Deep Funk — All Formats  

The first-ever full length set from Bronx River Parkway – a wonderful blend of Latin and funk styles that follows beautifully from their strong run of funky 45s! The groove here is sort of a deeper, dirtier take on the Fania sound of the 70s – almost a re-imagining of the late 60s Latin Soul vibe, pretending that it still held on strongly through the following decade – and picked up all sort of weird little twists, turns, and unusual instrumental elements! The group's ties to the El Michels Affair show strongly at points – no surprise, as Leon Michels is in both groups, and produced this set – but the sound is nicely different too, with a bit more of an east coast Latin vibe. Wonderful stuff overall – and proof that the right corners of the deep funk underground still know how to keep things fresh! Titles include "Song For Ray", "Agua Con Sal", "La Valla", "El Resbalon", "San Sebastian 152", "Me Toca", "Mi Corazon", "Para Los Rumberos", "Donde", and "Nora Se Ve".

Wicked stuff – and 2 tracks that offer a whole new take on the modern sound of deep funk! "Creation" is a weird little offbeat number that snaps along the beats, blasts them with horns, and almost goes for a Chicago Brunswick sort of style! There's a bit of strings lilting along with the grooves, and even some vibes that seem to sneak out from time to time! The vibes come in even more strongly on the flipside – making "Behind The Blue Curtains" sound somewhere between the work of Lionel Hampton on Brunswick, and some of the recent instrumental funk from the Madlib side of the spectrum!

Wu Tang gets funky – as El Michels Affair serve up spare funky versions of two older classics – almost turning them back into the core samples from which they came! "Duel Of The Iron Mics" is totally great – slow-stepping drums, spare spooky piano, and flowing wave of sound that often carries dark little sounds and noises that shimmer at the bottom of the mix! "Bring The Ruckus" is more straightforwardly funky, but still keeps things slow – starting with a great drum break on the intro, then rolling into a very weird-sounding blend of instruments that has plenty of odd Eastern elements!

Smoking soul from the mighty Lee Fields – and a set that really has him getting back to his roots, as well! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a beautiful indication of Lee's rich legacy in soul music – which stretches back decades, with rare releases on small indie labels! Yet the sound here is much stronger than Fields ever got back in the day – thanks to help from The Expressions, and some sublime Truth & Soul production – a combination that really has the record feeling as if it were recorded for Atlantic at Muscle Shoals at the end of the 60s. Lee's vocals really rise to the setting, and may well be some of his best in years – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given how great he always is! A stone home run throughout – with titles that include "Faithful Man", "Wish You Were Here", "Moonlight Mile", "Walk On Thru That Door", "Still Hanging On", "You're The Kind Of Girl", and "I Still Got It".

The instrumentals for the smoking soul set by the mighty Lee Fields! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a beautiful indication of Lee's rich legacy in soul music – which stretches back decades, with rare releases on small indie labels! Yet the sound here is much stronger than Fields ever got back in the day – thanks to help from The Expressions, and some sublime Truth & Soul production – a combination that really has the record feeling as if it were recorded for Atlantic at Muscle Shoals at the end of the 60s. A stone home run throughout – with titles that include "Faithful Man", "Wish You Were Here", "Moonlight Mile", "Walk On Thru That Door", "Still Hanging On", "You're The Kind Of Girl", and "I Still Got It".

Early early work from Lee Fields – a set originally issued at the end of the 70s, but with a raw funky power that's much more like music from a decade before! The set was a real anomaly at the time, and was passed over for years – but through the decades, it's earned Lee legendary status as one of the few cats who were keeping things hard and funky when the rest of the country was going disco – a reputation that's definitely held up strongly by the gritty tracks in the set! There's a strong echo of southern soul in the music – again the feel of something from years before – and the raw production only seems to make the whole thing sound even better – with an edge that's even different than Fields' better-known work of recent years. The album was done for the tiny Angle 3 label – a company so small that it opted for one of the "stock" images that was given the album by the pressing plant, which gave the album a very unspectacular cover – corrected on this deluxe reissue by the great cover image here. This reissue also features loads of bonus tracks too – other rare Lee Fields singles from over the years – making the package a true testament to his pre-revival genius! Album tracks include "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away (parts 1 & 2)", "Flim Flam", "Wanna Dance", "She's A Lovemaker", "Mighty Mighty Love", and "Let's Talk It Over". Bonus tracks include "Fought For Survival", "Funky Screw", "The Bull Is Coming", "Take Me Back", "You Been Cutting Out On Me", and "Bewildered".

