All Categories — CDs  

Proof that Afro Funk never dies – as long as you know where to look! This set by Ebo Taylor is a contemporary recording, but it's got a damn sharp groove – and hits as hard as any dusty old gem you might find from the 70s – with just the right production to make all the core... read more

Beautiful work from the great Ebo Taylor – long tracks filled with the kind of grooves that have made him a funky favorite over the years – and which have kept him going strong into the 21st Century! There's a really unique feel to this record – lots of jazzy inflections that go... read more

Ebo Taylor at his finest – stepping out here in a wicked set of work from the 70s – filled with upbeat rhythms, sweet instrumental touches, and a heck of a lot of soul! There's a bubbling undercurrent in the rhythms that's almost Caribbean at times, yet the overall groove is a lot... read more

A brilliant new album from legendary Ghanaian performer Ebo Taylor – recorded in Berlin and backed by members of Poets Of Rhythm and others from that city's loose collective of international players dubbed the Afrobeat Academy – and the set itself is a great mix of classic Ghana grooves... read more

An early gem from Ghana legend Ebo Taylor – a smoking little set with a really hypnotic feel overall! The tracks here are all nice and long – and build energy with kind of a minimal layering of sound – an approach that's different than some of the longer Nigerian jams you might... read more

The early 80s debut from singer, songwriter Gary Taylor – also playing Rhodes, piano and synth on this set – filled with nicely grooving 80s soul! The songs are solid, and though he'd go on to write songs for a number of soul and R&B stars, he lets these numbers build slowly into... read more

Continuing genius from keyboardist James Taylor – exactly the kind of set that supports all the faith we've had in his music over the years! James steps out here in a vibe that's very different than before, yet every bit as great – still keyboard-heavy, with plenty of Hammond –... read more

We've been digging the keyboard grooves of James Taylor for decades – and still, after all that time, he's one of the tightest, most soulful cats around! This sweet set takes Taylor back to the groove he was first hitting in the mid 90s – that blend of Hammond with funky 70s modes... read more

A landmark album from Johnnie Taylor – a set that not only gave his career a giant boost, but which also helped shift southern soul into hip new territory in the late 70s! The music's a great change from Taylor's previous work at Stax – and the set features warm production from Don... read more

A massive double header – two great albums back to back! Rated Extraordinaire is our favorite album ever from Johnnie Taylor – an incredible set from the late 70s that really has Taylor reinventing his sound – and coming across as a great talent for a mellow groove! The album... read more

Johnnie Taylor's first album for Stax – and a tremendous little set that easily stands as one of his greatest records ever! Sure, we love Johnnie in all his incarnations – but there's a special sort of something here – a rawness and earnestness – that makes the whole thing... read more

Easily some of the greatest work ever recorded by Ted Taylor – done as a string of sessions in Chicago, New York, and Nashville for Okeh Records – and finally properly collected here in one great set! Taylor's a singer with a wonderful voice – one that was more famously tuned... read more

... read more

A pair of very different albums from John Tchicai – both hard to find, and brought together here on a nicely priced package! Strange Brothers is overlooked brilliance from reedman John Tchicai – a late 70s session recorded for the FMP label, and easily one of the most soulful sets on... read more

Sweetly jazzy Brazilian grooves from the team of Teca & Ricardo – a lovely album recorded in France in the mid 70s, and unheard for years! The feel here is not that dissimilar from some of the recent work by Tom & Joyce, or classic work by the team of Jaime & Nair – Teca's... read more

The one and only solo album by Mario Telles – brother of the better-known Sylvia Telles, but an equally great bossa singer on his own! This rare date from the 60s features some wonderful arrangements by Baden Powell, Moacir Santos, and Astor Silva – all of whom bring Mario into some... read more

A groundbreaking piano trio from the end of the 60s – headed up by Brazilian jazz legend Gilson Peranzetta! Gilson's work has graced countless recent bossa revival sessions, as well as important 70s MPB albums – but this set was recorded back in 1969, when Peranzetta was a pianist... read more

Afro-psychedelia from Chrissy Zebby Tembo – a set recorded in the Zambian scene of the early 70s, and served up in a blend of fuzzy guitar, funky drums, and some really unusual vocals! At times, Chrissy's voice almost sounds like it's being processed – filtered down nicely amidst the... read more

