Great early work from Albert Collins – the kind of mean, lean music that Collins specialized in before his later years of cliche – served up here in a style that's almost more funk than blues overall! The tracks are all instrumentals, with lots of raw guitar and soulful saxophone – coming across with a rootsy feel that's much more in the mode of work on a soul-based indie than you'd expect from the usual slicker sides on Blue Thumb – hardly smooth LA, and instead almost a funky 45 vibe overall! The titles give a good example of the stripped-down sound of the tunes – and they include "Kool Aide", "Thaw Out", "Hot N Cold", "Frosty", "Tremble", and "Icy Blue". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

By this point in their career, The Commodores have lost Lionel Richie and any sort of funk credibility they had from their early years – but they also somehow manage to reemerge with a great new talent for a sweet mellow groove! The title tune "Nightshift" was one of those tracks that crossed over massively at the time – but to our ears, it also kind of redeemed the group too – as it's got a surprisingly soulful quality that really got the group past the soppiness of their ballads and love songs – gliding along with an almost-righteous quality that makes it a nice later cap to an earlier Motown 70s groove. Other tunes on the album don't always fare as well, but there's still some nice moments here – tunes that benefit from some Dennis Lambert production and hit just the right kind of mellow groove to follow up on the spirit of the single. Tracks include "Nightshift", "Slip Of The Tongue", "Lay Back", "Lightin Up The Night", and "The Woman In My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Stomping organ instrumentals from Dave Baby Cortez – a great little batch of work for the Clock label at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s, all of which helped to really find a place for the organ in American pop and soul! Cortez brought a style to the instrument that was as wild as some of the guitarists and saxophonists of his time – a mode that wasn't really jazz, was a bit R&B, and which helped give the organ a much leaner sound than some of its "skating rink" uses in pop during the decade before. Dave's clean style is a great fit for the jaunty, leaping rhythms of these tunes – with a dozen numbers in all, and titles that include "Piano Shuffle", "The Happy Organ", "Catnip", "Mardi Gras", "The Whistling Organ", "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", "Red Sails In The Sunset", and "Hurricane". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure bit of late 60s Stax! Steve Cropper's working away from the MG's here, in a mode that's slightly similar, but which has his guitar upfront in the mix on a batch of Memphis-style instrumentals – kind of his own take on the groove he was laying down with Booker T, but with a lot less organ in the mix! There's no mad funk on the album, but the whole thing's pretty darn nice – and is proof that Cropper was the key element in more than just a bit of the Stax sound at the time – a really strong artist who could more than stand on his own. Titles include "Crop Dustin", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "Rattlesnake", "Funky Broadway", and "Boogaloo Down Broadway". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly charming album from Scatman Crothers – recorded during his big comeback stretch in the 70s! Although Scatman's role during this time was often reduced to being the colorful old guy in an assortment of comedies and action films, he'd actually had quite a bit of experience as a singer – a rich history drawn on for this traditionally grooved set! The album was recorded for Motown, but echoes with an older mode that belies Crothers' work on an older west coast scene – with jazzy arrangements that have a nice swing based feel that goes great with the raspy, playful lyrics. Titles include "Hay Lawdy Mama", "I'm The Melody Man", "Dead Man's Blues", "Waiting For My Baby", and "Wondering". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Crown Heights Affair – the group's classic first set, and maybe as fine a batch of early club work you could ever hope to find! Like so many of the east coast acts at the start of the disco generation, these guys are a well-trained funk ensemble, playing at a faster clip for the new dancefloor sound – which means that at the core, they've still got some fantastic instrumentation – and a groove that rivals their bigger contemporaries, like Kool & The Gang, Fatback, or BT Express! The drums are fantastic, the basslines nice and subtle, the horns used with some real grace – and there's also some really cool moog solos on the best numbers – which really makes the album a treat. Titles include both disco and vocal versions of their hit "Dreaming A Dream" – plus the tracks "I Am Me", "You Smiled", "Foxy", "I Am Me", "Feeling Tall", "Every Beat Of My Heart", "Na Na Hey Hey", and "Picture Show". LP, Vinyl record album

