Sweet electric magic from Ramsey Lewis – four 70s albums in a single collection! First up is Don't It Feel Good – massive keyboard work from the great Ramsey Lewis – easily one of his best records ever, thanks to some spaciously funky production by Charles Stepney! Stepney plays keyboards here along with Ramsey, and the twin-keys approach makes for a sound that's extra-special – one that sums up all the earlier soulful creativity of both artists in their late 60s Cadet Records years, and hones it down to an even sweeter groove for the 70s! A number of tracks have some sort of vocal component, but usually in a chorus mode that soon drops out when the keyboards hit home – and the record features a few great short "interlude" tracks that are almost as great as the longer numbers! Titles include the classic "Juaacklyn", a cover of Earth Wind & Fire's "That's The Way Of The World", and the tracks "I Dig You", "Fish Bite", "Don't It Feel Good", "Something About You", and "Can't Function". Salongo is a tremendous little record, and one of the funky 70s sets that Ramsey Lewis recorded with Earth Wind & Fire! Well, not Earth Wind & Fire entirely – but the Kalimba Productions team of Maurice White and Charles Stepney that gave the group its sound – plus a nice sprinkling of other players that were often associated with sessions by the group! Ramsey's own combo here includes Steve Cobb on drums and vocals, and Derf Reklaw on reeds and vocals as well – and the overall sound has bits of African and Brazilian influences, worked into a soulful fusion groove that sounds a lot like the instrumental backings EWF were using at the time. Titles include "Brazilica", "Slick", "Rubato", "Salongo", and "Seventh Fold". Tequila Mockingbird is an overlooked gem from the Columbia Records years, filled with loads of great grooves, and some pretty mighty keyboards! Part of the record has Ramsey working with Larry Dunn of Kalimba Productions – getting plenty of the Earth Wind & Fire groove that made so much of his Columbia sessions sparkle – while the rest of the set has the great Bert DeCoteaux handling things, and giving Lewis just the right mix of sophistication and soul he was using with other Columbia acts at the time. The album's a perfect example of the way that Ramsey stepped way ahead of the pack during this time in his career – using keyboards and grooves together in ways that so many artists today are still trying to match – but never hit it this right! Titles include "Camino El Bueno", "Caring For You", "Intimacy", "That Ole Bach Music", "Skippin", "Tequila Mockingbird", and "Wandering Rose" – that cool cut by Neal Creque! Love Notes is a great little album of mid 70s funk from Ramsey Lewis – very much in the mode of his Earth, Wind, & Fire related work – no surprise, since the album's dedicated to Charles Stepney, whose influence was such a key part of the sound of the group, and of some of Ramsey's other Kalimba-produced albums from a few years before! Ramsey plays Fender Rhodes, mini moog, and Arp – and he gets help on keyboards from Stevie Wonder and Derf Reklaw, who also plays saxes and percussion on the set. Features versions of Wonder's "Love Notes" and "Spring High", plus Reklaw's "Chili Today Hot Tamale", "Shining", and "Stash Dash". (Jazz, Soul) CD

Quite possibly THE James Brown album of the mid 60s – a solid set of hard-grooving tracks, based around the monster title hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)"! The tune's one of those numbers that has been used a gajillion times over the years in commercials and promos – but which never sounds better than here, on James' original version – one of those cuts that never gets old! The hit's also nicely offset by a number of other more obscure numbers that make the album really worth tracking down – titles that include "I Can't Help It (I Just Do Do Do)", "Good Good Lovin", "I've Got Money", "Three Hearts In A Tangle", "You've Got The Power", and "Love Don't Love Nobody" – all on the rougher side of the JB spectrum. CD

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Chaka Khan steps off her smoother sets from the early 80s here – into a groove that's a bit chunkier, funkier, and with some key 80s groove touches! Arif Mardin's still in charge of the whole project here, but he's opened the door to a host of other producers to update Chaka's sound for the dancefloor – including John Robie, Russ Titelman, James Newton Howard, and others. The title hit – "I Feel For You" – is a vocoder bumping classic from back in the day – and other tracks include "Chinatown", "This Is My Night", "La Flamme", "My Love Is Alive", "Hold Her", "Through The Fire", and "Stronger Than Before". CD

