Soul — CDs  

One of the only albums ever cut by Maxi Anderson – a hell of a soul singer who's lent her talents to a number of sessions over the years, but who sounds especially great here in the lead! Anderson's got a vibe that's almost like Minnie Riperton at the time – a warmly glowing approach... read more

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A really unique chapter in the career of percussionist Willie Bobo – a rare one-off album for Blue Note – done with a sweet Cali vibe all the way through! Bobo plays his usual percussion, but also sings a bit too – in this charming style that's never too overdone – a deeply... read more

An incredible record that was one of the highest points of Donald Byrd's career! The album's the third one he cut with producer/arranger Larry Mizell – and of all Byrd's work with Mizell, this one's the funkiest, the tightest, the most soulful, and the most perfectly realized vision of the... read more

An essential bit of jazz funk from Donald Byrd and Larry Mizell! The groove's very similar to the classic Places & Spaces, and the record's got loads of cool spacey tracks with hot funky trumpet from Donald, and cool waves of synth and sound from Larry. The title cut's a great groover, and... read more

The hippest comeback album to date from Al Green – a massively soulful set that we might well rank right up there with his classics from the 70s! Green's got some very hip help in the studio here – production help from James Poyser and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson – both... read more

Funky, soulful, and completely sublime work from keyboardist Gene Harris – working here with some great help from Jerry Peters on arrangement and production – in a style that makes the album one of Harris' most compelling sets of the 70s! The backings are full, but tight too –... read more

A stone classic from reedman Ronnie Laws – and an album that really helped set a whole new standard for funky fusion in the 70s! Laws works here with great Wayne Henderson production – which gives the album an even sharper sound than other Blue Note sets of this vintage – and... read more

Classic bit of 70s fusion, played by Ronnie on tenor and flute, and with a group that includes some excellent keyboard work by Joe Sample. The highlight of the record is the big sample cut "Tidal Wave", but it also includes the great groover "Always There", which was covered a... read more

Sweet soul from Carmen McRae – a great 70s album for Blue Note, and one that has the classic singer moving into some very groovy material! The feel here is much more soul than jazz – at least the jazz of the torchy style from Carmen's roots – but as you'd guess from McRae, the... read more

A great illustration of the genius of Carmen McRae in the 70s – a record that easily shows why Carmen was hipper than most of her contemporaries from two decades before! The set has the vocalist somehow managing to still stick in a straight jazz style, without going for cheaper soul routines... read more

A great illustration of the genius of Carmen McRae in the 70s – a record that easily shows why Carmen was hipper than most of her contemporaries from two decades before! The set has the vocalist somehow managing to still stick in a straight jazz style, without going for cheaper soul routines... read more

Carmen McRae really opens up on this sweet 70s set for Blue Note – expanding past the traditional jazz of her roots, and even some of the groovier work of her Atlantic years – into a sweeping, contemporary sound that's all adult, all the way! The vibe is great – in the same... read more

Carmen McRae really opens up on this sweet 70s set for Blue Note – expanding past the traditional jazz of her roots, and even some of the groovier work of her Atlantic years – into a sweeping, contemporary sound that's all adult, all the way! The vibe is great – in the same... read more

A really unique album from funky drummer Alphonse Mouzon – a set that has him putting away some of the guitars used heavily on other Blue Note records, in exchange for a keyboard-heavy groove that almost sounds a bit like Gene Harris a the time! In addition to drums, Alphonse solos a fair... read more

The legendary vocals of Aaron Neville – heard here in one of his most old-school sessions in years! The songs are all vintage R&B – material that even pre-dates Neville's famous years in New Orleans soul, and which goes back to a late 50s/early 60s genre that seems to fit Aaron's... read more

A great return to basics for Pieces Of A Dream – a set that's tightly jazzy, yet still filled with plenty of soul! The style's a great illustration of the smooth jazz roots the group first offered the world – a style that was really coming into its own at the time of this release, but... read more

A great return to basics for Pieces Of A Dream – a set that's tightly jazzy, yet still filled with plenty of soul! The style's a great illustration of the smooth jazz roots the group first offered the world – a style that was really coming into its own at the time of this release, but... read more

A pair of great pair of records from electric fusion violinist Noel Pointer – Phantazia from '77 and Hold On from '78 – in a 2CD set! Like others of the 70s generation, Pointer plays the violin in a way that's clearly heavily influenced by keyboards of the time – electric in... read more

More than just a great overview of Lou Rawls' jazz work for Capitol Records – because the set also features 3 previously unissued numbers that Rawls recorded with the Curtis Amy Sextet! Those 3 tracks are almost worth the price of the album alone – as Amy's combo was one of the hippest... read more

An excellent set of sophisticated soul cuts from Marlena Shaw – and a album that more than lives up to the title! Marlena really sparkles here – thanks to impeccable arrangements by Wade Marcus that perfectly mix together jazz and soul – finding that unique space that Shaw and a... read more

Soaring soul from Marlena Shaw – her last recording for Blue Note, and a set that points the way towards her bigger fame to come at Columbia Records! Like some of her previous sets, there's definitely still some jazzy elements in the mix – yet the overall sound is much more fully... read more

A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw – and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip – a mixture of... read more

A great record from the mid 70s – one that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer – dealing with issues that never would have gotten... read more

Volume two of this excellent series which mixes fusion and modern soul from the Capitol/EMI 70's catalog. 15 excellent tracks, most of which we sell for a bundle in the original (when we can find them!). Includes "It's a Pleasure" by Sheree Brown, "Before You Break My Heart"... read more

A funky explosion of dancefloor grooves – key 70s club cuts from Capitol, Blue Note, and TK Records – all packaged together in a massively upbeat set! Most tracks here move at a pretty quick clip – and represent the funkier side of the 70s disco scene – cuts that draw more... read more