Well, it's not Jaws – but it's still pretty darn groovy – a very cool set of tracks that features some long, lush orchestrations from the great John Barry – plus some sublime disco sounds from Donna Summer! The first half of the record features Barry's extended "Return To The Sea – 2033 AD" – a side-long track that really builds nicely, and has John finding some even more expressive modes than in other mid 70s soundtracks. Then side two really lets loose with the great "Theme From The Deep (Down Deep Inside)" by Donna Summer – a tune that's got this beautifully building groove that's almost like her best early cuts, ala "I Feel Love" – a great use of Summer's vocals on a nicely funky groove. The set also features a slower Donna Summer vocal take on the cut – billed as "A Love Song" – with these cool keyboard lines that feel like they're lifted from an Italian 70s soundtrack – and Barry also turns in his own instrumental version as well. Beckett sings the funky "Disco Calypso" tune too! (Soundtracks, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

There's no suffering here – as the record's a real delight, and one of the more unique sessions in the career of the great John Lee Hooker! The record was done for Impulse Records, mostly known for its jazz recordings at the time – and the session has the vocals and guitar of John Lee next to a trio of more jazz-based players, one that features Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums – who somehow do a fantastic job of backing Hooker up! The set has a beautiful recording quality – very crisp and clear, yet never polished – and the work of the other players is incredible, as they really move into John Lee's mode, and somehow have him shining even more strongly than on some of his other albums from the time. This isn't a folk blues set done by a jazz label – and instead, the best of Impulse is used to give Hooker a fantastic showcase – on titles that include "Bottle Up & Go", "Sugar Mama", "Decoration Day", "You're Wrong", and a good cover of "Money". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

There's no suffering here – as the record's a real delight, and one of the more unique sessions in the career of the great John Lee Hooker! The record was done for Impulse Records, mostly known for its jazz recordings at the time – and the session has the vocals and guitar of John Lee next to a trio of more jazz-based players, one that features Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums – who somehow do a fantastic job of backing Hooker up! The set has a beautiful recording quality – very crisp and clear, yet never polished – and the work of the other players is incredible, as they really move into John Lee's mode, and somehow have him shining even more strongly than on some of his other albums from the time. This isn't a folk blues set done by a jazz label – and instead, the best of Impulse is used to give Hooker a fantastic showcase – on titles that include "Bottle Up & Go", "Sugar Mama", "Decoration Day", "You're Wrong", and a good cover of "Money". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

There's no suffering here – as the record's a real delight, and one of the more unique sessions in the career of the great John Lee Hooker! The record was done for Impulse Records, mostly known for its jazz recordings at the time – and the session has the vocals and guitar of John Lee next to a trio of more jazz-based players, one that features Barry Galbraith on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, and Panama Francis on drums – who somehow do a fantastic job of backing Hooker up! The set has a beautiful recording quality – very crisp and clear, yet never polished – and the work of the other players is incredible, as they really move into John Lee's mode, and somehow have him shining even more strongly than on some of his other albums from the time. This isn't a folk blues set done by a jazz label – and instead, the best of Impulse is used to give Hooker a fantastic showcase – on titles that include "Bottle Up & Go", "Sugar Mama", "Decoration Day", "You're Wrong", and a good cover of "Money". (Blues, Soul) CD

A stunning set – and one of our favorite modern soul albums ever! The set was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in 1980, and it's one of the best-ever records to come out of that hallowed hall of grooves – a one-off debut from the team of Tonee & Bill Collins, set to impeccable arrangements from the mighty John Davis! The set's not really disco – more a blend of mellow soul and midtempo club – with a sound that evokes artists like Barry White, Leon Ware, and Leroy Hutson – but which also grooves with a feel that's all its own. Nearly every cut's fantastic, and although you may know the duo's classic "Top Of The Stairs" from other collections, there's loads of other nice tracks here too – like "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good", "Can't Turn Down Love", and "You Made Me Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Latimore, Leela James, Detroit Emeralds, Smokey Robinson, John Legend & The Roots, Barry White, Mayer Hawthorne, Michael Jackson, and others. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Early work from this great pre-Motown Barry Gordy protege – a surprisingly nice album of spiritual songs! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of the blacksploitation scores of the early 70s – a masterpiece of music that we rate every bit as high as Shaft or Superfly – maybe even higher! The music here is incredible – a surprising funky turn for JJ Johnson, who most folks know for his straighter jazz work – and like Marvin Gaye, Barry White, and others who were surprising the world with their ability to score music for a full film during the early 70s, JJ really knocks it out of the park with this one – coming up with a batch of tunes that are a wonderful mix of sophisticated scoring, creative instrumentation, and some damn funky grooves! The title cut features Joe Simon on vocals, and Millie Jackson sings on the cuts "Love Doctor" and "It Hurts So Good". The rest of the set is instrumental, and other cuts include an instrumental take on "Cleopatra Jones", plus "Go Chase Cleo", "Goin To The Chase", "Wrap Up", and "Airport Fight". LP, Vinyl record album

