Soul — All Formats  

A great little tune from Erykah Badu – smooth, mellow, with a nice downtempo vibe, but still a warm finish that works perfectly with her voice! This is the kind of tune that made us all fall in love with her right away – and which still sounds great years later!

Erykah and The Roots, what else do you need to know?

A second sublime set from Ruth Copeland – a funky female singer from the Detroit scene of the early 70s, with key ties to the P-Funk universe, and a unique groove that mixes singer/songwriter modes with the fuzzier funkier elements of artists like Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair! There's a bit more emphasis on soul here than the funk of Copeland's previous efforts – but in a way that makes for an even more impressive record overall, especially when you realize that Ruth arranged and produced the whole thing. George Clinton and Eddie Hazel both had a hand in co-writing songs with Copeland – and instrumentation features Hazel on guitar, plus Bernie Worrell on piano – so there's still a key P-Funk link. Titles include the breakbeat track "Suburban Family Lament", the fuzzy stoner funk number "Don't You Wish You Had", and covers of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "Play With Fire" – plus "Crying Has Made Me Stronger", "Hare Krishna", and "The Medal". CD features bonus single versions of "Hare Krishna" and "Gimme Shelter".

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

A wonderful album of hip jazzy vocals from Urszula Dudziak – an amazing singer who was sort of Poland's version of Flora Purim! Like Flora, Urszula had a fierce scatting and riffing style that broke way past the work of earlier female jazz singers – and she always applied this style to some wonderfully catchy arrangements and tight grooves, using the voice as a heavily fused-up instrument. Also like Flora, Urszula had some good help from her husband – Polish jazz legend Michal Urbaniak, who produced and played on the album, along with friend of the family, the wonderful altoist Zbigniew Namyslovski. Tracks include a great version of Komeda's "The Cats", plus the tracks "Moontag", "Future Talk", "Klick", "Quiet Afternoon", and "Double Bounce".

One of George Duke's best albums for the MPS label – and a set that has a sound that's a little bit more soul than before! The album uses a fair bit of vocals alongside Duke's funky keyboards – but in a way that's not nearly as smooth as some of his albums for Epic, and which still retains all the best spacey and cosmic bits of his roots! The record's got a strong west coast soul feel – with elements of some of the jazzy funk of the Fantasy Records/Bay Area scene, and elements of the electric funk that was starting to come out of LA at the time – and there's a huge host of guest stars on the record, including Johnny Guitar Watson (who sings on one track), Emil Richards (who plays marimba), and Flora Purim (who does her usual thing!) Titles include "Chariot", "Someday", "That's What She Said", "Sister Serene", "Prepare Yourself", "Rokkinrowl", and "Look Into Her Eyes".

The future? Probably not – but the album's a sweet one nonetheless! Fatback pick up a bit more of an electro sound on this one – grooving with some strong street touches that fit right in with the group's bass-heavy funk approach. There's lots of sweet bass pedal riffs, wikki-wikki keys, and drum programming parts that still hold onto enough of the older grooves to make the whole thing sound right. Titles include "Funky Aerobics", "Is This The Future", "Double Love Affair", "Spread Love", "Finger Lickin Good", "Sunshine Lady", and "The Girl Is Fine".

A split LP, but a seminal full length album in the doo wop genre – one that was issued on Vee Jay in the early 60s, but brought together some key earlier work by The Flamingos and The Moonglows! Both groups here are at the height of their early powers – singing in a stripped-down and nearly acapella mode that's totally great – often with just a bit of rhythm to keep things grooving along. The sound is much different than the later Flamingos' sides on End, and represents The Moonglows before they'd softened things up a bit. Titles include "I Was Wrong", "Real Gone Mama", "Oh Rockin Daddy", "Secret Love", "Whistle My Love", and "219 Train" by The Moonglows – and "Vooit Vooit", "Someday Someway", "Golden Teardrops", "Carried Away", and "If I Can't Have You" by The Flamingos.

Smooth 80s soul from Billy Griffin – formerly of The Miracles, but emerging here as a solo artist on his own, with a strong bid for stardom, dressed in a slick narrow-tie linen-jacket-with-collar-turned-up 80s stab at crossover fashion! Billy's voice is a lot better than his choice of outfit, though – and he's got a smooth style that mixes in a bit of falsetto with deeper vocals, keeping things pretty real on top of the synth/bass pedal grooves that make up the backing. Tracks include "Respect", "Serious", "So Many Ways", "Don't Ask Me To Be Friends", and "Dreaming".

Smooth 80s soul from Billy Griffin – formerly of The Miracles, but emerging here as a solo artist on his own, with a strong bid for stardom, dressed in a slick narrow-tie linen-jacket-with-collar-turned-up 80s stab at crossover fashion! Billy's voice is a lot better than his choice of outfit, though – and he's got a smooth style that mixes in a bit of falsetto with deeper vocals, keeping things pretty real on top of the synth/bass pedal grooves that make up the backing. Tracks include "Respect", "Serious", "So Many Ways", "Don't Ask Me To Be Friends", and "Dreaming".

All classics – with 15 cuts that include "The Ghetto", "Where Is The Love", "Giving Up", "Someday We'll Be Free", "To Be Young Gifted & Black", "This Christmas", "You've Got A Friend", "Back Together Again", "A Song For You", "What's Going On", and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know".

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages – but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever! The liner notes have Donny showing off his musical training in evaluations of the song structures, but the music alone should be enough to convince you this one is great! Includes "The Slums", a funky rollicking tune that is sort of a follow-up to "The Ghetto"; "Valdez In The Country", a totally catchy instrumental with loads of electric piano, and a very Bob James-esque sound; the jaunty "Flying Easy"; and the spiritual soul cuts "Someday We'll All be Free" and "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry (parts 1 & 2)".

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages – but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever! Titles include "The Slums", a funky rollicking tune that is sort of a follow-up to "The Ghetto"; "Valdez In The Country", a totally catchy instrumental with loads of electric piano, and a very Bob James-esque sound; the jaunty "Flying Easy"; and the spiritual soul cuts "Someday We'll All be Free" and "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry (parts 1 & 2)".

Perhaps Donny Hathaway's greatest album from the 70s, and certainly the one with the most amazing arrangements! The record was Donny's last studio session, and it's got him working at a level that's far advanced from even his groundbreaking earlier work – using complicated rhythms and sophisticated string passages – but also throwing in some killer jazzy bits that make for some of his funkiest work ever! The liner notes have Donny showing off his musical training in evaluations of the song structures, but the music alone should be enough to convince you this one is great! Includes "The Slums", a funky rollicking tune that is sort of a follow-up to "The Ghetto"; "Valdez In The Country", a totally catchy instrumental with loads of electric piano, and a very Bob James-esque sound; the jaunty "Flying Easy"; and the spiritual soul cuts "Someday We'll All be Free" and "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry (parts 1 & 2)".