A pair of wonderful records from this legendary soul group – back to back on a single CD! First up is the Voices Of East Harlem album – masterpiece of sweet group soul! This was the first secular record cut by The Voices Of East Harlem – a group who'd had an earlier gospel-tinged album on Elektra, but who are soaring out here in a brilliant mix of righteous mainstream soul styles – courtesy of the Curtom power team of Rich Tufo, Leroy Hutson, and Curtis Mayfield! The album's an unusual non-Curtom effort by the Hutson and Curtom – who collaborated in producing the record with Tufo, who himself did most of the arrangements with Hutson – in a mode that's wonderfully in the same spirit as Leroy's seminal work for Curtom in the mid 70s. There's a depth here that makes the album one of our favorite-ever soul records from the 70s – brilliant not just for the overall sound, but also for the pointed lyrics and really personal feel of the songs. Lead vocals shift between the different tunes – but are mostly handled by Gerri Griffin and Monica Burress, with warm support by the rest of the group. Titles include "Giving Love", "Cashing In", "Could This Be Love", "New Vibrations", and "Wanted Dead or Alive". Next is Can You Feel It – amazing work from The Voices Of East Harlem – a group with roots in gospel, but working here in a wonderfully soaring secular soul style – complete with arrangements and production from the legendary Leroy Hutson! The style here is similar to some of Leroy's best work, and that of his contemporaries on Curtom – a sound that's righteous and often funky, but able to hit some sweeter, warmer notes as well. Individual voices step out from the larger ensemble and take key leads on some tracks – and the overall style is simply mindblowing, at a level that makes us easily rank this as one of our favorite soul albums of all time! A must-have album, and one we've treasured for years – with tracks that include "Just Got To Be Myself", "So Rare", "March Across This Land", "Amazing Love", "Take A Stand", and "Can You Feel It". CD

A great entry in this always-killer collection of rare funk and soul – a series that somehow manages to keep on delivering ultra-rare nuggets, even at a time when there's been so many other compilations from so many other labels over the years! Our ears are always trained to appreciate the best of the best from the world of funky collections – and those ears are plenty pleased with the range of tracks here we'd never heard before – the kind of music that remind us to keep on digging, even when we think we've heard enough! Titles include "All Night" by Vantage Point, "I'm Feeling It Too" by Kim McCrae, "Steps On A Cloud" by Street Life 80, "Real True Voices" by Tory Wynter, "I'll Be Good To You" by Chatham, "Giving On Into Love" by Dalton Reed, "Getting Lucky" by Panama Gold, "Step By Step" by Matter Of Taste, "What Am I Going To Do Baby" by Royal Touch, and "Bi-Centennial 1976" by Frankie Staton & Speckled Rainbow. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

A dream of a set from the folks at Numero Group – a special package that digs through all their many collections and archive projects, and comes up with some of the funkiest cuts in the bunch! Unlike some of their other compilations, this one focuses on the groove first – and the groove is nice and funky, hard and gritty, and feels like you're sitting next to the turntable, playing a stack of rare funk 45s, one after the other! Titles include "Function Underground" by We The People, "Jungle" by Young Senators, "Let Me Come Within" by Renaldo Domino, "Iron Leg" by Mickey & The Soul Generation, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "First Thing I Do In The Morning" by Joyce Williams, "Party Time" by Black Soul Express, "Money Won't Save You" by Boscoe, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Robert Moore, "You Made Me Suffer" by Andrew Brown, and "Watch The Dog That Bring The Bone" by Sandy Gaye. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

