An incredible treasure from a lost vocal jazz genius – the little-known Bobby Cole, every bit as great a singer as he was a songwriter, very unusual for the time! Bobby was probably best remembered as the house pianist at Jillys, but at the time of this 1964 recording, he was poised to emerge as a serious vocalist with a rich talent for penning interesting and witty little tunes. The album's got Bobby singing in a style that's halfway between Matt Dennis and Mark Murphy – with the sophisticated talents of both in place, and perhaps a bit of the wit of Bob Dorough or Roy Kral. The original album features Bobby on piano and vocals, with only bass and drums behind him – and the CD features a bonus 6 tracks recorded in more recent years, with larger backings. The core album is completely brilliant – the kind of off-kilter vocal record we die for – and every track's a fresh original by Bobby! Titles include "You Can't Build A Life On A Look", "Heat", "You Could Hear A Pin Drop", "Change Of Scene", "A Perfect Day", "Elegy For Eve", and "Status Quo". CD

Queen of Soul is right! Heck, on these early albums, Etta practically invented soul – or at least invented a deep soul style of singing that would be taken up by countless other female singers during the 60s, but rarely matched with this kind of brilliance. Straight up beautiful stuff! The arrangements are uncredited, but we think they're probably by Riley Hampton – who did so much of Etta's other wonderful work in the early 60s. The recordings for sure took place at points between '62 and '64, mostly in Chicago, with couple in New York and one in Nashville. One other thing that is crystal clear about the sessions is that she had access to the very best musicians and the best sound possible – all you need is a listen to know that! The album's an all-solid, all-soul record with loads of obscure tunes and not a bit of filler! Titles include "Flight 101", "Bobby Is His Name", "Breaking Point", "Mello Fellow", "Do Right", and "Somewhere Out There". This first ever proper CD release is loaded with excellent bonus material – recordings from the same early-to-mid 60s period – 13 of them "You Got Me Where You Want Me", "Only Time Will Tell", "Pushover". "You Can't Talk To A Fool", "Would It Make Any Difference To You", "Pay Back", "Tomorrow Night", "I Can't Hold It Any More" and more. 23 tracks in all! (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Raw, raunchy sounds – all pulled together from a time before soul and rock even existed! Most of the work here is from the classic catalog of King Records – a killer imprint in the postwar R&B market, and a company who wasn't afraid to do what it took to make a knockout record! In the case of these tracks, the singers often hit some fairly suggestive material – often hidden in early 50s innuendo, but barely so – with a vibe that's often nastier than even the most hardcore rockabilly sounds to come! The music here has its roots in blues, but is inflected with plenty of jazz, and the presence of the singers often point the way towards soul music – especially the James Brown crowd that would later rise at the same label. Titles on this volume include "Keep On Churnin Till The Butter Comes" by Wynonie Harris, "Drill Daddy Drill" by Dorothy Ellis, "The Coffee Grind" by Hank Ballard, "Silent George" by Lucky Millinder with Myra Johnson, "Rocket 69" by Todd Rhodes with Connie Allen, and "Chocolate Pork Chop Man" by Pete Guitar Lewis. (Soul, Vocalists) CD