Tight!! Lee Fields, one of the great criminally under appreciated funky geniuses of the 70s is back with another pounding, raw funk classic that still finds the man at the peak of his powers, decades after he first made mark on the funk landscape! This is Lee's first full length effort for Soul Fire, a label that we all know goes to painstaking lengths to carefully carry the torch lit by the People Records scene in the 70s into the future, and it's great to see a titan like Lee do amazing work for a great label that does it purely for the love! Lee is absolutely on fire on all 10 of these tracks, with a Godfather like delivery that knocks us out of our chairs every time, whether it's that fiery funk howl that we love so much, or a smooth, soulful glide on the occasional ballad. He's backed up by a bona fide funky orchestra at Soul Fire Studios that includes TONS of hot drums, propulsive percussion, and some driving conga work that steers things into an afro funk groove on several of the tunes. The group MVP, other than Lee himself, could be multi instrumentalist Leon Michels, whose work on flute, keys, tenor and baritone sax, as well guitar and bass not only helps keep the classic 70s feel going, but keeps things crackling at breakneck speed. This isn't newfangled funk revival, this is the real deal from one of the originators – a 33-minute funk maelstrom that will knock you right out of your chair, and have you restarting it the second it ends! Includes "Problems", "The Right Thing", "Rapping With Lee", "I Don't Know Where I'm Going", and "Honey Dove". Oh, if only all of our heroes remained this vital!

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years – a tremendous accomplishment for the mighty Lee Fields, and a set that's quite different than any of his other work! We've always loved Lee's funk and deep soul sides, but this album's something new altogether – almost done in the hard-edge, downtempo mode of the east coast harmony scene of the late 60s and early 70s – like some of the best group soul work coming out of New Jersey or Philly, with some super-dope production and instrumentation that's really amazing! The grooves follow strongly in the same laidback style as recent El Michels work – no surprise, given the El Michels connection to the music – with beats that are hard, but slow – and instrumentation that's funky, but in a mellow sort of way. Lee's vocals are as deep as ever – very much trained in the James Brown tradition, but turned here towards a really unique groove that makes us completely reevaluate his talents – an amazing achievement not just for Fields, but also for the whole Truth & Soul/El Michels crew! An instant classic – with tracks that include "My World", "Ladies", "Expressions Theme", "Honey Dove", "Money I$ King", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", and "Last Ride".

A sparkling debut – and a whole new side of Truth & Soul! The Olympians feature Toby Panzer on keyboards and vibes – and work here with a laidback groove that's totally great – kind of a combination of slow funk and instrumental sweet soul, with mellow beats, El Michels horns, and a really warm sound on the piano! "Stand Tall" is mellow too, but with more of a super-dope feel – quietly tripping grooves with snapping drums, snakey guitar, and more of those great horns over the top!

Smoking soul from the mighty Lee Fields – and a set that really has him getting back to his roots, as well! The record's billed as a follow-up to the previous My World – but it's got a style that's much more deep soul, much more southern-tinged than that great record – a beautiful indication of Lee's rich legacy in soul music – which stretches back decades, with rare releases on small indie labels! Yet the sound here is much stronger than Fields ever got back in the day – thanks to help from The Expressions, and some sublime Truth & Soul production – a combination that really has the record feeling as if it were recorded for Atlantic at Muscle Shoals at the end of the 60s. Lee's vocals really rise to the setting, and may well be some of his best in years – and that's saying a hell of a lot, given how great he always is! A stone home run throughout – with titles that include "Faithful Man", "Wish You Were Here", "Moonlight Mile", "Walk On Thru That Door", "Still Hanging On", "You're The Kind Of Girl", and "I Still Got It".