A later effort from the Dells, cut around the time ABC was having some great luck with the Detroit soul of The Dramatics – and also recorded in Detroit, with production work by the likes of Al Perkins, Rudy Robinson, and Calvin Carter, the Dells' old boss at Vee Jay. The tunes have a smoother approach than the group's work at Chess/Cadet – but their vocals are still top notch, with that raspy soul quality that has made them sound consistently strong over the years, no matter what the setting. Includes "Face To Face", "Thought I Could", "Face To Face", "Hooked On Loving You", "Love Me", "Wrapped Up Tight", and "Changed Man". Lots of nice ballads! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The Dramatics hit an 80s groove mood here – and as on their clubbier sides from the end of the 70s, the vocals are still wonderful – and more than anything, the set's a strong soul-based set that still has the group at the top of their game! Ballads actually sparkle the best here – and showcase that wonderfully full mode that was the best side of The Dramatics harmonies – but the uptempo tunes are good, and have breakout moments that sparkle nicely. Production is by Ron Banks and LJ Reynolds, but Don Davis still oversees the whole thing – and titles include "It Ain't Rainin", "Wecome Back Home", "Love Is Here", "Be With The One You Love", and "Music Is The Peoples Choice". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from this obscure funky group – a combo who hailed from Indy, only issued two albums back in the 70s, but also left behind this wicked batch of unissued cuts that were recorded up in Chicago! The group have a vibe that's every bit as great as their warmly collaborative look on the cover – clearly an ego-less funky combo who are able to shift singers and moods from track to tracks – trading leads between singers Anthony Joseph Roberts and Pamela Tanner, and also bringing lots of jazzy instrumentation into the mix too! These guys had been together for a number of years before recording the set, and are clearly at the top of their game – woodshedding hard away from the limelight, but knocking it out of the park with cuts that include "69 Cents", "I'm In A Hurry", "Shell Of A Man", "Where You Lead", "That Is Why", "Love So Strange", and vocal and instrumental versions of "See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Billy goes for a hip 70s easy mode – a bit like Grady Tate, and made even better by sweet LA arrangements from Artie Butler. The titles have kind of a sophisticated soul groove to them, and Billy's definitely stretching his voice a bit to keep up with Artie's arrangements. Titles include "Feel The Warm", "Third Child", "Mixed Up Girl", "Something More", and a version of "We've Only Just Begun" that's got a surprisingly nice groove to it! LP, Vinyl record album

Insanely wonderful doo-wop material from this legendary Chicago group – one of the few truly great full length albums in a mostly singles-dominated genre! The title track is well known not only for the original, but for a later famous sample by De La Soul – and it's a great example of the kind of grooves on the set – rough-hewn and gritty, much more in the best stripped-down doo wop mode, before production started getting too sweet. Titles include "At My Front Door", "Annie's Answer", "My Loving Baby", "Now That You've Gone", "Rock N Roll's For Me", "I Began To Realize", and "There In the Night" – and as an added bonus, the record actually features 2 more cuts by The Magnificents, another great Chicago group – "Up On the Mountain" and "Caddy Bo". LP, Vinyl record album

Arranged and conducted by Dick Hyman. (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A definite good thang from Faze-O – easily the masters of snakey funk at the end of the 70s! The set's got loads of great elements that echo the group's Riding High debut – a groove that never goes too far over the top, and which kicks back at a pace that so many others would copy a few years later – a vibe that's a bit Ohio, a bit Cali, yet crafted here with a vision that's totally unique to the band! Horns are a bit heavier than before, but there's still plenty of great keyboards too – and the vocals definitely recognize that they're the second star of the record, and usually defer to the rhythms on most numbers. Tracks include "Good Thang", "Party Time", "Space People", "Who Loves You", and "Funky Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little live album from Jose Feliciano – recorded in London at the end of the 60s, with a sound that's often more stripped down than his studio work of the time! Jose's on vocals and guitar, backed by only a bit of bass and percussion – so the record's almost got the intimacy of a solo effort, which is quite astounding – given the obvious size of the concert setting! The double-length nature of the record allows Jose to stretch out a bit more than usual – and take on a nice variety of material that really show his growing talents at the time. Titles include "High Heel Sneakers", "Mama Don't Allow It", "La Entrada De Bilboa", "The Comedy Bit", "Malaguena", "No Dogs Allowed", "Day Tripper", "Black Orpheus Medley", "California Dreamin", "Light My Fire", "Day In the Life", and "El Voh". (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Although Motown wasn't necessarily the best place for an artist like Jose to be recording at the time, they actually did a pretty decent job of keeping the same sort of vibe that you'd hear on some of Jose's best work for RCA during the mid 70s. Titles include "Free My Freedom", "Ain't That Peculiar", "I Second That Emotion", "The Drought Is Over", and a great version of "I Wanna Be Where You Are". (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy little live album from The 5th Dimension – not nearly as smoothly polished as their studio albums, in a way that really makes the set stand out nicely! The vocals are still completely top-shelf – a heavenly sound that's hard to believe comes from five mere mortals – but the musical backings are a bit more rough-edged and soul-based – a harder groove than the group gets on their full albums, in a way that provides a great contrast to the harmonies on the lyrics! There's also a great sense of "liveness" to the set – patter from the group before the tunes, and some upbeat medleys of some of their bigger hits – strung together in ways that are a lot nicer than just simple live remakes of familiar songs. Titles include "I Just Want To Be Your Friend", "Eli's Coming", "Never My Love", "Shake Your Tambourine", "Ode To Billie Joe", "I Want To Take You Higher", and two longer medleys of hits! LP, Vinyl record album

