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Classic soul from Bettye Lavette – with some her best recordings ever – a batch of tunes cut in Memphis with Lelan Rogers for the Silver Fox label in '69 & '70! The Betty heard here is a lot harder than on her earlier soul sides – recorded with a raw power that could easily blow away Aretha Franklin or any of her hard soul sisters – and done with a unique crossing of southern, funky, and country soul modes! Amazing! Titles include "My Train's A Coming", "Do Your Duty", "Love Made A Fool Of Me", "At The Mercy Of A Man", "Piece Of My Heart", "Easier To Say Than Do", "He Made A Woman Out Of Me", "We Got To Slip Around", "I'm In Love", and "Games People Play".

Bettye Lavette's best record yet for Anti- – a modern classic from a bonafide legendary southern soul singer – and she sounds as wonderful as she has in years! If her voice has picked up some grit over the years, it's no less beautiful – and the experience only enhances the material. The song choices are terrific – kicking off with the somewhat overlooked Dylan treasure "Everything Is Broken" – and several others eclectic, classic-level songs that span a number of genres – adapted masterfully into a timeless sound that's distinctly southern, but it eschews he retro revival style, for a unique vibe of it's own. Producer Craig Street and the tight group of musicians assembled for the record deserve a lot of credit, but none more than the inspiring Bettye Lavette! Includes "I'm Not The One", "Dirty Old Town" (plus a great closing slow version), "Yesterday Is Here", "Thankful N' Thoughtful", "Time Will Do The Talking", "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and more.

Bettye Lavette's best record yet for Anti- – a modern classic from a bonafide legendary southern soul singer – and she sounds as wonderful as she has in years! If her voice has picked up some grit over the years, it's no less beautiful – and the experience only enhances the material. The song choices are terrific – kicking off with the somewhat overlooked Dylan treasure "Everything Is Broken" – and several others eclectic, classic-level songs that span a number of genres – adapted masterfully into a timeless sound that's distinctly southern, but it eschews he retro revival style, for a unique vibe of it's own. Producer Craig Street and the tight group of musicians assembled for the record deserve a lot of credit, but none more than the inspiring Bettye Lavette! Includes "I'm Not The One", "Dirty Old Town" (plus a great closing slow version), "Yesterday Is Here", "Thankful N' Thoughtful", "Time Will Do The Talking", "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and more.

The Dynamites get some heavy help here – vocalist Charles Walker, who's already recorded with the group, and the legendary Bettye Lavette – who works here with Charles in a real old-soul, deep soul duet! The combo slow down their action perfectly for the track – hard-burning with a vintage Fame Studios sort of feel – leaving Charles and Bettye plenty of room to work some magic with the lyrics! Walker helms the tune solo on "Serendipity" – a nice hard groover with funky organ over bass – and one of the group's most sock-soul-sounding rhythms!

A special limited edition counterpart to Bettye Lavette's Thankful/Thoughtful album – one that features her takes on tunes by The Black Crowes, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, and Julie Miller! Titles include "Long Time", "Old", "Save Some Time To Dream", "Whole Lotta Lonely", and "Welcome To The Good Times".

Kelly Hogan makes a huge step up to Anti- – home to fellow traveler Neko Case and some of her heroes and heroines, from Mavis Staples and Bettye Lavette to Booker T and Tom Waits – and with I Like To Keep Myself In Pain, Kelly's made a better record for Anti- than any of them! If you're unacquainted with Kelly Hogan (which is forgivable if you're not a Chicagoan...maybe), she's always singing and performing, though rarely recording – for herself, anyway. Not only is Hogan's first new album in years near-perfect, she makes it sound easy! A love for country soul and the best kinds of 60s vocal pop inform the style, but she makes it all her own – and that's especially impressive given the diverse crop of songwriters she interprets. Truly one of best albums from a solo singer in recent years – in any genre! Booker T, Dap-King Gabriel Roth, and longtime Hogan-friend Scott Ligon play on the record, and songs include "Dusty Groove" (it's not about us, though if it's possible to be flattered by a coincidence, we'll take it), "We Can't Have Nice Things", "Daddy's Little Girl", "Golden", "Ways Of This World", "Plant White Roses", "Whenever You're Out Of My Sight", "Pass On By" and more.

