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A great vehicle for the Smokey Robinson sound in the 80s – and a record that helped Smokey kick off the decade with a really massive hit! "Being With You" still let Smokey stay in an older style of soul-based vocals, without slipping into the adult contemporary sound that would... read more

A very mellow overview of Smokey's later solo work – the post-Quiet Storm period, when he was easily slipping from classic soul into adult contemporary territory – and really crossing over big at the time! And while we could probably say that most of this stuff is far watered down from... read more

Smooth Smokey at the end of the 70s – an album that has him moving from the Quiet Storm sound into the more hook-based style that would earn him a fair bit of hits in the 80s! The Robinson vocal approach is always sweet, warm, and mellow on the set – especially on the album's more... read more

A romping groover from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – and a record that really has them punching things up, after starting out for Motown as a much more mellow harmony group! Robinson's crackling lead really makes the set sparkle – that warm, honest, earnest quality that Smokey... read more

Excellent work by Smokey – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet... read more

Vickie Sue Robinson hits a great groove here – thanks to production and arrangements from T Life, who seems to bring a deeper soul to the music! There's a fullness here that goes way beyond the usual – a soaring vibe that works perfectly with Robinson's famous vocals, and a well-rounded... read more

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A brilliant set with a real 60s modern feel overall – in case you couldn't guess from the hip cover image! The group's got a sound that's definitely in the sharper side of the Italian jazz spectrum – kind of a Basso-Valdambrini groove, but with some bolder tones at times – all... read more

One of the few small group sessions from vocalist Betty Roche – a singer who was known for her work with Duke Ellington, but who sounds even better in this setting! Betty's got a style that's warmly raspy – a bit more edge than some of the cooler vocalists on the Bethlehem label at the... read more

Easy instrumentals and jazzy genius from the early 70s Brit scene – groovy, moddish jazz takes on pop and soundtrack hits of the time from the Harry Roche Constellation – with a vibe that betters the grooviest of sound library discoveries! There's a loungey charm to many of the tunes,... read more

Kind of an amazing collaboration – a core group that features Tony Allen, Damon Albarn, and Flea – with guest appearances by Erykah Badu, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Fatoumata Diawara, M.anifest, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Thundercat! The sound of the set is surprisingly wonderful –... read more

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A sweet funky set from the Canadian scene – served up by a combo headed by organist Vanessa Rodrigues – one of the few female players you'll find handling the Hammond these days! The album's got a really nice, lean sort of groove – almost funky jazz as much as it is deep funk... read more

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One of a handful of enigmatic albums cut in the early 70s by Sixto Rodriguez – a Latin-tinged singer with a style that's a bit like that of Jose Feliciano – but trippier, and with more rock and folk touches! This set's probably his best one – thanks to arrangements and production... read more

An amazing second set from Sixto Rodriguez – recorded in the legendary Landsdowne Studios in London, with a groove that's a great extension from his debut! All of Rodriguez's best elements are in place here – his folksy guitar, personal lyrical style, and surprisingly biting approach... read more

Amazing sounds from the legendary Rodriguez – the brilliant 70s singer who had a groove that was equal parts soul, funk, rock, and folk – and an overall approach that was pretty darn unique! Most numbers here have some acoustic guitar over slightly funky rhythms – perfectly... read more

A nice reissue which brings together 3 LPs by one of the most underrecognized talents of 70's soul! DJ's deep soul voice is smooth and mellow, with the kind of honest heartbreaking quality that you find in the best work by Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. It's Good To Be Alive finds DJ in a... read more

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One of Shorty Rogers' greatest records – and a very nice set of tight west coast arrangements that really shows off the Rogers sense of sparkle and swing – a vibe that definitely comes through in the famous cover image too! Shorty wrote nearly all of the tracks, and the writing's a... read more

Includes "Sympathy For The Devil", "Street Fighting Man", "Dear Doctor", "Parachute Woman", "Prodigal Son", "Factory Girl", and "Stray Cat Blues".... read more