The Temptations on Atlantic Records – sounding different than their Motown years, and still pretty darn great! The group's got some wonderful help here from the team of Brian and Eddie Holland – still very much in fine fine form, and coming up with some backings that have a warm modern... read more

A masterpiece in psychedelic soul from The Temptations – perhaps the most perfectly realized album from their years working with Norman Whitfield! The set's awash in that bottom-heavy, rumbling funk mode that Whitfield brought to the group at the end of the 60s – served up in bold... read more

A masterpiece in psychedelic soul from The Temptations – perhaps the most perfectly realized album from their years working with Norman Whitfield! The set's awash in that bottom-heavy, rumbling funk mode that Whitfield brought to the group at the end of the 60s – served up in bold... read more

An all-star effort from The Temptations – and a well-titled set that has the group brimming over with classic vocal talent! The group's expanded to a seven-piece outfit for the album – with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin back in the fold, singing alongside Dennis Edwards, Otis... read more

A great 80s set from The Temptations – one of the few Motown acts who managed to deliver great work again and again over the years! The production has some 80s traces that are slightly dated, but the vocals are still top-shelf all the way – strongly moved much more into a mellow and... read more

A great 80s set from The Temptations – one of the few Motown acts who managed to deliver great work again and again over the years! The production has some 80s traces that are slightly dated, but the vocals are still top-shelf all the way – strongly moved much more into a mellow and... read more

A really incredible record from Jimi Tenor – spiritual soul jazz at its best, and unlike anything else he's ever recorded before! We always knew that Jimi's had a record like this inside of him, but it's taken years to get past the colder, stiffer styles of his earlier records – but... read more

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not... read more

We've always loved the music of Jimi Tenor – but recently, he seems to get better and better with each new record – hitting a spiritual, soulful depth we never would have expected years ago! This album's one of his best efforts ever – and feels more like some lost 70s... read more

Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the... read more

A great little solo set from Jean Terrell – a singer who's probably best known for her work as the leader of The Supremes after Diana Ross left the group, but who sounds even better here on her own! The album's still got the strong-voiced sound that Jean brought to her Motown years –... read more

A pair of overlooked gems from trumpeter Clark Terry – back to back on a single CD! On Everything's Mellow, things are mellow indeed – and that fact makes the record one of Terry's greatest from the 60s! The obscure session features Clark blowing in the laidback style of Prestige's... read more

A great full-length set from Dandy Teru – a producer who's been making a fair bit of waves in the underground in recent years – finally stepping into the limelight here himself! Teru's got a great ear for a crispy beat and cosmic keyboard line – often fusing the two together in a... read more

A legendary TV soundtrack – music for a show that only ran for 8 episodes, but which has lived on for decades past the original program! The Hanged Man features some of the funkiest grooves to ever come from the Themes International sound library label – cuts scored by Alan Tew, and... read more

Hard to go wrong with Joe Tex at this point in his career – as the singer's not only at the top of the game of southern soul, but also helping to forge great new changes in the genre as well! The set begins with Joe's classic "Buying A Book" – easily one of his best-remembered... read more

Blue and lonesome 50s honky tonk sounds from Texas Ruby – one of the great female voices of the era, if too little remembered all these years later – spinning tales of tears, heartbreak and blues with honesty and authority! Ruby is a real pioneer, in an era of country music when women... read more

A tremendous document of work by Jake Thackray – one of the most unique talents on the British music scene of the 60s, but an artist who's sadly been un-remembered over the years! At first glance, Jake's definitely a folkie, but he's also one with a strong influence from French... read more

Head-nodding, truth-telling soulful hip hop from underground Chi producer/MC Thaione Davis – who we actually hadnt heard much from in the previous couple of years – so it's good to have him back! Even though it's been a minute since he's checked in with us, this is actually Thaione's... read more

Thaione's eighth album – and he's sharp as ever here – with solid beats, atmospheric production touches and tough, honest and personal rhymes. Thaione handles the bulk of the production, but Seventeen includes trio of tracks produced by GEAUX. Includes "Push", "Stolen... read more

Vocal jazz, but with plenty of tripped-out touches – hardly what you'd expect from a Norwegian group with plenty of Christian leanings! That's Why were one of the key groups to reform the sound of church music in Norway at the end of the 60s – and work here with a unique hybrid of jazz... read more

Spacey soul from this enigmatic duo – a pair who've got a groove that nicely fits their trippy name – and a cosmic approach overall, one that's somewhere in the territory of Georgia Anne Muldrow, and some of the more adventurous talents in the underground! There's a real edge to some... read more

