Soul — All Formats  

A massive look at the mighty pairing of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod – a partnership that's way more than just jazz musician and producer! Axelrod's talents in the studio are many, but his greatest heights were possibly reached in collaboration with Cannonball – a relationship that spawned an amazing run of singles and albums that allowed the saxophonist to expand his music to amazing new levels, and touch audiences that few other jazz musicians could reach! Axelrod's sense of sound and timing are a perfect match for Cannonball's intrinsically funky approach to the saxophone – and no matter what the setting here, from big band to small combo, studio recordings to live date, high concept records to relaxed jazz sessions, there's an undeniable groove in the music that never lets up. The CD pulls together a very wide range of work from key Axelrod/Adderley Capitol recordings – and offers a double-length look at their pairing that's as soulful as it is essential. Titles include "The Black Messiah", "Space Spiritual", "Do Do Do", "Gone", "Ndolima", "Up & At It", "Hummin", "Make Your Own Temple", "Tensity", "Fun In The Church", "Khutsana", "Price You Got To Pay To Be Free", "Walk Tall", "Music You All", and "Dialogues For Jazz Quintet & Orchestra".

A killer album of Afro Funk – with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation – kind of a quickie project issued by Mainstream Records to cash in on the hit – but it's also an amazing bit of lost funk, and a record that's lasted for years in the hearts of beatheads! The group's a studio combo headed by Richard Fritz – and includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker – all players we can trust to keep things groovy. The record does include a version of "Soul Makossa" that's pretty great – but even better is the breakbeat classic "House Of The Rising Funk", apparently the same version of the track that was issued on a 45 under the name The Chubukos. Other nice ones include "Kissing My Love", "Hot Mud", "Get It", "Hot Doggin", and "Let Me Do My Thing".

A mid 80s classic from Atlantic Starr – at the height of their catchy commercial fame – bouncing along with rhythms that crossover nicely to the mainstream, yet still keep a bit of their previous funky edge intact! The groove here is almost in the style that Atlantic Starr inspired in so many other younger groups in the earlier part of the 80s – although it's also a bit more polished too. Most instrumentation is electric, and tunes are mostly written by the team of David and Wayne Lewis – both of whom sing on the record. Barbara Weathers also handles female vocals, and titles include "Once Lover At A Time", "Let The Sun In", "My Mistake", "I'm In Love", "Always", "Don't Take Me For Granted", and a version of Sam Dees' "All In The Name Of Love".

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

A searing debut from Black Heat – one of the best funk acts to record for Atlantic during the 70s, and a tight little group with a sound that's a mixture of New Orleans funk and New York heavy! The album's got a bit of vocals – figuring in on about half the tracks – but the main focus here is definitely instrumental – with a strong emphasis on choppy guitar, sweet organ licks, and cooking horn solos on trumpet, tenor, and flute – the last two of which are played by David Newman – not normally a member of the combo, but a great guest for this session! The sound is very tight, but never slick – and often recorded with an earthiness that recalls some of the best indie label funk of the period – like the kind of grooves you might find over at Perception/Today – with all the trippiness that might imply. Titles include "Chip's Funk", "Wanoah", "Barbara's Mood", "Chicken Heads", "The Jungle", "Send My Lover Back", "Honey Love", and "Time Is Gonna Catch You".

A stone classic from Blood Sweat & Tears – and a record that went onto have a tremendous impact in jazz, rock, funk, and soul! The group's format is plenty darn famous – adding a lot of horns to hip riffing grooves – but despite countless plays on oldies stations over the years, this initial album still has a power that's undeniable – a way of putting the whole thing together that really uses the best elements of the late 60s studio – handled with sweet production from James William Guerico that rivals his best work for Chicago! Even the lead vocals by David Clayton Thomas hold up nicely – and the set includes the classics "Variations On A Theme By Eric Satie", "And When I Die", "Smiling Phases", "More & More", "Spinning Wheel", and "You've Made Me So Very Happy". CD features bonus live tracks – "More & More" and "Smiling Phases".

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, keyboards by Don Grolnick, and guitar by Steve Khan – but one of the things that really makes the album great is the vocal arrangements, which were handled by Luther Vandross, who also sings on the album along with Patti Austin! The set's got a great soulful feel – with some wonderful mellow groovers that have a sweet 70s sound – titles that include "Lovely Lady", "Night Flight", "Slick Stuff", "What A Miracle Can Do", "I Love Wastin Time With You", "Keep It Steady", "Grease Piece", and "Dig A Little Deeper". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "If You Wanna Boogie (single version)", and "Slick Stuff (single version)".

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, whose twin-horn frontline forged a very popular sound in the mid 70s – some really well-crafted numbers, done with a strong smooth approach that still sits well after all these years! Back To Back features the twin horns of Randy & Michael Brecker, along with alto by David Sanborn, keyboards by Don Grolnick, and guitar by Steve Khan – but one of the things that really makes the album great is the vocal arrangements, which were handled by Luther Vandross, who also sung on the album along with Patti Austin. The set's got a great soulful feel – with some wonderful mellow groovers that have a sweet 70s sound! Don't Stop The Music is a stone classic from The Brecker Brothers – working with touches of club and disco grooves to give an even smoother edge to the jazz funk of the pair. And thanks to some solid soloing that's not afraid to go for the easy spots, the album's a lot more solid than an number of sound-a-like copycat LPs to come out at the time! Heavy Metal Be Bop is tight and funky jamming, with a bit more guitar here than on some of their other records – hence, possibly, the title! Keyboards and guitar jam strongly, but Randy and Michael still get in plenty of space for their solos – pushing their jazz licks with the jamming intensity that might normally be relegated to guitar heroes in the rock world. On Detente, the Brecker's are still rooted in jazz, but definitely step out with plenty of soul in the mix too – vocals from DJ Rogers, Carl Carlwell, Luther Vandross, and others – all of whom really add a lot to the set! On Straphangin, the BBs manage to groove with a sharpness and depth that most of their smoother fusion contemporaries just weren't hitting – an edge that reminds us of the deeper roots these guys had before they started hitting the mainstream! Last up are the live fusion classics Blue Montreux Vols 1 & 2 – both recorded as a unique live all-star outing by a group of Arista's best jazz players at the time! The group's an octet, but plays together in differing formations throughout the record – with Warren Bernhardt on keyboards, Michael Brecker on saxes, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Steve Jordan on drums, Steve Khan and Larry Coryell on guitars, Tony Levin on bass, and Mike Maineri on vibes – the last of which really make for some of the best numbers on the album!

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 Curtis Amy. Some of the tunes are a bit too rock-soul for our taste, but there are a few tasty bits on here that we really like – including a hip Leon Ware tune called "Whatever", a nice cover of Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands", and Jerry Peters "Love Me Or Let Me Be Lonely". Other tracks include "Southern Man", "Same Old Story", "Walk On In", and "A Song For You".

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 decade before – yet still working with just the right sort of bottom beats to keep the music contemporary. Cox really shines in this setting – free to really stretch out her vocals, even on grooves so great she could have gotten away with a lot less. Titles include "I'm Your Natural Woman", "My Radio", "Never Gonna Break My Heart Again", "My First Night With You", "Just Be Good To Me", "The Sound Of My Tears", "Who Do You Love", and "Sentimental". This version features a massive amount of bonus tracks – not just the few on the original CD release, but 15 more tracks brought into this package – featuring loads of remixes and other mixes of album tracks – including work by David Morales, Driza Bone, Mass Ave, Chucky Thompson, and others!

Sweetly smooth grooving from The Dramatics – tighter than their years at Stax, but still tremendous stuff vocally – with a sound that mixes the rough and the sweet like nobody else! The album features works by a number of different producers – including group members Ron Banks and LJ Reynolds, plus Michael Henderson and Don Davis, whose talents are perhaps most responsible for the strength of any of the group's best records. David Van De Pitte does a bit of arranging on the record too – bringing in some of the fuller, clubbier styles he's known for. The album features a sublime mellow harmony track entitled "I Get Carried Away" – plus the tunes "Be My Girl", "I Can't Get Over You", "Stand Up & Move", "Finger Fever", "After This Dance", and "Say The Word".

A classic killer from The Fabulous Rhinestones – a group with a plenty soulful approach to their music, even if the group was probably more of a rock outfit than a funk-based one! There's some heavy rhythms on most of the tracks – kind of a gentle funky groove that's mixed in with great organ lines and sweet guitars – all to couch perfectly the lead vocals of Kal David, who sings with a raspy, earnest tune that really fits the grooves! The group are definitely lesser-known than some of the bigger funk rock acts of the time – but they're also one of the best, too. Titles include "Big Indian", "Positive Direction", "Nothing New", "Free", "Living On My Own Time", and "Easy As You Make It".