A landmark live set from the Rolling Stones – featuring material from their smoking tour of 1969! The set really captures the Stones at their most nasty – that great turning point when their edge was maybe sharpest of ever, right in the best Let It Bleed mode – but with even more... read more

Titles include "Angie", "Star Star", "Hide Your Love", "Winter", "Can You Hear The Music", "100 Years Ago", and "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo".... read more

Titles include "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "You Gotta Move", "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Bitch", "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "I Got The Blues".... read more

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One of the greatest Sonny Rollins records ever! The set is a legendary batch of trio tracks that feature Sonny working in a format that is incredibly free for the time, and which show him as more of a modernist than a bopper – although his solos are still pretty darn fantastic from a bop... read more

A sweet electric set from Sonny Rollins – and maybe the closest he ever came to cutting a funk record! The set's got that mellow electric funk approach that Prestige was using often in the mid 70s – Sonny's tenor lines getting some great Bay Area studio support from George Duke on... read more

An overlooked Sonny Rollins set from the early 80s – one that has him recording with a fair bit of guitar, but still staying very much in his best form as an improviser! The group here features both Bobby Broom on electric guitar, and Yoshiaki Masuo on acoustic and electric – both... read more

Quite possibly THE greatest Sonny Rollins album of the early years – or at least the one that has received the most accolades over the years! The record is a brilliant batch of quartet tracks that reinvents bop through Sonny's complicated, yet seemingly automatic solos – an excellent... read more

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One of Sonny's brilliant west coast sessions for Contemporary – records that shouldn't sparkle as much as they do, but which actually stand with his best work of the 50s! Sonny's blowing in front of a session of "leaders" that includes Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar,... read more

The rarest of all the Sonny Rollins Blue Note sessions – and possibly the best! The record captures Rollins at a key turning point – emerging from his firey bop years, moving into a much more complicated, introspective tenor style that was a perfect showcase for his developing genius... read more

As classic as it comes for late 50s Blue Note – and a key meeting between Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk! The group on the set features Rollins and Monk with JJ Johnson, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey – all of whom push things more in the direction of Blue Note's sound of the time,... read more

A groundbreaking album from Sonny Rollins, largely for the extended track "Tenor Madness", which runs on for 13 minutes, and features him and Coltrane blowing head to head – redefining the sound of the tenor sax in jazz through the course of that amazing track! Backing is by the... read more

A groundbreaking album from Sonny Rollins, largely for the extended track "Tenor Madness", which runs on for 13 minutes, and features him and Coltrane blowing head to head – redefining the sound of the tenor sax in jazz through the course of that amazing track! Backing is by the... read more

A groundbreaking album from Sonny Rollins, largely for the extended track "Tenor Madness", which runs on for 13 minutes, and features him and Coltrane blowing head to head – redefining the sound of the tenor sax in jazz through the course of that amazing track! Backing is by the... read more

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A surprisingly sensitive score from Philippe Rombi – especially given the more playful look of the cover! The orchestrations make great use of simple but effective woodwind passages, augmented by strings – often used in relatively short numbers, but with a really evocative feel in the... read more

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One of Wallace Roney's best sessions from the time – an album with a great sense of balance and fullness, and a tremendous tribute to Roney's strength as a leader on Muse Records! The album features equally great contributions from Antoine Roney on tenor – a player who balances out... read more

Wallace Roney is one of those players who never lets us down – and here on this recent set, he's every bit as soaringly soulful as on his early albums from the 80s! The trumpeter's got a fluid groove right from the start – sweeping forward with these notes that have a beautiful balance... read more

A stone smoker from Rongetz Foundation – and a record that's even better than anything else we've heard from them! This time around, the sound is very live – recorded in the US, with help from heavyweights like Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax and Bruce Williams on alto – plus killer... read more

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The first, independent, Roots LP with so many classics that never made it to their later import and major label releases. What more can we say... Tracks include "The Roots Is Comin", "Pass The Popcorn", "The Anti-Circle", "Writers Block", "Good... read more

Solid work from Roots Manuva – a diverse range of styles, most of it fairly immediately engaging and not as all out experimental as some of the past couple records – with some moody, string-backed atmosphere and more straight forward thumpers. Roots Manuva's been one great, most... read more