Early early work from Lee Fields – a set originally issued at the end of the 70s, but with a raw funky power that's much more like music from a decade before! The set was a real anomaly at the time, and was passed over for years – but through the decades, it's earned Lee legendary status as one of the few cats who were keeping things hard and funky when the rest of the country was going disco – a reputation that's definitely held up strongly by the gritty tracks in the set! There's a strong echo of southern soul in the music – again the feel of something from years before – and the raw production only seems to make the whole thing sound even better – with an edge that's even different than Fields' better-known work of recent years. The album was done for the tiny Angle 3 label – a company so small that it opted for one of the "stock" images that was given the album by the pressing plant, which gave the album a very unspectacular cover – corrected on this deluxe reissue by the great cover image here. This reissue also features loads of bonus tracks too – other rare Lee Fields singles from over the years – making the package a true testament to his pre-revival genius! Album tracks include "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away (parts 1 & 2)", "Flim Flam", "Wanna Dance", "She's A Lovemaker", "Mighty Mighty Love", and "Let's Talk It Over". Bonus tracks include "Fought For Survival", "Funky Screw", "The Bull Is Coming", "Take Me Back", "You Been Cutting Out On Me", and "Bewildered".

Killer instrumentals from the My World album by Lee Fields – a set that features none of Lee's vocals at all – just some great slow funk grooves by The Expressions! The vibe here is wonderful – even without Fields on deck – and in a way, leaving the vocals off unlocks a whole new side of the album's brilliance – showing the kind of roots the group hits with their music. The Expressions features the mighty Leon Michels on sax, bass, guitar, and keyboards – and overall, there's plenty of El Michels' elements in the music – slow, snakey rhythms – a slight dash of southern funk – and a great way of staying mellow and laidback, yet still funky and soulful too! Titles include "Money Is King", "My World Is Empty", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", "These Moments", and "Ladies".

One of the greatest tunes we've ever heard from Lee Fields – a super-mellow bit of funk that's more like Marvin Gaye than some of his previous James Brown-styled tunes! The track's got a great laidback groove – vibes, snapping drums, and just a bit of strings – all couched perfectly with a gently funky undercurrent – almost like a cut from a lost 70s soundtrack. Lee's vocals are still as soulful as ever – sweet, but with a slight rasp that keeps things real, and which underscores the hip lyrics of the tune. "Love Comes & Goes" is great too – almost a New Jersey harmony track from the early 70s – very slow, but funky nonetheless!

One of the funkiest records we've heard from Lee Fields in years – and most of his records are already pretty darn funky! This one's got a very different approach than some of Lee's recent deep funk sides – a more electric, 70s-styled slow funk groove – one that begins with great slow-stepping drums that burn with a nice southern soul undercurrent – topped off by warm keyboards and horn bits, all grooving at a laidback groove that's really outta site! "Honey Dove" is also incredible – and begins with a super-dope guitar bit that just snakes out at a really slow, slinky pace – setting things up for the mellow funky drums, and Lee's total soul vocal part!

The long-overdue return of soulsinger Terri Walker – teamed up here brilliantly with Nicole Wray, and served up in a format that's even better than before! Lady have a style that's totally great – a really old school female duo, presented with strong Truth & South touches that really take us back to late 60s/early 70s indie girl soul – a time when things could be powerful one minute, and fragile the next – especially as the vocals going back and forth really find their own sort of intimate space! Terri's still every bit as great as she was on her contemporary soul albums from the past decade – but this old school approach somehow makes her sound even better than before – and Nicole's a great partner, as is the whole El Michels-ish lineup in the backing group! Titles include "Money", "Hold On", "Karma", "Sweet Lady", "If You Wanna Be My Man", "Waiting On You", "Get Ready", and "Tell The Truth".

Sweet Latin grooves from Bronx River Parkway – two great numbers back to back! "Aqua Con Sal" has a soulful stepping bassline at the bottom – one that sets the groove with almost a bit of early 70s west coast Latin – in contrast to the more New York-sounding horns on the top! Vocals are held to a minimum, and the cut's also got a nice percussion bit in the middle! "Me Toca" is nice and mellow too – slowly snapping timbales, bits of bass and keyboards, and a Malo-styled soulful vocal in Spanish!

