All Categories — 7-inch  

A great rare groove from keyboardist Paolo Achenza – a smoking version of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon", done with the same Fender Rhodes as his classic trio work from the 90s! Part 1 has a strong focus on the keys over tight funky rhythms – with just a bit of horns and guitar... read more

A pair of classic Chicago soul tracks from Barbara Acklin! "Am I The Same Girl" is great great track with a totally catchy hook, and great lyrics by Barbara – and oddly enough, the exact track was stripped of its vocals, given a piano solo, and re-released by Brunswick as "Soul... read more

"Nande" is a mighty burner from the African Souls Band – a tune that mixes balafon lines in with Afro Funk rhythms, and a bit of strings too – all to create a really compelling blend that's unlike most that we know from the time – yet still damn funky, and with a great... read more

Two tasty bits of Afro Funk! "Soul Makossa" is a cover of the original – with a groove that's very nice and heavy. Even better, though, is "Hot Mud" – a weird little jazz funk number with a punchy rolling bass, and some tweaked-up moog solos over the top! It's a... read more

Rare funk from the Kelekye Band – material recorded after their legendary Moving World album, but never issued at the time! This amazing package is totally great – four tracks of offbeat Afro Funk, with an approach that's heavy on percussion, and topped by jazzy riffs that really... read more

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Hard to be lonely with a groove this great – a sweet 60s stepper with a great midtempo punch – one that really works great for the deep-toned vocal approach of Jewel Akens! The cut's one of the best we've ever heard from the singer – and has an offbeat quality that's mighty nice.... read more

A nice 7" package on Decon – with cover art that folds out into a full-sized poster! Superstar guest, too! Action Bronson joins in on "Artesia" – and The Alchemist guests on "Getaway Car".... read more

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A great 80s groove from AM & Shawn Lee – heavy on these Casio-like keyboards at the start, then given a dubby finish as it moves on – all to set the scene for the cool spacey lyrics in the middle! Slow funky, with a nice retro vibe – and "Dancing Heart" follows in a... read more

Guess what? They DO make 'em like they used to – as Amalia steps out here on two tracks that easily rival the best female soul from the early 80s! "Welcome To Me" feels just like Chaka Khan on Warner Brothers from 1982 – complete with sweet keyboards that percolate... read more

Uncategorizable coolness from Amazing Ghost – a Richmond, VA group that features members of Bio Ritmo. Both tracks bring a lot of sounds to a dancefloor ready, insistent groove – bits of Latin inspired percussion, electro, synth rock and more.... read more

Two nice mellow jazzy numbers, with backing by the legendary Fuzzy Kane trio – and some nice hip vocals from Ernie!... read more

2 nice hard soul tracks from Ruby! Like a lot of her 45 tracks, these have a lot more of a raw quality than her big hit "Casanova". Her voice is in great form – and the a-side is kind of a catchy Betty Wright-ish number, while the flip is more of a serious sexy cut.... read more

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Two stormers from Antibalas! "Dirty Money" is one of their boldest cuts in years – a tune that leaps right out of the grooves, right from the start – thanks to plenty of searing Afro Funk rhythms, and even moreso to a wicked Hammond part that burns beautifully for the first... read more

Early 70s Afro Funk treasures by the Apostles on a stunning 45 – material mined in a joint effort by Academy & Voodoo Funk – both among of the most reverent and respectful diggers of rare African recordings around these days! The Apostles have a unique vibe of their own, though... read more

The vibrations here are mighty heavy – a wicked bottom that gives way to some righteous female vocals – all tied together by little horn solos that show an almost equal jazz tip to the single as well as funk! The drums are especially nice – tight and heavy – and there's... read more

A classic bit of Chicago soul! "Stone Good Lover" is a mellow number from Jo – a warm bit of deep soul with a really great feel. The track was a real underground classic, and it's still one of the best records ever from this vastly under-rated singer. "Urge" is an... read more

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Incredible home studio recordings by guitar genius Chet Atkins – all previously unissued versions from RCA Victor archives – and released here for the first time ever.... read more

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Two great funky guitar tracks! Both cuts have kind of a slow chugging stoner groove to them – right up there with work by Shuggie Otis or Eddie Senay, and with a similar mix of tripped-out soloing over the top of slow funky beats!... read more

From The CMT Crossroads series. Randy Travis joins The Avett Brothers on "February Seven" and the Avetts return the favor on "Three Wooden Crosses".... read more

These guys have a great old school sort of sound – Philly production by Bobby Eli, sweet female vocals from Cherry, and guest vocals from William Hart of The Delfonics, who really makes the tune sound wonderful! "No Answer" is back to Cherry in the lead – coming across with a... read more

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A great second single from UK singer Liam Bailey – and 2 great songs produced masterfully by Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman for Truth & Soul! "Please Love Me" yearns as sweetly as you'd expect from the title, with some falsetto vocals by Liam over some fairly tight drums and... read more