A cinematic cover, and some cinematic music to match – one of the moodiest projects we've heard from the contemporary underground of artists inspired by older film soundtracks! Keyboards are the dominant instrument here – often used in spare, snakey ways that recall older European... read more

Ok, so Van Morrison's left your group – what do you do? The remaining members of the group split off into two factions, the raunchier of which, the Belfast Gypsies, hooked up with Kim Fowley! This set documents the great work of that post-Morrison Them sidegroup – and most tracks were... read more

Quite an interesting record – one that was sort of a jam session party, starring most of the leading lights of Flying Dutchman during their early days. Thiele broke the set into 4 sides – 1. A bunch of messed-up jazz tunes from the Tom Scott, Roger Kellaway, Howard Roberts camp; 2. ... read more

A well done survey of the career of Thievery Corporation to date – selected by Rob Garza and Eric Hilton – wonderful stuff from the reigning kings of downtempo jazzy grooves! It's made up of the duo's best known tracks as well as their own personal favorites. You couldn't really ask... read more

A mindblowing collaboration – one that brings the soulful vocals of Nenah Cherry into play with the avant jazz sounds of The Thing – but all in a mode that's unlike anything either artist has recorded before! The mix of talents is no surprise – given that Nenah's dad is Don... read more

A remixed version of the collaboration between Neneh Cherry and The Thing – but a set with a sound so different, it may as well be an additional record from project! The remixes here really take a lot of liberties with the original music – so that the resulting tracks aren't just jazzy... read more

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some... read more

The one and only album we've ever seen from The 13th Floor – a hip little combo from St Louis, produced here by Oliver Sain in a great blend of jazz, soul, and funk! There's a depth here that goes way beyond the average outing of this type – as the group clearly have some sort of an... read more

The complete series of singles singer BJ Thomas cut for Scepter from the 1966 to 1972 – a pretty great overview that not only serves as a terrific anthology – it also shows the depth of styles managed to cover with resounding creative success, whether the singles charted or not! BJ is... read more

One of the strangest covers we've seen in years – and a perfect fit for this obscure session of unusual grooves! Drummer Bubbha Thomas is working here in a mode that's kind of an electrified 70s take on the Texas showband style of earlier years – a mode that has the core funky combo... read more

One of the sexiest covers ever from Carla Thomas – and one of her most sultry records, too – a set that really has her growing up, stylistically – and coming across with a new sort of boldness in her vocals! The production is prime 60s Stax, with a slightly classy touch for the... read more

The queen of Memphis soul – caught "alone" after a some earlier hit recordings as part of a duo with Otis Redding – but now on her own in the years after Otis untimely early passing! The album has Thomas strongly returning to the sound of her first few albums on Stax –... read more

Two disco albums from Evelyn Thomas – back to back on a single CD, with tracks from an unreleased third album as well First up is I Want To Make It On My Own – a Casablanca stormer from Evelyn Thomas – a set that makes mighty full use of her strong vocals for the clubs, but which... read more

An overlooked gem from Irma Thomas – and one of her deepest soul albums ever! The set was recorded with Swamp Dogg at the production helm, and he gives Irma this wonderfully rootsy feel throughout the record – the kind of vibe she definitely never got in the 60s, and a sound that seems... read more

... read more

Sweet clubby grooving from Joe Thomas – a set that has the Ebony Godfather smoothing his groove a bit for the disco years of the late 70s, but still keeping things plenty soulful throughout! Brad Baker (of B Baker Chocolate Company fame) arranged and conducted the album, and he brings in... read more

A well-selected set of tracks by the legendary vocalist Leon Thomas – one that focuses squarely on his recordings for the Flying Dutchman label – with standouts from his own records, a crucial collaboration with Johnny Hodges, and a previously unreleased tune as well! The collection... read more

A long-overdue compilation dedicated to the work of the great soul jazz vocalist Leon Thomas. If you don't know Thomas' own work, you might recognize him as the vocalist on some of Pharoah Sanders' great recordings, like "The Creator Has A Master Plan" and "Hum Allah Hum Allah".... read more

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that... read more

The funkiest version we've ever heard of this great Bruce Lee soundtrack – one that brings together all the sweet instrumental moments by Peter Thomas, with sound that's much better than any other reissue! While previous versions have taken the music along with the dialogue, this gem of a... read more