Standiout cuts from The El Michel's Affair's instant classic tribute tribute to Isaac Hayes! – covering "Run Fay Run" and "Hung Up On My Baby" in a raw instrumental funk mode! "Run Fay Run" rolls along with some incredible percussion – faithful to the original, but not a straight up replication, putting their own twist on the classic style. The Affair's got a sinister bass groove here that's unshakable! The group's take on the sample classic "Hung Up On My Baby" is just as great.

Easily one of the greatest new funk records of the 21st Century – and a set that goes way beyond some of the cliches that are currently gripping others in the deep funk underground! El Michels Affair have a cool, easygoing style to their music – one that's as much 70s jazz as it is 60s funk – and which makes for tunes that have a looser structure overall, which allows much more room for instrumental interplay, and the kind of sweet surprises that make the album so great! These guys have a real penchant for an unusual rhythm and interesting instrumental flair – and they borrow as much from 70s soundtracks and Latin albums as they do from the funky 45 era that clearly gave them their start. Totally fresh all the way through, and a record that delights us a lot more than we might have expected! Titles include "Detroit Twice", "El Pueblo Unido", "Behind The Blue Curtains", "Ocho Rios", "Hung Up On My Baby", "This Song's For You", and "Slide Show".

A mighty take on the music of Isaac Hayes – put together by the El Michels Affair! The album's every bit as funky as the combo's own work – and it's an amazing rework of familiar funk favorites from the 70s – redone here with a slightly leaner feel by the group, and without any vocals at all! There's still a relatively full approach to the tunes – given that the group has a great horn section at its heart – but the keyboards, guitar, and bass are much more up in the mix than on the originals – which makes these cuts burn like funky 45s! Drums are great too – completely rock-solid, and essential to the grooves – and the whole thing's produced with the right raw funky edge to make this one come across as way more than just a simple cover of Ike's original greatness. Titles include "Walk On By", "Run Fay Run", "Hung Up On My Baby", "Red Rooster", "Bumpy's Lament", "Shaft", and a shorter edit of "Walk On By". Note that this is apparently the same material as on the Memphis Sounds album Ike's Moods – except that this album features 7 tracks.

Super-dope, super-slow funk from The Expressions – a really great change from the usual deep funk groove! "These Moments" slinks along like some 70s mellow soul instrumental b-side – still plenty funky, but moving at a pace that's never too over the top, with instrumentation that slowly grooves instead of rips along in quick riffs. There's a nicely breaking guitar over the track's stepping bass – and rhythm that hangs there perfectly in mid-air! "Money Is King" is slightly faster, but still quite laidback – guitar strutting out wonderfully next to a bit of strings – almost making the whole thing sound like some badass soundtrack theme!

Early early work from Lee Fields – a set originally issued at the end of the 70s, but with a raw funky power that's much more like music from a decade before! The set was a real anomaly at the time, and was passed over for years – but through the decades, it's earned Lee legendary status as one of the few cats who were keeping things hard and funky when the rest of the country was going disco – a reputation that's definitely held up strongly by the gritty tracks in the set! There's a strong echo of southern soul in the music – again the feel of something from years before – and the raw production only seems to make the whole thing sound even better – with an edge that's even different than Fields' better-known work of recent years. The album was done for the tiny Angle 3 label – a company so small that it opted for one of the "stock" images that was given the album by the pressing plant, which gave the album a very unspectacular cover – corrected on this deluxe reissue by the great cover image here. This reissue also features loads of bonus tracks too – other rare Lee Fields singles from over the years – making the package a true testament to his pre-revival genius! Album tracks include "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away (parts 1 & 2)", "Flim Flam", "Wanna Dance", "She's A Lovemaker", "Mighty Mighty Love", and "Let's Talk It Over". Bonus tracks include "Fought For Survival", "Funky Screw", "The Bull Is Coming", "Take Me Back", "You Been Cutting Out On Me", and "Bewildered".