A very promising single from Brit soul upstart Liam Bailey – a diverse talent with a love for myriad American, British & Carribbean soul music – here with a single on Truth & Soul with a love for stripped down reggae soul! Here Bailey is working with NYC funky soul torch... read more

A stone Philly stormer from Vickie Baines – hardly the "country" promised in the title! The tune begins with this monotone bassline that's mighty nice – then rolls into piano lines and Vickie's marvelously soaring vocals! The flipside's great too – more of a midtempo... read more

Two rare Philly grooves – both from the Cameo/Parkway family of labels! "You Didn't Say A Word" is a lasting treasure from Yvonne Baker – a Northern Soul groover that soars with this great horn-heavy lead – and gets this cool crackling vocal from Yvonne that's mighty... read more

A sweet jazzy groover from Andrea Balducci – a remake of The Box Tops' big 60s classic, but completely remade into a deeply soulful number – one that's got jazzy riffs galore, this cool bumping bottom, and deeply soulful vocals from Andrea! "Big City" is Marv Jenkins' hip... read more

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Timeless garagey R&B from The Ballantynes –the third great 45 in a row from the Vancouver's group! "Faith" seems to have a bit of an uptempo Motown influence driving it, especially when it comes to the catchy chorus – but underneath that is rawer, but still soulful... read more

Cool stuff from Vancouver's Ballantynes – the Hammond-heavy, moddish stormer "The Message" and the equally driving "Railtown Abbey" on the flip! The group does a pretty sweet job of building on 60s dancefloor rock & soul sounds without stepping too deep into a... read more

Classic-styled garage soul from East Vancouver's Ballantynes – their second strong single for La-Ti-Da Records! "Misery" is anything but a miserable listening experience – and like the other few songs we've heard from the group to date, it's straight-up irresistible! Gritty... read more

Killer funky James Brown work from Hank! Both cuts were part of his brief comeback period with The Godfather – and they're both nice and funky. "I'm Back" has virtually the same groove as "There Was a Time", but more of a live sound. "Come On" has hard drums,... read more

Another great funky single from the Truth & Soul camp – from the Afro-funky Bama & The Family & Asiko! "Feeling Good" is by Bama & The Family is a great little hybrid of the tried-and-true funky 45 style, with just a touch of Fela expansiveness. It's a groover,... read more

What a cool little single! This 4 track ep is presented by Kelloggs, the cereal company, as a tie-in with the Banana Splits TV show. It's got some really great numbers that range in style from trippy to groovy, and maybe a little bit funky. The track "Doin The Banana Split" was... read more

The classic, classic CLASSIC theme song by that most beloved of late 60s American children's television – the fuzzy, colorful and endearing to this day Banana Splits! "The Tra La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" is a late 60s bubblegum classic of the highest order – we'd love... read more

Massive work from Darrell Banks – two tracks from his rare album for Stax Records – both of them a perfect example of his unique talents! Banks was one of the deepest soul talents working on the Detroit scene of the 60s – a singer who could hit a motor city groove like the best... read more

A northern soul classic if there ever was one! Both sides are incredible – some of the best work ever to come out of Detroit, and two lasting classics by the great Darrell Banks!... read more

A cool cooker from Dean Barlow – one of those mambo-styled R&B tunes that has some cool percussion underneath the vamping rhythms – all topped by this sinister vocal from Dean that's mighty nice! "He's Coming Home" features lead singer Carole Bennett with great backings... read more

A really great track from the legendary Sidney Barnes – a later effort handled by Ian Levine, but one that really brings out all the best qualities in his vocals! The tune's a burner right from the start – and has that Motorcity production style that updates older Northern modes –... read more

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A mixing of modes – although basically music that has a bouncy Batida touch on all tracks! "Ncongo J'Ami" is an older groove, remixed by Batida – and given a jumpy finish that's mighty nice – almost a 70s African vibe, filtered through contemporary Columbia – with... read more

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A 60s stomper from Detroit – exactly the kind of tune that makes the Motor City such a great place to dig for Northern Soul! "Hit & Run" grooves right from the get-go – and Rose Battiste sings this sweet lead with female backup – a bit like The Supremes, but nice... read more

The BCG is the Bob Crewe Generation – a sweet 70s disco ensemble led by the 60s soundtrack king. Here, they've got a tightly percolated sound that reminds us of Barry White at his best – strings soaring over strong syncopation, with some chorus female vocals bubbling in amidst the... read more

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Eastern tinged jazzy funk rock from Dutch born Okko Bekker! "East Indian Traffic" has a totally wicked funky backbone and a spindly, dexterous sitar way out front. Some jazz funk horns kick in as it goes along, too. "Ganges Delta" as another gem, less sorta soundtrack pulpy... read more

Sweet keyboard soul from Benjamin – a cut that's definitely got an 80s soul vibe at times, but which also shares something with the hip hop generation as well! "Love" is a charmer right from the start – loping beats, warm keys, and this vocal that definitely lets the groove... read more