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 out way past the vocals on the best numbers – with help from a crack lineup that includes Toots Thielemans, Tito Puente, David Sanborn, and the Brecker Brothers! The core group are great, too – with the same sort of tight rhythms and soulful vocals we loved from their previous release – and titles include "Vicious Circle", "Freewheelin", "Down To The City", "What Becomes Of Your Life", "Do It Like Ya Mean It", and "Whitecaps".

A record from the Three Of Us – but one we remember best for the heavy keyboards of Hilton Felton! The set's even more stripped-down than some of Hilton's other funky classics from the 70s – an instrumental outing that features Felton on organ and Fender Rhodes, Johnathan Settel on drums, and David Mendenhall on guitar – a great player we've never heard before, but one who carves out some mighty sharp lines next to the keyboards! The drums are nice and tight, too – and occasionally augmented by a bit of bass or congas – and Hilton's got that wonderfully fluid groove that makes the tunes bristle with funky, soulful energy – every bit the best sort of groove you'd find in early 70s records by Charles Earland or Johnny Hammond – but even better, as there's a raw indie vibe going on too. Titles include "Here Comes David", "Music Shall Never Die", "Your Analysis", "Dream Come True", and "Maybe You'll Come Back To Me".

A more melodic mix of modes from Funk Inc – with some cool production by David Axelrod! The band's gritty funky is stretched out this time, and overall the sound's got kind of that mid 70s Prestige feel – but the work in a variety of styles here. Includes cooking jazzy funk & soul,bits of the gritty groove they made their name on, and a couple tunes with some emotive lead and soaring backing vocals! "Where Are We Going" and "Price to Sell". Also includes "It Ain't The Spotlight", "God Only Knows", "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Somewhere In My Mind" and "The Girl Of My Dreams".

Soaring soul from The Futures – a Philly group who'd already worked for years in the underground before cracking the racks with this debut LP in 1975 – schooled strongly in their best vocal modes from previous singles, and ready to unleash the best side of their sound on the world! The set's got a perfectly put-together style that's much more like some of the Philly vocal work on Atlantic of Philadelphia International at the time – although also not as commercial, thanks to a righteous undercurrent in the group's presentation and overall aesthetic – hinted at by their image on the cover! Arrangements are by David Van DePitte and Wade Marcus, who also echo a bit of Detroit styles too – particularly the righteous blend of The Temptations towards the end of their Motown years. The Futures are equally great on mellow cuts and stormers – and titles include Castles", "Do Unto Others", "Ninety Days (In The House Of Love Correction)", "I Had A Dream", "Love Will Be Around Forever", and "Super Love". Plus, the CD features 7 bonus tracks – duets with Barbara Mason on "We Got Each Other" and "Make It Last" – plus "No One Could Compare", "Grade A Woman", "The Way Of A Woman In Love", "Castles (single version)", and "You Better Be Certain".

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his previous record. The record shows a sexy side of Marvin that would stun fans of his 60s work – very adult, very warm, and very preoccupied with desire and love. In a way, this sort of full-on love fest was a big payoff for all the folks who'd hung onto his simpler expressions of affection in the earlier years – sort of like getting let into the bedroom after spending years on the front porch! The record was produced by both Marvin and Ed Townsend – and the arrangements by David Van DePitte, Rene Hall, and Gene Page are smooth and seductive all the way through. Includes slow jam classics like "You Sure Love To Ball", "Distant Lover", and "Let's Get It On" – plus "Come Get To This", "Just to Keep You Satisfied", and "If I Should Die Tonight".

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his previous record. The record shows a sexy side of Marvin that would stun fans of his 60s work – very adult, very warm, and very preoccupied with desire and love. In a way, this sort of full-on love fest was a big payoff for all the folks who'd hung onto his simpler expressions of affection in the earlier years – sort of like getting let into the bedroom after spending years on the front porch! The record was produced by both Marvin and Ed Townsend – and the arrangements by David Van DePitte, Rene Hall, and Gene Page are smooth and seductive all the way through. Includes slow jam classics like "You Sure Love To Ball", "Distant Lover", and "Let's Get It On" – plus "Come Get To This", "Just to Keep You Satisfied", and "If I Should Die Tonight". This expanded edition contains the extra tracks "Let's Get It On (single edit)" and "You Sure Love To Ball (single mix)".

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)".

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". This expanded edition includes the B-side tracks "God Is Love" and "Sad Tomorrow".

A pair of late 70s Motown gems from Cuba Gooding – back to back on a single CD! The well-titled 1st Cuba Gooding Album is his first project on his own, done after a classic stretch in the Main Ingredient! Gooding's working here with help from Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter – the hit 70s soul team who really help him find a great new groove on his own – a sound that's rooted in the sweeter vocal modes of The Main Ingredient, but which has a sparklingly sophisticated quality of its own! The music is mature and upbeat – a bit like some of David Ruffin or Eddie Kendricks' solo work of the 70s – and nearly all tunes here are originals by Potter and Lambert. Titles include "Fool Of The Year", "Mind Pleaser", "Hold On To What You Got", "All I Can Give You Is Love", and "As Long As There's You". Love Dancer is a tremendous solo outing from Cuba Gooding – a record that not only shows his strength as a lead singer away from The Main Ingredient – but one that also shows that he really knows how to groove as well! The album's produced by Michael Smith, and has a vibe that's a bit different than Gooding's previous Motown record – with some tunes that have a wonderfully rich clubby sort of sparkle – and some even nicer mellow moments that really unlock that mature potential Gooding always had in his vocals – that smooth-stepping sound he'd really bring to the forefront when returning to The Main Ingredient in the 80s. Titles include the great mellow groover "I'm Yours Now" – plus "Hey The Party's In Here", "Disco Royale", "Trust Me", "Tell Me How Long It's Been", and "Running Man".

Sweetly grooving early 80s UK soul from David Grant – his first solo album after the breakup of Linx – and it's a nice one! There's a leaner pop soul sound at play here, one that would have sounded right at home on the US charts of the time – but it's never too poppy – and always with David's genuinely soulful voice out front. The songs are of pretty solid, with some uptempo numbers and some more ballad-y tunes – the latter of which are really nice! Includes "Rock The Midnight", "Love Will Find A Way", "Stop And Go", "Organize", "Watching You, Watching Me", Holding On", "In The Flow Of Love", "Wrap Yourself Around Me" and more. This Big Break CD edition has a healthy batch of bonus tracks and alternate versions – 9 in all: "Stop And Go (12" Master Mix)", "Love Will Find A Way (Single Version)", "Kiss Away The Blues", "Klik Trax", :Rick The Midnight (Single Version)" and more.

Rare Memphis soul from David Hudson – work recorded at the Royal Studios with producer Willie Mitchell – issued here for the first time ever! The material is great, and really augments David's too-small catalog of recorded works – with a style that's kind of a modern evolution of older southern modes, as Hudson still stays vocally strong in his roots, yet moves into some warmer modes too. Mitchell's production style is in a post-Hi Records sort of approach – and Willie also wrote all the tracks on the set, titles that include "When I'm Loving You", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Ally My Love", "Be That Way Sometimes", "Let's Make Love", and "Something Good".

A smoking second album from Rebbie Jackson – a set that has Rebbie working with strong production help from two of the bigger aspects of the Columbia Records soul family in the 80s – Tito Jackson and Reggie Lucas, who each handle a handful of songs along with David Conley and Howie Rice. The album's got a bubbly, perky approach to soul – almost more catchy and beat-heavy than Jackson's debut for the label, with cuts that include "Reaction", "Ticket To Love", "Ain't No Way To Love", "Lessons In The Fine Art Of Love", "Always Wanting Something", "You Send The Rain Away", and "If You Don't Call". CD features loads of bonus tracks – including "You Send The Rain Away (single)", "Reaction (single)", "Reaction (ext dance)", "Reaction (dub)", "Reaction (inst)", "Ticket To Love (7" mix)", and "Ticket To Love (12" mix)".

A smoking second album from Rebbie Jackson – a set that has Rebbie working with strong production help from two of the bigger aspects of the Columbia Records soul family in the 80s – Tito Jackson and Reggie Lucas, who each handle a handful of songs along with David Conley and Howie Rice. The album's got a bubbly, perky approach to soul – almost more catchy and beat-heavy than Jackson's debut for the label, with cuts that include "Reaction", "Ticket To Love", "Ain't No Way To Love", "Lessons In The Fine Art Of Love", "Always Wanting Something", "You Send The Rain Away", and "If You Don't Call". CD features loads of bonus tracks – including "You Send The Rain Away (single)", "Reaction (single)", "Reaction (ext dance)", "Reaction (dub)", "Reaction (inst)", "Ticket To Love (7" mix)", and "Ticket To Love (12" mix)".

