Soul — All Formats  

Stone funky funky! This is an excellent reissue of the Nite Liters' classic first album, and a monster batch of funky instrumentals that we'd put up there with the great Meters records on Josie, or the classic JBs LPs on People! There's lots of hard drums, choppy guitars, and good funky grooves. ... read more

A crossover classic from the late 70s – a record that was born in the clubs, but bred in the mainstream – and the start of a very good relationship between Odyssey and RCA! The album will forever be known for its classic cut "Native New Yorker" – a seminal groover that... read more

Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah wah tunes... read more

Deadlier than Dracula – and a lot funkier too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Drac ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70s – a wicked batch of wah-wah tunes... read more

One of the best albums by offbeat jazz singer Annette Peacock – one with a loose, very innovative vibe in arrangements – with some pretty darn cool electronics! Annette not only has a strong voice, she's fearlessly creative in her use of it – and on this album, her vocals are... read more

One of the better albums by this offbeat jazz singer – and one that doesn't get as campy as some of her later records, although it's still got some pretty camp moments! There's some pretty darn cool electronics used to both process Annette's voice, and which were created by the voice. At... read more

A great little album of smooth soul cuts from Greg Perry – an extremely talented arranger, producer, and songwriter whose credits includes work in soul, pop, and country – appearing here in one of the few sessions he ever cut under his own name! There's a bit of a southern soul feel... read more

Great later work from Pleasure – a group who are probably best-known for their classic 70s albums on Fantasy Records, but one who kept the groove riding high in some early 80s years at RCA! This set's a shimmering jewel – a great mix of funky rhythms and mellower moments, all wrapped... read more

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... read more

The Pointer Sisters in their slick, sultry pop soul mode of the mid 80s – at this point doing the synthesizer soul sound as well as ever – with big hooks and more subtle stylistic flourishes in the production! The Pointers were on one heck of a commercial win streak at this point, and... read more

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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... read more

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Vickie Sue Robinson hits a great groove here – thanks to production and arrangements from T Life, who seems to bring a deeper soul to the music! There's a fullness here that goes way beyond the usual – a soaring vibe that works perfectly with Robinson's famous vocals, and a well-rounded... read more

A nice reissue which brings together 3 LPs by one of the most underrecognized talents of 70's soul! DJ's deep soul voice is smooth and mellow, with the kind of honest heartbreaking quality that you find in the best work by Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. It's Good To Be Alive finds DJ in a... read more

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A late 80s duo set from former Temptations David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks! The Ruffin & Kendrick album for RCA (we didn't leave the -s off Eddie's last name, that's how he was billed at the time) finds both in excellent form vocally, and rather than making a neo-classic Motown vibe for the... read more

Album of clubby, uptempo stuff, recorded in Rio, and with a bit of a Brazilian feel to it. The tracks are long and fast, and include medleys of "Girl From Ipanema/Manha De Carnaval" and "Chove Chuva/Mas Que Nada", as well as a few other Brazilian tracks. There's also a version... read more

Gil Scott-Heron's first album – and his angriest! Unlike some of Gil's other albums – which have a sweet jazzy vibe and a mix of mellow soul styles – this one's a lot rawer, and features Gil rapping loud over very heavy percussion backing. All the work is his own, and the album's... read more

Fantastic! We've heard it a million times, but it still sends us soaring (in fact, we're listening to it right now). The most fantastic mix of Gil's poetry and his beautiful spiritual jazz sound. The title cut alone is worth any price, and is one of the best soulful jazzy ballads from the... read more

An 80s collection, but one that's filled with gems from Gil Scott-Heron's legendary early years at Flying Dutchman – a time when he was recording some of his most impressively righteous material ever! The music's a hip mix of protest poetry and sweet jazzy numbers – played with great... read more

An 80s collection, but one that's filled with gems from Gil Scott-Heron's legendary early years at Flying Dutchman – a time when he was recording some of his most impressively righteous material ever! The music's a hip mix of protest poetry and sweet jazzy numbers – played with great... read more

Possibly the group's biggest hit – and proof that the Soul Train formula of pop/soul could prove to be a winner! Don Cornelius is firmly at the helm as he pilots that band through the classic "Uptown Festival", a club oriented medley of Motown classics, all strung together in one... read more