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Not really "beating steel", but a tune that's definitely got a beat right from the start – a mod mix of romping drums and crime-styled guitar, but recorded with a slightly warmer sound library groove too! Horns blast in strongly once the tune gets rolling – and there's an... read more

Includes the tracks "Isabella", "Easy Come Easy Go Blues", "I Won't Give You None", "Blues Stampede", "I'm Goin Huntin", and "If You Want To Be My Sugar Papa".... read more

Big Maybelle doesn't show any signs of quittin here – and in fact, the single may well be key proof that she was still raring to go at the end of the 60s! The groove is fast – almost triple-time, like Maybelle's on the third shift – with fast piano stepping over tight drums... read more

Big Maybelle doesn't show any signs of quittin here – and in fact, the single may well be key proof that she was still raring to go at the end of the 60s! The groove is fast – almost triple-time, like Maybelle's on the third shift – with fast piano stepping over tight drums... read more

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Funky Latin grooves from Bio Ritmo! "Diana's Mambo" has timeless mambo flavor bubbling underneath – sweet percussion, brass up front in the mix and taking to another level via some otherlwordly electric organ. The flip shares the slightly tripped out organ vibe, otherwise a nicely... read more

"Vapors" is, of course, the mellow Biz classic off his first full-length LP, and probably the best use of the "Papa Don't Take No Mess" sample. "The Do Do" is a track not on any LP, with a freestyle-type rhyme and shoutouts from the Biz.... read more

An early stunner from Black Ivory – a great groover, done with kind of a bouncy lilting groove that has lots of bass, and a good mix with the group's harmony vocals! One of the funkiest from Fatback – "Goin' to See My Baby" is especially tough, and starts out with a massive... read more

The RZA gets some hard grooving assistance from The Black Keys on this standout from the Man With The Iron Fists soundtrack! The Black Keys love of the raw, smoky bluesy sounds at the core of the particular brand of rock pairs pretty nicely with RZA's production here – and it's a full on... read more

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An obscure group vocal number from the later years of Stax – a mixed male/female harmony group who sings with a style that's somewhere in the neighborhood of Friends Of Distinction, or maybe early work by New Birth. The overall sound is pretty hip, and pretty righteous – especially on... read more

A stunning lost Curtom track – funky mellow soul at its best, with Leroy Hutson arrangements and production that are right up there with his own best work! Arnold's got a voice that's warm and mellow, but which has a nice little crackle – sounding great on the sublime a-side that... read more

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Two great new tracks from Gyedu Blay Ambolley – both reworks of older Afro Funk classics! "Mumunde" features sharp arrangements from Ebo Taylor – and a tight groove that has the vocals wrapped firmly around the tune's infectious rhythms – a blistering blend of bass,... read more

Blu is joined by mic veteran RA The Rugged Man and Tristate of Durag Dynasty on this nice single from Nature Sounds.... read more

A classic doo wop from this overlooked group!... read more

The Blue Rhythm Combo take on "Black Water Gold" – a cut that's already a 70s funk classic, thanks to the original reading by African Music Machine – but even funkier here, with lots of bass that really bumps it up from the bottom! There's a cool kind of wheet/whistle that... read more

Massive Caribbean funk from the 70s – a killer collection of grooves from the legendary Blue Rhythm Combo! The sound here is way more US-funky than you might expect – as BRC really drew heavily from American acts of the time, especially on the rhythmic tip – which is always... read more

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Memphis soul legend Percy Wiggins joins the Bo-Keys – who help him cut one of his greatest records in years! The Keys drop their groove nicely for Percy's vocals – hitting this sweet compressed sound that's almost like Hi Records in the 70s – a perfect fit for the snakey lyrics... read more

A beautiful single from Bob & Gene on a funky 45 from Ever-Soul/Dapton ! "It's Not What You Know (It's Who You Know)" and "These Lonely Nights" are both apparantly from the Bob & Gene vaults, which gives us hope that there may be another album's worthy of great... read more

A sweet Jamaican-tinged take on this tune by Bob & Gene – one that features the duo's vocals set to grooves from the Inversions, a group led by Ticklah – all in a style that turns the soul track into a lost rocksteady number! The approach is mighty nice – strange at first,... read more

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Some of the earliest material ever recorded by David Bowie – served up in a relatively mod style, with great Brit production from the legendary Shel Talmy! Bowie's working here as David Jones – with either The Manish Boys or Lower Third groups – often with a bit more soul in the... read more

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A nice 7-inch for the initial single from Bowie's 2013 resurgence – his first new music in years! "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is the lead track on The Next Day record. The fellow Next Day album track "Where Are We Now?" is on the flipside.... read more

A pair of numbers by Brooklyn soul great Charles Bradley backed by The Menahan Street Band – including a wonderful take on Neil Young's classic "Heart Of Gold"! The cover works incredibly well, with Bradley's gravely vocals carrying the emotion of Young's lyrics in really moving... read more