Soul — All Formats  

Sarah's first album as a solo act – and a pretty classy set of club tunes that benefits heavily from arrangements by Leon Pendarvis! Pendarvis gives the record the full and flowing feel of his best work from the time – disco, to be sure, on most cuts – but also with some broader arrangements that help take Sarah into some soulful territory on the mellow tunes. Titles include "Sinner Man", "You", "Touch & Go", "Look But Don't Touch", "Do It For Love", and "Charge".

Way more than disco, a bit different than funk, and a lot cooler than you might guess from the image on the cover – a stone classic from Miami groovers Foxy, and easily one of their best records ever! The set's nice and tight right from the start – not really disco, but more of a compressed approach to funk, with some surprising Latin touches too – especially in some of the percussion moments that really open up, creating a nice sense of energy to the record! The group have more than enough tightness to cross over to the AOR crowd, but they still keep things sharp on most tracks – and make the album real TK standard from the glory days. Titles include "Devil Boogie", "Hot Number", "Chicapbon Chicapbon", "Headhunter", "Lady", "Give Me That Groove", "Lady Of The Streets", and "Give Me A Break".

A live take on the Foxy sound of the clubs – served up here without any studio support at all, at a level that really showcases their talents as a funk band! There's still a strong sense of compression in the grooves – that Foxy way of laying down the lyrics right along with the guitar and basslines – but the concert setting makes for a sharper sound overall, and maybe a looser one too – especially on some of the rhythms, which have a great spontaneous feel – as does the crowd noise in the background, which serves to enhance the party sound of the record! Titles include "Ba Ba Cool", "Party Boys", "Hot Number", "Get Off", "Sex Symbol", and "Banshee".

An unusual set from Kracker – a record that's possibly more rock/pop at the core, but one that definitely shares some of the soulful touches of other albums on the Dash label too! The group dress like a funk band on the album's flipside photo – and they've got vocal interplay that's not unlike some of the blue eyed soul groups on the east coast – set to rhythms here that are sometimes disco, sometimes a bit more flamboyant pop – and titles include "Woman", "Lucky Are Those", "Lady Of My Life", "Alarm Clock Blues", "Back In My Arms Again", and "Gentleman Of Men".

Plenty of Magic here from T-Connection – a clubby set of tracks, yet one that's still put together more like a funk combo record from the mid 70s! The instrumentation is mindblowing – impeccable guitar and basslines, set to snapping rhythms that really capture the best Miami funk mode before smoother disco took over – especially impressive on the longer tracks on the set! The whole thing's great – more like a pile of fast funky 45s than the usual disco record – and titles include the long "Do What You Wanna Do", plus "Disco Magic", "Got To See My Lady", "Peace Line", "Monday Morning", and "Mothers Love".

T-Connection are definitely on fire with this smoking little set – a killer batch of late 70s club, done with almost equal parts funk, soul, and disco! As with their debut, the group here are right on the money instrumentally – playing with a dexterity that few other large funk groups could match this well – especially blistering on some of the album's longer tracks too. There's also a great sense of balance to the record too – a ballad, some midtempo numbers, and a more well-rounded feel that also shows the group going for a wider palette of sounds than just their usual grooves. But as always, the upbeat club tracks are the best – and titles include "Lady Of The Night", "On Fire", "Cush", "Groove To Get Down", and "Let Yourself Go".

A soaring stormer from T-Connection – and a set that has them sounding even better than before! There's a perfection here the group didn't have with earlier releases – a quality that goes way past indie funk ensemble, into the realm of some of the best mainstream acts on the bigger labels at the time – company shared by a rare few, like Earth Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, or the Bar-Kays! Things are every bit as funky as before – but there's a way of putting the tunes together that really blows us away – fusing all the elements together perfectly, and making everything work towards the groove – yet all without making anything sound too slick or polished either. Mighty nice all the way through – and titles include "Funky Lady", "Don't Stop The Music", "Funkannection", "Saturday Night", "At Midnight", and "Love Supreme".

A little more disco than some of Asha Pulthi's earlier releases – but still pretty darn nice stuff, handled in that spacey European mode that made her CBS records sound so compelling. Asha's still got that unique voice – kind of a mix of porno sleaze and Munich soul – and the arrangements have enough of a funky kick in them to keep things interesting. Titles include "Mr Moonlight", "Music Machine", "There Is A Party Tonight", "Legend Of Thais", and "I'll See You Around".