Some folks might associate Philadelphia soul with the famous Gamble & Huff productions of the 70s disco years – but the city was already overflowing with great music in the years before Philadelphia International – as you'll hear in this totally groovy set! Philly was making as much great soul music in the 60s as Detroit, Chicago, and New York – thanks to an earlier musical framework that was set up by the city's big pop hits of the late 50s – which provided plenty of labels, studios, and other facilities for Philly's ever-growing array of soul talents, too – so much so that by the end of the 60s, the city was turning into a destination for singers outside of town – almost as much of a musical magnet as studios in Memphis or Muscle Shoals! This set does a great job of bringing together both aspects of that scene – wonderful homegrown talent, mixed with outsiders to really took off in the new Philly sound of the 60s – a joyous, positive, upbeat approach that worked wonderfully well for a variety of artists. Titles include "Your Fool Still Loves You" by Oscar Weathers, "It's All Over But The Shouting" by George Tindley, "You've Been Untrue" by The Delfonics, "Ain't Nothing But A House Party" by The Show Stoppers, "Peace To You Brother" by Lou Johnson, "Christine" by Executive Suite, "Help Me" by Honey & The Bees, "You Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "Rainmaker" by The Moods, "Keep On Striving" by Moses Smith, "That's The Price You Have To Pay" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "What You Gave Up" by The Continental 4, "Every Day Is A Holiday" by The Intruders, "Standing In The Darkness" by The Ethics, and "Girl You're Too Young" by Len Barry. CD

A great collection of rare 45s from the powerhouse TK Records label and all it's many smaller imprints – Dade, Glades, Alston, and many others – brought here together with a focus on a really special side of the label! TK was one of the first to really promote the 12" single in the disco generation – but before, during, and after the label maintained a strong commitment to the funky 45 too – and really used the format to showcase some of its stronger soul singers, in a way that made sure that the 7" singles packed plenty of punch! This set features 24 of those rare nuggets from TK, with plenty of obscure numbers in the lineup – and titles include "All Because Of Your Love" by Otis Clay, "Rules Are Made To Be Broken" by The Diamonettes, "Never Had A Love So Good" by Charles Johnson, "I Can't Speak" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington, "Hold On To It" by Barry Smith, "Please Don't Stop" by Wildflower, "Stop Hurting Me Baby" by Purple Mundi, "One Night Affair" by The Rising Sun, "That Is Why" by Sherlyn Wittiker & Touch, "Even Though" by King Tutt, "Do What You Wanna Do (part 1)" by Frank Howard & The Continentals, and "How Can I Do What's Right" by Vanessa Kendrick. CD

Includes tracks by Sherri Jericho, Barry McKight, Randy Thomas, Boots Walker, Robin Garrett, Ruby Wright, Sharon Black, the Astronauts, Roger White, Anna King, String Shifter, Johnny Geer, Waldo, Dudley & Dora, Jeffrey J Jeffrey and more. (Rock, Soul) CD

Sublime jazzy soul from Twennynine – a combo that's headed by drummer Lenny White, but which is a really solid group affair overall! Twennynine have a perfect sense of poise throughout – that great mix of jazzy elements and more straightforward soul that characterized some of the best groups of the early 80s – served up with a bit of polish, but still plenty of nice sharp edges on the grooves. Keyboards slide along nicely with the basslines and drums – and although lead vocals are by Barry Johnson, most of the group members manage to sing a bit throughout the set – fleshing out the grooves wonderfully with some really warm chorus parts. Titles include "Movin On", "Rhythm", "Twennynine (The Rap)", "Just Like Dreamin", "Don't Look Back", "Need You", "Find A Love", and "All I Want". LP, Vinyl record album

The Staple Singers are cooking on all burners at this point – and it's hard to stop them with that much power – a soaring, searing sort of energy that definitely earns them a place in the sky! The set's a totally strong batch of gospelly soul tracks – produced by Al Bell with that great early 70s Stax deep soul sound – at a point that's still without the sort of cliche that might hold back material of this type in later years. Instrumentation is by Clayton Ivey on Hammond, Barry Beckett on keyboards, and Jimmy Johnson and Eddie Hinton on guitar – and titles include "Getting Too Big For Your Britches", "Today Was Tomorrow Yesterday", "Something Ain't Right", "My Main Man", "Blood Pressure", "Who Made The Man", "Back Road Into Town", and "If It Ain't One Thing It's Another". CD features 4 bonus tracks – "Oh La De Da", "I Like The Things About You", "Respect Yourself", and "I'll Take You There". CD

Hip stuff by Nancy Wilson – and a sophisticated album of soul tracks arranged and produced by Gene Page, in a string-heavy, slightly-funky style that reminds us of Gene's work with Barry White at the time. The tracks are all pretty hip – and include titles written by Stevie Wonder, Johnny Guitar Watson, Thom Bell & Linda Creed, Billy Page, and Tennyson Stevens. No standout tracks, but plenty of nice moments, and a good side of Nancy's career that isn't always given that much exposure. Titles include "Tell The Truth", "Try It, You'll Like It", "All In Love Is Fair", "There'll Always Be Forever", and "You're As Right As Rain". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album