A rare 60s album by the lovely Sonia Rosa – lots of sweet bossa tunes, handled with a very light touch! The set's got Rosa singing and playing acoustic guitar in front of larger backings by Chiquinho Moraes – nice and jazzy on most of the tracks, with a sound that pushes Rosa past the... read more

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The Delmark debut as a leader from drummer Frank Rosaly – and a very unique little record! Rosaly's a player we've really dug on other folks' records, and his vision here at the helm is pretty darn great – a real change from some of the modes used by his avant Chicago contemporaries... read more

Rose Royce are certainly plenty strong at this point in their career – working with a tight modern soul groove on Epic Records – away from their previous placement on the Whitfield label, even though Norman Whitfield's still very actively handling production here! The album does a... read more

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One of the rarest albums by Frank Rosolino – and a surprisingly great vocal set as well! The tunes are short, but Frank manages to both sing and turn in his usual trombone solo work here – and while the latter is great, we especially love the former! Frank's vocals have a raspy,... read more

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Essential peak solo material from Diana – her aptly self-titled set from 1976, showing Ms. Ross stretching out stylistically with incredible style and with beautiful vocals! Diana '76 is among her best work of the 70s – and that's saying something! It opens with the gorgeous "Them... read more

One of the more righteous albums from the early years of Diana Ross' solo career – a set that really has her moving past the familiar Motown groove of previous years, into a vibe that really shows the label's new California influence! The tracks here often feature expansive arrangements that... read more

A rare American release from British baritonist Ronnie Ross – working here in the sharp-edged company of drummer Allan Ganley! The group's got a really tight sound throughout – that best sharp-lead mode of the Brit scene of the 50s – but with a looser feel on the solos, which are... read more

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Includes three works – Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream (incidental music) Op 61", Rossini's "Overture Semiramide", and Brahms' "Symphony No 2 In C Major Op 73".... read more

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The band may be riding in a carriage on the cover, but there's nothing old-timey about this set – as the record represents some of the best modern jazz on the Danish scene at the start of the 60s! The album's a rare gem from drummer Bjarne Rostvold – one of the key exponents of his... read more

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A fantastic group of well-matched players – one we've heard together often on albums for other labels, but who really find a new sort of energy here in the Smalls Live series! Trumpeter Jim Rotondi's joined here by equal frontmen Eric Alexander on tenor, David Hazeltine on piano and Fender... read more

A real stormer from Round Trip – a group whose roots go back to the legendary Sins Of Satan album on Buddah, and who also work here with great production from Al Perkins – in a style that's a bit like his music with One Way! We're not sure if "round trip" was an answer to One... read more

A killer – and one of the greatest records ever cut on Bethlehem! Charlie Rouse and Paul Quinichette go head to head in a hard-blown session that's very different than most of the work on Bethlehem – grooving in a free-wheeling "chase" mode, as you might guess from the title... read more

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A killer concept album from Demis Roussos – his first solo project, but recorded while still working with Aphrodite's Child – and with some of the same dark elements as their legendary 666 album! The songs here are shorter, and sometimes more tuneful – but the overall... read more

Incredible reed interplay from the Rova Sax Quartet – still an amazing ensemble after all these years, with a mixture of complex creativity and surprising soul that few other groups of this nature can touch! On a record like this, Rova remind us that there's still plenty of freshness in the... read more

Quite possibly the biggest early moment of US fame for Roxy Music – thanks to the classic "Love Is The Drug", which kicks off the album and is easily one of the group's best-known tunes of the 70s! The album tightens things up slightly from the sound of Country Life before –... read more

Fantastic harmony soul from Philly! This set features work by two lost Philadelphia groups – The Royal Five and The Informers – both 60s ensembles with a tight harmony approach that's in the best style of the city's rich soul heritage – staying strong on the uptempo cuts, and... read more

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Frank Zappa's amazing tribute to the sounds of LA that inspired him in his youth – not just the early rock and roll of the late 50s, but the way the music was picked up and given a home by the scene in East LA! There's a surprising amount of nascent soul elements in the music here –... read more

