Soul — In Stock — CDs  

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Stunning Afro Funk grooves! Fela's legendary drummer, Tony Allen, leads the set on both of these rare albums – nicely packaged onto 2 individual CDs that are like tiny record sleeves, complete with all the original cover art and everything! The groove on the record is pure Fela – and... read more

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Great stuff! From Motown songwriters to world-class superstars, the trip was a well-deserved one for Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford – and this album's perhaps their crowning achievement in sophisticated club soul! The record's got a great groove that offers a more soulful version of disco... read more

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The beginning of an empire! This was the first solo album cut by the now-famous Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds – cut after years of work in the music business that included stints in the groups Manchild and The Deele, and lots of production work for other LA soul acts. The record's kind... read more

A strange title for a first record – but quite fitting, given the impact that Erykah Badu has had on soul music! The record defines a whole new style of expression – "Baduizm", if you will – one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's... read more

Officially sanctioned live material from Ginger Baker's archives – jamming hard in 1976 with his African Friends in Berlin – including Fela & Tony Allen! Baker lived and worked in Nigeria as far back as the early 70s, as famously documented in the classic Fela/Ginger Baker Live set... read more

A funky blacksploitation soundtrack – issued here for the first time! The score was written and performed by HB Barnum, the great soul arranger who was responsible for some of the funky work that David Axelrod did at Capitol Records during the late 60s – and this set features him... read more

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Titles include "Promises", "From Now On", "Freeze Thaw", "How Dare You", "Astrud", and "Miles Away".... read more

A really strong late 80s set from Regina – bringing in more smooth soul touches than the more dancefloor ready predecessor – which make for an even finer showcase for Regina's beautiful voice. Titles include "Baby Come To Me", "When Will You Be Mine", "What... read more

A super huge hit for George – the record that took him from being a funky jazz guitarist into an R&B superstar! The album features George playing and singing over arrangements by Claus Ogerman – some of Ogerman's best of the 70s, ones that mix together his trademark pillow of sound... read more

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Mary J's second LP, and every bit as fine as the first. She's still working with Puffy and Chucky Thompson here, staying true to the commercial R&B formula that has been Blige's mainstay over her entire career. 13 tracks of the fine Brooklyn soul sound, plus a couple of interludes, including... read more

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Collected work by Blo – a hip Nigerian funk ensemble from the mid 70s! The group have a more complicated sound than some of their contemporaries – adding in dubbier stylings and bits of psychedelic guitar to the more common Afro-Funk percussion – in a mode that almost sounds like... read more

A dozen tracks from one of the greatest east coast harmony groups of the 70s! Blue Magic came onto the scene a bit later than some of their other hit making geographical neighbors – like The Stylistics or The Moments – but their sound was pure 70s harmony all the way, and the group had... read more

A landmark album from Boyz II Men – and a set that shows that the classic harmony style was alive and well into the 90s! Although the production and rhythms here are somewhat contemporary, the vocals have a classic approach all the way through – maturing masculine soul styles that are... read more

Smooth, chart R&B and new jack slow jams from one of the iconic groups of mid 90s urban radio in English and Spanish versions from the original album. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, Babyface and the Darp Inc crew provide syrupy backing for the Boyz's sweet 90s soul harmonies. ... read more

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Gritty, powerful raw soul from Charles Bradley – the full length debut from the 62-year-old Brooklyn singer – backed perfectly by The Menahan Street Band! It's incredible, a record that sounds just as rawly emotional and impeccably soulful in 2011 as it would have in 1971 – much... read more

15 classic tracks from Brass Construction – featuring mid 70s tunes lifted from the group's well-selling albums on United Artists! The tracks are a blend of disco, soul, and funk – with more than a bit of the horn-heavy groove that earns the group their "brass construction"... read more

Previously unreleased live set by this George Clinton spinoff band, recorded at the legendary Howard Theatre in Washington, DC in 1978. Although the Brides were more of Clinton's disco group, this live set has more of a P-Funk feel to it, with lots of nice live touches in the classic goofy P-Funk... read more

Breakout brilliance from Bobby Brown – the album that really showed the world he could stand on his own strongly after leaving New Edition! Given the tight production from LA & Babyface, among others, the sound here is hardly cruel – and instead, the album's got a catchily... read more

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Get ready to discover a true soul genius – the vastly under-known Richard Caiton, an excellent sweet soul singer who hailed from the New Orleans scene of the 60s! Unlike some of his more famous Crescent City contemporaries, who sung in a chunkier funkier style, Caiton's got a mellow soul... read more