Amazing stuff from Isaac Hayes! Although Ike had first appeared on LP with the album "Introducing", this was the first record to really expose his true soul genius – and it was also the first release on Ike's successful sub-label at Stax, Enterprise Records. The record shows that for all the years Ike was working away on other folks' songs for Stax, he was carefully cooking up his own style of soul that would forever change the way we think about the music. Back in 1969, the album must have blown more than a few minds for its incredibly baroque approach to soul music – taking common elements like strings, piano, and funky rhythms, and stretching them out into long waves of sound that cycle over and over, working a sly subtle magic along with Ike's super-sexy vocals, and his monologue-heavy approach to popular tunes. The album features incredible remakes of pop hits "Walk On By" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" – both of which run for over 10 minutes, and which completely transform the songs into something way more than simple radio fodder. Also features the psychedelic soul masterpiece "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", which has this crazy funky piano, and a messed-up sound that would make even George Clinton weep!

A pair of funky soul sets from the early 80s by Junie – Bread Alone and 5 back-to-back in one set! Bread Alone is a nice batch of slicked up funk – not as crazy has his stoned-out albums on Westbound, but just as great overall! There's plenty of 80s bass pedal whomping in the mix, but production's nice and smooth, with some good doses of soul that keep the record from being a silly throwaway funk effort. Junie's actually written some pretty tight grooves for this one – and the tracks have more catchy lines and honest lyrics than we can remember from earlier albums. Tracks include "Nagual's Theme", "Funky Parts", "Seaman First Class", "Bread Alone", "Why", "Love Has Taken Me Over (Be My Baby)" and "Apple Song". Junie moves the groove a bit more into cosmic boogie and even a little bit of early rap styled funk on 5 – with synthy grooves, rubbery bass lines, and some surprisingly tender twists and turns, too! A stylistically varied, but pretty solid little set from Junie! With the tracks "Rappin About Rappin", "Jarr The Ground", "Last One To Know", and "5".

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the time and place of the record, yet also help it transcend so many other standard soul modes of the period too! Arrangements are wonderfully complex – as you'll hear on the classic groovers "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" and "Date With The Rain" – each very different numbers, but both a showcase for Kendricks' wonderful vocal approach. Other titles include the progressive "People Hold On" – plus "I'm On The Sideline", "Day By Day", "If You Let Me", "Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart", and "Someday We'll Have A Better World".

A truly amazing album – unlike anything Eddie Kendricks ever did before, or since – and one of those records that really helped shape the sound of soul in the 70s! The music is as rich and powerful as the image on the cover – with some righteous undercurrents that really mark the time and place of the record, yet also help it transcend so many other standard soul modes of the period too! Arrangements are wonderfully complex – as you'll hear on the classic groovers "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" and "Date With The Rain" – each very different numbers, but both a showcase for Kendricks' wonderful vocal approach. Other titles include the progressive "People Hold On" – plus "I'm On The Sideline", "Day By Day", "If You Let Me", "Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart", and "Someday We'll Have A Better World".

Tight 80s soul from Kleeer – one of the group's standout classics, and a set that's produced with kind of a jazzy finish by Deodato, who also plays some nice keyboards on the record! The Kleeer sound is at its height here – tight, warm, and filled with great harmonies on the vocals – which are then underpinned by a lot of keyboards and bass pedal work, yet in a way that never overwhelms the vocals. The balance is beautiful – at a level that few other groups ever seemed to reach – and there's plenty of hooks that keep things catchy throughout. Titles include "Go For It", "Intimate Connections", "Next Time It's For Real", "Tonight", "Do You Want To", and "Break".

A beautiful batch of gospel work from Shirley Ann Lee – a vocalist who originally worked the spiritual circuit in a trio with Candi Staton! The album's an unusual one – put together partly as a way of promoting Shirley's music to a larger audience – which means it's got a few spoken bits that kind of introduce her with cool musical backings, then roll into the songs themselves – which are often a very bluesy version of gospel – recorded with earthy instrumentation that really brings out the deep soul in her vocals! There's a nicely offbeat quality to the record – and in addition to 6 rare singles, the set also features 10 more that have never been issued before. Titles include "All I Have To Depend On", "There's A Light", "How Can I Lose", "Someday", "Stay On Your Knees", "Get Back", "I've Got To Make It", and "Blessed Quietness".

Near-perfect work from Barbara Lewis – one of our favorite female talents of the 60s – and an artist whose blend of soul and sophistication went onto influence a huge generation of singers in years to come! The album's a key collaboration with Detroit producer Ollie McLaughlin – who keeps things in a different mode from the usual Motor City style – balancing out the rhythms a bit more, going for some great mellow and midtempo numbers that really help unlock the best qualities in Barbara's amazing voice! She's got a style that's high, yet never "little girl" – as might be said of some of her contemporaries – and this approach is heard to great effect on the album's two classics "Baby I'm Yours" and "Hello Stranger". But like all McLaughlin work of the time, the whole thing's wonderful – not a bit of filler at all – and other cuts include "Snap Your Fingers", "Someday We're Gonna Be Lovers Again", "My Heart Went Do Da Dat", "Come Home", and "Think A Little Sugar".

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me". This expanded CD also includes 2 live tracks recorded in Long Beach – versions of "Deja Vu" and "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus the bonus track "Square Biz", done in an instrumental version. All written & produced by Teena, too!

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 landmark album from Freda Payne! Freda had been knocking around a bit as a more jazz-oriented singer, and had cut one album for Impulse and one for MGM before this one – but when she hooked up with the hitmaking Holland-Dozier-Holland team for this record, her career really went over the top! The team take Payne's deep soulful voice away from the sophisticated pop of earlier years, and hook it up with a mix of fuzzy Detroit soul and sweeter southern styles. The album includes loads of great cuts – most notably the sublime crossover hit "Band of Gold", but also plenty of other lesser-known gems, like "The Easiest Way to Fall", "Unhooked Generation", "Deeper and Deeper", and "This Girl Is a Woman Now". Her best by far!

Killer early work from Freda Payne – an early album recorded for MGM many years before her later hit "Band Of Gold" – and a set with a great mix of soul and jazz modes, all arranged by the mighty Benny Golson! The record's got a really classy feel – one that has a lot more poise than some of Freda's later soul, and shows elements of the jazz she'd bring more to the forefront on Impulse Records. Yet Golson's backings also still keep plenty of soul in the mix too – using full arrangements to almost give Payne an uptown soul sound, with a heavy groove on some of the album's most memorable numbers. Titles include "San Juan", "I Don't Love You Anymore", "Too Late", "You Never Should Have Loved Me", "Feeling Good", "It's Here For You", "If You Loved Me", and "Sad Sad September".

It's a few years after Freda's big hit "Band of Gold", and she's recording here in a very different mode! The record is produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, with arrangements by a number of different talents, like McKinley Jackson, Tony Camillo, and Michael Smith – and the overall sound is much more sophisticated than on some of Freda's earlier work. The vocals are especially sharp – quite mature, and almost in a mode that points towards later work by singers like Jean Carn or Marlena Shaw during the late 70s. Includes the nice midtempo groover "We've Gotta Find A Way Back To Love", worth the price of the album alone – plus "Mood For Love", "Reaching Out", "Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right", "Mother Misery's Favorite Child", and "Right Back Where I Started From".

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 great bit of bassy funk with a sweet 80s feel – one that steps out with lots of heavy pedal action right from the start, then brightens up with great jazzy riffs once things get going! There's plenty of "wheeet" keyboards in the mix, and the vocals have a playful back/forth style that's nicely old school – mixed with some vocoder bits too, which even furthers the electro sound of the cut!