One of Quincy Jones' best soundtracks of the 70s – filled with some great slick electric funky crime tracks, perfectly played by LA jazzers that include Clare Fischer, Paul Humphrey, Arthur Adams, David T Walker, Milt Holland, and Jerome Richardson. A few cuts feature vocals by Little Richard – but the best tracks are the instrumental ones – like the classic sample cut "Snow Creatures", which has an amazing intro and a very dark mood. Other tracks include "Passin The Buck", "Rubber Ducky", "Money Is", "Do It Do It", and "Money Runner".

One of THE electric blues records of the 60s – a seminal set by Albert King that was probably blasted out of more college dorm rooms than southside juke joints, but which still more than deserves its due! The set was recorded by Stax with a nice raw sound – guitar very much upfront, but also set amidst arrangements that have a bit more soul than the average Chicago blues session from the same time. The set features a number of originals by Stax regulars like Booker T and David Porter – and titles include "The Hunter", "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "Down Don't Bother Me", "Laundromat Blues", and "Personal Manager". CD features some great bonus tracks – an "Untitled Instrumental", plus previously unissued alternate versions of "Born Under A Bad Sign", "Crosscut Saw", "The Hunter", and "Personal Manager".

A brilliant debut from Clydie King – a singer who worked countless backing vocal sessions on the LA scene of the 70s, but who really shines here on her own! Clydie's got a rough and raw vocal style that you might guess from the hip-looking cover – a slightly rootsy mode that's clearly inspired by southern soul of the late 60s, but given a funkier LA touch here – a very tight groove that's laid down by backings from Billy Preston on organ, Sonny Fortune on saxes, David T Walker on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – plus heavy congas from William Allen, who also handled arrangements and production for the set! Definitely a funky soul sister classic – with tracks that include "First Time, Last Time", "There's A Long Road Ahead", "B Minor", "Direct Me", "'Bout Love", "You Can't Go On Without Love", and "Ain't My Stuff Good Enough?".

A jazzy soul masterpiece from Webster Lewis – light years away from the rougher funk he cut at the start of the 70s! The album's beautifully put together – almost perfect at all points, at a level that we'd rank right up there with the best work by Leroy Hutson, Roy Ayers, or other contemporary maestros in the studio. Unlike some of the more commercial artists of his generation – who also came to soul through jazz – Webster doesn't push the hooks too hard, nor try too much for a hit. And instead, he's more than happy to stay in his own righteous space – with a sound that's smooth, but never slick – tight, but not uptight. He's got some great help on the record – including keyboards from Herbie Hancock and Skip Scarborough, guitar from David T Walker, and percussion from Willie Bobo – all of whom keep things cool. Vocals are handled by a number of singers, including Webster himself – and titles include "Bout The Love", "Let Me Be The One", "Love Won't Harm No One", "El Bobo", "Kemo Kemo", "A Quiet Thing", and "Flying High". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Reach Out" and "Boston".

A sweet groover from the Marvelettes – and a record that completely re-casts their sound for the Motown of the 70s! The group's still got the great soprano harmonies that made their early hits so wonderful, but the arrangements on the set are deeper and more sophisticated – taking them into hipper adult soul territory that we really love. Smokey Robinson produced, and wrote a lot of tracks for the set – and the backings are the work of Wade Marcus and David Van De Pitte – both well matched, and giving the album a fully unified sound. Titles include "So I Can Love You", "Marionette", "A Breathtaking Guy", "Uptown", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "Our Lips Seem To Rhyme Everytime".

A late 70s dancefloor soul set from Mascara – an album and group that's notable for a number of reasons – most importantly for being a pre-solo star showcase for the great Luther Vandross! Mascara is an interesting international joint effort – with instrumental tracks recorded in Munich and the vocals in Englewood, NJ – co-produced by UK DJ Chris Hill. Luther is one of 3 lead singers along with Ula Hedwig and David Lasley. It's got an all purpose dancefloor groove to it that's hard to resist – and the singing by all three is really strong! Luther was on the verge of a massive breakthrough at this point, which was between his legendarily crucial work with Young Americans-era Bowie and the start of his great solo career. Speaking of Young Americans, Mascara's take on "Golden Years" is early in this set, which also includes the medleys "See You In LA" and "Jet Plane Ride", plus "If You Don't Want To Be In My Life", "I Feel So At Home Here" and "Comin' Home Baby". This first ever CD release includes 3 bonus tracks: "See You In LA (Radio Version)", "Jet Plane Ride (Radio Version)" and "It's Cool (Radio Version)".

One of the best solo records from Harvey Mason – best known as the drummer on some really monster 70s funky fusion sessions (such as Johnny Hammond's Gears album) – but a surprisingly well-rounded R&B artist overall! As with Norman Connors, another fusion drummer gone soul star, Harvey's working here in a style that mixes jazz influences with modern soul – grooving things for a more mainstream audience, but still keeping things real underneath. The record's filled with guest appearances by fusion greats – like Bob James, David Spinozza, Richard Tee, Lee Ritenour, and others – and Jim Gilstrap sings vocals on a cut or two. Titles include "The Race", "Groovin' You", "Wave", "We Can", and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". This Soulmusic.com edition has 2 bonus versions of "Groovin' You": the 6+ minute 12" version and the shorter-grooving 7" single version.

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Letta Mbulu – a perfect mix of her Soweto roots and the funky styles of her adopted California home! The album's the only one that Mbulu ever recorded for Fantasy Records – and the style brings together those great sing-song vocal modes perfected on her 60s records, with some of the funky jazz elements that were bubbling in the Fantasy scene during the years of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod! No surprise, both Cannonball and Nat Adderley appear on the record, and the set's produced by their own company – with lots of great early arrangements from the great Wayne Henderson. Some of the best tracks have a spacious groove that leaves plenty of room for funky basslines – and titles include "Afro Texas", "Learn To Love", "Never Leave You", "Zimkile", "Setho", and "Saddest Day".

An incredible step forward for 60s soul singer Gene McDaniels – so much so, that most folks hearing this album can't believe he's the same guy who recorded for Liberty Records a few years before! The album's incredibly righteous right from the start – and has a genre-busting quality that isn't quite soul, but isn't rock or anything else either – and instead, the kind of progressive, "years ahead of its time" sort of set that guys like David Axelrod were cutting in the same stretch. Apart from the title, the whole record's got a strong political message that's probably best embodied in the statement on the back – "Under conditions of national emergency, like now, there are only two kinds of people – those who work for freedom, and those who do not – the good guys vs the bad guys". With words like that, you can definitely bet that Eugene is on the side of the good guys – really pushing a social agenda with some wonderfully-penned tunes on the album – set to cool musical backdrops from the equally-righteous William S Fischer. Titles include "Love Letter To America", "Black Boy", "Outlaw", and "Sagittarius Red".

An early 80s cooker from Stephanie Mills – not exactly "without mercy", as you might guess from the title – but instead a great slow burner that really does a great job of opening up her voice! Mills moves here in a perfect space between the late disco years and commercial 80s pop – a groove that's warm and mature, and just right for pushing Mills past some of the styles of earlier years – but also without falling into any sort of "adult contemporary" cliches! Stephanie's sound is wonderful – that crisp, distinct style that is already great on a bold number, but somehow takes on even more personality on understated tracks like these – probably thanks in part to the careful instrumental balance served up by David Wolfert's arrangements. Titles include "My Body", "Pilot Error", "Do You Love Him", "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore", "Never Get Enough Of You", and "Eternal Love". CD features two bonus tracks – "Pilot Error (club mix)" and "Hold Me Close To You".

An overlooked groover from The Miracles – a late 70s set for Columbia Records, and one that's got a sparkling sound throughout! The album really has the group hitting some great modern soul modes for the set – arrangements by David Foster that push them forward even more, and which work equally well on the uptempo tunes as they do on the few mellower numbers too. The style is lush, but never overdone – just right for the vocal interplay of the group, with a quality that's a bit like late 70s Jacksons – but better. Titles include "Love Doctor", "I Can't Stand It", "Hot Dance", "Mean Machine", "Sad Rain", "Reach For The Sky", and "The Magic Of Your Eyes".

A cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but also hitting with a bit of Philly inspiration too – never too over the top, and never too commercially driven as you might expect from the concept. There's some great moogy bits on the record – and plenty of great session players who include David T Walker and Wah Wah Watson on guitars, Jack Ashford on percussion, and Ernie Watts on alto sax. Great Phillinganes sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Star Trek", "Close Encounters", "Saturn", "Dancin In The Sky", "I Feel Like I've Been Livin", "Beyond The Hole Space", and "I Sho Like To Ride On Your Star".