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Sublime soul from Change – an Italian combo who got some great American help on their early 80s for Warner Brothers! The Change groove is totally great – a stripped-down blend of beats, bass, and keyboards that was head and shoulders above much of the clunkier 80s soul of the time... read more

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11 tasty numbers by Chic, all filled with the lively guitar work and tight production of Nile Rodgers – and the group's own strong talent for delivering a hook that won't miss. Sure, it's pop disco for the masses, but most of these cuts still sound surprisingly good these days. Includes the... read more

A dozen tracks – and a pretty expansive retrospective of the career of 70s funk stalwarts Chocolate Milk! The package starts with their early heavy funk days recording with Allen Toussaint, and it moves up to their smoother sounds of the early 80s – when the band was hitting more of a... read more

Sweet Miami funk from the team of George "Chocolate" Perry and Clay Cropper – one of the rarest TK albums from the time, and also one of the funkiest too! The sound here is slightly polished, but never too much – a bit more in the sound of bigger Florida groups, like Miami,... read more

Great earlier stuff from Natalie Cole – actually her third great album in a row – a tremendous early creative and commerical winning streak for Natalie! Thankful has her sweet, soulful voice out from of prodcution by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy of the Independents, and they give her... read more

The love jams, slow grooving ballads, and easy like Sunday morning sounds of The Commodores – a most deserving combo for an entry in Motown/Universal compilation series of Love Songs! 12 of the greatest, biggest hits and lesser remembered, but still completely lovable Commodores numbers in a... read more

A great mix of R&B and reggae – a hip early album from The Cool Notes – a UK group who never broke that big on our shores, but who have a sound that's held up well over the years! The rhythms here are often in a midtempo mode, with some Jamaican echoes – and the lead vocals... read more

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, but the overall approach also had plenty of... read more

A crossover classic from Deborah Cox – a record that's filled with plenty of tuneful tracks, yet sung with a surprising depth of soul! Production is top-shelf on most numbers – and is often in that great 90s mode that's reintroducing warmer sounds that had slipped out of soul music the... read more

A great mix of jazz and soul from Randy Crawford – and a 90s set that almost takes us back to the best sounds of her early career in the 70s! The work here is nicely relaxed – not trying for a hit, even when things are smooth or a bit uptempo – especially given the mis-steps that... read more

Rich, proud work from Randy Crawford – sung with the mature mix of jazz and soul that made her one of the more sophisticated mainstream singers of her generation! The album's heavy on mellower cuts, but it's never too sleepy – thanks to a slow-burning sensibility that Randy uses to... read more

Some of the smoothest funky jazz ever recorded – and a great set of classic 70s tracks by the legendary Crusaders! By the time of these recordings, the group had already performed on countless soul jazz sides of their own, and moved from the 60s into the 70s with a tight brand of groove that... read more

A later effort from James D-Train Williams, but still plenty darn great – and proof that his groove was still one of the strongest in 80s soul music! The style of the set follows from Williams' best earlier work – a bit of bounce at the bottom of most of the tracks, but never too much... read more

An instant classic from the moment it was first released – and still pretty darn pleasing these days! D'Angelo's first album, and a sweetly crafted batch of songs that have a strong "return to the classic sound" vibe to them. Cuts include "Smooth", "Me & Those... read more

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way... read more

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Delegation really hold onto their groove in this rock-solid second set – an album that burns with vibrant energy right from the start – but all in ways that are really a cut above the usual uptempo soul of the time! Rhythms are a key part of the sound, but it's the trio's vocals that... read more

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12 remixes: "No,No, No Part 2 (Wyclef Jean extended version)", "Emotion (Neptunes rmx)", "Bootylicious (Rockwilder rmx)", "Say My Name (Timbaland rmx)", "Bug A Boo (refugee Camp rmx)", "Dot (E-Poppi mix)", "Survivor (rmx feat. Da... read more

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An incredible full album from Dinosaur L – the legendary New York dancefloor project of Arthur Russell! The group's a punky, funky, chunky amalgam of bass thumping, guitar riffing, keyboard filling, and sax honking – all very much in the spirit of Russell's best quirky club work of the... read more

One of the coolest club combos of the 70s – the mighty Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – a group with a sound that's a lot tighter than their name! The group's probably best known for giving exposure to August Darnell in his pre-Kid Creole years – but they've also got a sound... read more

