Never-heard live work from Gary "Chocolate Star" Davis – a set that's got a nice raw edge, and a surprising club vibe that's very different than some of his other material from the time! The tracks often stretch out, and mix together funky rhythms, vibes, and keyboards – with currents of jazz running throughout, in a vibe that's like some of the rare 70s live material from other underground funk artists, like Billy Wooten or Webster Lewis! We wish there was a bit more in the way of notes, but we can say that Gary seems to have a surprisingly big group behind him – although one that comes across with a nice lean vibe throughout. Titles include "Theme Of Wynn", "Rhond", and "Lonely Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums cut by this oft-overlooked southern soul diva – and one that mixes Muscle Shoals production with some nice uptown touches! Produced by Jerry Williams, Jr., aka Swamp Dogg! While the title comes of a bit flamboyantly, in truth, this record is an honest, personal, and earthy southern soul should-be classic. It's not only a personal triumph for Doris Duke, it's also one of greatest Swamp Dogg-produced records! Includes "I Wish I Could Sleep", "It Sure Was Fun", "He's Everything I Need", "Since I Fell For You", "Let Love Touch Us Now", "Bad Water", and a cool cover of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-chosen set of classic Afro Funk records from Fela Kuti – hand-picked by Idris Elba, and brought together in this limited box set! Open & Close is an early classic from Fela Kuti & Africa 70 – the kind of early 70s record that helped both the leader and the group establish themselves as a global powerhouse of funk and soul! The set begins with the side-long "Open & Close" – a righteous tune that's driven onward by lots of tight drums from Tony Allen – young, focused, and completely amazing here – while Fela delivers all these madly leaping electric piano lines amidst the super-sharp horn section – all moving instrumentally for many minutes before the vocals come into play! Side two features two shorter tracks, but still nice and long in comparison to most funky groups – the wonderful "Swegbe & Pako" and "Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo" – tunes that really send the record over the top! Fela teams up with vibist Roy Ayers on Music Of Many Colors – one of the best soul collaborations ever – a whopping album that brings together the best sides of these monster soul talents of the 70s! In keeping with Fela's work, the tracks are long and Afro-tinged, with a complicated groove that grows over the length of the track. And in keeping with Roy's work, the album has a sweet soulful feel, with lots of nice jazzy touches, cool vibes, and great vocals by Roy. Two long tracks, both classics: "2000 Black" and "Africa, Center of the World". Opposite People is seminal work from one of Fela's most crucial periods – recorded at a time when his soul was the deepest! The album features 2 long tracks – "Opposite People" and "Equalisation Of Trouser & Pant" – and they both have beautiful spooky keyboards in the instrumental passages, then leap into hard soul vocals by Fela. Tremendous stuff – done in a style that shows that no matter how many people cop or remake Fela's sound, he's still the best one to do it! The rare Stalemate album features the side-long tracks "Stalemate" and "Don't Worry About My Mouth" – both really hard-driving numbers, with a fantastic mix of vocals and grooves! Live In Amsterdam is an excellent live set from Fela – one that shows that he was still very capable of going over the top during the 80s! The set's a double LP – and it features 4 great numbers by the group, with Fela on soprano sax, piano, and organ, and plenty of other great work on tenor, alto, and trumpet. Titles include "Gimme Shit I Give You Shit", "Custom Check Point", "Movement Of The People", and "Political Statement Number 1". I Go Shout Plenty is a great one from Fela – with a date of 1986, but a sound that's pure late 70s! The record features 2 long tracks – "I Go Shout Plenty" and "Why Black Man Dey Suffer" – and they're both hard groovers with a strong political feel. "Why Black Man" is especially nice, and has some great keyboard riffing in the middle, with that great tinny sound that you'll hear on the best Fela albums. One that we almost never see – and issued on the Decca subsidiary Afrodisia. (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin's definitely in the groove on this set – cooking on all burners with a host of late 60s Motown hits – bad-stepping his way towards some of the more mature moments to come in the 70s! The album's probably best remembered for the cut "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" – easily one of Marvin's biggest moments of the 60s, and a track whose popularity led to the album's title change from In The Groove to later incarnations as Heard It Through The Grapevine! Other cuts are equally great, and show Gaye really stretching out with mature, masculine confidence – pushing the envelope nicely on cuts that include "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", "There Goes My Baby", "Change What You Can", "You're What's Happening", "Tear It Down", "You", and "Some Kind Of Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