A pair of great albums from one of the coolest soul arrangers of the 70s – back to back on a single CD! Close Encounters is a cool collection of space-themed club tracks from Gene Page – and possibly one of his greatest albums of the 70s – dispite a gimmicky approach! There's a tightly soaring feel to most of the cuts that's Page at his best – arranging fully with styles borrowed from Barry White, but also hitting with a bit of Philly inspiration too – never too over the top, and never too commercially driven as you might expect from the concept. There's some great moogy bits on the record – and plenty of great session players who include David T Walker and Wah Wah Watson on guitars, Jack Ashford on percussion, and Ernie Watts on alto sax. Great Phillinganes sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Star Trek", "Close Encounters", "Saturn", "Dancin In The Sky", "I Feel Like I've Been Livin", "Beyond The Hole Space", and "I Sho Like To Ride On Your Star". Love Starts After Dark is a wonderfully well-rounded set from superstar arranger Gene Page – quite possibly his most fully-formed album as a lead act on his own! The set's got some great standout groovers – the kind of club cuts that have the vibe that Gene was doing well for so many others – and it's also got some mellow moments served up with a depth that's almost unexpected – thanks partly to some great vocals from Merry Clayton, Phyllis St James, and Charmaine Sylvers – all of whom help the album shine. Tracks are penned by Leon Ware, Leon Sylvers, Ray Parker Jr, and Joe Sample – and titles include "With You In The Night", "Second Time Around", "Put A Little Love In Your Lovin", "Love Starts After Dark", "You Are The Meaning Of This Song", and "I Wanna Dance".

A wonderful chapter in the career of Freda Payne – a gem of a set recorded for Capitol – and put together a sweet modern soul groove, thanks to tight production work from the legendary Skip Skarborough! Skip's getting a bit of help here from David Crawford on arrangements, who brings in some of the styles he was using on Candi Staton's clubbier work of the time – including an undercurrent of deep soul that really respects the lead vocals – but the overall style is more in the sophisticated midtempo mode that made so much of Scarborough's work so great – an approach that really works well for Freda's vocals in the years after her earlier pop hits, and helps give her sort of a newfound majesty. Titles include "Pullin Back", "Tell Me Please", "Just The Thought Of You", "Storybook Romance", "Livin For The Beat", and "Falling In Love". CD features a bonus single mix of "Happy Days Are Here Again/Happy Music".

A pretty amazing, and too long overlooked set from Esther Phillips – here final album for Kudu – and a beautiful mix of soaring soul sounds from one the most unique, emotionally inflected and diverse soul vocalists of her era! Esther's in prime Kudu mode here – working with jazzy arrangements by David Matthews and Pee Wee Ellis, adding her unique, grit-inflected soul chanteuse vocals to a smoother mix of instrumention that creates a perfect counterpoint that took her way past her earlier work! There's also a couple of really sweet disco skewed numbers that work incredibly well – with spacier bits of synth and a dancefloor soul bed of percussion and rhythms – and in general, the arrangments are pretty great from track-to-track! Players include Randy Brecker and Mike Brecker on trumpet and tenor sax, Bray Miles on synthesizer, Bobby Lyle on clavinet, Eric Gale on guitar, Joe Fareel on tenor sax and alto flute, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and other excellent name musicians and others bring a grand sweep and sweeter intimacy when the mood requires. Titles include "Magic's In The Air", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Boy, I Really Tied One On", "Higher & Higher", and "All The Way Down".

Billy Preston & Syreeta handled the music for this slightly-lame, kind of strange Gabe Kaplan vehicle from the late 70s. The music is relatively fine, although the album lacks any totally funky moments. Instrumentals include "Books & Basketball", "Half Time", "The Big Game", and "Welcome To Cadwaller". Also includes regular and disco versions of "Go For It", the theme of the movie.

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 work with the Temptations here, and moves masterfully into the role of a solo star – working with such strength that we're puzzled as to why Motown never issued the set – but even more delighted to finally have it back out in such a great package! The original album was supposed to feature 12 tracks, but the CD adds in an additional 11 numbers that were recorded during the same time, including a few rare mono mixes. The whole thing's great – and includes the incredible track "Each Day Is A Lifetime", plus "Out In The Country", "I Want You Back", "Let Somebody Love Me", "It's Gonna Take A Whole Lot Of Doin", "Heaven Help Us All", "Mountain Of Memories", "You Make Me Do Things I Don't Want To Do", and "Don't Stop Lovin Me".

David Ruffin teams with Van McCoy for this sweet little set – and the result is a great batch of grooves that swell with Ruffin's soulful sound of the 70s, but sway with the warm McCoy dancefloor modes of the time! Van wrote nearly all the tracks in the set – and handled all arrangements and production – but the record's far less disco than you'd guess, thanks to cracklingly earnest vocals from Ruffin, who's still given plenty of space to shine center stage on the record. The balance is essential, and is carried off here in a manner similar to the best Philly soul albums of its type. Titles include "First Round Knockout", "On & Off", "Good Good Times", "Ready Willing & Able", "Everything's Coming Up Love", "Discover Me", "Until We Said Goodbye", and "Let's Get Into Something".

David Ruffin at Warner Brothers – a very good thing, thanks to some sublime production from Detroit soul legend Don Davis! As with other key productions in the 70s, Don pitches Ruffin with a sound that's smooth, but still has a great sense of humanity – a style that's a bit like late 70s Marvin Gaye and Leon Ware, and which proves to be a perfect fit for David – giving him a new sense of focus here that's totally great! Those classic Ruffin vocals sound wonderful here – flowing, glowing, and getting a sense of warmth without getting too slick. A few cuts feature backup vocals from Leon Ware and Ronnie McNair, and female singer Laverna Mason brings in some great duets that really help deepen the sound of the record! Titles include "Love Supply", "I Wanna Be With You", "I Got A Thing For You", "Don't You Go Home", "Can We Make Love One More Time", and "All I Need".

David Ruffin's first solo album after leaving The Temptations – and a record that's as great as anything he ever recorded with the group! The album's got the general feel of Ruffin's lead vocal work on "I Wish It Would Rain" from the Temps years – with plenty of baroque soul orchestrations, cut through nicely by Ruffin's raspy soulful vocals. "My Whole World Ended" was a bit of a hit – but everything else on here's just as strong, and tracks include "Pieces Of A Man", "Everlasting Love", "My Love Is Growing Stronger", "We'll Have A Good Thing Going On", and "World Of Darkness".

A late 80s duo set from former Temptations David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks! The Ruffin & Kendrick album for RCA (we didn't leave the -s off Eddie's last name, that's how he was billed at the time) finds both in excellent form vocally, and rather than making a neo-classic Motown vibe for the record, the production is very much in the 80s modern soul mode of bigger hits of the day. It's got bright synth soul, a bit of boogie, and other other mid-to-late 80s modes that should have made this one a real win commercially – especially given the soulful weight and importance of the singers and genuine emotion in their performances. Titles include "I Couldn't Believe It", "Ordinary Girl", "One More For The Lonely Hearts Club", a cover of "Family Affair", "Goodnight Pillow".

A stunner from the Ruffin Brothers – their one album as a duo, 1970's underappreciated I Am My Brother's Keeper! Here Jimmy and David Ruffin lay down a warm, wonderful set of great late 60s Motown grooves – emotive covers and a bunch of great originals with nice touches of righteousness in the lyrics. The arrangements are by David Van De Pitte, Wade Marcus, and Paul Riser – bringing an emotional sweep and a bit of grandeur to some uncommonly gritty performances for a nice dual fronted approach. Titles include "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "I Am My Brother's Keeper", "The Things We Have To Do", "Set 'Em Up (Move In For The Thrill)", and "Steppin' On A Dream".

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 in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

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 in New York in the late 70s and early 80s. To some, Russell was a groundbreaking disco pioneer – with an offbeat production style and unique conception of rhythm. To others, Russell was a performance artist and avant garde musician – working in circles that included Phillip Glass, David Byrne, and Robert Wilson. This mix of modes was very much a part of the post-disco, post-punk sound of New York at the time – and nobody summarized it (or allowed it!) better than Russell himself. This excellent set from Soul Jazz is one of the first to truly give him his due – and it brings together a large amount of his disco-related projects, plus a few more introspective numbers cut under his own name. The sound is incredible – unlike anything you could categorize – especially on the Russell-titled numbers – and as always with Soul Jazz, the whole thing's beautifully packaged, with rich notes on the music and the person behind it! Titles include "Go Bang (Francois K mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Wax The Van" by Lola, "Is It All Over My Face (Larry Levan mix)" by Loose Joints, "In The Cornbelt (Larry Levan mix)" by Dinosaur L, "Pop Your Funk" by Loose Joints, "Schoolbell/Treehouse (Walter Gibbons mix)" by Indian Ocean, and "Let's Go Swimming (Walter Gibbons mix)", "A Little Lost", "In The Light Of The Miracle", and "Keeping Up" by Arthur Russell himself!