A dozen of the biggest numbers from the seminal vocal group, including "There Goes My Baby", "(If You Cry) True Love, True Love", "Dance With Me", "This Magic Moment", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "I Count The Tears", "Some Kind Of... read more

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Amazing! Earth Wind & Fire's ultimate moment of the 70s – and a perfect blending of all their influences that stands as a lasting tribute to their super-huge effect on soul music! The record features all aspects of the band coming into perfect cohesion – bassy funk, mellow soul,... read more

Modern rock/funk, with sort of a New York downtown sound, and touches of the 80's days at Celluloid. The group has electric funky basslines, and some guest keyboards on tracks by Bernie Worrell, but the sound is mostly avant rock funk, instead of straight-on funky stuff. Tracks include "Flash... read more

A nice collection of early work by The Emotions – pulled from their 2 early albums for Volt, as well as a few singles for the label. The set came out in 1979, and is clearly designed to catch the eye of late 70s customers hopped up on the group's disco hits – but the tracks were all... read more

A nice collection of Fatback's later work – featuring 14 tunes the group cut for the Event label, once they smoothed out some of the sharper edges of their earlier funky stuff for Perception. The tracks aren't the hardest the group ever cut – save for the breakbeat classic "Let's... read more

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Classic 70s work by First Choice – remixed for the modern dancefloor! Titles include "Gotta Get Away (Gambafreaks club mix)", "The Player (Olav Basoski club mix)", "Armed & Extremely Dangerous (full intention club mix)", "Love Freeze (Harlem Hustlers... read more

Nice mid 80s UK pop soul from Five Star – sweet family act that's kind of in the mode that's a bit of an unofficial British answer to the cheery family pop soul vibe of groups like DeBarge and New Edition at the time – and a sweet one! Lean, lightly thumping synth soul backdrops and... read more

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An early 80s gem from Aretha Franklin – one of the best of her years at Arista Records, thanks to solid help in the studio from the mighty Arif Mardin! Mardin's in perfect form here – the same blend of older soul and jazzier, more sophisticated styles that he was also bringing to Chaka... read more

With production by Phil Collins.... read more

Surprisingly great work from Full Force – a set that seems to only get better with the passage of time, set apart nicely from most of its 80s soul contemporaries with a good deal of homegrown charm! Sure, there's some pretty heavy beats here – and sure, the sound is a few notches... read more

Not really a total best-of – but a great collection of work from the group's late 70s years, a time when they'd dropped a lot of the hippy-trippy stuff, and were working in a much tighter vein that's classic P-Funk all the way! The set features some great extended jams that really have a... read more

One of our favorite Funkadelic albums ever – a tightly grooving classic that never lets up at all! There's a sense of perfection to everything here – one that really gets the group past their tripped-out early years, and firmly into the sublime territory George Clinton hit with... read more

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Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and... read more

A 70s soul genius – even if you've never heard of the guy! Ron Henderson's a real enigma – a totally great soul artist who recorded throughout the 60s and 70s, but never really cracked the big time – thanks to the fact that his work was spread out over a number of different... read more

An 80s groove classic – and a killer bit of Captiol Records soul from High fashion! Of all US major labels, Capitol was probably putting out the best soul in the early 80s – and this is a tight modern batch of up-tempo tracks, right up there with other contemporary classics on the... read more

Jennifer Holliday's strong '91 set – with material that's par for the course for Arista soul efforts of the late 80s and early 90s – but Holliday outshines it with her powerful, emotional and wonderful voice! Definitely an underappreciated set, particularly for fans of powerfully... read more

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Sparkling modern soul from the lovely Phyllis Hyman – and an album that has the singer picking up the wonderfully smooth groove that had become the Philly International sound of the mid 80s. This format works surprisingly well for Phyllis – quite possibly more so than it did even for... read more

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The Isleys sure aren't out to prevent teen pregnancy with the title of this set – but given the strength of the album, we can easily forgive them for any lack of social consciousness! In an era when countless young artists are copping the Isley groove of the 70s, the Brothers are back to... read more

Mid 90s Isleys – with some songs written by Angela Winbush, who also produces – as does R Kelly on a few numbers too! Includes "Floatin On Your Love", 'Whenever You're Ready", "Let's Get Intimate", their cover of Simply Red's "Holding Back The Years"... read more

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Bold 80s soul from Jermaine Jackson – a set that's heavy on beats and keyboards, but which still leaves enough space for his gentler-toned vocals! The upbeat tracks here sometimes get a bit dramatic, which makes us like the ballads more – sweeter-styled numbers that are much better... read more