The sound is like some of the best soul LPs on TK from the time, and the arrangements have a nice warm feel – plenty of sweet Miami elements in the music, especially in the... read more

A rare funk album from west coast legend Larry Williams – very different than his heavy R&B of the late 50s, or the brief soul comeback he had with Johnny Guitar Watson in the 60s – and instead a heavy groover with a trippy Cali sound! The record's got a sharp groove right from the... read more

Neither country, nor disco – despite what the cover might make you think – and instead a wonderful batch of southern soul that's even rootsier than most of the work from the 70s on the TK label! The album was actually recorded in Chicago with arrangements by Gene Barge – who used... read more

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Chuck Willis is billed as "the king of the stroll" on the cover of this classic Atlantic album – but that title only gets at just a small part of his genius! The set's one of a rare few Chuck cut in his too-short life – and it may well be his greatest, as it's really got... read more

One of the landmark albums of 70s mellow soul! Bobby Wilson hasn't left behind much of a recorded legacy, but he did come up with this godlike album that should be in any collection of classic soul. The record is a perfect blending of the styles of soul that were running through the east coast... read more

Beautiful work from Cassandra Wilson – a record that's every bit as great as some of her best from previous years – and one that also has a new sort of vibe, too! There's a quality to the set that's nicely laidback – a feeling that comes from the album's strong use of acoustic... read more

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Excellent sounds from Charlie Wilson – aka "Uncle Charlie", the former lead singer of The Gap Band! Wilson's great here, and really finds a comfortable space that works well right from the start – never trying to be too young or too contemporary, and instead stretching out in... read more

Overlooked genius from Nancy Wilson – a pair of gems, back to back on a single CD! Can't Take My Eyes Off You is a really great album from Nancy Wilson – a set that still has her working with the jazzy undercurrents of her best 60s work for Capitol Records – yet also moving into... read more

A sweet set of soulful numbers from Nancy Wilson – tracks that offer up a perfect fusion of her jazzy roots and soul-based styles of later years – wrapped up in lush arrangements from Japanese jazzman Masahiko Satoh! The record follows a similar approach to Wilson's Keep You Satisfied... read more

A pair of stunners from Nancy Wilson – back to back in a single set! Music On My Mind is an overlooked gem from Wilson's excellent 70s run on Capitol Records – a set that goes way beyond the spirit of some of her earlier records, and features a very unified vibe overall! The set was... read more

A pair of overlooked gems from Nancy Wilson – on CD for the first time ever! The Sound Of Nancy Wilson is mighty darn groovy – a wonderful blend of upbeat late 60s modes, and some of the more compressed class of her earlier years! Arrangements are by Jimmy Jones, who finds just the... read more

A bit of soul, a bit of jazz, and some nice funky touches at the bottom – a killer little set from the great Spanky Wilson! Wilson's got a really unique place in music – at one level a soul singer with enough sophistication to rival the sound of Marlena Shaw or Nancy Wilson – but... read more

Spanky Wilson really takes off here – hitting some of her boldest soul modes to date – and serving up a few funk-heavy classics in the process! Production and arrangements are by HB Barnum – who draws on his own rich legacy of soul projects for the set, and finds a way to let... read more

Heavy soul from the great Spanky Wilson – an album that explodes with energy right from the start – in a groove that definitely lives up to the title! Spanky's got a great mix of funk and class on this set – a punch in the rhythms at points, yet also a poise in the way she... read more

An amazing legacy in soul music – the legendary run of records that Bill Withers cut for the Sussex and Columbia labels – each of them a masterpiece in their own way! The early hit sound of Withers is the stuff that dreams are made of – a unique blend of acoustic instrumentation,... read more

A beautiful album by Bill Withers – filled with incredibly well written songs, and an amazing instrumental technique that blended folksy elements with smoother 70s soul, in a sound that would put Bill at the top of the charts for many years, yet still give him cred with soul fans for decades!... read more

One of Bill Withers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that has hip stepping off the acoustic sound of his Sussex records, into a warm and jazzy style that we like every bit as much as his earlier work! The album's got a wonderfully sophisticated jazzy vibe, and includes the excellent cut... read more