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 track list of Stax originals – mostly by the Isaac Hayes/David Porter team, plus a few others by Steve Cropper and other writers – all top-shelf work that really helps the pair do their best! Titles include "Hold On, I'm Comin", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "You Got It Made", "It's A Wonder", "Blame Me", "Don't Make It So Hard On Me", "I Take What I Want", "I Got Everything I Need", and "If You Got The Loving".

A bit smoother than Ben's earlier albums – but a great little set all the way through – and about as classic as you can get for Sidran in the 70s! The album's got a bit more soul in the mix, but still has some jazzy elements in the backings – and where things were sometimes messed up in the past, they're much more straightforward here – in ways that make the record really sparkle nicely! Ben's voice is still really compelling, and as on his best albums, there's some nice funky grooves in the mix that keep things fresh. Players include Phil Upchurch on bass and guitar, Woody Shaw on trumpet, David Newman and Sonny Seals on saxes, and Richard Tee on organ. Titles include the great instrumental "Let's Make A Deal" – a fast groover with guitar and keyboards riffing away, sounding like some lost jazz funk gem from the Fantasy Records catalog – plus "Beg For It", "Cuban Connection", "Free In America", "New York State Of Mind", and "Feel Your Groove".

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 similar sound here to his other work with Esther Phillips in the decade – another older singer who'd hit some very hip territory at the time. The groove here is very much like Phillips' best for Kudu – smooth and soulful, but in ways that still retain all the rasp and character of the lead vocals. Titles include a sublime reading of Randy Newman's excellent "Baltimore", plus "The Family", "My Father", "Music For Lovers", "Rich Girl", and "Balm In Gilead".

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 that came before them – with that brilliant Spinners ability to harmonize heavily while still hitting a groove! Arrangements are by Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, and David Van DePitte – all of whom keep things full, but never overblown – presenting music with a perfect polish for the group, but in quite different ways than the later Philly groove. Titles include the classic original version of "It's a Shame", plus "My Lady Love", "Souly Ghost", "Ooh Child", "In My Diary", "My Whole World Ended", "I've Got To Find Myself A Brand New Baby", "Bad Bad Weather", and "Pay them No Mind".

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 Mavis in the lead, supported by the production and arrangements of Mike Piccirillo and Gary Goetzman, who'd first launched the group in this direction with their efforts on a few tracks on the previous record. As on that one, one of the best numbers here is a Talking Heads cover – "Life During Wartime" – and David Byrne also guests on guitar on another track. The sound's a bit slick, but it works really well for them! Other tracks include "Are You Ready", "We Stand", "Reason To Love", "Start Walking", and "Love Works In Strange Ways". This CD version has 3 bonus mixes, too: "Are You Ready (US Single)", "Are You Ready (US Extended Dance Mix)" and "Are You Ready (US Dub Mix)".

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 nice balance here, handled by a cream of the crop set of arrangers that includes Wade Marcus, David Van DePitte, and Paul Riser – on titles that include "Someday We'll Be Together", "You Gave Me Love", "Can't You See It's Me", "Young Folks", "The Beginning Of The End", "Till Johnny Comes", and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".

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 – and feature added strings and horns on many numbers, plus core backings by the Ebony Web group. The sound is rootsy at times, and spiritual at others – and titles include "Emergency", "Why Marry", "Wishes & Dishes", "Pity Yourself", and "Slipped & Tripped".

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 – and feature added strings and horns on many numbers, plus core backings by the Ebony Web group. The sound is rootsy at times, and spiritual at others – and titles include "Emergency", "Why Marry", "Wishes & Dishes", "Pity Yourself", and "Slipped & Tripped". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Sweet Inspiration" and "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)".

Wonderful soul by one of the best female groups of the 60s! The Sweet Inspirations work here in a southern-tinged style similar to their classic backing work for Aretha Franklin – a sound that was already great behind Aretha, but which is even better here on its own – warm, spiritual, and brimming with soul – at a level that few other girl groups could ever take this deep! Arif Mardin did the arrangements, and brings in just the sort of warm, mature touches to push the music into the sublime – territory that had hardly been explored in this way before – at least not in the secular world – but which would go onto influence a generation. Backing is by a small group with Eddie Hinton on guitar, Barry Beckett on organ, and Roger Hawkins on drums – and titles include "But You Know I Love You", "Don't Go", "Always David", "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday", "Chained", and "Crying in the Rain".

How old was Foster Sylvers when he cut this record? Seven? Eight? Whatever the case, the little tyke forever changed the face of funky music with the incredible cut "Misdemeanor" – one of those chunky funky numbers that sounds like nothing else we've ever heard, and which has been in demand on the groove scene for years and years. The cut's simply amazing, and it kicks off a record that's pretty darn tasty all-around. Young Foster's singing in kind of a Jackson Five mode – but he's got some great arrangements by Jerry Peters, David Crawford, and King Errison that keep things pretty funky on many tracks, and nice and soulful on the rest. A good portion of the numbers are covers, but even those are done nicely. Titles include the classic "Misdemeanor", plus "I'm Your Puppet", "Mockingbird", "I'll Get You In The End", "Swooperman", "More Love", "Happy Face", "Lullabye/Uncle Albert", and "Only My Love Is True".

Although Howard Tate's work on Verve has gotten a lot of acclaim – thanks to an excellent CD reissue – this later album for Atlantic still remains in the ranks of soul obscurities. The album's perhaps not as great as Tate's Verve work – in that the arrangements don't fit as hand-in-glove as those sides – but the quality's still quite high, with arrangements by David Spinozza and Jerry Ragovoy that work quite well with Tate's soulful vocals. Tracks include "The Bitter End", "Keep Cool", "She's a Burglar", "Strugglin", and "It's Your Move".

A smooth batch of modern soul from this great 70s vocal group! By this point in their career, Tavares have already had great fame on both the radio and dancefloor charts – moving effortlessly between sweet harmony tracks and more strident disco ones. This set has the group working in a mature mode that falls out equally well on both sides of the fence – with arrangements by Bobby Colomby, David Foster, and Benjamin Wright, and tracks that include "Bad Times", "I Don't Want You Anymore", "Paradise", "Why Can't We Fall In Love", and "I Can't Go On Living Without You".

Johnnie Taylor's first album for Stax – and a tremendous little set that easily stands as one of his greatest records ever! Sure, we love Johnnie in all his incarnations – but there's a special sort of something here – a rawness and earnestness – that makes the whole thing shine right from the start – a crispy sort of Memphis vibe that has the Stax Records team really hitting their stride. The set's filled with great tunes from the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter – including "I Got To Love Somebody's Baby", "Toe Hold", "Outside Love", "Little Bluebird", and "I Had A Dream" – and also features great versions of "Watermelon Man", "Ain't That Loving You", and "Where Can A Man Go From Here".

An all-star effort from The Temptations – and a well-titled set that has the group brimming over with classic vocal talent! The group's expanded to a seven-piece outfit for the album – with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin back in the fold, singing alongside Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, and the rest of the group! Motown also culled together some top-shelf production talent for the set too – including Berry Gordy, Rick James, Barrett Strong, and Smokey Robinson – all of whom produce numbers for the record. Some of the tracks are in an 80s groove modes, and others are mellower ballads that offer plenty of space for vocal interplay – and titles include "I've Never Been To Me", "Backstage", "More On The Inside", "Standing On The Top", "Lock It In The Pocket", and "You Better Beware".

The queen of Memphis soul – caught "alone" after a some earlier hit recordings as part of a duo with Otis Redding – but now on her own in the years after Otis untimely early passing! The album has Thomas strongly returning to the sound of her first few albums on Stax – a bold, full-voiced sound that has her reemerging as one of the first ladies of soul at the end of the 60s, and coming across with a sound that's a fair bit more mature than her earliest singles. The tunes include a great batch of original Isaac Hayes & David Porter compositions – the strength of which really hold the album together, and make for a no-filler set all the way through! Titles include "Unchanging Love", "I'll Always Have Faith In You", "Lie To Keep Me From Crying", "Stop Thief", and "I Take It To My Baby". CD also features 5 more bons tracks – 4 of which are previously unissued – including "Same Thing", "Me & My Clock", "Your Love Indeed (alt)", "I Want To Know (take 2)", and "I Wonder About Love".