Tight!! Lee Fields, one of the great criminally under appreciated funky geniuses of the 70s is back with another pounding, raw funk classic that still finds the man at the peak of his powers, decades after he first made mark on the funk landscape! This is Lee's first full length effort for Soul Fire, a label that we all know goes to painstaking lengths to carefully carry the torch lit by the People Records scene in the 70s into the future, and it's great to see a titan like Lee do amazing work for a great label that does it purely for the love! Lee is absolutely on fire on all 10 of these tracks, with a Godfather like delivery that knocks us out of our chairs every time, whether it's that fiery funk howl that we love so much, or a smooth, soulful glide on the occasional ballad. He's backed up by a bona fide funky orchestra at Soul Fire Studios that includes TONS of hot drums, propulsive percussion, and some driving conga work that steers things into an afro funk groove on several of the tunes. The group MVP, other than Lee himself, could be multi instrumentalist Leon Michels, whose work on flute, keys, tenor and baritone sax, as well guitar and bass not only helps keep the classic 70s feel going, but keeps things crackling at breakneck speed. This isn't newfangled funk revival, this is the real deal from one of the originators – a 33-minute funk maelstrom that will knock you right out of your chair, and have you restarting it the second it ends! Includes "Problems", "The Right Thing", "Rapping With Lee", "I Don't Know Where I'm Going", and "Honey Dove". Oh, if only all of our heroes remained this vital!

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years – a tremendous accomplishment for the mighty Lee Fields, and a set that's quite different than any of his other work! We've always loved Lee's funk and deep soul sides, but this album's something new altogether – almost done in the hard-edge, downtempo mode of the east coast harmony scene of the late 60s and early 70s – like some of the best group soul work coming out of New Jersey or Philly, with some super-dope production and instrumentation that's really amazing! The grooves follow strongly in the same laidback style as recent El Michels work – no surprise, given the El Michels connection to the music – with beats that are hard, but slow – and instrumentation that's funky, but in a mellow sort of way. Lee's vocals are as deep as ever – very much trained in the James Brown tradition, but turned here towards a really unique groove that makes us completely reevaluate his talents – an amazing achievement not just for Fields, but also for the whole Truth & Soul/El Michels crew! An instant classic – with tracks that include "My World", "Ladies", "Expressions Theme", "Honey Dove", "Money I$ King", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", and "Last Ride".

The long-overdue return of soulsinger Terri Walker – teamed up here brilliantly with Nicole Wray, and served up in a format that's even better than before! Lady have a style that's totally great – a really old school female duo, presented with strong Truth & South touches that really take us back to late 60s/early 70s indie girl soul – a time when things could be powerful one minute, and fragile the next – especially as the vocals going back and forth really find their own sort of intimate space! Terri's still every bit as great as she was on her contemporary soul albums from the past decade – but this old school approach somehow makes her sound even better than before – and Nicole's a great partner, as is the whole El Michels-ish lineup in the backing group! Titles include "Money", "Hold On", "Karma", "Sweet Lady", "If You Wanna Be My Man", "Waiting On You", "Get Ready", and "Tell The Truth".

One of the sweetest tunes we've ever heard with "Money" in the title – a wicked groove from the duo of Terri Walker and Nicole Wray – set to this tippling piano bit that takes us back to a Barbara Acklin single on Brunswick! There's a perfect old school approach to the cut – and the vocals traded back and forth really emphasize the tune's wonderful hook. And on the flipside, the instrumental version has this wicked riffing guitar and really lets the piano stand out – almost a Young-Holt to the Acklin on the main side!

Quite possibly the heaviest groove we've heard to date from Bronx River Parkway – a tune that snaps out with a stark little break on the beginning – really crackling with a heavy funk energy, but also sharing a bit of Wu-Tang like piano in the background! As the tune rolls on, the record picks up a bit more of a Latin flourish on the horns and vocals – setting the scene for the mellower "Nora Se Va" on the flipside – a jazzy laidback number with piano darting out nicely underneath Spanish language vocals!

Deep funk for the hip hop scene – instrumental versions of 2 Wu-Tang classics, both of them great! "CREAM" is done here as a low-down and dirty funk track – hard drums in place of the beats, scratchy guitar to enforce the darkness, and a madly tippling piano part that's pure Wu-Tang all the way! Raekwan's "Glaciers Of Ice" follows in a similar mode – familiar, yet very strange in this new incarnation – equally dark and nicely subdued, another crowning achievement for El Michels Affair!

