Soul — CDs  

A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves that have more of a heavy slap bass sound, punchier horns and guitars! There are lotes nice moments that are a bit more restrained than the comparably full-on funk approach – and these have a spacey fusiony soul quality that reminds us of similar work that Byrd was doing with The Blackbyrds at the time. One of the best cuts is "Your Life Is My Ecstasy", which has some great bubbling Moog behind it, which creates a sound that you've heard sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest. Other nice ones are "Loving You", which features vocals by Jim Gilstrap, and a remake of Duke Pearson's "Cristo Redentor", a big hit for Don in the 60s, which is redone here in an excellent slow funk mode that feels like Bob James' work on CTI. Others include "Have You Heard The News", "In Love With Love" and "Close Your Eyes And Look Within".

One of the best records ever from Don Nix – a legendary figure whose work on the Memphis scene of the 60s touched countless of rock and soul artists – recording here with a nicely tight sound at Muscle Shoals! Like some of his contemporaries, Nix made the move from Memphis to Muscle Shoals, and really helped push his music further – drawing on his strong southern roots on both sides of the fence, and turning out a set with the kind of depth and integrity that so many others would try at the time, but never get this well! Most songs are originals, and production and arrangements are by Nix as well – and titles include "Olena", "The Shape I'm In", "Going Back To Iuka", "Three Angels", "Mary Louise", "My Train's Done Come & Gone", and "Living By The Days".

Swamp Dogg's on the cover, riding a giant rat out of the ghetto – an image that definitely hints at some of the politics on the record! The album's one of Swamp's key classics from the early 70s – recorded at a time when he was still super-sharp – and when the character was a great focus of all the indie soul energy that Jerry Williams had forged on the scene in the 60s! In fact, the record's so great, they made it twice – recorded once down at the TK studios in Miami, then scrapped – and re-recorded here at Muscle Shoals, with some wicked Quinvy touches that really hold the whole thing together. The Muscle Shoals approach works beautifully for the Swamp Dogg aesthetic – and really gives it the right sort of southern soul punch to send home the tunes – as you'll hear on "Creeping Away", "Predicament #2", "Do You Believe", "Got To Get A Message To You", "I Kissed Your Face", and "Do Our Thing Together".

The only full length record we've ever seen from singer Suzi Lane – and a catchy batch of late 70s disco produced by Giorgio Moroder, but also featuring arrangements by Harold Faltermeyer – in a tuneful, hook-styled mode that's as sweet as can be! Suzi's vocals are the seductive and soulful icing on this Moroder-produced treat – and overall, it's a nice mix of dancefloor soul and some of the more futuristic funky synth sounds Giorgio would carry on into the 80s. Suzi's vocals keep it grounded in soul, though – as do some occasional strings and brass. Nice! Titles include "Morning Noon & Night", "Free Me", "Harmony", "No One Home In The City", "Givin It Up", and "Ooh La La". CD bonus tracks include 12" versions "Harmony" and Ooh La, La", plus a 7" version of "Harmony".

A sweeeeeet groover by Patrice Rushen – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth".

Funky electric groove from Donald Byrd – a post Mizell effort that's still burning in a crisp groove similar to his classic 70s Blue Note work – one that's absolutely dripping with keys! Isaac Hayes produced this one, and also played a lot of those keyboards on the session with Byrd's 125 St Band – grooving on acoustic piano and Rhodes, plus vibes and synth. Ronnie Garnett's bass is tight and funky throughout, with William Duckett on guitar, Albert Crawford, Jr on piano, keys & clavinet, Myra Walker on acoustic piano, and some groovy female chorus vocals that's to Isaac's Hot Buttered Soul Unlimited! Tracks include the great mellow "I Love Your Love", plus "I Feel Like Loving You Today", "Butterfly", "Love Has Come Around", and "I'll Always Love You".

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".

A pivotal record for Patrice Rushen – a set that has her really tightening up the groove from previous albums on Prestige – heading much more towards the focused soul-drenched grooves of her Elektra Records years! The set's a stunner – still very much with the hip, west coast funky fusion vibe of Rushen's roots – but even groovier overall, with loads of massive cuts that hold up beautifully over the years – and which still show a side of Patrice that's much different than her later hits. Titles include the classic cuts "The Hump", "Stepping Stones", and "Shout It Out" – all perfect jazz funk gems in the best Prestige/Fantasy mode of the mid 70s – and other tracks include "Roll With The Punches", "Let There Be Funk", "Let Your Heart Be Free", "Yolon", and "Sojourn". This Soul Brother UK edition includes a bonus single verion of "Let Your Heart Be Free".

Funky soul from the great Marcos Valle – a great blend of mellow grooves and upbeat tunes recorded at the same time Valle was working in the US with Leon Ware! The style here is very similar to Ware's 2 albums for Elektra – both of which feature work from Valle, and include tunes that are also done here in Portuguese versions! Marcos makes a real departure from some of his earlier work here, and emerges as a surprisingly great soul star with plenty of talents for penning two-step tunes and keyboard-heavy tracks that glisten with a sweet California groove. A few tracks recall some of Valle's Odeon work – like the baroque instrumental "Camina Grande" – but we're most partial to the soul tracks that dominate the record, and which include "Bicho No Cio", "Pecados De Amor","Garimpando" and "A Paraiba Nao e Chicago".