A sweet little package – with three classic albums from Bill Withers, each in a tiny LP-styled cover! Still Bill is Bill Withers' second album – even more wonderful than the first! The record's a perfect summation of all that made Bill so great – warm raspy vocals, sweet soulful... read more

Bobby's first two albums on one CD – like a dream come true to our ears! Both records are incredible stuff – with Bobby hitting hard on every level! The vocals are incredible – fresh, and raw, and with that warm little rasp that made him stand out so strongly from other singers... read more

Perfect pivotal Bobby! The record still has the raspy southern soul edge of earlier albums, but it benefits from some great smooth funky backing, laid down at Muscle Shoals with a host of legendary studio giants like Clayton Ivey, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, and Truman Thomas. Includes killer... read more

A great album from Bobby – different than his earlier albums for United Artists, but in a good way – one that revives his whole career, and takes his sound into a whole new direction! The album's got a smooth soul finish with some touches of synth funk – produced by Bobby and... read more

Killer 70s work from Bobby Womack – reinventing himself here in a great style that keeps all the warmth and soulfulness of his Minit recordings, and gives it a healthy dose of 70s soul production – creating a sweet new groove that pushed Womack into a huge new audience at the time! ... read more

Incredible work – 2 of Bobby Womack's best albums ever in one set! Understanding is killer 70s work from Bobby – reinventing himself here in a great style that keeps all the warmth and soulfulness of his Minit recordings, and gives it a healthy dose of 70s soul production. The result... read more

A very cool set! This one comes in a hardcover book-like package – and not only includes the main record, but two full other records as well! Across 110th Street is one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks of the early 70's – not only for the great title cut by Bobby Womack, "... read more

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway... read more

Pivotal work from Stevie Wonder – an album with a depth and darkness that never would have been expected from his records of the 60s! In a way, the album's almost Stevie's What's Going on – as it's a self-penned, self-produced effort that really steps off from previous efforts –... read more

A rare solo effort from Danny Woods – a record cut away from Chairmen Of The Board during a stretch when the group had temporarily disbanded – and an excellent showcase for Danny's strength on his own! Woods is really wonderful here – with a proud, righteous quality that really... read more

One of the greatest soul groups from the UK in the 80s – a real bright spot in the years before Soul II Soul and the rise of acid jazz – and a set we'd rank right up there with Sade's best work of the time! Working Week have a very jazzy sound at their core – acoustic rhythms,... read more

A masterpiece of smooth jazzy funk – and super-hip session headed up by the young keyboardist Bernard Wright! Wright's working here with an insider crowd of jazz funk players that includes Bobby Broom, Dave Grusin, Marcus Miller, and Don Blackman, whose funky style is very similar to Wright's... read more

Massive music from Betty Wright – an album that really has her coming into her own – and showing the world how great Miami soul can be, when it's done this right! The album's overflowing with key help from TK legends like Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, Steve Alaimo, and KC – all... read more

Betty Wright explodes with soul on this sweet 70s classic – really stretching out past the simpler grooves of her roots, and showing the world she's got more than enough talent to be one of the standout soul divas of her generation! The record's also a great illustration of the way that... read more

A deep soul classic from Betty Wright – one of her earliest albums of the 70s, and a Miami soul landmark that was one of the greatest female southern soul records of the time! Although Betty was well known for her earlier hit "Clean Up Woman", she didn't give into that fame –... read more

A breakout album by Betty Wright, the record that spawned the cut "Clean Up Woman" – the choppy funky track that really pushed her over the top in a big way, and which has remained fresh for years –thanks to a strong sample history in hip hop! That cut's more than enough... read more

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... read more

A stone killer from OV Wright – a record that's got all the raw, deeply soulful vocals we love in his early work – mixed with some wicked 70s Hi Records production from Willie Mitchell! Imagine an Al Green record, but with rawer vocals, and you've got a good idea of the feel of this... read more

Incredibly beautiful work from Willie Wright – an album of folksy soul with a slight island spirit – one that nicely nestles Willie's music in a space somewhere between the best 70s work of Terry Callier and Jon Lucien! The sound is wonderful – lean, stripped-down, and... read more

Incredibly beautiful work from Willie Wright – an album of folksy soul with a slight island spirit – one that nicely nestles Willie's music in a space somewhere between the best 70s work of Terry Callier and Jon Lucien! The sound is wonderful – lean, stripped-down, and... read more