A great step into the 80s for The Pointer Sisters – a record that has them bringing in themes that are a bit more soulful than some of their previous efforts! The album's still got all the big crossover potential of their other hits – but the groove's got a solidly soulful vibe overall – plenty catchy, and with some great 80s elements bubbling underneath – more than enough to freshen up their sound, and give the trio great new territory to work through! Titles include the mega-hit "Slow Hand" – plus "Sweet Lover Masn", "We're Gonna Make It", "What A Surprise", "Got To Find Love", "Fall In Love Again", "Should I Do It", and "Someday We'll Be Together". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Holding Out For Love" and "What A Surprise (original edit)".

A pretty great little live set – recorded in Central Park in the late 60s, before a very large crowd! Lou sounds great, as always – and the Ramsey Lewis material is very much in the spirit of the live mid 60s Cadet recordings. Maxine Brown is the real treat, though, as the live setting is quite a contrast to her more staid sides for Wand. Maxine sings "In The Midnight Hour" and "Soul Serenade", Lou Sings "They Don't Give Medals", "Tobacco Road", and "On Broadway", and Ramsey plays "Salute To Ray Charles", "Hang On Sloopy", and "Goin Out Of My Head".

Della swings it hard this live set from the 60s – with backing from John Cotter, in a style that's jazzy, bouncy, and swinging! Even the mellower tracks are done in a tightly snapping style that's every bit the best approach that Della brought to vocals – a bit of soul in the undercurrent, and a catchy upbeat mode that makes even the odder tunes come across well. Titles include "Misty", "Comes Once In A Lifetime", "His Eye Is On The Sparrow", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Someday", and "If Ever I Would Leave You".

A great mix of symphonic disco and Latin hustle – one of the more compelling moments from The Rice & Beans Orchestra, served up with some tight arrangements by Hector Garrido! There's a nice blend of New York and Miami modes going on here – and the proceedings are largely instrumental, with some standout instrumental solos amidst the larger orchestrations – augmented by enough conga work to make things kick nicely on the best numbers! Titles include "Vereda Tropical", "Blue Danube Hustle", "Our Love Concerto", "Symphonic Salsa", "Catano Ferry", "Rice & Beans Theme", and "Disco Dancing".

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".

Fierce funky instrumentals from Motown keyboardist Earl Van Dyke – a set that's overflowing with great original tracks, plus some sweet funky covers too! The style here is quite different than Earl's previous work – and quite different from most of Motown too – with a hard-edged approach to the grooves that's much more like the work going on in the funky 45 underground on other labels – especially on the drums, which often snap nicely and give the album a great breaking sort of sound! The set was recorded live at the Hi Chapparal club in Detroit, with audience noise dubbed in later – and titles include "The Flick", "Cissy Strut", "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again", "Fuschia Moods", "The Stingray", "The Whip a Rang", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".

A long-overdue reissue – both of Cedar Walton's fusion albums for Columbia – back to back on a single CD! Animation is one of Cedar Walton's mid 70s funky jazz efforts – acoustic keys often traded for electric piano, grooving with a funky bigger band, almost in a Ramsey Lewis mode – a really great shift that makes the record a nice change from the usual Walton groove! Cedar's a lot busier on the keys than Ramsey was at the time, though – not as kicked-back Fender Rhodes as he is keeping up a tight and soulful fusion groove. The approach is quite different from Walton's other albums of earlier years, but actually works quite well – and the album's a tasty set of smoother soul and funk-infused numbers, with a hint of Brazilian touches as well! Tracks include "Another Star", "Charmed Circle", "Jacob's Ladder", "Precious Mountain", "If It Could Happen", and "Ala Eduardo". Soundscapes is brilliant work from Cedar Walton – a wonderful bit of soulful fusion from the crucially overlooked late 70s years of Columbia Jazz. The album's got a blend of soul and jazz that's similar to work at the time by Bobby Hutcherson or Freddie Hubbard – occasional vocals, larger lusher production, and a style that was really well suited to bringing together the best of fusion and soul, without resorting to tricks or gimmicks. The album's filled with really wonderful cuts that are completely unlike most of Walton's other work – and which show him to be an amazing talent in the soul end of the spectrum, not just in the soul jazz one that we're used to. Tunes are wonderful, arrangements are brilliant – and the album manages to be smooth without losing any depth. Titles include the great groover "Latin America", plus "Warm To The Touch", "NPS", "Sixth Avenue", and "Naturally".

A teeny-tiny Philly label, but a pretty great one too – home to just a handful of singles, but most of them the kind of rare soul sides that keep us digging over the years! The package features nearly ever key release on Lash – a mix of male soul numbers, group sides, and some sweet female numbers – all recorded over the space of a decade on the Philly scene – showing a great evolution over the years in style! All selections were originally produced by Howard Ravitsky, who owned the label, and definitely improved his chops along the way – and titles include "Get Goin" and "Tell Me" by Lee Johnson, "Here She Comes Now" by Sonny Fulton, "The Guy" by Fannie & The Varcells, "I'm Not The Only One" by Tommy White, "Don't Start That Again" by The Swans, "Inside O Me" by Honey & The Bees, "Treat Myself To A New Love" and "I'm Cuttin In" by The Inspirations, "I'm Happy Without You" by Anny Byers, "Got No Time" by Timmy Carr, "I Can Give You Love" by Benny Sigler, "Give Me What You're Givin Her" by Alfreda Brockington, and "He Brought Sunshine Into My Life" by Patty Hamilton. CD features 30 tracks in all, and full notes on the label.

They're not lying about the title on this one – as the package definitely overflows with deep disco and boogie! But even more importantly, the whole thing's plenty darn rare, too – really killer tracks that we haven't seen compiled elsewhere – and which really represent the cream of the crop of the underground 12" scene in the late 70s and early 80s. Most numbers are nice and long, and veer towards the warmer sounds of the late disco era, rather than the harder sounds in the decade to come – a great reminder that there's still plenty of soulful club gems out there if you know where to look – and in that respect, this compilation's a great place to do so. Titles include "You Don't Care" by China Burton, "Live For Love (12" Extended Mix)" by GC Cameron, "Hot Thang" by Cash, "Bumpsie's Whipping Cream (Savares Mix)" by TJ James & The Fist-O-Funk Orchestra, "I Need You" by Ricky Womack, "Don't Fight The Feeling (12" Mix)" by Master Force, "Closer" by Chemistry, and "Brotherson" by Ojeda Penn.

The title definitely gets it right – as the set's filled with post-Motown gems from Detroit – a wealth of wonderful sounds from the Hot Wax/Invictus labels – almost all of it produced by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team! The music here represents the next evolution of Detroit soul in the years after the initial wave of Motown – music that still carries a lot of the spirit of before, and some of the style (given that HDH were working for the company) – but which also pushes things forward with a prouder, more righteous sound as well! The CD features a heady 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Trapped In A Love" by Barrino Brothers, "Something New About You" by Silent Majority, "Let's Change The Subject" by Satisfaction Unlimited, "Tighten Him Up" by Eloise Laws, "Nothing Sweeter Than Love" by 100 Proof, "Only Time Will Tell" by General Johnson, "Deeper & Deeper" by Freda Payne, "Just As Long" by The 8th Day, "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Honey Cone, "Two Can Be As Lonely As One" by Danny Woods, and "Bright City Lights" by Satisfaction Unlimited.

