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The last in Beau Williams' great run of albums for Capitol Records in the mid 80s – and a sweet little set that equally balances quiet storm ballads with more uptempo groovers! Williams is one of the great unsung male vocal acts of his generation – and he's got a great way here of putting over a mellow track with a level of care and sensitivity that weren't always that common in mainstream soul at the time – a approach that reminds us more of Marvin Gaye or The Isley Brothers in years before, than you might guess from the date of the album. Production is by William Reinhart, McFadden & Whitehead, Williams, and others – and titles include "I Found A Love", "All Because Of You", "There's Something About You", "Give Me Up", "Don't Be Gone To Say", "No More Tears", and "Been Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s set from Johnny Mathis – one of those great later albums when he brought a good deal of soul into the mix! The feel here is almost more modern R&B than the vocal jazz mode that first brought Johnny fame – and it turns out that the Mathis mode is wonderful for such a setting – rich and full of feeling, and arguably better than some of his younger contemporaries on the charts! The ballads are beautiful, but there's also a few surprising midtempo numbers – and titles include a sublime remake of "Love Won't Let Me Wait", done with Deniece Williams – plus "Love Never Felt So Good", "Simple", "Priceless", "One Love", "Right Here & Now", and "Lead Me To Your Love" – plus "You're A Special Part Of Me", a duet with Angie Bofill. (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic document of the first-ever Ann Arbor Blues Festival – the start of a great event that would blossom into other styles of music in the 70s, but which stood as a strong blues-based event in its initial year of 1969! In some ways, the three day series of concerts is a roots answer to Woodstock – which took place just a few weeks before – as the festival featured a great scope of blues talents, from the rootsier sort of artists who were recording for labels like Folkways or Arhoolie, to some of the sharper modern talents rising to the top on Chess or Delmark! The package alone is almost worth the price of admission – beautiful photographs of the event, detailed notes, and the first-ever release of this music – which has sat in the vaults for decades, finally to see the light of day. Titles on this second volume include "Long Distance Call" by Muddy Waters, "Off The Wall" by James Cotton Band, "Juanita" by Big Joe Williams, "Jelly Jelly Blues" by Shirley Griffin, "I Feel So Good" by Magic Sam, "Call It Stormy Monday" by T-Bone Walker, "Death Letter Blues" by Son House, "Key To The Highway" by Sam Lay, and "Mojo Hand" by Lightnin Hopkins. (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album in the development of Philadelphia International – who seemed to be taking a cue from Motown and Stax in the 60s, by bringing their biggest act to a European audience! The set features the O'Jays working as beautifully in a live setting as they had in the Sigma Sound studios – singing to arrangements by Dennis Williams, but still getting enough production by Bobby Martin to keep the sound in line with their better known studio work from the time. There's a bit of a deeper soul sound overall here – especially on the vocals, which crackle nicely with a live sense of spontaneity. Titles include "Back Stabbers", "Sunshine", "Love Train", "When The World Is A Peace", and "Put Your Hands Together" – plus a few vocal introductions! LP, Vinyl record album

Finnish soul by an American singer – not the same Charles Williams that you might know from 70s jazz funk albums – but an even earlier talent, really shining brightly here in a soulful Scandinavian setting! The album's a really lost rare groove treasure – a record that almost has the same sort of depth as American soul albums of the time – thanks in large part to Williams' great arrangements on the set, which are a mix of funky club and jazz, with room enough for some nice instrumental passages next to the vocals. The mellower cuts showcase Williams' deeper soul styles, and the more upbeat ones have this sweet lead gliding beautifully over tight instrumentation – never too polished or commercial. Titles include the wicked funk classic "Change It", plus "Standing", "Your Life", "Love Is A Very Special Thing", "Helen", "Standing In The Way", and "Theme From Long Road". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from Sarah Webster Fabio – an amazing blend of poetry and music, and incredibly hip all the way through! Fabio's got a depth that goes beyond other commercial poets of the time – a righteousness that's right at home in the spiritual jazz scene of the 70s, and which is supported here by some great backings on guitar, bass, and percussion – plus some especially evocative saxophone, played by Denianke (Leon Williams) on some of the best tracks. The voice of Thomas Fabio joins Sarah on some of the numbers – with a brooding, echoey feel that's really great – and titles include "Eclipse", "Interrogation", "Together To The Tune Of Coltrane's Equinox", and "A Black Girl's Mean Ol Low Down Blues". LP, Vinyl record album