A soaring solo effort from the great Philippe Wynne – a vocalist who's probably best known for his hit 70s work with The Spinners, but one who also turns out to be a hell of talent on his own! Wynne's sweet raspy vocals click into place right from the start – stretching out over a host... read more

A standout set from the duo of Calvin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples – sounding great on this set of mid 80s grooves! The production of the set has all the hallmarks of Lonnie Simmons' Total Experience style – bouncy rhythms and sweet keyboards, wrapped up in that mix of catchy and funky... read more

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Excellent work from this oft-overlooked southern soul singer – the beautiful Tommie Young! Tommie's a lady (in case you didn't know it), and she's got deep deep style that'll knock you flat out – with a soaring female southern soul sound on many of the tracks here – including a... read more

Deep soul from deep in Louisiana – a killer collection of work from the great and overlooked Tommie Young! Tommie only cut a handful of singles and one full album for the small Soul Power offshoot of Jewel Records – but those tracks have earned her a place in our hearts for years... read more

Wicked electric funk from Young Holt Unlimited – and a real departure from the sound of their 60s albums, and a step into a groove that's very 70s-styled overall! The album's heavy on Fender Rhodes – played not just by group member Ken Chaney, but also by a young Bobby Lyle –... read more

A sweet tribute to Jimi Hendrix – served up by older soul legend Lonnie Youngblood – who actually recorded with Jimi in his early days! The set here is a very faithful presentation of the Hendrix aesthetic – maybe a bit more funk than rock, which is a good thing for us –... read more

A really stunning little record – way more than we expected – and our expectations were already pretty darn high! The album's contemporary – and features legendary Delfonics lead singer William Hart working with younger studio whiz Adrian Younge – who gives the whole thing... read more

The classic first album by this legendary funky combo – a group who not only went onto change the sound of funk in the 80s, but also went onto have a huge impact on generations of hip hop as well! The album burns from the very first note – the wicked snapping funk of "More Bounce... read more

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Early 80s funky soul from Zoom! Saturday, Saturday Night is crafted to be a good natured, party starting set – and it succeeds with charm to spare. It's a mix of uptempo club cuts and mellow modern soul ones with excellent harmonies by the group, and some nice hooks in all the right places!... read more

A crucial look at the Chicago scene in the 1980s – and the first collection to really get at the roots of that city's legendary house music scene! Although later labels – like Trax or DJ International – became known as global forces for dance music in the 80s, the big wave of new... read more

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A rich tribute to one of the greatest indies of the south – especially back in the 50s – Jackson's mighty Ace Records – home to a rich array of R&B, early rockers, and rootsy music too – all served up here in a mightily overstuffed compilation! The set brings together a... read more

Rave-up soul treasures from the late 50s through the 60s – one of the best compilations we've seen from Outta Sight! Age Of Northern Soul pulls together great material that blends Northern Soul, Popcorn and R&B – all of it pretty wonderful It's got lesser-remembered tunes from... read more

A massive amount of rare Northern Soul cuts – almost all of them from the Heritage Records empire of producer Jerry Ross! There's plenty of Philly elements in the mix, but the set also shows Jerry's good ear for crossing over into other camps too – and some of these tunes also have a... read more

A tight collection of uptempo funk and disco-driven soul tunes – with a selection that goes way past the usual dancefloor favorites! We're not sure how to read the title (which seems to have some sort of "inside take" on black culture in America) so we'll write that off to the... read more

Tracks by Billy Paul, the Isley Brothers, MFSB & the O Jays.... read more

Ashford & Simpson recorded plenty of great work on their own, but they were also a tremendous pair of songwriters – and had a way of penning can't-miss work that sounded great in just about anyone's hands! This collection is great testament to that fact – as it starts with gems the... read more

Culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! 25 tracks in all, including "Knock On Wood" by Eddie Floyd, "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding, "Mustang Sally" and"Funky Broadway"... read more

A stellar collection of country soul by many of the greatest voices of any strain of soul music – Solomon Burke, Esther Phillips, Al Green, Bettye Swann, Percy Sledge, Little Milton, Candi Stanton and many more! A healthy portion of the material comes from the late 60s and early 70s –... read more