Do you need a dollar? You just might get one with this stellar and soulful single by Aloe Blacc – rawly produced, memorably composed, and one of the finer underground soul singles of 2010! "I Need A Dollar" may sound familiar – it's the theme song to How To Make It In America on HBO – but that aside, it's a winning single and a sign of the great things to come on Aloe's Good Things LP. He takes a socially conscious tack on the A-side that serves the sound wonderfully. Co-produced and by Jeff Dynamite and Truth & Soul player Leon Michels – the latter providing tight horn arrangements. The flip "Take Me Back" is a more measured funky soul number that's just as excellent.

Grand Slam take plenty of inspiration from the P-Funk universe – and as proof of that fact, they've got Gary Mudbone Cooper on vocals for a few tracks on this sweet little set – a record that definitely offers up a 21st Century evolution of the original P-Funk groove! The combo are heavy on basslines and keyboards – often used with that best slinky style that the George Clinton groups hit at the end of the 70s – and occasionally touched by some modern rhythms, although overall the group have a very live funky mode! Vocals are often layered together nicely, and sometimes vocoded too – as a few cuts echo that early 80s shift to more electric funk, particularly from the Zapp generation. Lige Curry sings lead on a few other numbers – and titles include "Long Term Ticket", "You Can't Nickname The Truth", "Camp Down", "Elemelemel", "Streets Of Harlem", and "The Fog".

If the story is stripped down avant funk instrumentals with subtle stylistic twists and turns, it's a story worth telling – and that's what Clutchy Hopkins puts down on The Story Teller – an album that manages to be among his most raw and direct and his most adventurous at the same time! There's an almost low fi approach to the production, as well as an emphasis on drums, percussion and keys that keeps it all cohesive, but the range of styles he rolls in and out while doing that is pretty incredible! Hazy, raw mood funk, bits of South American and other points global influenced guitar and percussion, trippier keys and most always a sinister bass groove. The persona is low less mysterious than ever, but the leftfield funk sound is as impressive as ever! Includes "Giraffe Crack", "Laughing Jockey", "Miles Chillin", "Truth Seekin", "Nina", "Truch Seekin", "Drunk Socks", "Verbal Headlock" and more.

A brilliant return from the Hot 8 Brass Band – a New Orleans combo who take tradition into some great funky new territory! As you'd guess from their name, the instrumentation is heavy on brass – played with a gritty, soulful edge – in the way you'd find during some street performance in a corner far from the mainstream Quarter – sometimes accompanied by ensemble vocals, and almost always driven by these great rhythms at the bottom – more than funky enough to set even the heaviest horns on fire with their energy. Titles include "Bingo Bango", "Fine Tuner", "Steamin Blues", "Can't Hide From The Truth", "New Orleans (After The City)", and a nice remake of The Specials' "Ghost Town".

Whomp! It's a stormer! Killer killer killer! No kidding, this album's a monster – and it's one of the heaviest slices of funk we've heard in ages! Pardon the exclamations, but we're telling the truth – and this classic by the Sugarman Three is a must-have for any fan of funky jazz and jazzy funk. The group's usual lineup has been expanded to a hard, heavy sextet – with organ, tenor, guitar, flute, and percussion all going to town like a house on fire, or (more appropriately) like the best of the lost little combos that we usually sell on funky 45s! The drummer's totally sock-solid, and the organ and guitar riffs wail so hard your windows will break (Dusty Groove not to be held responsible for damage!) Every cut's a winner – and this will be the best present your ears have had all year! Titles include "Soul Donkey", "Chicken Half", "Double Back", "Pull My Cart", "Out A Sight", "So Long Donkey", "Turtle Walk", and "Mullin Around". Great stuff!

If the story is stripped down avant funk instrumentals with subtle stylistic twists and turns, it's a story worth telling – and that's what Clutchy Hopkins puts down on The Story Teller – an album that manages to be among his most raw and direct and his most adventurous at the same time! There's an almost low fi approach to the production, as well as an emphasis on drums, percussion and keys that keeps it all cohesive, but the range of styles he rolls in and out while doing that is pretty incredible! Hazy, raw mood funk, bits of South American and other points global influenced guitar and percussion, trippier keys and most always a sinister bass groove. The persona is low less mysterious than ever, but the leftfield funk sound is as impressive as ever! Includes "Giraffe Crack", "Laughing Jockey", "Miles Chillin", "Truth Seekin", "Nina", "Truch Seekin", "Drunk Socks", "Verbal Headlock" and more.