Maybe the most smoking collaboration so far between The Dynamites and vocalist Charles Walker – a singer who only seems to sound younger and younger with each new record – driven on by the sharp funky sounds of the group! Walker's got a way of stretching out a note that's rooted in 60s deep soul styles – yet also has a compactness that fits in well with The Dynamites' hip blend of Hammond, trumpet, guitar, and saxes – all stepping out with a beautifully soulful vibe on the album's host of original tracks! Titles include "Wakie Wakie", "I Just Want To Know", "Love Is Only Everything", "Please Open Up The Door", "So Much More To Do", and "Yours & Mine", which features a guest appearance from Bettye Lavette!

We never stopped ourselves to ask what "stonking" means – but with tunes this great, who cares! The set's the third in a really great batch of Northern Soul compilations from EMI UK – featuring rare tracks pulled from EMI-owned labels like Capitol, Liberty, and other companies that don't necessarily jump to mind when thinking "classic soul" – but who cut some really great singles back in the 60s! The set's a real treasure trove – and features tons of tracks we'd never heard before. Titles include "Kissin Her & Cryin For You" by The Checkmates, "River Of Tears" by Barbara Banks, "I Feel Good" by Bettye Lavette, "One Day Love" by Tommy Dodson, "60 Minutes Of Your Love" by Homer Banks, "Good Little You" by Joey Dee, "I Hurt On The Other Side" by Jerry Cook, "In The Same Old Way" by Scotty Williams, "Turn Around Baby" by Lena & The Deltanettes, "My Heart Is In Danger" by Alder Ray, "She Blew A Good Thing" by Donald Height, "It's A Sad Thing" by Ray Pollard, "Why Did You Do It To Me" by The Thieves, and "I Can't Do It" by Eddie & Ernie.

Relatively recent soul tracks, but mostly with a classic feel – given that many of the tracks on the set were cut by artists who broke big in the 60s and 70s! The package is a really unique collection – titles from the past decade or two, recorded by older soul artists in a mode that mixes vintage styles with more contemporary production – yet all in ways that are light years from the mainstream R&B you'd hear on the charts! The set's great proof that a great voice never dies, and it also includes a few younger artists who definitely draw inspiration from the older crowd too – and many of the cuts are from the recent Motorcity recordings, showing a real UK love of classic Detroit styles. Titles include "Soul Searching" by Barbara Randolph, "Don't Wait Around" by The Elgins, "No Need To Explain" by GC Cameron, "Back In Circulation (metropolitan soul mix)" by Sweet James Epps, "Crying Shame" by Lynda Laurence, "Love Still Lives In My Heart" by The Originals, "Prime Time Lover" by Linda Griner, "Too Great A Price To Pay" by Bettye Lavette, "My World Will Never Be The Same" by Gina Foster, "Got To Win You Back" by The Contours, "I've Seen The Light" by JJ Barnes, and "Hurt The One You Love" by David Ruffin.

Maybe the most smoking collaboration so far between The Dynamites and vocalist Charles Walker – a singer who only seems to sound younger and younger with each new record – driven on by the sharp funky sounds of the group! Walker's got a way of stretching out a note that's rooted in 60s deep soul styles – yet also has a compactness that fits in well with The Dynamites' hip blend of Hammond, trumpet, guitar, and saxes – all stepping out with a beautifully soulful vibe on the album's host of original tracks! Titles include "Wakie Wakie", "I Just Want To Know", "Love Is Only Everything", "Please Open Up The Door", "So Much More To Do", and "Yours & Mine", which features a guest appearance from Bettye Lavette!

Souvenirs and memories – music that's mostly of more recent vintage, but which features a host of artists you'll know from way way back! The music here is mostly from the end of the 80s and start of the 90s – despite the wider date range in the title – and most tracks feature older Detroit soul singers, making a fresh stake with some slightly contemporary styles, at least for that time – yet still mostly sticking to the classic modes that made them so great in the first place! The approach is that used heavily by the Motorcity label at the time – and offers a great new showcase for talents that were sadly overlooked at the time. Titles include "Wholeheartedly" by Ronnie McNeir, "Surrender" by Bettye Lavette, "Man Up In The Sky" by Johnny Bristol, "Separation" by Pat Lewis, "Memories & Souvenirs" by Freda Payne, "Romantic Number" by Billy Griffin, "Real True Loving" by Edwin Starr, "Moment Of Weakness" by Syreeta, "All Over The World" by Chuck Jackson, and "Standing Still" by The Monitors.