Groovy genius from German arranger Peter Thomas – a sweet little follow-up to his soundtrack for Chariots Of The Gods! This time around, the setting's a bit more funky – a great mixture of mid 70s grooves with some of the trippier touches you'd know from Peter's previous space scores... read more

One of the rarest albums ever from soundtrack maestro Peter Thomas – and one of the funkiest, too! The set's not a film score – like most of Thomas' other material – but a German sound library set, originally issued only in very small quantities – and featuring some of... read more

Sensual soundtracks from German maestro Peter Thomas – very groovy music recorded for two sex-ed films of the late 60s! The sounds here are every bit as wonderful as those we've come to love in Thomas crime and sci-fi scoring – lots of cool 60s instrumentation on keyboards, funky drums... read more

Rhonda Thomas sounds better than ever – soaring out in that wonderful mix of jazz and soul that's always made her music so great! We've been following Rhonda for years, and the journey's been a delight at every step – but this time around, the rewards are even greater – as... read more

2 of the best Rufus Thomas funky albums for Stax – back to back on a single CD! First up is Did You Heard Me – recorded in the early 70s with backing by The Movement and The Bar Kays, and with a good raw Stax sound on most cuts! Rufus is certainly in the "funky ___" mode... read more

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set... read more

One of the best Rufus Thomas albums from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder, funkier Memphis groove! Rufus was 52 at the time, but thanks to a never-dying fire, and some great youthful arrangements, the set... read more

A great version of the classic Rufus Thomas album Do The Funky Chicken – presented here with lots of bonus tracks from singles! The core record is one of Rufus' best from the 70s – a key record from his comeback years, and one that has him trading in his older R&B mode for a harder... read more

A killer live set by Rufus Thomas – recorded right at the height of his funky comeback, before a very right-on crowd at PJ's Nightclub in LA! Rufus was always a great entertainer, and he really opens up in this live setting – doing some nice versions of "Do The Funky Chicken"... read more

Timmy Thomas live, in front of a massive crowd in Johannesburg – really grooving with enthusiasm that's captured beautifully in the recording! The set's a great reminder that Timmy had lots of power away from the studio – that he wasn't just drum machine bits and disco riffs, and could... read more

A massive groover from Timmy Thomas – really hitting here on all burners, and moving with a groove that's much fuller than the drum machine fills of his early years! The sound is Miami club at its best – wickedly uptempo rhythms that are played with razor-sharp intensity – still... read more

Amazing work from Timmy Thomas – a southern soulster with a groove like no other! At some level, Timmy shared the bluesy and sweet soul styles of his Miami contemporaries at the TK label – but at another, he had this wild approach that often used bits of electronic percussion, in a... read more

A Miami soul masterpiece from start to finish – and a lesser-known record from drum machine hit maestro Timmy Thomas! The album's got the feel of Timmy's classic Why Can't We Live Together album – but the overall sound is a bit fuller and richer, with a soulfulness that grabs us right... read more

A soulful set from Carroll Thompson – the debut from the sultry UK singer, and a set that went onto become a key classic in the lovers rock genre! Carroll has a great way of mixing Jamaican styles with a bit more of a London vibe – coming up with a criss-cross of modes that really... read more

Heavy Hammond from the mighty Chester Thompson – a smoking soul jazz set that's a real return to the sound of his Powerhouse album from the 70s! Thompson's jazz chops have only gotten better with age – and although he's certainly got a strong resume in funk and soul, we're really... read more

One of the few solo albums ever cut by organist Chester Thompson – a player who's known to most as the keyboardist in Tower Of Power, but one who's also remembered by a select funky few for this killer record for the Black Jazz label! The album's a stripped-down quartet session – with... read more

... read more

A wicked little set from British pianist Eddie Thompson – a player who always wasn't as well noticed on this side of the Atlantic, but who will forever be remembered for this classic date for MPS! The set's got a great criss-crossing of styles – a punctuated way of playing the keys... read more

Linval Thompson dubs – unearthed straight from the master tapes! The have the spare crisp drum and bass approach, riding along a chubby, bouncing basslines, with just hints of guitar, keys or voice adding spice to the dub now and again. Includes "Get My Dub Together", "Ethiop... read more

Prime mid 50s work from Lucky Thompson – recorded in Paris with the group of drummer Dave Pochonet, and featuring tracks that are longer than usual for a Thompson session! Thompson is on tenor throughout – and the other players include either Henri Renaud or Martial Solal on piano,... read more