A teeny-tiny Philly label, but a pretty great one too – home to just a handful of singles, but most of them the kind of rare soul sides that keep us digging over the years! The package features nearly ever key release on Lash – a mix of male soul numbers, group sides, and some sweet... read more

Amazing grooves from a legendary pair of labels – the ultra-funky Perception and Today Records, home of some killer sounds from the New York scene at the start of the 70s! The labels had a great ear for up-and-coming soul – especially with some of the younger groups rising up at the... read more

A great batch of songs by legendary New Orleans R&B and soul producer Dave Bartholomew – recorded by a sprawling line-up of soul, pop, R&B and rockers – another revelatory set in the Ace Records series of songwriter compilations! The numbers here stretch back to the 50s and... read more

The blueprint of a generation – a set that brings together a huge amount of rare singles from the start of the 60s – most of which helped form the groove for years to come! The set's got a great early soul feel – tracks that show a genre still in formation – as bits of... read more

A massive tribute to the genius of soul in the Windy City – a wonderful compilation that really gets at the special sound Chicago brought into play during the early years of soul! The set is filled with key cuts from the Chi-town scene of the time – some of them lesser-known that the... read more

Fantastic funky soul! The Pama label was a London-based operation in the late 60s – and they cut and licensed some very groovy tracks that mixed funk, soul, and rocksteady by a variety of artists from America, Jamaica, and England! This massive look at the label features both volumes 1 and... read more

One of the greatest songwriting partnerships of the 60s – featured here in a great mix of soul, rock, and vocal numbers from the time – including a fair number of unusual versions of hits from the team of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil! Weil's got a style that's sometimes a bit deeper... read more

Breathtaking 60s pop, soul & rock tunes penned by Jackie DeShannon – a wide range of glorious singles from Irma Thomas, The Fleetwoods, Helen Shapiro, Barbara Lewis, Duane Eddy, The Concords, The Byrds, Peggy March and many more! Jackie's is an amazing story – starting out as a TV... read more

Funky 45s galore – a treasure trove of rare singles all pulled from the legendary Brunswick Records! The label's probably best known for its string of hits and big albums in the late 60s and early 70s – but during that time, the company also cut some killer material that never got the... read more

A funk and soul treasure trove – wicked rare work from the legendary Brunswick label – most of it only issued on 45s back in the 60s and early 70s, and not reissued on CD! The package is a stunner – a real surprise that shows us there's plenty to dig for at Brunswick when you get... read more

Possibly the best-ever collection of blacksploitation grooves we've ever seen – a really comprehensive package that not only manages to cover the classics, but which also digs deep enough to come up with lots of fresh bits too! The set really sets a new level for the Soul Jazz label –... read more

An under-discovered treasure trove of southern soul – incredible early 70s work from the Sounds Of Memphis label – arguably a hipper imprint than Stax Records at the time! Sounds Of Memphis, and related XL imprint, were a perfect showcase for the growing sophistication in southern soul... read more

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A far-reaching look at soul, R&B, funk and proto rock legends covering the Lennon-McCartney songbook – as diverse and impressively put together as Ace's great previous entry in the Black America Sings series that covered Dylan! Come Together comes together terrifically – with early... read more

Cooler than ice – and cooler than just about any other label collection we've ever seen – a massive collection of work from the legendary Artic label, home to some of the best Philly grooves in the late 60s and early 70s! The package not only includes 6CDs, but also features 6 funky... read more

One of the best collections of southern funk we've ever heard! The set has a cover that's a bit inconspicuous, but the music is excellent – an extremely well-selected, all-funky batch of tunes that blows away most other sets of this nature we've heard. The tracks start out in the New... read more

A very cool little record – almost the musical equivalent of pulp paperbacks and b-movie crime films – served up on a host of rare tracks from the 50s and early 60s! Crime is the dominant theme here – as you might guess from the title – but the great thing about the music... read more

A wonderful collection from the soul treasure hunters at Outta Sight – essential grooves from a pivotal period – late 60s and early 70s soul singles that bridge the raw, driving vibe of the previous era to the more sophisticated arrangements of dancefloor soul to come! It's got some... read more

Sublime soul all the way through – really tremendous little tracks that are just waiting to be discovered – and none of them the kind of mainstream grooves you might expect from the "crossover" in the title! Instead, these tracks have a power that really helps shift... read more