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. Titles include "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers. 2LP version features 6 bonus tracks – all instrumental – including "Good Lovin (inst)", "I Love You Baby (inst)", "Darling I'll Go (inst)", and "Am I A Good Man (inst)" by The Deep City Band – and "Stay Away From My Johnny (inst)" and "Good Thing (part 2) (inst)" by The Rocketeers.

Hard-hitting Harlem soul – a sweet selection of indie singles from the late 60s and early 70s – most of which are light years away from the mainstream! The sound of many cuts here is quite unique – elements of soul modes of the era, but swirled up and spit out in really fresh ways – often with a bit of grit in the grooves, and some unusual, offbeat production, instrumentation, and rhythms – all of which help keep things cool throughout! We'll be honest in saying that we'd hardly heard most of these singles before, and only knew a few of the artists – but there's a wealth of wonderful music to discover in the package – all quite different than you might find on other funk or soul collections, with almost the revelatory approach we're used to getting from the Numero Group. CD features track-by-track notes on the tunes – and titles include "I'll Do It For You" by Little Willie, "She Said I'd Be A Failure" by Clarence Ashe, "I Pray To Keep Our Love Strong" by Johnnie & Joe, "I Got A Feeling" by Dicky & Billy, "24 Hours Of The Day" by The Gillettes, "Stay Away From My Baby" by Taffie Lee, "Dancing In A Dream World" by Jimmy & Arthur, "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Miss Johnnie, "You Needn't Tell Me" by Sity & James, "I Won't Ever Try To Change You" by Henry Hodge, "Money & All Your Love" by Freda Allyne, and "It Doesn't Matter" by Niece Dezel.

Soulful luxury at a mighty nice price – 3CDs and 35 tracks of music from both the contemporary underground, and back in the day! The package is one of the best so far in this annual series – and like the others, it has a great way of turning up unusual numbers we might have missed otherwise – some subtle gems and overlooked sleepers, which makes the package as much of a place for new discovery as it is a musical bargain. Titles include "So Inspired" by Big Brooklyn Red, "Suddenly" by Adriana Evans, "On The Rebound" by Dave Appell & Friends, "When I Think Of You" by Holloway & John Whitehead, "Rise" by Beggar & Co, "Someday We'll All Be Free (Yam Who rmx)" by Diplomats Of Soul, "Just Like Me" by Junk Funk, "Major Bossa" by Khari Simmons, "Loving You" by Soul Talk, "Believe" by Lady Alma, "Blown Away" by Kevin Leo, "Time For The Party" by Sheree Brown, "Taste of Your Love" by Valentine Brothers, and "Dime" by Kloud 9.

Souvenirs and memories – music that's mostly of more recent vintage, but which features a host of artists you'll know from way way back! The music here is mostly from the end of the 80s and start of the 90s – despite the wider date range in the title – and most tracks feature older Detroit soul singers, making a fresh stake with some slightly contemporary styles, at least for that time – yet still mostly sticking to the classic modes that made them so great in the first place! The approach is that used heavily by the Motorcity label at the time – and offers a great new showcase for talents that were sadly overlooked at the time. Titles include "Wholeheartedly" by Ronnie McNeir, "Surrender" by Bettye Lavette, "Man Up In The Sky" by Johnny Bristol, "Separation" by Pat Lewis, "Memories & Souvenirs" by Freda Payne, "Romantic Number" by Billy Griffin, "Real True Loving" by Edwin Starr, "Moment Of Weakness" by Syreeta, "All Over The World" by Chuck Jackson, and "Standing Still" by The Monitors.

The first ever compilation of the best music made for MoWest – the eclectic, but still soulful cuts made when Berry Gordy Jr. relocated from Motown to the west coast in the early 70s – releasing cool and sometimes strange music with a soul background, yet toasted by LA sunshine! The MoWest subsidiary lasted just a few years, and gets overlooked in the canonization of Motown at it's most classic and revolutionary – but the legacy is pretty incredible. Funk, sunshine rock and soul fused adventurously by a stunningly diverse roster – late period Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (who's comp-opening track is a slept on sunshine pop-soul classic), breezy-jazzy-soul from Odyssey, the sister funk of Sisters Love, a stunning solo left turn from Spinners singer GC Cameron and more great stuff from Syreeta, The Commodores, Suzee Ikeda, Thelma Houston and others. We've been dying for a well selected MoWest comp like this for years, and Light In The Attic stepped to the plate and knock it right out of the park. The songs choices are great, the notes are great. . .everything about it is a win. Essential! Includes "You're A Song (That I Can't Sing)" and "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love" and "Broken Road" by Odyssey, "Don't You Be Worried" by The Commodores, "A Heart Is A House" Nu Page, "I Ain't Going Nowhere" by Thelma Houston, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Suzee Ikeda, "You've Got To Make The Choice" and "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love and more.

A pretty impressive testament to the songwriting of Skip Scarborough – a great compilations of soaringly soulful numbers he wrote from some of the best and biggest soul & R&B singers and groups of the late 70s onward! The set is pretty heavily weighted with numbers from the last couple years of the 70s, with a few from the 80s and later gem or 2 – songs by Earth Wind & Fire, Phyllis Hyman, Freda Payne, Syreeta, LTD, Creative Source, Bobby Humphrey, Patti Labelle, The Emotions and more. A good deal of it is in the somewhat laidback, yet purely soulful and sophisticated style – but his songwriting talent has quite a reach, from string-laden disco era dancefloor soul to boogie, tduets fodder and well beyond. A very well chosen set! Includes "Lover To Lover" by Maxi Anderson, "Earth Wind & Fire" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Funky Luvah" by Creative Source, "Tell Me Please" by Freda Payne, "Love Changes" by Mother's Finest, "Can't Hide Love" by Dionne Warwick, "Don't Ask My Neighbors" by The Emotions, "Dancin To Keep From Cryin" by Bobby Humphrey and more. 18 tracks in all.

Classic breaks – all the way through! This may not be the most underground stuff in the world to those out there who've been digging through crates for funk and soul for the past ten years, but it is an exquisite compilation that features some of the best funky tracks used as samples by hip hoppers, nearly every one of them a famous cut that you'll probably recognize in a minute! Titles include "I Like It" by The Emotions, "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "Hard Times" by Baby Huey, "Ghetto: Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black, "Kool Is Back" by Funk Inc, "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines, "Heaven & Hell" by 20th Century Steel Band, "Unhooked Generation" by Freda Payne, "Papa Was, Too" by Joe Tex, "Just A Groove In G" by Wilbur Bascomb & The Zodiac, "Be Thankful For What You Got" by William De Vaughn, and "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. 18 cuts in all!

This one continues the sound of the group's previous album on Tabu – lots of slap-bass funk, touched with electro bits, coming off surprisingly nicely overall! The instrumentation's mostly from keyboards and bass pedals – and the vocals are a bit buried in the mix, but there's some mellower tunes that have some honest leads with an indie sound. Titles include "Upside Down", "Ooh Ahh", "The Bus", "Get Closer", "True Love", and "By My Side".