Cinematic soul rooted in the rawer organ, drums and horns vibes that resonated deeply in records from north to south in the 70s – done with a lean, tight and head nodding groove no doubt informed by Aloe Blacc's own roots in hip hop – on his best album yet and one of best raw soul styled albums ever to come from our friends at Stones Throw! Good Things is a giant leap ahead of Shine Through, Aloe's previous full length on the label. We loved that record for its gritty, unique approach to funky soul, but, Good Things reaches for the heights of Aloe's heroes from Donny Hathaway to Marvin Gaye – and comes closer than we could have imagined! It's produced by the Truth & Soul team, with a timeless funk & soul vibe comparable to their work with the great Lee Fields. We have a feeling we'll still be listening to this album 10-15-20 years from now. Essential! Titles include the underground breakout "I Need A Dollar", an incredible cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" (we must have dropped the needle on that 50 times in the first couple days we had it), "Green Lights", "Miss Fortune", "Good Things", "Loving You Is Killing Me", "Mama Hold My Hand", "Hey Brother" and more.

Brooklyn boogaloo from Spanglish Fly – a joyous couple of numbers for their second funky 45 for Electric Cowbell – recorded at Truth & Soul! "Me Gusta Mi Bicicleta" – kind of a Latin party soul love letter to urban cyclists! Female lead vocals and chorus backup with killer percussion and cool horn arrangements. The groove changes halfway through, too – it's almost modern boogaloo suite unto itself. "The Po-Po" is another winner – sirens sound out of horns and percussion and some playful back & forth vox. We sure love what we've heard from this combo thus far!

The deepest jazz funk material Madlib has ever laid down – possibly the best album yet from Yesterday's New Quintet – featuring turns at freewheeling avant funk, electro jazz groove, furious sound library styles, a few chill moments, and a boundless sound overall! Yesterday's Universe features 15 unique tracks – purportedly played by 10 acts (The Last Electro, The Jahari Massamba Unit, The Eddie Prince Fusion Band, Young Jazz Rebels, etc), but in truth it's all from the feverishly talented mind of Madlib – with special guests including drummer Karriem Riggins and Azymuth precussionist Mamao! It's heavily steeped in fusion funk, but we're equally impressed by the cooler, slightly straighter moments – which display just how wide of a grasp Madlib has on the deepest, darkest corners of the spectrum. The wide range of influences flows naturally – amazing work from one of the most talented wizards in the game! Titles include a heady adaptation of "Bitches Brew", "Umoja (Unity)", "Slave Riot", "One For The Monica Lingas Band", "Street Talkin'", "Marcus, Martin & Malcolm", "Two For Strata East", "Cold Nights And Rainy Days", "Mtume's Song", "Vibes From The Tribes Suite (For Phil)", "Upa Neguinho" and more.

Cinematic soul rooted in the rawer organ, drums and horns vibes that resonated deeply in records from north to south in the 70s – done with a lean, tight and head nodding groove no doubt informed by Aloe Blacc's own roots in hip hop – on his best album yet and one of best raw soul styled albums ever to come from our friends at Stones Throw! Good Things is a giant leap ahead of Shine Through, Aloe's previous full length on the label. We loved that record for its gritty, unique approach to funky soul, but, Good Things reaches for the heights of Aloe's heroes from Donny Hathaway to Marvin Gaye – and comes closer than we could have imagined! It's produced by the Truth & Soul team, with a timeless funk & soul vibe comparable to their work with the great Lee Fields. We have a feeling we'll still be listening to this album 10-15-20 years from now. Essential! Titles include the underground breakout "I Need A Dollar", an incredible cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" (we must have dropped the needle on that 50 times in the first couple days we had it), "Green Lights", "Miss Fortune", "Good Things", "Loving You Is Killing Me", "Mama Hold My Hand", "Hey Brother" and more.