An unstoppable groove from The Undisputed Truth – a group who worked with Norman Whitfield in the same psychedelic soul territory as The Temptations – and who arguably got the sound across even better than them! This set's not as much of a bit hit as the group's other records from the time – but that makes it sound even fresher and more fierce – loads of those hard-rolling basslines you'd expect from Whitfield's production – and some soaring arrangements from Paul Riser and David Van DePitte, both of whom give the album a sense of majesty to match its inherent righteousness. Titles include "Law of The Land" and "Mama I Got A Brand New Thing" – plus covers of Temps tunes "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and "Just My Imagination" – and other covers that include "Love & Happiness", "If I Die", "Feelin' Alright", and "Killing Me Softly", done in the full soul mode of the group.

Dionne Warwick now – a surprisingly great set of contemporary recordings, done without any schlock or gimmick at all – and instead a really back to basics approach that really works well! Instrumentation on most cuts is relatively stripped-down, almost jazzy – which makes the set's revisited Bacharach & David classics come off in ways that are quite different than the originals, yet still retain all their charm. The album's also got a handful of new tracks too – titles written by one or the other of the team – and cuts include "Don't Make Me Over", "Always Something There To Remind Me", "Be Aware", "99 Miles From LA", "Reach Out", "I Just Have To Breathe", and "It Was Almost Like A Song".

A seminal set in the career of Deniece Williams – a set that really helped her find the voice she'd use more strongly in the 80s, but one that still holds onto all the best strongly soul styles of her earlier work! There's a catchy bounce here that's quite compelling – but the overall quality isn't nearly as commercial as Williams' later hits – and the balance makes the record a hip batch of sophisticated soul tracks that show Deniece really growing up from her little girl sound of the Deniece Chandler years in Chicago. Production is by Ray Parker and David Foster – and titles include "Why Can't We Fall In Love", "Like Magic", "I Found Love", "Turn Around", "I've Got The Next Dance", and "Touch Me Again".

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 Spanky really knock things out of the park – while still also holding tight to a mighty sweet groove! The style's almost an indie soul take on the Capitol Records groove that Barnum forged with David Axelrod for other singers – with all the strong sense of space between the grooves that would imply. The set features Spanky doing nice hard grooving versions of tracks that you've heard before – like "Loveland", "Let It Be", "Gloomy Sunday", and "Perhaps" – but there's also some nice ones like "Foolish" or "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", that are less familiar, and mighty nice too!

Arguably one of the greatest albums ever cut by Jimmy Witherspoon – recorded live at an early Monterey Jazz Festival, and done in a style that shows the strong link between jazz and blues in Jimmy's work! The group on the set includes Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, and Woody Herman – and the longish tracks on the set give them all more than enough room to solo alongside Jimmy's bluesy vocals. The album's also one of the first to be produced by a young David Axelrod – and shows a clear respect for both the singer and the musicians, in a combination that would come out even more strongly on Axe's later productions for Capitol. Titles include "No Rollin Blues", "Big Fine Girl", "Good Rockin Tonight", "Ain't Nobody's Business", and "When I Been Drinkin".

A wonderful celebration of a great little label – the 20-year-old Dome Records – home to some of the best contemporary soul recordings from the UK! Dome has a great reputation for picking the cream of the crop of the Neo Soul generation – originally just working with British artists, but soon expanding to include a wide variety of American singers too – a rich array of talent that's presented wonderfully on this 3CD set! The package includes a few rare tracks from singles or radio recordings – and is a heck of a great value at this price – with dozens of tracks that include "Children Of Love" by Martha Redbone, "My Door Is Open" by Carleen Anderson, "Major Bossa" by Khari Simmons, "Location Location Location" by Anthony David, "I Want You Black" by Sinclair, "I'm Back For More (Peter Young Jazz FM radio drop 1993)" by Lulu with Bobby Womack, "It's Alright (Mike Gee Choice FM radio drop 2001)" by Cooly's Hot Box, "Just A Dream (live UK radio session)" by Eric Roberson, "Ugly Part Of Me (Mike Dunn's blackball soul mixx)" by Avery Sunshine, "Freedom To Love (Reel People rework)" by Incognito, "Watch Me Fly (earth sold rmx)" by Down To The Bone, "Rescue Me" by Angela Johnson, "Stop Breaking My Heart" by Rahsaan Patterson, and lots lots more!

Genius work from one of the greatest Southern Soul studios ever – Muscle Shoals' legendary Fame Studios – the start of a huge wave of great music in the 60s, and a genre-changing sound that's still going strong today! The package is the best we've ever seen to look at Fame – not just a killer selection of the studio's music – 75 tracks that bring together rare singles, hits, and some lesser-known gems – but also a beautiful hardcover book, filled with pages and pages of great notes, vintage images, and more – really telling the unique take of Fame, producer Rick Hall, and all the mighty talents who helped make Muscle Shoals one of the most important sites for soul music in the 60s and 70s. Titles include "Ten Miles High" by David & The Giants, "Search Your Heart" by George Jackson, "Let Them Talk" by Dan Penn, "Two In The Morning" by Spooner's Crowd, "Lady In The Rain" by Lowell Fulson, "Wanted Lover" by James Govan, "Grits & Gravy" by The Fame Gang, "Get Involved" by George Soule, "What Color Is Love" by Roscoe Robinson, "Laugh It Off" by The Tams, "Thief In The Night" by Ben & Spence, "Take Me Just As I Am" by Mitty Collier, "I'm Just A Prisoner" by Candi Staton, "Thread The Needle" by Clarence & Calvin, and "Slippin Around With You" by Art Freeman.

A mind-expanding look at Memphis soul – one that gets way past common cliches about the city and its music! There's a heavy dose of funk in the mix on most numbers here – a gritty, fuzzy approach to the music that seems slightly borrowed from the Detroit scene at the end of the 60s – then mixed with some rougher, rootsier southern soul styles too! But other tracks take on a more sophisticated sound too – some of the righteous elements that hit Stax in the post-1968 period, especially as Isaac Hayes and David Porter were working on their own great solo work. Yet unlike Hayes and Porter, most of the artists here are much lesser-known – singers and groups who never charted big, but who got the chance to record for Memphis labels like XL, Stax, Select-O-Hits, and Sounds Of Memphis. CD features 20 tracks in all – and titles include "Dig It" by The Optimistics, "Mississippi Mud" by Smithsonian, "Two Paces Ahead Of Love" by Willie Walker, "Pullin" by The Minits, "It's Bump Time" by Gene Bowlegs Miller, "Blackrock Yeah Yeah" by Blackrock, "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim, "Watch Dog (alt)" by Barbara & The Browns, "Come What May" by John Gary Williams, "Strange Things" by Art Jerry Miller, "Shake" by The Ovations, "Tip Toeing" by Alvin Cash, "The Way Of Me" by Hannon, "Take A Giant Step" by LaCleve Milon, "Papa Killed A Chicken" by Willie Toliver, and "Don't Boom Boom" by Lillian Hale.

The funkiest side of Stax Records – a treasure trove of funky nuggets, all hand-picked by RZA! As the title implies, these are some of the grooves that became the building blocks of the Wu-Tang sound – but even without that pedigree, these tracks are more than great enough on their own – a wonderful mix of album cuts and rare singles – some you'll recognize from famous hip hop samples, some you'll discover here for the first time ever! The triple-length package is overflowing with greatness – and titles include "I Could Never Be Happy" and "I Like It" by The Emotions, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by The Mad Lads and another "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Children Don't Get Weary" by Judy Clay, "All It Takes Is You & Me" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Poverty's Paradise" by 24 Carat Black, "I'll Play The Blues For You" by Albert King, "Why Marry" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Steal Away" by Johnnie Taylor, "Hang On Sloopy" by David Porter, "Ike's Mood 1" by Isaac Hayes, "In The Rain" by The Dramatics, "Don't Take My Kindness For Weakness" by The Soul Children, "Packed & Took My Mind" by Little Milton, "Sing A Simple Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "LA Jazz Song" by Booker T & The MGs, "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, and "Keep The Faith" by Mel & Tim.

Smoking soul from 60s Texas – a tremendous amount of rare tunes from obscure little singles – pulled together to showcase the Lonestar State as a musical powerhouse to rival Motown, Philly, or the Windy City! The tracks here are all from various labels headed by the legendary Huey P Meux – and unlike other Texas work you may know from the time, lots of these numbers are bubbling over with the kind of soul elements you'd normally hear from east coast indie work of the time – and in that way, are almost like some of the other 60s material cut by southern transplants on the LA scene of the time – familiar, but a little offbeat too – with odd little twists and turns that really keep things interesting, and which make the package a really fresh musical discovery. There's some nice deep soul elements at times, particularly on the mellower cuts – and titles include "Go Go Train" by Jackie Paine, "That Is Why The End Must Begin" by Joe Masters, "Irene" by Rockin Dave Allen, "Time" by Charles Barry, "Get To Gitten" by Big Walter, "Doggin Around" by Jean Knight, "Friends In Show Business" by Joe Melvin, "Neighbor Neighbor" by Alton Valier, "You'll Lose A Good Thing (demo)" by Barbara Lynn, "Let Them Talk" by Johnny Adams, "If You're Looking For A Fool" by David King Thomas, and "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down" by Margo White.