One of the greatest harmony soul albums to ever come out of Chicago – a sublime batch of tracks that showed that the mighty talents of The Lost Generation could easily match the best vocal group work coming out of the east coast at the time! The sound here is somewhere in the moody, mellow territory of early Moments or Whatnauts – tunes that are steeped in older vocal group traditions, but turned towards a more badass mode for the 70s – a style that still keeps some sweet and fragile aspects in tact, but which also has a great undercurrent of darkness too! The group get some great help in the studio here from arranger Tom Washington, bandleader Willie Henderson, and producer Eugene Record – the last of whom was already figuring out how to record vocals wonderfully with his own group, The Chi-Lites. Titles include the group's amazing single "The Sly The Slick & The Wicked" – recorded with an amazing echoey feel that's worth the price of the album alone! Other tracks include a few remakes of tunes from their contemporary harmony competitors – with ttles that include "Love Land", "Love on a Two Way Street", "Someday", "Sorry I Can't Help You", "You're So Young But You're So True", "Wait A Minute", and "Give Me Just a Little More Time".

Dionne Warwick's last Bacharach album for Scepter Records. Burt's still very much at the helm on Very Dionne – working with Warwick in an ever-maturing mode that's expanded a bit with some help on arrangements from Marty Paich and Larry Wilcox. The mood is adult, but still has some of the dreamier touches of early pop days – and the Bacharach compositions are among some of the best of the bunch, and include "Walk The Way You Talk", "Check Out Time", "The Green Grass Starts To Grow", and "They Don't Give Medals To Yesterday's Heroes".

Ben E King joins the Average White Band for this sweet 70s set – a killer record that not only stands as one of King's best efforts of the decade, but one that also gives the group a great new frontman! Ben's not the only singer on the record, but his presence here can definitely be felt – deepening up the grooves nicely, and giving the already-great AWB sound an even more badass feel! Titles include the classic "Star In The Ghetto", a funky remake of "What Is Soul", an earlier hit for King – plus "Keepin It To Myself", "Imagine", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Get It Up For Love", and "The Message".

The beginning of an empire! This was the first solo album cut by the now-famous Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds – cut after years of work in the music business that included stints in the groups Manchild and The Deele, and lots of production work for other LA soul acts. The record's kind of a rougher version of the modern R&B style that you'll know from Babyface's big hits of the early 90s – more in the style of some of the Solar Records acts of the early 80s, and some of the other big keyboard/bass pedal bands on the market at the time. The real contribution, though, is Kenny's ability to infuse the whole thing with soul – taking these tinny little tracks and making them come out kind of sweet, not only through his famous production, but through his faltering vocal style, which is about the most honest-sounding aspect of the record. Titles include "Lovers", "Marry Mack", "If We Try", "Take Your Time", and a cover of "You Make Me Feel Brand New".

A stone classic from this famous Chicago spiritual leader of the 70s – and an album that's got a nice balance between intimate soul numbers and larger tracks that have the whole Mount Zion Baptist Church along for support! The set's definitely got the strongly soulful vibe of Barrett's Like A Ship album – a strong ear for the best secular elements of the time, which are used liberally in the instrumental backing – to really send home the message in the music! Most tunes really soft-pedal the religion, and instead go for an overall feel that really crosses over to regular soul music – a fact we can attest to, given how many times we turn this up in older collections of 70s soul records. Titles include "Do Not Pass Me By", "So Many Years", "Oh What A Day", "I Want To Be In Love With You", "These Are The Words", and "After The Rain".

Not really a set of funky 45s – despite the title – but a good selection of instrumental numbers with a hard New Orleans groove. The style of most of this stuff predates the funk era by a few years, but Booker's touch on the organ is very tasty – and the cuts have a nice feel that's kind of like stuff on the Sue label from the same time. Unfortunately, many of the tracks seem to be mastered from vinyl (even though the whole set's on the up-and-up) – so you might think you're actually listening to a funky 45 – but the musical quality's strong enough to override that factor in most parts. Titles include "Tubby (parts 1 & 2)", "The Duck", "Big Nick", "Beale Street Popeye", "Kinda Happy", and "Smacksie".

A pair of albums from saxophonist Wilton Felder – back to back on a single CD! We All Have A Star offers up solo sounds from Crusaders reedman Wilton Felder – a really great set that's very much in the best vibe of his larger group at the time – yet one that also offers up a stronger focus on Wilton's sublime solo work on tenor! The album's got plenty of Crusaders help on board – given that Stix Hooper and Joe Sample produced the set along with Wilton – and the vibe's a wonderful blend of electric backings, with especially great keyboard lines, and Felder's well-phrased saxophone lines over the top! A few cuts feature vocals – sung by Angela Bryant or Debbie Demoia Ross – and titles include "We All Have A Star", "I Know Who I Am", "The Cycles Of Time", "Why Believe", "Ride On", and "You & Me & Ecstasy". Inherit The Wind is one of the best Crusaders-related solo projects – a soulful bit of fusion from saxophonist Wilton Felder, co-produced with his fellow Crusaders! The album's got the best sunny finish of the group's late 70s albums – traces of Latin, funk, and soul bubbling through a warm jazzy mix – staying soulful all the way through, and coming up with a sound that's smooth, but never sleepy. The blueprint for a million other records – none of which ever sounded this good! Titles include "Insight", "LA Light", "Until The Morning Comes", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Inherit The Wind".

Completely sublime grooves from GQ – a second set that's almost even better than their first – thanks to perfect production, and wicked rhythms that are right on the money, track after track! The group start the set with a flurry of upbeat grooves that really show the full potential of ensemble funk at the end of the 70s – tight cuts that steer far from any disco or dancefloor cliches, and which have a bass-heavy sound that's completely infectious! Then, they flip things over with an equally great batch of ballads – mellow cuts that show that the group can handled the slower side of the tempo scale too – a perfect balance that really earns them the class you'd guess from a name like GQ. The set features a killer remake of Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park", plus the cuts "Standing Ovation", "Is It Cool", "Someday In Your Life", "Lies", "GQ Down", "Don't Stop This Feeling", and "Reason For The Season". CD features great bonus tracks – "Reason For The Season (12" version)", and "Standing Ovation (single version)".

Freddie Jackson was certainly one of the biggest new soul stars of the 80s – and this debut LP is still a treasure! Freddie's got a skill that transcends his age – with an approach that's decidedly 80s, but classic enough to last for years and years. The songs on the record are all extremely well-written, and although the arrangements have certain elements that might date – like DX7, drum machine beats, and floppy bass pedal riffing – the quality of the work is super-high all around, and Freddie's rich soul vocals hold everything together perfectly. Catchy tunes abound – and tracks include "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)", "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)", "Calling", "I Wanna Say I Love You", and "You Are My Lady".

A smash hit from Silver Convention – thanks to the dark pop disco hit "Get Up & Boogie", the leadoff tune on this surprisingly strong set! The strength of the album really comes from the masterful blend of strings, beats, and piano from arranger/producer/keyboardist Silvester Levay – who manages to keep a lot of space in the grooves, and create a sense of darkness in places you wouldn't expect – almost a coldness that predates the European dancefloor sound of the 80s, barely warmed up at all by the trio of ladies singing lead vocals. Titles include "Get Up & Boogie", "Play Me Like A Yo Yo", "No No Joe", "Old Wine In New Bottles", "Thank You Mr DJ", and "You Turned Me On By You Can't Turn Me Off".