Smooth pop-oriented R&B from the early 80s – with Alfie singing in a vibrato-heavy style that's probably designed to make you think she's an emotional vocalist. The album contains the singles "There I Go" and "A Puppet To You" – plus the tracks "Put The... read more

A great little collection of Nina's work for RCA during the late 60s – a mixture of mellower jazzy grooves, folksy soul, and some fuller-arranged styles handled by Sammy Lowe and Horace Ott. Nina's in fine form throughout – singing with a tone that matches the mood on any number –... read more

Quite possibly the greatest music that Nina Simone ever recorded – brought together beautifully in one compact yet complete set! Nina Simone recorded some great music before she hit the RCA label in the late 60s – but her time at that company really saw a flowering of her unique... read more

The hippest work of Nina Simone's years on RCA – a collection that brings together tracks that really fit the spirit of the title! Although Simone had always explored righteous themes throughout her career, she really opened up during her late 60s/early 70s run for RCA – using new... read more

Hip stuff from Nina – much more of a soul album than some of her other work from previous years, featuring hip arrangements by Harold Wheeler that turn a host of familiar pop tunes into Nina's own territory. Includes a great version of "Ooh Child", plus "Just Like A Woman"... read more

Wonderful work by Nina – the kind of record that once made purists turn up their noses, but which is now being rediscovered as a unique jazz/soul crossover album, filled with loads of nice moments! The instrumentation's pretty darn interesting – and includes sitar, harp, Spanish guitar... read more

A strong back to basics session for Nina, one that featured her piano and vocals only, a very spare approach that was markedly different from her work a few years previously for other labels. Nina's tone on the piano is incredible – and she's working with some striking modern jazz changes... read more

One of Nina's first for RCA – a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a... read more

One of Nina's first for RCA – a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a... read more

Nina's not just singing the blues here – she's completely reinventing the sound of the format – by drawing on a long tradition of vocal expression, and infusing it with the hipper, more personally exploratory mode she forged in the 60s! The album's got a subtle brilliance that means... read more

Although Don Cornelius was at the height of his powers during the mid 70s – what with the Soul Train TV show blasting away regularly on the airwaves – he wasn't nearly as good a record producer as he was a TV emcee. Fortunately, he had a bit of help on this record, which features a... read more

Great work from this famous Italian maestro – sweeping, soaring instrumentals – but also a bit funky at times too! Ettore brings a real soundtrack approach to most numbers – fitting, given that most tunes here are film themes – and he uses full strings, plus some nicely... read more

Tavares chill things out nicely, definitely heading for the "new directions" in the title, and going for more of a mellow sound that was clearly going to help them reach new audiences in the post-disco years. The harmonies are as great as they always were in the early days, taking a... read more

Two great slices of work from The Tymes – each of them different! First up is the Trustmaker album from 1974 – soaring soul from The Tymes – arguably their biggest album ever, and a key RCA Records soul set from the 70s! Like others at the time, the group get a hip new style... read more

Spooky cover – with a parking meter in a darkened graveyard, the flag up and reading "Tyme's Up" – but the album itself is very warm and friendly! The whole thing was produced and directed by Billy Jackson – and it's got a Philly/New York studio feel that pushes the... read more

A modern soul gem produced by Lenny White! Though White lends a touch of jazzy sophistication to the set, it's a straight up dose of mainstream modern soul, with great ensemble vocals and crisp production over tight songs that should have landed Wax at the top of the radio. Somehow though they... read more

Excellent sounds from Charlie Wilson – aka "Uncle Charlie", the former lead singer of The Gap Band! Wilson's great here, and really finds a comfortable space that works well right from the start – never trying to be too young or too contemporary, and instead stretching out in... read more

A seminal classic from vocalist Michael Wycoff – thanks to some killer help from Webster Lewis – who not only produced the album, but also plays keyboards on the set! The album's got a bounce and bubble that's right up there with Lewis' best from the late 70s – but thanks to some... read more

Way more than just a disco collection – a great album with some had to get numbers you don't see much on vinyl any more. Includes "You Little Trustmaker" by the Tymes, "To Each His Own" by Faith Hope &Charity, "Am I Cold, Am I Hot" by Bill Harris, "What... read more