The cover to this one has The 5th Dimension sporting some heavy-duty outfits – and the album's got an equally bold sound to match! The group's still in very familiar territory here – working under the direction of Bones Howe – but they're also completely confident in their bag – stepping out with a solid, punched-up approach to pop – one that draws strongly from the soulful harmonies of the quintet, yet which also has some pointedly personal moments as well. As before, the choice of songs is easily one of the best aspects of the record – and the group do a great cover of "Viva Tirado", plus "What Does It Take To Wind Your Love", "Love's Lines, Angles, & Rhymes", "Time & Love", "Guess Who", and "He's A Runner". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark LP by this famous Philly trio who forever went onto change the face of club music! The record is pre-disco, but has a great strident soul sound, augmented by tight Norman Harris arrangements. Features the famous title hit – "Armed & Extremely Dangerous" – a great one in the "crime" soul subgenre, plus "Smarty Pants", "Newsy Neighbors", and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

Roberta Flack at her most masterful – balancing righteous soul at it's most spiritually resonant and more mainstream accessible melodies – from her classic years at Atlantic when she was forging a whole new sound that was a unique blend of soul, jazz, and spiritualism. Each of Roberta's preceding albums on Atlantic were increasingly incredible – and this one caps of a pretty incredible late 60s to early 70s run of top quality work. Includes the ever-fresh title cut, remade later by The Fugees in a version that cemented it's status with the next generation – plus a great version Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne", "River", "No Tears (In The End)", "I'm The Girl", "When You Smile" and "Conversation Love". LP, Vinyl record album

13 tracks of Eddie's classic Stax sides, with a range of material that runs from 60s through 70s. A handful of big hits, and a big batch of lesser known, but still great Memphis soul from Floyd. Includes "I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)", "Bring It Home To Me", "Check Me Out", "Soul Street", "I've Got To Have Your Love", "Blood Is Thicker Than Water", "Don't Tell Your Mama", "Why Is The Wine Sweeter (On The Other Side)", "California Girl", "My Girl", "The Best Years Of My Life", "Yum Yum Yum (I Want Some)" and "Baby Lay Your Head Down". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning batch of tracks from a very unusual LA group of the early 70s – a funk combo at the core, but one that was also equally comfortable with bits of psych and redneck rock as well! The music here was all recorded within a short span of years, and mostly issued on the small Alpha label as a handful of funky 45s – but the style is surprisingly spacious, and shows a strong sense of musicianship from the members of the group – so much so that they seem equally comfortable and right on top of their game, no matter what direction they choose to take! And don't think that this multi-style description means that these guys are too all over the map, because there's a really unified sense of soul that holds the whole thing together – so that when they get a bit rootsy, the result is country soul – or when they get a bit trippy, they hit some Funkadelic-styled sounds. The collection includes great notes on the setting that produced these tracks – penned by Egon, who put the set together with help from Malcolm Catto, DJ Shadow, and others. Titles include "Don't Let Him Take Away Your Mind", "Strange Things", "Heaven & Earth", "Take Time", "We Got Love", "Waterloo At Watergate", "Why Don't You Trust In Me", "Cruising Central Ave", "The Dead Don't Die Alive", and "You're My Precious Someone". LP, Vinyl record album

Aretha Arrives in great style – and a mixture between her earlier vocal jazz years at Columbia, and her later southern soul sides of the 60s! Arif Mardin is already arranging Aretha's work at this point, and the backing group includes southern soul studio giants like Spooner Oldham, Tommy Cogbill, and Roger Hawkins – but there's also a number of tracks that have mellow strings and horns by Ralph Burns, very much in the lush style of Burns' work for other vocalists – and a bit different than some of Franklin's other Atlantic work. The Sweet Inspirations back up Aretha on "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)", and a few other tracks feature backings by sisters Erma and Carolyn – who are always a welcome addition! Titles include "Prove It", "Never Let Me Go", "I Wonder", "Going Down Slow", and "Night Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Mean, lean grooves from The Gap Band – a legendary batch of mainstream funk from the end of the 70s – and a record that really has the trio working at the top of their game! There's a wonderful balance here between funky numbers and mellow ones – the latter of which really help pace the record nicely, giving it a depth that takes the group way beyond the cliches of some of their contemporaries, and firmly establishing the Gap Band as one to watch for the 80s! Titles include the massive "I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up & Dance" – with its classic "Oops Upside Your Head" refrain – plus "Who Do You Call", "No Hiding Place", "Steppin Out", "You Are My High", and "Party Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