Funky 45s galore – a treasure trove of rare singles all pulled from the legendary Brunswick Records! The label's probably best known for its string of hits and big albums in the late 60s and early 70s – but during that time, the company also cut some killer material that never got the credit it was due – sublime soul and furious funk that easily stands with the best Chicago work coming out at the time! Some of the artists here scored big with hits for Brunswick, but most of them are folks you might not know at all – at least not from these recordings, which are all pretty darn rare – and hardly the stuff you'll find on other Brunswick compilations – or other rare soul sets for that matter too! Titles include "Do The Whoopie" by Sugar Pie DeSanto, "Your Love Controls My World" by Johnny Williams, "Stay With Me Baby" by BW & The Next Edition, "Tell Me" by Rocky Roberts & The Airedales, "You Brought Out The Good In Me" by Otis Leavill, "Do The Tighten Up" by Major Lance, "Chip Off The Old Block" by Johnny Jones & The Casual, "Come Over To My Side" by Billy Butler, and "Getting Nowhere Fast" by Floyd Smith.

A greatest hits two-fer – made even greater with the addition of 27 bonus tracks! First up is Invictus' Greatest Hits – heavy soul from the house of Holland-Dozier-Holland – some of the best bits from their Invictus powerhouse label of the early 70s – definitely a scene-setting imprint at the time! Invictus had some of the deepest grooves ever recorded by the trio – heavy, rumbling bottom sounds – soaring vocal passages – and production that took the Motown lessons of the late 60s to a whole new level. The package is overflowing with gems – and titles include "Crumbs Off The Table" by The Glass House, "Band Of Gold" and "Bring The Boys Home" by Freda Payne, "Give Me Just A Little More Time" and "Everything's Tuesday" by The Chairmen Of The Board, "You've Got To Crawl" and "She's Not Just Another Woman" by The 8th Day, and "I Had It All" by The Barrino Brothers. Hot Wax Greatest Hits is a great collection of some of the best numbers from the Hot Wax label of the early 70s – second generation Detroit soul that really set the standard for the 70s! The tunes here were massive back in the day – blasting out of juke boxes, car radios, and a fair bit of home stereos too – all for good reason, given the care and balance the Holland-Dozier-Holland team brought to their work in the studio, and their ears for selecting singers to handle the work. Titles include "Want Ads" and "Stick Up" by Honey Cone, "Somebody's Been Sleepin" and "Too Many Cooks" by 100 Proof Aged In Soul, "Westbound #9" and "Mind Body & Soul" by Flaming Ember, "Woman's Love Rights" by Laura Lee "Women's Love Rights", and "Frightened Girl" by Silent Majority. 2CD set also features 27 bonus tracks that include "Somebody's Gonna Hurt You" by Lee Charles, "Colors Of My Love" by The Silent Majority, "Love Machine" by The Politicians, "Touch Me" by Eloise Laws, "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Ty Hunter, "Wanting You" by Earl English, "That's Love" by The Hi-Lites, "Can't Get Enough Of You" by Tyrone Edwards, "I Need It Just As Bad As You" by Laura Lee, "VIP" by Scherrie Payne, "Guess I'm Gonna Cry" by New York Port Authority, "Something New About You" by Silent Majority, and "You Too Me From A World Outside" by Lee Charles.

Soulful luxury at a mighty nice price – 3CDs and 35 tracks of music from both the contemporary underground, and back in the day! The package is one of the best so far in this annual series – and like the others, it has a great way of turning up unusual numbers we might have missed otherwise – some subtle gems and overlooked sleepers, which makes the package as much of a place for new discovery as it is a musical bargain. Titles include "So Inspired" by Big Brooklyn Red, "Suddenly" by Adriana Evans, "On The Rebound" by Dave Appell & Friends, "When I Think Of You" by Holloway & John Whitehead, "Rise" by Beggar & Co, "Someday We'll All Be Free (Yam Who rmx)" by Diplomats Of Soul, "Just Like Me" by Junk Funk, "Major Bossa" by Khari Simmons, "Loving You" by Soul Talk, "Believe" by Lady Alma, "Blown Away" by Kevin Leo, "Time For The Party" by Sheree Brown, "Taste of Your Love" by Valentine Brothers, and "Dime" by Kloud 9.

A massive amount of classic sample tracks – all funky nuggets pulled from the legendary catalog of Stax Records! The set's the first American set we've ever seen to pay tribute to Stax from this perspective – and alongside a well-chosen batch of tunes, all remastered for the set, the collection also features track-by-track notes that tell the importance and revival of all the tunes within – helping identify later uses of the original grooves, while still showing plenty of respect for the originals! Titles include "Humpin" by The Bar-Kays, "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black, "Why Marry" by Sweet Inspirations, "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MGs, "Hung Up On My Baby" and "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes, "Get Up & Get Down" by The Dramatics, "I Forgot To Be Your Lover" by William Bell, "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, "As Long As I've Got You" by Charmels, "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter, "After The Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, and "Packed Up & Took My Mind" by Little Milton.

A tasty set that compiles tracks from Donny's three albums on Atco, plus a single, and two tracks from his work with Roberta Flack. The latter includes successful AOR ballads "You've Got A Friend" and "Where Is The Love", and Donny album cuts include "The Ghetto", "Valdez In The Country", and "Giving Up". Also includes the excellent holiday tune "This Christmas", which was only ever issued as a 45, for a total of 9 numbers in all, this set also includes "You Were Meant For Me", "A Song For You", "Someday We'll All Be Free" and "Giving Up"

Probably the biggest album ever from the brother/sister team of Katreese and Jerry Barnes – working here as Juicy, in a sweet smooth 80s groove style that's mighty nice! Deodato produced the album, and it's similar to some of the other soul material he was handling in the 80s – slick and sparkling, but with a sweet jazzy touch that keeps things a lot more real than on other soul albums from the time. The Barnes siblings handle all vocals and instruments – and the record has a sweet poppy duet style that's perhaps a bit dated, but also kind of due for a revival. Features the group's great slow jam hit "Sugar Free", with lots of excellent bass pedal jamming – plus "Stay With Me", "Slow Dancing", "It Takes Two", and "Nobody But You". CD features some nice 12" bonus tracks – including "Sugar Free (Deo/super dance mix)", "Nobody But You (Deo rmx)", "Bad Boy (dub)", "Sugar Free (Deo/radio rmx)", and "Nobody But You (Deo dub)".

A landmark album from Freda Payne! Freda had been knocking around a bit as a more jazz-oriented singer, and had cut one album for Impulse and one for MGM before this one – but when she hooked up with the hitmaking Holland-Dozier-Holland team for this record, her career really went over the top! The team take Payne's deep soulful voice away from the sophisticated pop of earlier years, and hook it up with a mix of fuzzy Detroit soul and sweeter southern styles. The album includes loads of great cuts – most notably the sublime crossover hit "Band of Gold", but also plenty of other lesser-known gems, like "The Easiest Way to Fall", "Unhooked Generation", "Deeper and Deeper", and "This Girl Is a Woman Now". Her best by far!