A bit trippy, a bit groovy – and a very compelling little set from the Brazilian duo of Rubinho & Mauro Assumpcao! At one level, the record's got an earthy feel that matches the cover image of the pair climbing out of a tree without their shirts on – but at another level, there's... read more

A rare Japanese-only album from trombonist Roswell Rudd – one of his few full length statements of genius from the mid 70s! The album's got a very collaborative feel overall – one that takes off from some of Rudd's better-known work of the "new thing" era, but opens things up... read more

A dreamlike flow of elemental sounds and masterful mood from Adam Rudolph & Ralph James – conceived and performed as a dialogue between multi-instrumentalists Adam Rudolph and Ralph Jones on a date at Michigan's Delta College Theatre in 2009! Rudolph works with African percussion and... read more

Sublime baroque soul from David Ruffin – material recorded for his 3rd solo album, but never released until now! The quality of the work is incredible – done in a soaring style that's a perfect summation of the genius of Motown at the end of the 60s. Ruffin really steps away from his... read more

Sure, you've heard a lot of these cuts a million times – but honestly, it's still great to hear Rufus and Chaka, whatever the setting! The set dips back into the ABC recordings by the group, and features tracks from the years 1974 to 1979. Titles include "You Got The Love", "S... read more

Raucous R&B-flavored rock instrumentals by The Rumblers – the second great compilation of their early-to-mid 60s material put together by Ace UK – and a superior one! It's got more of their great Downey singles from the period, along with previously unreleased gems. The rhythms... read more

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One of the greatest records we've ever heard from pianist Mario Rusca – a really open, fluid sort of set – and one that features electric bass in the trio, which really gives things a different sort of vibe! Mario plays acoustic piano throughout, but the use of electric bass (played by... read more

Patrice Rushen in a crisp 80s soul mode! Watch Out finds Patrice really cutting down the keyboards in favor of stronger vocals right out front – breaking all the rules, as the title of the second song tells it – and it works really well! Most of the arrangements, synth and drum... read more

A landmark bit of indie funk from the 70s – one of the few records cut by Detroit keyboardist Eddie Russ, and easily the best! The album features Russ going to town on electric piano – working with a hip combo called The Mixed Bag, which features some wicked work on flute and soprano... read more

Dusty grooves from Alice Russell – a set that's steeped in heavy soul influences all the way through – from her great vocals on the top, to the tight instrumentation in the middle, to all the heavy drums that keep things kicking on the bottom! The album may well be Russell's tightest... read more

An avant dancefloor work of genius by Arthur Russell – the frantically beat-heavy, sunny and psychedelic single "Let's Go Swimming" that's from 1986, but it's really a unique piece of work that exists out of place and time – here in 3 distinctive versions along with a... read more

A wonderful set of unreleased Arthur Russell songs – great tunes that he cut in more of an eclectic singer-songwriter approach than some of his other work – emotionally upfront, understated material that is simply beautiful! The songs range from very stripped down and folksy on the... read more

Music beyond description – a unique blend of disco, funk, avant garde, and dub – the wonderful world of the late Arthur Russell! Russell was a bass player by trade, but he was schooled in both classical and Eastern music forms – and brought an incredibly fresh vision to his work... read more

Sweet funky jazz from pianist Gene Russell – one of the hippest albums he ever recorded! Russell's a pianist with a wonderfully fluid touch – used here to near perfection in a small combo date that really stands out from most of his other albums – just the kind of effort we'd... read more

Some of the hippest sounds we've ever heard from pianist Gene Russell – an album that features heavy use of Fender Rhodes – and a soulful, solid, rhythmic core that comes from the basslines of Henry Franklin, guitar of Calvin Keys, and drums of Ndugu Chancler! The set's one of the... read more

Some great 50s work from modernist George Russell – an expanded version of his work for the RCA label at the time! The first 12 tracks, plus 2 alternates, are from the Jazz Workshop album issued under Russell's name for RCA – A nice little set that's not as arch-modern as some of his... read more