Features great music from Bumps Blackwell – with a very young Billy Preston on organ! (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful first solo album by Lani Hall – recorded after years of work with Sergio Mendes in the Brasil 66 group – and done in a style that certainly reflects her great vocals with that ensemble, yet which also expands her sound tremendously! The set was arranged and produced by Herb Alpert in a spare, almost folksy style that still has some sweet LA touches – and the album's worth it alone for the leadoff cut – a version of Lesley Duncan's "Love Song", done in a gently grooving mode that's got a real folk-funk feel! The set's also got a great version of "We Could Be Flying" – and other tracks include "Ocean Song", "Vincent", "Come Down In Time", and "You". LP, Vinyl record album

After working for years in the Crusaders, then honing his production skills with excellent work for Fantasy and Mercury, Wayne Henderson put out this album of his own, which drew on a lot of the work he'd been doing during the mid 70s. The album's a showcase for his At Home productions team, and it features work by Bobby Lyle, Roland Bautista, Ronnie Laws, and others. Henderson plays trombone, but he also gets in the way a bit with some hipster vocalizing that doesn't quite work. Titles include "Lady Bug", "Foot Stompin Music", "I'm Staying Forever", and a version of the great stepper "Keep On Keepin On". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly a folk album, despite the title – and instead a wicked batch of raw bluesy numbers from the mighty John Lee Hooker! Two of the album's tracks were recorded live at the Newport Folk Fest, but the rest were done back in Chicago – with lots of gritty vocals and guitar from Hooker, plus some occasional extra backing on a few of the cuts – including some harmonica and guitar from Jimmy Reed. The album's a perfect illustration of Vee Jay's classic approach to blues – almost more impressive than that of Chess Records in a setting like this – on cuts that include "Tupelo", "I'm Mad Again", "Take Me As I Am", "The Hobo", "You're Looking Good Tonight", and "I'm Going Upstairs". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s Impressions material, with the legendary lineup firmly in place, and the great Johnny Pate handling all arrangements – really giving them that sense of righteous power that pushed their music past a lot of the previous group soul sounds of the Chicago scene – with a sophistication in both the instrumentation and harmonies that's completely sublime! The album mixes Curtis Mayfield compositions – like "Lonely Man", "Just One Kiss From You", "Falling In Love With You" – with special Impressions' takes on tunes that include "My Prayer", "Without A Song", "Answer Me, of that the Impressions could shine, whatever the setting! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare gospel gem on Chess Records – with production by Monk Higgins and Cash McCall! (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A huge 80s moment for the Isley Brothers empire – a set that has Ernie and Marvin Isley stepping away from the main group with Chris Jasper – to reinvent their sound for the 80s! The record still has all the slinky soul and upbeat funk of the Isley material from the late 70s – but also pushes the groove in a slightly different way – often using leaner arrangements that are focused on beats, basslines, and keyboards – which only seem to make the warm vocals of the trio sound even more seductive in the end! There's that subtle sense of majesty that the group always had in their music at their height – an influence that might well come from the presence of Jasper – and the album's noteworthy for the wonderful "Caravan Of Love", a soulful spiritual tune that's kind of to 80s soul what The Impressions "People Get Ready" was to 60s soul! The album's got a good mellow harmony sound, and other titles include "Liberation", "I Can Hardly Wait", "Insatiable Woman", and "If You Believe In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". LP, Vinyl record album

Although he's always best remembered as Freddy "Boom Boom" Washington from Welcome Back Kotter, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was pretty darn ubiquitous during the mid-70s! He was in more than a few movies (Youngblood, Cooley High, etc), and he even recorded a few soul albums – like this one, which features some nice production work by Lamont Dozier that more than makes up for Freddie's lack of conviction as a soul singer. At the best moments, the record reminds us of some of Lamont's strident grooving soul work for ABC – and titles include "Time Machine", "Larry's Theme", "Mister DJ", "Holdin On", and "Fly Away". LP, Vinyl record album

Al's first major label record – cut when he was an emerging soul jazz vocalist, but before he'd gone totally over the top in super-slick hit mode. The album's got a good 70s LA jazzy backing, with guests like Dave Grusin, Arthur Adams, and Larry Bunker keeping the music moving at a nice pace. Includes the title cut "We Got By", plus "Sweet Potatoe Pie", "Spirit", "Susan's Song", and "Alladin's Lamp". LP, Vinyl record album