A totally great album from Freda Payne – a set that moves strongly past her initial early hits for the Holland Dozier Holland team, into a realm that's even more sophisticated overall! There's a full approach here that's really wonderful – almost a higher-concept version of soul music, yet still with all the punch that Payne packed on her key singles from the first album! Strings and larger arrangements really round out the sound in a very unique way – but the whole thing's still plenty soulful all the way through, with a righteous undercurrent that definitely lives up to the HDH legacy – thanks to arrangements from McKinley Jackson and HB Barnum. Freda's vocals are wonderful – even more powerful than before – and titles include "I'm Not Getting Any Better", "The Road We Didn't Take", "Odds & Ends", "I Shall Not Be Moved", "Mama's Gone", "Suddenly It's Yesterday", "You Brought The Joy", and "You've Got To Love Somebody (Let It Be Me)". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "He's In My Life", "You Brought The Joy (single version)", "Just A Woman", "Come Back", "Band Of Gold (alt)", "Deeper & Deeper (single version)", "You're The Only Bargain I've Got", and "How Can I Live Without My Life".

A brilliant testament to the righteous power of soul music in the civil rights era – and key proof that even a subtle message could do a lot back in the day! The package presents the work in roughly chronological order – starting from a time when politics had to be peddled softly, and moving towards a time when things could be a bit more explicit – showing a great evolution of themes of pride and power, offered up in tunes both familiar and obscure. The collection is way more than a "hip hits of the 60s" sort of set – and acts almost as a mini-documentary of the contributions of soul music to civil rights – supported by a great set of notes and photos in the booklet. We're especially happy to see the track "Have You Ever Seen The Blues" by Yaphet Kotto – alongside 22 more titles that include "Blues For Mr Charlie" by Lou Gosset & Joe Lee Wilson, "The Ghetto" by Homer Banks, "We're A Winner" by The Impressions, "When Will We Be Paid" by The Staple Singers, "Oh Lord Why Lord" by Parliament, "Message From A Black Man" by The Spinners, "Run Charlie Run" by The Temptations, "Cryin In The Streets (parts 1 & 2)" by George Perkins & The Silver Stars, "Free At Last" by Jackie Day, "Someday We'll All Be Free" by Donny Hathaway, and "The Prayer" by Ray Scott.

They're not lying about the title on this one – as the package definitely overflows with deep disco and boogie! But even more importantly, the whole thing's plenty darn rare, too – really killer tracks that we haven't seen compiled elsewhere – and which really represent the cream of the crop of the underground 12" scene in the late 70s and early 80s. Most numbers are nice and long, and veer towards the warmer sounds of the late disco era, rather than the harder sounds in the decade to come – a great reminder that there's still plenty of soulful club gems out there if you know where to look – and in that respect, this compilation's a great place to do so. Titles include "You Don't Care (Long Version)" by China Burton, "Live For Love (12" Extended Mix)" by GC Cameron, "Hot Thang" by Cash, "Bumpsie's Whipping Cream (Savares Mix)" by TJ James & The Fist-O-Funk Orchestra, "I Need You" by Ricky Womack, "Don't Fight The Feeling (12" Mix)" by Master Force, "Closer" by Chemistry, and "Brotherson" by Ojeda Penn.

Harmony soul heaven – a wealth of rare soul singles issued by the Mainstream Records family of labels in the 70s – most of which have never been on CD before! Mainstream's best remembered as a jazz imprint from the period, but they also turned out plenty of great soul too – and this collection focuses on their strong talents with male harmony groups, on a wealth of great numbers to rival the more famous names coming out on bigger labels at the time! Most tunes move at a mellow or midtempo pace, but there's a few fuller, funkier numbers too – and tracks include "Talk To The Rain" and "You're So Hard To Forget" by Spring, "Let's Fall In Love" by Spectrum, "That's When He Remembers" by The Preparations, "Has Love Been Here Before" by The Fabulous Determinations, "Come Back With Love (parts 1 & 2)" by Special Delivery, "Someday Somewhere" by The Dramatic Experience, "I Feel It" by Dramatics, "Stop & Think A Minute" by Charles Beverly, and "Love Looks So Good On You" by Larry Rice.

The first ever compilation of the best music made for MoWest – the eclectic, but still soulful cuts made when Berry Gordy Jr. relocated from Motown to the west coast in the early 70s – releasing cool and sometimes strange music with a soul background, yet toasted by LA sunshine! The MoWest subsidiary lasted just a few years, and gets overlooked in the canonization of Motown at it's most classic and revolutionary – but the legacy is pretty incredible. Funk, sunshine rock and soul fused adventurously by a stunningly diverse roster – late period Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons (who's comp-opening track is a slept on sunshine pop-soul classic), breezy-jazzy-soul from Odyssey, the sister funk of Sisters Love, a stunning solo left turn from Spinners singer GC Cameron and more great stuff from Syreeta, The Commodores, Suzee Ikeda, Thelma Houston and others. We've been dying for a well selected MoWest comp like this for years, and Light In The Attic stepped to the plate and knock it right out of the park. The songs choices are great, the notes are great. . .everything about it is a win. Essential! Includes "You're A Song (That I Can't Sing)" and "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love" and "Broken Road" by Odyssey, "Don't You Be Worried" by The Commodores, "A Heart Is A House" Nu Page, "I Ain't Going Nowhere" by Thelma Houston, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Suzee Ikeda, "You've Got To Make The Choice" and "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love and more.

That's almost a hip hop cover on the front – one that would be years ahead of its time – but the record's a great batch of soul from this overlooked group! There's a tightness here that goes way beyond the previous album from Black Ice – a really top-shelf delivery all the way through – of the sort you'd expect to hear from a much bigger act at the time. The album's divided into two sides – a "lover's side" and a "dancer's side" – the latter of which features the band grooving in kind of an 80s club mode, with lots of bass pedals and a smooth funky sound that's not too bad. The real strength, though, is the lover's side – which is sort of an update of the 70s east coast harmony sound, given a smooth modern soul twist, but still retaining the best part of the vocal style, especially on the midtempo cuts. Titles include "I Just Wanna Hold You", "This Time", "Never Knew Love", "Big Fun", and the ode to designer jeans, "Sergios (I Want To Be With You)".

The Temptations' former lead singer's first solo record with a huge 80s groove album, especially considering the mighty title track – the duet with Siedah Garrett and it's sly reggae influenced bassline and crisp popping beat. This is one of those records we appreciate a lot more with the passing of time and with a late appreciation for that bubbling 80s vibe. Era production notes aside, the songs here are quite solid and Dennis's voice brings the true soul! Also includes "(You're My) Aphrodesiac", "Another Place In Tie", "I Thought I Could Handle It", and "Just Like You". This Big Break UK remastered edtion has 4 bonus tracks: "Don't Look Any Further (12" Extended Mix)", "(You're My) Aphrodesiac (Single Version)", "Don't Look Any Further (12" Remix)" and a 12" instrumental version.

Killer work by this fab Chicago soul group – a bunch of young kids, ala The Jackson Five, with sweet soul sound that actually predates the work of Jermaine and Michael and Tito, and which paved the way for countless 70s groups to come! The Five Stairsteps were first discovered by Curtis Mayfield – who wrote and produced a number of tracks on the set – but they had a strength of their own (thanks in part to a young Keni Burke, who was in the group), and continued to grow over the years, changing their sound to fit their expanding ages, and the changing material they needed to cope with the growth in soul in the early 70s. The set's filled with classics – including the super-huge hit "Ooh Child", plus "The Girl I Love", "Behind Curtains", "Come Back", "World Of Fantasy", "You Waited Too Long", "We Must Be in Love", "Oooh, Baby Baby", "Don't Waste Your Time", "Something's Missing", and the break-heavy "Don't Change Your Love".