Great work by one of the funkiest disco bands of the late 70s! T Connection were always a step above most of their contemporaries, especially some of the weaker pop disco acts on the TK family of labels – which was the group's home during these years. They brought a really solid conception to all of their work in the early days – and this record's a great mix of soul and funk club tracks, done with a precision that almost approaches Earth Wind & Fire in the mid 70s – razor-sharp, and right on the money throughout! Vocals are tasty, there's lots of nice guitar work, and the production has a modern sound that points ahead to the 80s groove years. Tracks include "Totally Connected", "Let's Do It Today", "Choosing", "That's Love", and "Ecstasy".

The first-ever release of this lost soul treasure – a rare session from a late 70s group from Tulsa, recording in LA at the studio of Sly Stone! The set's got a groove that's way more than you'd expect from any Oklahoma combo – a mature, modern soul sparkle that's totally great – almost the sort of vibe you'd find from some of the best groups of the time on labels like Elektra or Capitol, but handled here with a bit more indie charm overall! The tracks are all originals, and they balance out mellow steppers and tighter groovers nicely – which makes for an album that's amazingly deep in conception, and way more than just a slap-dash batch of tracks from the studio. We're sure that Sly would have been proud of the work here – and our hat's off to the folks at Lotus Land for finally getting this one released! Titles include "Funky Sounds", "Accept The Truth", "Keep On Smiling", "If You Dance Tonight", "I Love Everything About You", "On A Lovely Night Like This", "I Hope You'll Be", and an untitled track.

A stone classic in the genre of bad-rapping female soul – and one of the key albums cut by the trio of Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash! The arrangements and production are handled by David Rubinson, who gives the set a nicely polished feel that gets a bit past some of the slight cliches that had been creeping into the girls work – a style that shows them equally well skilled at mellower numbers than at the funkier rockier tunes that were their more familiar stock in trade. Titles include "Come Into My Life", "A Man In A Trenchcoat (Voodoo)", "Get You Something New", "Going Down Makes Me Shiver", "Gypsy Moths", and "Who's Watching The Watcher?".

Very early work by Patti LaBelle – working here with the young Bluebelles group, but in a setting that still points the way towards the Labelle sound of the 70s – given that the quartet also features vocals from Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx! The style is a great mix of female doo wop and uptown soul – harmony styles really maturing strongly for the 60s, and already taking strong advantage of the amazing vocals of Patti LaBelle! Things are sweet, but have a nice edge too – and even the familiar tunes take on a new life in the hands of the group – as you'll hear on "Over The Rainbow", "People", "More", "Groovy Kind Of Love", "He", "Patti's Prayer", and "Unchained Melody".

The seminal first album from the SOS Band – a record that really showcases the new sound of soul for the 80s, yet still holds onto all the best elements of the previous decade too! These guys have a great ear for groovers – well-demonstrated by the play they got on the dancefloor – yet they've also got a deeper sense of soul than some of their club contemporaries as well – heard not just on the ensemble vocals for the upbeat tracks, but especially on some of the album's great mellow steppers too! It's these laidback cuts that have always kept the album strong for us – showing that SOS are way more than just another fast funk band, and can really go deep, and stay with it for the long haul. Fred Wesley helped a bit on the arrangements – and titles include "Take Your Time", "Love Won't Wait For Love", "SOS (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)", "Take Love Where You Find It", and "Open Letter".

The seminal first album from the SOS Band – a record that really showcases the new sound of soul for the 80s, yet still holds onto all the best elements of the previous decade too! These guys have a great ear for groovers – well-demonstrated by the play they got on the dancefloor – yet they've also got a deeper sense of soul than some of their club contemporaries as well – heard not just on the ensemble vocals for the upbeat tracks, but especially on some of the album's great mellow steppers too! It's these laidback cuts that have always kept the album strong for us – showing that SOS are way more than just another fast funk band, and can really go deep, and stay with it for the long haul. Fred Wesley helped a bit on the arrangements – and titles include "Take Your Time", "Love Won't Wait For Love", "SOS (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)", "Take Love Where You Find It", and "Open Letter". Great new version – book-style cover, detailed notes, and bonus tracks that include "SOS (edit)", "SOS (special disco mix)", "Take Your Time (parts 1 & 2)", "Take Your Time (long version)", and "What's Wrong With Our Love Affair (edit)".

Killer instrumentals from the My World album by Lee Fields – a set that features none of Lee's vocals at all – just some great slow funk grooves by The Expressions! The vibe here is wonderful – even without Fields on deck – and in a way, leaving the vocals off unlocks a whole new side of the album's brilliance – showing the kind of roots the group hits with their music. The Expressions features the mighty Leon Michels on sax, bass, guitar, and keyboards – and overall, there's plenty of El Michels' elements in the music – slow, snakey rhythms – a slight dash of southern funk – and a great way of staying mellow and laidback, yet still funky and soulful too! Titles include "Money Is King", "My World Is Empty", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", "These Moments", and "Ladies".