The final album from Betty Davis – and a killer cap to her stunning run of female funk classics in the 70s! The album was recorded at the end of the decade, but has a sharpness that's every bit as great as her earlier work for the Island and Just Sunshine labels – grooves that are more than sharp enough to match that raspy edge in Betty's vocals – given support with instrumentation that's a lot more mid 70s funk than some of the more disco-oriented productions in mainstream soul at the time! There's a fullness to the record that sometimes recalls Labelle at their best, or maybe even solo work from Nona Hendryx – but as always, Betty is very much her own woman, and opens up some new doors on a few mellow cuts or jazzier moments that come as a nice surprise, and which balance out the album in a great way. The set features work from Herbie Hancock on keyboards and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – and titles include "Quintessence Of Hip", "She's A Woman", "I've Danced Before", "I Need A Whole Lot Of Love", "Hangin Out In Hollywood", "Crashin From Passion", "You Take Me For Granted", and "No Good At Falling In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on the Just Sunshine label – very hard, heavy, freaky, and fuzzy – with lots of sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped up around Davis' badass vocals – which have just as much attitude as ever! It's not clear why the album never saw the light of day back in the 70s, but it's an essential follow-up to Davis key classics – undeniably funky music by one of the most unique figures ever in soul – the kind of set that would have been a bomb, had it dropped in the 70s – and which will have an even greater impact when let loose in the 21st Century. Titles include "Stars Starve You Know", "Bottom Of The Barrel", "Crashin From Passion", "Whorey Angel", "It's So Good", "Is It Love Or Desire", "Bar Hoppin", and "Let's Get Personal". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost album from 70s funk diva Betty Davis – and one that's every bit as essential as her music released back in the day! The set was recorded hot on the heels of Betty's classic Nasty Gal album – but it's got a groove that's almost more in the territory of her first two records on the Just Sunshine label – very hard, heavy, freaky, and fuzzy – with lots of sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped up around Davis' badass vocals – which have just as much attitude as ever! It's not clear why the album never saw the light of day back in the 70s, but it's an essential follow-up to Davis key classics – undeniably funky music by one of the most unique figures ever in soul – the kind of set that would have been a bomb, had it dropped in the 70s – and which will have an even greater impact when let loose in the 21st Century. Titles include "Stars Starve You Know", "Bottom Of The Barrel", "Crashin From Passion", "Whorey Angel", "It's So Good", "Is It Love Or Desire", "Bar Hoppin", and "Let's Get Personal". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked album of funky guitar! Arthur Adams was one of the many excellent west coast session players of the early 70s – and if you check the notes on some of your favorite California soul albums, you'll find that you've probably heard his guitar an awful lot over the years! As with some of the other Fantasy albums of the mid 70s, this one gives a more obscure player a chance to step out in the light – as Adams does wonderfully with smooth jazz funk production by Wayne Henderson, which brings out some great tonal colors in Adams' guitar playing. There's a bit of a New Orleans sound in the record, but the real feel is Fantasy Records jazz funk – as you'll hear on the cuts "Chicago Sidewalk", "Bumpin' Around", and "That's the Way It's Gonna Be". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as congolero Francisco Aguabella comes on hard, hitting strong throughout – and serving up a wicked blend of Latin, funk, and soul! The mid 70s set is a standout recording from Aguabella – done after he left the group Malo, and one of the best west coast takes on the modes that scene was changing up from New York at the time – really transforming the sound of contemporary Latin with a trans-genre vibe that was easily some of the most revolutionary music of the period. Rhythms are acoustic, but there's a nice dose of electric energy too, thanks to some sweet keyboards. Some cuts have English vocals, others are instrumental – and titles include "Hitting Hard", "I Wanna Know", "Cisco", "Image of a Star" and a nice version of Edu Lobo's "Casa Forte". (Latin, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure album of southern funky soul from Chuck Armstrong – an artist we know from his earlier funky 45 work in Chicago, but who sounds quite different on this set! The album was produced by George Kerr in New Jersey, but it's got a rolling, vamping approach on most cuts – a sound that's somewhere between Muscle Shoals and the nascent Jackson style of the 70s – a bit smoother than 60s deep soul, but still with a mighty nice edge – and handled perfectly by Kerr! Chuck's vocals are well-suited to the set, and a few numbers bear traces of his earlier more northern sound – and the whole thing's the kind of rare soul killer that only turns up once in a blue moon. Titles include "Sweet Foxy Woman", "You Got To Deal With It", "Shackin Up", "Goodness Gracious", "I'm A Lonely Man", "She Had The Right", and "Nightmare". LP, Vinyl record album