A mindblowing 7-inch EP from Nashville's DeRobert & The Half-Truths and the GED Soul team – who've shown enough potential thus far to make us think they'd eventually rise to the upper tier of neo classic funky soul collectives – and with this exceptional EP we think they've made it! Tight, punchy raw soul from the group and it's sung with grit, heart and truth by boss DeRobert Adams. It works as timelessly raw southern soul – drums, organ, guitar, bass and horns – but they bring uncommon elements to like steel pan and other bits to the table without sacrificing any of the soul. We've dug all we've heard by the group to date, but they take it a steep deeper and more effectively on this EP. Don't sleep! Includes "Beg Me", "Just Don't Care", "Finger Tips", "Reachin' Out" and "Call Me".

A killer groove! "Fallin In Debt" is a chunky, funky monster that feels like some lost southern funk cut from the end of the 60s – razor sharp drums that move surprisingly fast, tight horns that pepper the groove but never overwhelm, and great vocals from DeRobert that set the pace of the cut nicely! Guitar riffs quickly alongside the triple-time groove – and the whole thing's backed by "Stay On Point" – another wickedly funky tune with an offbeat sense of rhythm!

Raw funk and southern soul from DeRobert & The Half-Truths – a combo from Murfreesboro, TN who've knocked us out with a few very promising 45s – delivering in full on Soul In A Digital World! The title sums up the group's mission pretty well – blending raw, dirty live funk (we're guessing they absolutely tear it up on stage) with indelible grooves learned from decades of southern soul sounds. The group brings furiously paced funk vibe as sharply as any recent acts we've heard, but when they want to take it down to a simmer, it cooks just as well! DeRobert's vocals are passionate and real, backed excellently by raw drums and percussion, very nice guitar and bass, and a punchy horn section. The group is representing their own GED Soul Records – and they do so proudly! Titles include "Too Short", "The Joy", "Poor Man Walk", "I Swear I'm Not A Fool", "Too Busy", "I Know", "Take Me Out Of The Dark", "The Dole", "The Feel", "Got Soul In A Digital World" and more.

A triple-header from DeRobert and the Half-Truths – with plenty of punch in the grooves! "Too Busy" is a really raw number – riffing guitar with a darker edge than most funky tracks – topped with some off-kilter horns, all backing up DeRobert's vocals – which themselves have an edgey feel too! "Sucker Punch" has a wicked groove from the get-go – kind of a classic Memphis funk mode, as you'd find from early 70s Stax! "Cop Cars" has a great slow drum break at the start – just the sort that might have been sampled for some True School gem years back – and the whole tune builds very slowly, with snakey instrumentation, all very much in the best El Michels mode!

Wonderfully heavy funk from DeRobert & The Half-Truths – a tune that may be the group's best to date! "I Got Burned" has this wicked JBs-type groove right at the start – that sharp mix of downbeats and horns that combo did so well – all a perfect foil for DeRobert's soulfully trilling vocals! "Nashville Country Bump" has a great groove that's very much what you might expect – a hip blend of Tennessee roots and harder funk – all instrumental, and with lots of twangy guitar!

Raw funk and southern soul from DeRobert & The Half-Truths – a combo from Murfreesboro, TN who've knocked us out with a few very promising 45s – delivering in full on Soul In A Digital World! The title sums up the group's mission pretty well – blending raw, dirty live funk (we're guessing they absolutely tear it up on stage) with indelible grooves learned from decades of southern soul sounds. The group brings furiously paced funk vibe as sharply as any recent acts we've heard, but when they want to take it down to a simmer, it cooks just as well! DeRobert's vocals are passionate and real, backed excellently by raw drums and percussion, very nice guitar and bass, and a punchy horn section. The group is representing their own GED Soul Records – and they do so proudly! Titles include "Too Short", "The Joy", "Poor Man Walk", "I Swear I'm Not A Fool", "Too Busy", "I Know", "Take Me Out Of The Dark", "The Dole", "The Feel", "Got Soul In A Digital World" and more.

Old school funky soul from DeRobert & The Half Truths – served up here in a groove with tightly snapping drums on the bottom, great guitar riffing in the middle, and horns that have some nicely dark touches! These elements are all played with nicely on the dub version – although we kind of miss Derobert's vocals from the a-side!