Some of Lucky Thompson's rarest work from the 50s – and some of his best! The American tenorist is working here in two different French groups – one a quintet with Henri Renaud on piano, the other a tentet with the core quartet of Renaud, plus some additional local horn players. ... read more

A great soundtrack for a pretty darn obscure film – the third appearance of Inspector Clouseau, filmed after A Shot In The Dark and The Pink Panther, but featuring Alan Arkin in the title role, instead of Peter Sellers! The score is by Ken Thorne, and is quite different from more familiar... read more

A great set of 50s recordings by gritty rhythm & blues singer Big Mama Thornton – whose most famous for grittier shouters – but there's some surprisingly easygoing numbers here, too! Her famous "Hound Dog" opens this set, and sets the pace strongly – for a batch of... read more

A smoking disco double-header from THP Orchestra – two excellent albums back to back, with loads of bonus tracks too! Early Riser has a groove that really has the group starting out strongly – a perfect early disco approach that's funky and instrumental, but which often echoes some... read more

... read more

Overlooked genius from Henry Threadgill – one of his under-exposed 80s sessions for the About Time label, and work that's every bit as great as his better-known sides for Delmark or Black Saint! The group here has a nice sense of freedom and interplay – almost a quality that hearkens... read more

One of the most beautiful, lyrical albums we've ever heard from Henry Threadgill – a set that still has all the sharp edges you might know from his other work, but which also comes across with a slightly more sensitive sound as well! The compositions are beautiful – really well-written... read more

An amazing run of music – and key sounds from a time when the Chicago avant garde was finally getting its due in the mainstream! The set features all Novus and Columbia recordings from both the Air trio of Henry Threagill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall – a seminal group from the AACM... read more

Mid 70s magic from The Three Degrees – a time when this Philly trio was really at the height of their powers! The girl group had recorded previously, in a somewhat more standard style of Philly soul – but during the 70s they hooked up with Gamble & Huff, and managed to make some... read more

A killer package – two full albums, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Maybe – amazing early work from the Three Degrees – tracks cut before their more famous disco years in the 70s – but already showing a whole new approach to girl group soul! At some level, the trio take... read more

Smooth female soul from one of Philly's hottest female trios – Gamble & Huff's big answer to First Choice, and an equally important force in 70s female soul! The album's got a nice mixture of Philly groove and smoother pop arrangements from the likes of Norman Harris, Bobby Martin, Lenny... read more

... read more

A great little album of jazz funk – and the only record we've ever seen by this group! The 3 Pieces may not have lasted long in the record business, but this rare album from 1975 has made them legends on the rare groove scene for years. The record was cut during the height of the jazz funk... read more

A heady power trio – stepping out here with a tight blend of tenor, drums, and bass – definitely jazz in formation, but with some funky and fuzzy touches as well! The bass often really informs the overall sound of the set – and bold basslines often drive the tunes with a punkish... read more

... read more

One of the great modern genre busting-debuts we've had the pleasure of being so stunned by in quite a while! Thundercat's Golden Age is dizzyingly brilliant mix of 80s clubby synths and keys, future soul & funky soundscapes, 70s soul jazzy atmospherics and more – but it's hardly a mere... read more

A great British folk set from Steve Tilston – featuring all acoustic and all original material that gives it a pretty wonderful and timeless feel! Tilston has a warm voice and melodic style that's pretty darn great – which sounds to us like it'll have a pretty broadly reaching appeal. ... read more

Classic! The third LP from the Time, and last before Morris Day went off and started his solo career – though by this point Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had departed the group. Nonetheless, the sound is still tight modern funk, with Jesse Johnson and crew keeping things in the great post-Prince... read more

One of the two 80s masterpieces by this amazing Minneapolis group, before Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis left to change the face of commercial R&B! This first album and it's follow-up remain as a couple of the more enduring moments of slick, stylish American pop soul, and represent just a huge... read more

A strange name for a group that hardly stood the test of time – but a great record that's well worth discovering! Timeless Legend were a young soul group from Columbus Ohio in the mid 70s – and on this rare LP, they've got a sweet little style that's every bit as great as that of... read more

Mellow trio material by Bobby, recorded in the final moments of the Riverside label in its first incarnation, but not issued until 1970, when ABC took over the label's holdings. The set's notable in that Bobby plays vibes on 2 tracks, and also performs an unaccompanied piano solo on another. ... read more