A tremendous follow up to the first Spirit Of Philadelphia collection – released many years after that seminal set, and with an even farther-reaching selection of music! The first Spirit set focused on the best mellow and midtempo soul efforts of the Philly International label – but this one expands the groove even more to show the wide influence that Gamble & Huff had on the sound of Philly soul on other labels – especially the major labels, who'd begun following the indie lead in their productions by the mid 70s. There's a fair bit of work here by bigger names at the time, but all of it's got a stone Philly sound – and is either work by artists who first sprung out of the Philly scene directly, or others from different points around the country, and who'd made a trip to Philly in the 70s to record in a hipper groove! Titles include "Do You Remember Yesterday" by New York City, "Falling In Love With You" by Jimmy Ruffin, "It's Not What You Got" by Eddie Kendricks, "We Got Love" by Ben E King, "Don't Take Your Love" by The Whispers, "Can't Accept The Fact" by Gateway, "Straighten It Out" by Anglo-Saxon Brown, "Midnight Lady" by David Morris, "You Make Me Feel So Good Baby" by The Temprees, "It's Love" by The Persuaders, "In Love Again" by The Joneses, "Let's Go All The Way Down" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "Walk Away From Love" by Jackie Moore, "I Don't Have Time To Worry" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, and "That's What Love Does" by Vince Montana & The Philly Sound Orchestra.

Modern soul, R&B, and smooth grooves – the sound of the Stepper's scene that's been big in Chicago for years, and which seems to be having a bit of pull outside the Windy City these days! Tracks include "Rising Cost of Love" by Loose Change, "Sing A Simple Song" by Identiy Crisis, "The Joneses (12" Mix)" by The Temptations, "Sweet On U" by Lo Key, "Never Say Goodbye To Love" by Rene Moore, "Special Kind Of Fool" by Basic Black, "Mr Fix It" by Jeffree, "Love's Gonna Last" by Jeffree, "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards, and "Don't Know Why" by David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks.

Smooth modern grooves – and a great collection of tunes that break big on the Chicago steppers scene! There's a really specific vibe running through the set – modern soul with a mellow feel, but plenty of emphasis on the groove, no matter how slow the tunes may be – all making for a perfect batch of tracks to glide onto the dancefloor, and stay until the late hours! Tracks span a few decades of vintage, but tie together nicely – and titles include "Cool Out" by Leroy Hutson, "All We Need Is A Place" by Freddie Cole, "If It Isn't Love (inst)" by New Edition, "All True Man (inst)" by Alexander O'Neal, "Everytime I See A Pretty Lady" by Gemini, "Love Ain't No Holiday" by Native, "Jus Reach" by Galliano, "Ms" by David Oliver, and "Suger Mama Baby" by Steve Arrington.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

Relatively recent soul tracks, but mostly with a classic feel – given that many of the tracks on the set were cut by artists who broke big in the 60s and 70s! The package is a really unique collection – titles from the past decade or two, recorded by older soul artists in a mode that mixes vintage styles with more contemporary production – yet all in ways that are light years from the mainstream R&B you'd hear on the charts! The set's great proof that a great voice never dies, and it also includes a few younger artists who definitely draw inspiration from the older crowd too – and many of the cuts are from the recent Motorcity recordings, showing a real UK love of classic Detroit styles. Titles include "Soul Searching" by Barbara Randolph, "Don't Wait Around" by The Elgins, "No Need To Explain" by GC Cameron, "Back In Circulation (metropolitan soul mix)" by Sweet James Epps, "Crying Shame" by Lynda Laurence, "Love Still Lives In My Heart" by The Originals, "Prime Time Lover" by Linda Griner, "Too Great A Price To Pay" by Bettye Lavette, "My World Will Never Be The Same" by Gina Foster, "Got To Win You Back" by The Contours, "I've Seen The Light" by JJ Barnes, and "Hurt The One You Love" by David Ruffin.

Can 60s pop get any better than this? It's hard to think so – given the near-perfect sound of this album, and its unique blend of soul, vocal, and mainstream modes! The album's only the second in the career of Dionne Warwick, but she's already at the top of her game – singing with a sense of grace and poise that's simply tremendous, and getting some equally great backing from a young Burt Bacharach – who himself co-wrote most of the tunes here with Hal David. There's a sense of completeness to the record that few other pop albums of the time could boast – a mature, thoughtful presentation of the material that certainly set a new standard for many artists to come! Titles include "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Don't Make Me Over", "Getting Ready For The Heartbreak", "Any Old Time Of Day", "Mr Heartbreak", "Put Yourself In My Place", and "Please Make Him Love Me".

A great post-Scepter album by Dionne Warwick – one that still has her working with Burt Bacharach, but at a level that's somehow more mature, more adult than even before! There's a gentle quality here that gets beyond the straighter pop of Warwick's 60s hits, and moves into the realm inhabited by Bacharach's sublime solo sets for A&M – a style that still has the singer at the forefront, but which is equally concerned with the full spectrum of sound on the set, and which has the whole album flowing together beautifully. Burt and Hal David produced, and arrangements are by Bacharach, Don Sebesky, and Bob James. Titles include a great reading of "Hasbrook Heights", plus "I Just Have To Breathe", "The Balance Of Nature", "If You Never Say Goodbye", "Be Aware", "If We Only Have Love", and "Love Song".

A unique concert album from Dionne Warwick – proof that her talents weren't always restricted to Burt Bacharach arrangements in the studio! The setting is the classy Olympia Theater in Paris, and the style is a bit more open than on Dionne's studio albums – with less material by Bacharach & David than before, and a wider range of tunes that not only includes a few songs sung in French, but also a duet with Parisian popper Sacha Distel! The audience is oddly mic'ed up very high in the mix at times – crashing into the start of most tunes with the ferocity of radio static or a swarm of bees – but Warwick quickly takes over with her own vocals once the songs get going. Titles include "I Love Paris", "C'Est Si Bon", "Walk On By", "You'll Never Get To Heaven", "O Yeah Yeah Yeah", "The Good Life", "La Vie En Rose", and "What'd I Say".

Dionne Warwick's making a bit of a break from formula for this album – by singing a batch of tunes from films and shows, none of which were written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David! Yet despite this change from earlier records, the album's still got a sound that's strongly in keeping with Warwick's 60s years at Scepter Records – thanks to arrangements by Burt that help transform these older tunes, and update them with a new sense of maturity for Dionne's singing style. The real appeal of the record is the way that Bacharach changes things up with some of these overdone numbers – finding new corners to explore, and creating a sense of surprise that's quite different than other albums of this nature. Titles include "Something Wonderful", "Summertime", "My Favorite Things", "I Believe In You", "My Ship", "Anything You Can Do", and "He Loves Me".

Five albums into Dionne Warwick's classic run for Scepter Records, and she's still sounding great – head and shoulders above most other female pop singers of her generation, with a style that really sets a whole new standard for the time! Burt Bacharach handled most of the arrangements here – with that heavenly sort of quality that he virtually invented for Dionne – a way of penning charts that are full, but never overbearing – and which have a subtle kind of softness, even though they also manage a sneaky sort of rhythm at the bottom. The balance is a beautiful one, and Dionne's vocals are the beneficiary here – on a batch of mostly Bacharach/David tunes that includes the sublime "Are You There With Another Girl", plus "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Window Wishing", "Long Day Short Night", "In Between The Heartaches", and "How Can I Hurt You" – as well as a version of "This Little Light", which features solo piano by Dionne!

Dionne Warwick's missing from the cover of this album, but the record still managed to be one of her biggest of the 60s – thanks to a near-classic selection of tunes, and sublime arrangements from the mighty Burt Bacharach! There's a confident, mature approach to the record that's arguably even better than Warwick's first few albums for Scepter – a kind of gelling of the genius she'd discovered with Bacharach & David – cast out over even more adult themes than before, with less of a need to focus on pop-oriented material. The album includes two of Dionne's most compelling cuts ever – "Alfie" and "Trains & Boats & Panes" – both sadder than the usual numbers, and with a good dose of remorseful soul – and other Bacharach numbers include "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "Go With Love", "Here Where There Is Love", and the seminal "What The World Needs Now Is Love". The album also features some non-Bacharach/David songs too – and Dionne does an equally great job with these as well.