The pinnacle of classy crossover soul at the end of the 80s – and a landmark album that's probably still helping Anita pay her bills! The feel is mellow and laidback without being too cheesy or too adult contemporary – drawing from mellow soul traditions of the 70s, and filtering it through production styles of the 80s without losing too much of the warmth. Titles include "Talk To Me", "Fairy Tales", "Lonely", "No One To Blame", "More Than You Know", and "Whatever It Takes". CD

From the female singer in the obscure group Chapter 8, Anita went onto become one of the biggest selling soul music acts during the 80s – and this album's her first effort as a solo act. The record's a smooth sophisticated batch of soul tunes, with lots of nice jazzy touches, and a classy sound that was quite refreshing in the face of some of the overly-synthesized soul work of the time. Patrick Moten produced and wrote most of the cuts – but it's Anita's deep vocals that make the record work so well. Titles include "You're The Best Thing Yet", "Feel The Need", "No More Tears", "Will You Be Mine", and "Do You Believe Me". CD

The even more obscure second volume to the great soul/gospel classic Do Not Pass Me By – and like the first, the product of a wonderfully spiritual setting on Chicago's south side – music created in the church, but with all the same vibe as the hippest secular soul coming from the Windy City in the early 70s! The set does a great job of alternating strong lead singers with the rest of the group – a bit like Voices Of East Harlem, but with more of a larger ensemble feel – and there's some really wonderful moments on the record throughout – even a bit of funk amidst the more righteous soul-styled tunes. Tracks include "I Shall Wear A Crown", "O Sinner", "I Want To Be In Love With You", "Do Not Pass Me By", "O What A Day", "Here I Am", and "There Is Only One". (Gospel, Soul) CD

A different James Brown album – but a nice one! James doesn't sing soul, so much as jazz – in front of large backings by Louis Bellson, with arrangements by Oliver Nelson that are in his best 60s soul mode – and which give the album a very very groovy feel overall! The record's not funky, but James' vocals are plenty darn soulful – and the album is proof that he could be a huge talent in just about any mode that he chose – shining with a brilliance that was irrepressible! James covers a few of his older tracks on the album, and sings a few other pop standards – and titles include nice versions of "It's Magic", "The Man In The Glass", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "That's My Desire", and "I Need Your Key (To Turn Me On)". CD features the previously unissued bonus track "There Was A Time" – plus the full, unedited versions of 4 other tracks – appearing here for the first time ever! CD

One of Oscar Brown's great ones, recorded live at the Cellar Door in Washington before an enthusiastic crowd of hipsters! The record's a beautiful mix of soul, jazz, and folk – in the same Chicago tradition that spawned Terry Callier (although Brown's style has a bit more of a "show" feel to it). There's a lot of great stuff on here, and most of it doesn't appear on Oscar's other albums in studio versions. Tracks include "Call of the City", "Muffled Drums", "Maxine", "Brother Where Are You?", and more! Backing's by a tight little combo that includes Floyd Morris and Phil Upchurch – and this CD has a very groovy little gatefold package! (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A lovely album from the legendary Terry Callier – another spacious set of gorgeously composed soul for Mr. Bongo! Lookin' Out was largely recorded in the Chicago area, with players that sit in with Terry in his residences at the Green Mill, and the easy, jazzy feel reflects it. What really makes the album special, though, is the return to the mesmerizing, hypnotic style of songs that Terry pioneered in the mid-to-late sixties. Terry's voice and phrasings are as great as ever – and the backings are often acoustic and quite mellow, built around sweet guitar, bass, light strings, synth and horns. This record hearkens to his contemplative records for Cadet as well as, if not more, than his other recent efforts, and you really outta know by now that that's the Terry groove we love most! 17 tracks in all: "Jazz, My Rhythm & Blues", "Midnite Mile", "Africa Now", "Lookin' Out", "Stripper", "Blues For Billie Holiday", "What About Me", and "Faithful". CD