Steve Arrington's got a long long legacy in soul music – one that goes back to his late 70s work on Slave – but he also sounds completely contemporary here, working in collaboration with a whole host of producers who were no doubt influenced by his creations of the past, and help Arrington find a whole new vibe in his music! Tunes are often spare, and served up in a blend of vocals, beats, keyboards, and guitar – yet all elements are given some cool, crispy twists and turns through a host of hip hop elements and other contemporary modes – but all at a level that only seems to bring new live to Arrington's music, and not overwhelm it. The set features work from Mndsgn, Gifted & Blessed, J Rocc, Knxwledge, Devin Morrison, and others – and titles include "Love Knows", "Keep Dreamin", "Soulful I Need That In My Life", "Make A Difference", "Joys Of Love", "It's Alright", "Make Ya Say Yie", "You're Not Ready", "Good Mood", and "Work On It". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublimely satisfying work from Ashford & Simpson – a stone killer from the height of their late 70s glory days on Warner Brothers! The pair are working together wonderfully at this point – wrapped up in that blend of upbeat soul and righteous undercurrents that made them a real cut above in mainstream soul – getting great help from arrangers William Eaton, Paul Riser, and Al Gorgoni – all of whom know how to hit that perfect Ashford & Simpson balance between tightness, class, and soulful spontaneity! Backings are always filled with lots of jazzy touches, too – the kind of sophisticated soul elements other would cop from the pair in years to come – and titles include "Over & Over", "It's You", "If You're Lying", "Couldn't Get Enough", "Destiny", "So So Satisfied", and "Tried Tested & Found True". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive posthumous compilation – one that features album tracks, singles, and some other non-LP material from the fantastic Aaliyah – a double-length set that certainly deserves the "ultimate" used in the title! Tracks here feature a few guest appearances by Timbaland, and one by Missy Elliot too – on titles that include "4 Page Letter", "If Your Girl Only Knew", "Hot Like Fire", "Rock The Boat", "Are You Feelin Me", "Come Back In One Piece", "Messed Up", "Hold On", "More Than A Woman (bump n flex club mix)", "I Am Music", "John Blaze", "Man Undercover", "I Don't Wanna", "Miss You", "Don't Know What To Tell Ya", "At Your Best", "Are You That Somebody", "Back & Forth", "Try Again", "More Than A Woman", and "Hot Like Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool Ethiopian record, but not the sort you might expect – as most of the instrumentation here is heavy on electric elements, which includes a fair bit of 80s keyboards, synth, and drum machine lines! The group were actually exiles, living in the Washington, DC area during the early 80s – and the record is almost a fusion of Ethio roots with more familiar American styles – a bit like the work that Mulatu created during his early time in the US, but with a very different vibe! There's lead vocals on one track, but most of the set is instrumental – and filled with plenty of sweet keyboard lines and guitar riffs – jazzy, electro, and plenty charming – on titles that include "Kalatashew Waga", "Anchi Bale Game", "Tez Alegn Yetintu", "Bahta's Highlife" and "Samba Shegitu". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A funky treasure trove from Apple & The Three Oranges – a group we hardly know at all, but who really blow us away with the cuts on this collection! The groove is plenty hard right from the get-go – the best of the funky 45 underground of the early 70s – which means that there's more 60s rawness on the record than you'd get from bigger-label funk at the time – as Ed "Apple" Nelson still works here with a mostly underground vibe! Ed plays drums – which are mighty hard on most numbers – and his vocals have this offbeat, off-kilter, over the top quality that almost reminds us a bit of the Hank Ballard/James Brown recordings for late 60s King – particularly in the way that Nelson's completely unbridled with his energy. The whole thing's great – one of the best funky collections we've heard in years – and presented with a rich amount of notes and historical information too. Titles include "Free & Easy (parts 1 & 2)", "Moon Light", "Curse Upon The World", "What Goes Around Comes Around", "Down Home Publicity", "True Love Will Never Die", "Gotta Stand For Something (parts 1 & 2)", and "I'll Give You A Ring". Features a great 16 page booklet with extensive liner notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of British soul by PP Arnold – LA native, and a onetime member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue who ended up staying behind in the UK after a mid 60s tour! The album's got a very interesting approach that's quite a bit more sophisticated than the sound of the Ike Turner group – with production by Andrew Loog Oldham, and rich arrangements by Tony Meehan that float in bits of Brit easy, and full-styled 60s pop orchestrations, alongside more righteous straighter soul backings – all for a mix that's great, and which makes this mod treasure a very different album than American soul of the period! Titles include "Letter To Bill", "Dreamin", "Eleanor Rigby", "As Tears Go By", "To Love Somebody", and a great version of "God Only Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent bit of UK Afro-Funk – recorded at the beginning of the 70s by a group that included members of the legendary South African jazz combo The Blue Notes – Dudu Pukwana on reeds, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, and Louis Moholo on drums! The record's quite different than you'd guess from those players – thanks to some kickass help from the rest of the group – who really push things into a tripped-out version of Afro Funk – a bit in the mode of Demon Fuzz at the time – a group who also lent a member to this project! There's some great horn work on the record – with the kind of "out" soloing you might expect from the group, laid out over heavy drums and good bass-heavy funk – on titles that include "Hey Jude", "Irin Ajolaway", "Akasa", "Telephone Girl", "Beka", and "Cocoa". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album