Wonderfully mature work from Dionne Warwick – one of her last few albums for the Scepter label,with a sense of maturity, poise, and grace that tops even Dionne's earliest classics for the label. She's still working heavily here with Burt Bacharach – who produced and arranged most of the songs – with some help from Hal David and Larry Wilcox. And in some way, it's almost like Bacharach's reinvigorated here – moving into a deeper mode that's quite similar to some of the more complicated tunes on his A&M recordings from the same period – almost unafraid of charting or not, and working instead in a completely adult mode that's beautifully constructed through webs of sound and sadness, loss and longing. Titles include "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", "My Way", "Knowing When To Leave", "Let Me Go To Him", and "Didn't We".

The birth of a genius – and Dionne Warwick's first album in a mighty 60s run for Scepter Records! The album's the first full length collaboration between Warwick and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David – but it's already the stuff of legend – an album that easily bridges the worlds of soul, vocal, and pop with its unique sense of poise and class – sung perfectly by Dionne throughout, and arranged with orchestral brilliance by the young Burt! Titles include "Don't Make Me Over", "Wishin & Hopin", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "The Love Of A Boy", "I Cry Alone", "Make The Music Play", "If You See Bill", "It's Love That Really Counts", and "This Empty Place".

Sensitive, but never sleepy – a perfect balance between gentle pop and deeper soul – served up with masterful arrangements and production from Burt Bacharach! The album's an early treasure in Dionne's 60s run for Scepter Records – an album that features a bit less Bacharach/David tunes than some of the previous records, but which still has all of the best elements firmly in place – thanks to Burt's growing understanding of the studio, and his ability to create orchestrations that are filled with enough space for an artist like Dionne to really do her thing. Titles include "Wives & Lovers", "You Can Have Him", "That's Not The Answer", "Forget My Love", "Where Can I Go Without You", "How Many Days Of Sadness", and "Don't Say I Didn't Tell You So".

Not so much a soundtrack, as it is a great set of Bacharach/David tunes, with arrangements by Burt, Manny Albam, and Pat Williams, structured around the title hit, and featuring tunes with a similar somber quality. Gone is the dreamy optimism of some of Dionne's earlier albums – and in its place is a more mature, slightly sadder style that's really great. Titles include "Valley Of The Dolls", "For The Rest Of My Life", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", "Silent Voices", "Let Me Be Lonely", "You're My World", "Where Would I Go", and "Walking Backwards Down The Road".

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 deeper production from David Porter down at the Malaco and Ardent Studios – which ensures that the deep soul component of the music still stays strong! The whole thing's unlike anything else we can think of – and is a definite bridge between 70s soul scenes at the time – echoes of folks like Al Green or Sam Dees, but a tighter approach at points too. Titles include "You, Trouble, & Me", "That's That", "The Key To My Life", and "Baby, Hold On To Me".

Nice nice set of Lou's great pop soul tracks recorded for Capitol during the late 60s – many of them with arrangements by H.B. Barnum, and production by David Axelrod. This stuff never gets its due, which is a shame – because Lou's fantastically rich voice opens up just about any song he sings, and when he's helped out by the fantastic staff at Capitol, the results are a real treat. This CD includes 19 titles in all, including "For What It's Worth", "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Down Here On The Ground", "Love Is A Hurting Thing", "Your Good Thing (Is About To End)", "Girl From Ipanema", "Soul Serenade", and others.

Warm groovers galore – an incredible package of uptempo soul tracks from the 70s – cuts that are deeper than disco, but every bit as tight – all brought together to showcase a tremendous generation in music! There's a great mix of classics and underground numbers here – and the package is overflowing with greatness, especially at this price – a whopping 23 tracks in all, including a fair bit we haven't turned up in years – some really rare singles that are great to finally have on CD! The set's easily one of our favorites in this excellent Backbeats series – and titles include "Talkin Bout Poor Folks" by Lou Edwards & Today's People, "Make Me Believe In You" by Patti Jo, "I'm In Need Of Love" by Lou Courtney, "Love Don't Come No Stronger" by Jeff Perry, "Am I Cold Am I Hot" by Bill Harris, "Keep On Trying" by LTG Exchange, "I Couldn't Believe It" by David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks, "Are You Ready For This" by The Brothers, "Can We Share It" by Rick Shephard, "Lady In Red" by Ronnie Dyson, "Once I've Been There" by Norman Connors, "You Made A Believer Out Of Me" by Betty Lavette, "What About My Love" by Damaris, and "Get Out Of My Life" by Sharon McMahan.

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction".

CTI Masters, and then some – a collection that features one full album from Patti Austin, plus lots of bonus tracks too! The first 10 tracks on the album comprise the classic End Of The Rainbow debut for CTI – wonderfully warm soul from the great Patti Austin – a key artist in the late 70s, and one who really helped push the music forward with a new sense of sophistication! Patti's got a strongly jazzy vibe here – and works with David Matthews arrangements that are really well put-together – less funky than some of Dave's other work of the period, and filled with these mellow moments that really let Austin's energy flow! The overall feel is a bit like some of Jean Carn's work on Philly International – hip, sophisticated, and filled with plenty of jazz touches – although with an even stronger approach to ballads – and titles include the classic "This Side Of Heaven", plus "More Today Than Yesterday", "Say You Love Me", "In My Life", "Give It Time", and "What's At The End Of A Rainbow". CD then goes onto include 8 more tracks from other CTI albums from Patti – equally great numbers that include "Havana Candy", "I Just Want To Know", "We're In Love", "I Need Somebody", "Lost In The Stars", "Body Language", "Another Nail For My Heart", and "I Want You Tonight".

Although he's best known for his albums on Capitol, David Axelrod cut this great record for Fantasy during the mid-70s, and it features Cannonball Adderley producing Axelrod's work (instead of the other way around, as on Cannonball's albums from the time). The tracks here are a bit more jazz funk oriented than earlier stuff, but there's still the great Axelrod sense of composition, with lots of space, and lots of spare cold bits that are nice nice nice for sample cuts! As proof of this, the reissue includes his classic track "Everything Counts", plus other nice ones that include "Get Up Off Your Knees", "My Family", and "Mucho Chupar".

A funky blacksploitation soundtrack – issued here for the first time! The score was written and performed by HB Barnum, the great soul arranger who was responsible for some of the funky work that David Axelrod did at Capitol Records during the late 60s – and this set features him working in a hipper mode of wah-wah funk, jazzy instrumentals, and a few more full-on soul numbers. The CD features a total of 18 tracks lifted from the original film, and remastered for mainstream release for the first time ever – and the album's filled with great short numbers that are a must for any fan of the sound of 70s funky action films! Titles include "Freedom", "Kung Fu Funk", "They Keep Comin", "Black Star Barber Shop", "Playin Numbers", "Fun Lovin Arrives", and "Roof Top Fight".

A stone classic from Blood Sweat & Tears – and a record that went onto have a tremendous impact in jazz, rock, funk, and soul! The group's format is plenty darn famous – adding a lot of horns to hip riffing grooves – but despite countless plays on oldies stations over the years, this initial album still has a power that's undeniable – a way of putting the whole thing together that really uses the best elements of the late 60s studio – handled with sweet production from James William Guerico that rivals his best work for Chicago! Even the lead vocals by David Clayton Thomas hold up nicely – and the set includes the classics "Variations On A Theme By Eric Satie", "And When I Die", "Smiling Phases", "More & More", "Spinning Wheel", and "You've Made Me So Very Happy".

A brilliant soul album! That's right, we said SOUL album! Bowie was at the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame when this one was recorded – a drastic left-turn in styles, forged during a point in his American tour when he could take a break, head to Philly, plug in at the Sigma Sound Studios, and come up with some fantastic little soul tunes, thanks to help from Luther Vandross! The album sparkles with the best sound of Luther's early work – and you'll hear more than a bit of Luther's work on his own, and his tunes with Gregg Diamond on the set. Features the sublime tracks "Win", "Fascination", "Right", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "Can You Hear Me" – as well as the hits "Young Americans" and "Fame".

Warm and wonderful soul from David Ruffin – key proof that the singer could keep on going strong, long after his earlier fame at Motown! The record's got a new sense of sophistication that really breaks David into new territory – a style that's nicely different than the backings Ruffin got from Van McCoy in his later Motown years – and which opens up a more mature sound, courtesy of producer Don Davis – who's casting Ruffin in the same blend of rough and smooth that worked so well for The Dramatics! There's a sophistication here that's completely sublime – a sound that's right up there with Leroy Hutson or Leon Ware – and most tunes hit a mellow or midtempo mode that's totally great! Tracks include "Chain On The Brain", "Break My Heart", "Morning Sun Looks Blue", "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me", "So Soon We Change", and "Sexy Dancer".