Much later than classic vintage for Chic, but still pretty darn great – and a record that was relatively overlooked at the time! The style here steps off strongly from the Chic sound of the early 80s – and the team of Edwards and Rodgers still definitely have their funky sense of rhythm intact – using drum programs, basslines, and riffing guitar bits to set most of these tracks up with a tightly snapping groove! The vocals are a bit more contemporary – presented in the way that some pop dance work of the time was using, but not nearly as cloying. Titles include "Chicism", "Your Love", "Jusagroove", "Something You Can Feel", "Doin That Thing To Me", "MMFTCF", and "High". CD

Post Funkadelic and Parliament work from George Clinton – an assortment of tracks from a variety of Columbia and Sony-related albums by artists who include Sweat Band, Mutiny, Junie, Bootsy Collins, Mico Wave, Philippe Wynne, and the P-Funk All-Stars! Most of the material here has an early 80s sort of feel – that second wave of P-Funk inspiration after so many other groups were grabbing the Clinton groove – and bass is especially upfront in the mix on most of these numbers, topped with vocals that are definitely in the style first encouraged by George back in the day. Titles include "Funky Kind" and "If Anybody Gets Funked Up" by George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars, "Leakin" and "Party On Plastic" by Bootsy Collins, "Lump" and "Funk N Bop" by Mutiny, "Rappin About Rappin" and "Love Has Taken Me Over" by Junie Morrison, "Instant Replay" by Mico Wave, "Freak To Freak" by Sweat Band, "Breakout" and "Never Gonna Tell It" by Philippe Wynne, and "One Of Those Summers" and "Pumpin It Up" by P-Funk All Stars. CD

2 important early Aretha Franklin albums – back to back on a single CD! Runnin Out Of Fools is the birth of Aretha Franklin's soulful sound – a real change from the jazzier sound of her first two albums for Columbia, and a set that really shows some great sides of her talents! Arrangements are by Belford Hendricks, who creates an uptown-styled sort of sound – one that has fuller strings and a bit of backing vocals, but also a nice little groove at the bottom – territory that's somewhere between the country soul of the early 60s, and some of the tighter New York soul that was on the rise. Aretha's vocals are great – heartbreaking one minute, proud and righteous the next – and the album's proof that she was always a wonderful singer, no matter what the setting. Titles include "Mockingbird", "Walk On By", "How Glad I Am", "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face", "Runnin' Out Of Fools", and "One Room Paradise". Yeah is a hip little live date from Aretha Franklin – one that's got a very jazzy feel, and some great small combo backings! The album's almost a distillation of the jazzy styles on Aretha's first albums for Columbia – taken into even leaner territory here, in ways that really set Franklin loose on vocals – making for some of her most forceful moments on record at the time. The quartet features pianist Teddy Harris, who steps back on a few tunes to let Franklin take over the piano – and titles include "Once In A Lifetime", "Love For Sale", "Impossible", "Today I Love Everybody", and "Without The One You Love". CD

A classic 70s soul soundtrack – and a dream of a combination! Curtis Mayfield wrote the soundtrack and produced the album – and the result is a killer batch of 70s soul tracks that matches Aretha's strong vocals with the hip Curtom sound of Chicago! Aretha was still doing pretty well at this point, but the album really gave her a push – and the super-hip setting let her record some of her best work of the 70s. If you own only one Aretha Franklin album from the 70s, it should probably be this one – as the mixture of soul, funk, and soundtrack grooves is great, and a refreshing change from some of the cliches that could show up on other records. Features the sublime "Something He Can Feel", plus "Loving You Baby", "Look Into Your Heart", "Sparkle", and Jump". CD

An oft-overlooked gem by Funkadelic – the group's last album for Westbound, and a record that really has them growing into a great new groove! Bootsy and Eddie Hazel have stepped aside for the set, but that gives Bernie Worrell plenty of room to work his magic on keyboards – in a way that really increases the spacier elements of the set, and almost trades a messed-up moogy sort of feel for the heady guitars of earlier years – a slippery kind of Funky Worm groove that we totally love! The set is self-described as "delightfully putrid" on the Pedro Bell cover – and we couldn't agree more! Titles include "Undisco Kidd", "Let's Take It To The People", "How Do Yeaw View You", "Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation" and "Take Your Dead Ass Home!". CD features the bonus track "Undisco Kidd (45 edit)". CD