Sweet funky work from Mtume – a set that's nicely heavy on the keyboards, and which really set a new standard in 80s groove at the time! The keyboards are great, and the basslines are too – and Mtume's jazz roots are still nicely in place here – bringing a bit more sophistication to the tunes than some of his contemporaries, and keeping things catchy and swinging throughout. The set's one of the mighty Mtume/Lucas productions of the time – and titles include the groovy "Juicy Fruit", plus "Hips", "Would You Like To Fool Around", "Green Light", "Hip Dip Skippedabeat", and "Ready For Your Love".

The one and only album from Plush – an early 80s groover that features vocals from a young Siedah Garrett, and lots of help from Rene & Angela too! The group's a trio, mixing Siedah's voice with male singers Tony Phillips and Ambroce Price – a really full, focused vocal approach that works great for the tight grooves from Rene & Angela – who not only produce with Bobby Watson, but also contribute a good number of their own tunes to the set – giving the record a great blend of groovers that are totally catchy, yet never in ways that are too commercial or chart-heavy at all! The balance is a hard one to define, but a crucial one when it comes to 80s soul – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Free & Easy", "We've Got The Love", "Livin For Your Love", "Gonna Get Ya", "Strangers Again", "I Don't Know Where Love Comes From", and "Coast To Coast".

One of the best ever records from Twennynine – produced and arranged by Lenny White & Larry Dunn – jazzy modern soul at it's dawn of the decade finest! Twennynine With Lenny White is way at the front of the pack of a lot of the 80s groove elements to follow in its wake – with popping basslines, heavy bass pedals, compressed guitar riffs and a really insistent overall groove! The record's got a pretty straight R&B feel, but thanks to White's nice production, there's a lot of good fusion elements in the mix – which raises the album a step above, and makes it groove nicely. The group features keyboards by Skip Anderson, doing a great job stepping in for Don Blackman, with lead vocals by Tanya Willoughby, synths by Larry Dunn, percussion by Paulinho De Costa, guitar by Eddie Martinez, bass by Barry Johnson and others. Titles include "My Melody", "Kid Stuff", "Fancy Dancer", "Slip Away", "We Had To Break Away", and "Love & Be Loved".

The birth of Miami soul, and a beautifully done document of the rare Deep City label – home to Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Betty Wright in the years before Alston and TK Records! Way before Miami soul started cracking the charts at the start of the 70s, Deep City was already putting the best parts in place – working with a tight roster of artists and an equally tight in-house band that rose from the ranks of Florida A&M's Marching 100 band – razor-sharp instrumentalists who helped forge a groove worthy to rival the sounds of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and even the best of Detroit at the time – given that some of the work here has a much sweeter soul sound than other 60s southern soul. As usual, the Numero team have done an incredible job with the package – pulling out rare photos, personal stories, and just the right amount of information to breathe new life into the Deep City label and help it live anew. CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Paralyzed" and "Good Lovin" by Betty Wright, "Am I A Good Man" by Them Two, "Someone To Fulfill My Needs" and "I Love You Baby" by The Moovers, "I Am Controlled By Your Love" and "Willing & Able" by Helene Smith, "Good Thing (part 1)" by Frank Williams & The Rocketeers, "It's My Baby" and "The Upset" by Paul Kelly, and "Stay Away From My Johnny" by Freda Gray & The Rocketeers.

A great collection of the classic pop-soul-rock songwriting of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield – very well curated to show how far-reaching their talents are in writing across genres and styles – as well as to more simply play brilliantly as great collection of songs,purely iconic and relatively forgotten ones alike! It's got soul, pop vocal and proto rock icons – Connie Francis, Bobby Darin, The Everly Brothers, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Peggy Lee, Ben E King, The Monkees, Tom Jones, The Tokens, Patti Drew, The Globetrotters, The Tokens and many more – including Neil Sedaka himself! 25 tracks in all: "Stupid Cupid" by Connie Francis, "Keep-A-Walkin'" by Bobby Darin, Calendar Boy" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Get Rid Of Him" by Dionne Warwick, "Foolish Little Girl" by The Cookies, "Magic Colors" by Leslie Gore, "Bewitched" By Peggy Lee, "Walking In The Footsteps Of A Fool" by Ben E King, "Don't Look Over Your Shoulder" by Nanciy Wilson, "You're Knocking Me Out" by Neil Sedaka and more.

Completely sublime grooves from GQ – a second set that's almost even better than their first – thanks to perfect production, and wicked rhythms that are right on the money, track after track! The group start the set with a flurry of upbeat grooves that really show the full potential of ensemble funk at the end of the 70s – tight cuts that steer far from any disco or dancefloor cliches, and which have a bass-heavy sound that's completely infectious! Then, they flip things over with an equally great batch of ballads – mellow cuts that show that the group can handled the slower side of the tempo scale too – a perfect balance that really earns them the class you'd guess from a name like GQ. The set features a killer remake of Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park", plus the cuts "Standing Ovation", "Is It Cool", "Someday In Your Life", "Lies", "GQ Down", "Don't Stop This Feeling", and "Reason For The Season".

A damn funky record – way more so than you might expect from the "string" in the title! The group's kind of an answer to the Soulful Strings ensemble headed by Richard Evans for Cadet/Concept in Chicago – and like that group, it mixes up funky rhythms with some sweet large orchestrations – in a style that's almost a precursor of blacksploitation funk to come in the 70s! Paul Riser handles arrangements – very much in the same spirit of Evans – and he picks up a hip Motown groove that bridges sweeping soul and gritty funk – all played to perfection by an ensemble led by Gordon Staples, and featuring players from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra! There's lots of funky nuggets in the set – and titles include excellent originals like "Strung Out", "Toonie", and "Sounds of the Zodiac" – plus "The April Fools", "The Look Of Love", "Get Down", "If Your Love Were Mine", "Someday We'll Be Together", and "From A Heart That's True To Only You".

A pretty impressive testament to the songwriting of Skip Scarborough – a great compilations of soaringly soulful numbers he wrote from some of the best and biggest soul & R&B singers and groups of the late 70s onward! The set is pretty heavily weighted with numbers from the last couple years of the 70s, with a few from the 80s and later gem or 2 – songs by Earth Wind & Fire, Phyllis Hyman, Freda Payne, Syreeta, LTD, Creative Source, Bobby Humphrey, Patti Labelle, The Emotions and more. A good deal of it is in the somewhat laidback, yet purely soulful and sophisticated style – but his songwriting talent has quite a reach, from string-laden disco era dancefloor soul to boogie, tduets fodder and well beyond. A very well chosen set! Includes "Lover To Lover" by Maxi Anderson, "Earth Wind & Fire" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Funky Luvah" by Creative Source, "Tell Me Please" by Freda Payne, "Love Changes" by Mother's Finest, "Can't Hide Love" by Dionne Warwick, "Don't Ask My Neighbors" by The Emotions, "Dancin To Keep From Cryin" by Bobby Humphrey and more. 18 tracks in all.