An incredible record from the southern scene of the 70s – a really unique set that's filled with righteous soul touches, and which really stands out from most other southern soul of the time! The feel here is often in a cosmic mode with plenty of jazz at the bottom – a sound that's influenced by Earth Wind & Fire, but which is also carried off here in a more laidback mode that seems to get equal inspiration from soulful fusion of the mid 70s. The group has both male and female singers trading things back and forth nicely and sometimes coming together on the choruses – creating an overall feel that's almost like Roy Ayers at times. And as with Ayers' best work, there's a tightness and focus to the whole record that's really wonderful – a cohesive groove that's way more than just a few ensemble funk tracks cut in the studio, and which really displays a wide musical vision! Titles include "My Queen", "Clock In", "Fantasy Garden", "Clap Song", "Love & Affection", "My Dreams", and "Magnificent Choo Choo". CD

What can we say but more, more, more! Al Green's great – always great – so we're more than happy to have this second volume to his greatest hit set, one that features some unusual tunes from later years, plus classics from his 70s tenure at Hi Records. Titles include "As Long As We're Together", "Back Up Train", "Let's Stay Together (long version)", "Take Me To The River", "Right Now Right Now", "For The Good Times", "Let It Shine", "Funny How Time Slips Away", "I Feel Good", "Wait Here", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "You Say It", "Guilty", and Al's great remake of "To Sir With Love". 18 tracks in all! CD

A much earlier set of tracks than the first volume of Real Folk Blues from Howlin Wolf – mostly material recorded in the mid 50s, both in Chicago and Memphis – all with a really nitty gritty sort of feel! There's a rough and rootsy mode going on here – one that has Wolf's raspy vocals right up front in the lead, often supported by just a bit of electric guitar to emphasize the more sinister notes in the tunes. All tracks are originals by Wolf (aka Chester Burnett) – and titles include "Just My Kind", "I've Got A Woman", "Work For Your Money", "I'll Be Around", "You Can't be Beat", "You Gonna Wreck My Life", "I Love My Baby", "Neighbors", "I'm The Wolf", "Rocking Daddy", "Who Will Be Next?", and "I Have A Little Girl". (Blues, Soul) CD

An excellent batch of UK soul tracks – and essentially an Incognito album! Bluey from Incognito produced the set, and the album features vocals by Maysa Leak and Christopher Ballin, plus some tasty reed work by Brit jazz funk players Ed Jones and Chris Demargary. Some of the tracks are instrumentals, and the overall feel of the album is very similar to the soulful smooth funk of Incognito. Titles include "Operator", "Loose Cannon", "Inner Space", "Little Sunflower", "Mood To Mood", and "Four Corners". (Neo Soul, Soul) CD

Stone funky work from the late 60s – a landmark batch of tracks by Quincy Jones – originally recorded for the soundtrack of the first Bill Cosby show, and issued here to the public for the first time ever! The show's famous theme "Hikky-Burr" is a well-known groover with a sinister snapping edge that sums up all the best of Quincy's funky jazz soundtrack work in the 60s – and the rest of the tracks on the set follow in a blend of California soul jazz modes that's mighty mighty nice! Players on the tunes include Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Joe Sample, Eddie Harris, Ray Brown, and Paul Humphrey – and the tracks have a loose, improvised feel that's a nice contrast from a lot of Quincy's tighter soundtrack work. Along with 2 different versions of "Hikky-Burr" (one with vocal by Cosby, one without), the set also features tracks that include "Toe Jam", "Jive Den", "Monty Is That You", and "Eubie Walkin" – plus a loosely disguised version of "Listen Here", and a take on "Oh Happy Day". Great stuff – and wonderful to finally have out on CD! (Jazz, Soul) CD