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A folk funk classic from the early 70s – and a weird little record that has a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The arrangements are quite soulful, almost funky at times – with a righteous undercurrent that reminds us of Richard Evans or Charles Stepney at Cadet Records. But the vocals – by singer Barbara Massey – have a flanged-out quality that's clearly overdubbed, creating a double-voiced sound that's almost a bit like Brasil 66! This mix of modes is really great – completely unique, and sublime throughout – with a vibe that was years ahead of its time, and which is finally beginning to get some recognition these many years later. Arrangements are by the pair, but Deodato also had a hand in the record too – and the core combo of musicians includes Grady Tate on drums, Ralph McDonald on percussion, and Sam Brown on guitar – alongside more guitars from Ernie and keyboards and piano from Barbara. Tracks include "Searching the Circle", "Do You Know", "For You", "Play With Fire", "My Love & I", "Satisfied", and "Prelude" – plus a wild remake of "Somebody to Love"!

Brook Benton comes full circle – and after helping to form the idiom that would later become known as southern soul, he gets a chance to appear on Atlantic's new Cotillion label – easily a showcase for some of the best up-and-coming southern work at the end of the 60s! Brook's warm vocals are a perfect fit here – and the album was recorded in Miami, fast becoming Atlantic's new home in the south – with full arrangements by Arif Mardin that help take Brook past some of the country cliches of earlier years. Backing is by a small combo, and the Sweet Inspirations add in some vocals – and titles include the sublime "Rainy Night In Georgia", plus "We're Gonna Make It", "A Little Bit Of Soap", "Desertion", "Where Do I Go From Here", "Life Has Its Little Ups & Downs", and "Baby".

Wonderful work from Brook Benton – and the kind of record that always gets overlooked in discussions of southern soul, but which is proof that Benton's always been a key force in the genre! Brook virtually invented the style with his earlier country soul recordings – and by the time of this 1970 set, he's in perfect form vocally – and working under some wonderfully sophisticated arrangements by Arif Mardin. The result is the kind of cross-genre record that Brook could do effortlessly – and which should have made him huge, but instead kind of got him left behind by all the other folks who were copping his style. Yet with the strength of a record like this, we'll take that overlooked fame as still OK – because the set's a gem just waiting to be discovered by later generations like us! Rhythm's by the Dixie Flyers – augmented by jazz players that include King Curtis, Pepper Adams, and Joe Newman. Titles include "Aspen Colorado", "For Lee An", "Whoever Finds This, I Love You", "Don't It Make You Wanta Go Home", and "Let Me Fix It".

A lost southern soul gem – cut at the end of the 70s, in that rare blend of southern and modern styles that few performers could really carry off well! Frederick Knight produced the album, and it really steps off of his own mellow work of earlier years – taking things even further, thanks to a really wonderful presentation on the vocals by CL, sounding here like the best 70s work by Johnnie Taylor or Tyrone Davis! The album's got a really special feel – and if it was cut for a smaller label, it probably would have gone onto become a rare groove treasure – instead of a slightly-overlooked record on Cotillion. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Our Love Will Last", "I've Got To Make It On My Own", "I Wanna Get Down", "If I Had Loved You More", "Love Don't Feel Like Love No More", and "Let's Do Something Different Tonight".

The fantastic first album by Cerrone – a landmark disco record that features the 16 minute long "Love In C Minor" – a swirling bit of strings, beats, and female voices – one of those tunes that forever went onto change the face of dance music in the 70s! Cerrone really set up a whole new blueprint for club here – stretching things out plenty, and layering in subtle time and chord shifts that expose the proggish influences that filtered into French club as the 70s wore on! The title track's got some nice keyboards by the great Alan Hawkshaw – who sounds even better on the album's cool disco version of "Black Is Black" and the tight snare-beat original, "Midnite Lady".

An overlooked treasure from the Atlantic vaults – the first album by The Dynamics, and arguably a much greater record than the group's better-known set from the 70s! The Dynamics were a Detroit group from the late 60s, with that heavy harmony sound that was becoming a standard for the city's soul scene – and they were managed by Aretha Franklin's husband Ted White, who was probably responsible for getting them to record at Atlantic. Oddly, this session was recorded in Memphis, not Detroit – with production by Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman – who give the group a deep soul bottom that adds a lot to their still-rough vocal style. There's a great mix of deep and smooth going on here – a style that reminds us a bit of the few great Memphis vocal groups of the period, but which also has a Detroit tightness at times too. The tracks are a great mix of originals by Don Mancha, Fred Baker, Ronnie Shannon, and others – and titles include "Ain't No Love At All", "I Don't Want Nobody To Lead Me On", "What Would I Do", "Fair Love", and "Murder In the First Degree". A killer, and the kind of record you started collecting soul for!

A stellar solo set from John Edwards – one of the tightest talents of the southern scene in the mid 70s, and a singer who would later break big with The Spinners! This album's got a really unique vibe – with some slight tropical touches hinted at by the cover image – and some deeper production from David Porter down at the Malaco and Ardent Studios – which ensures that the deep soul component of the music still stays strong! The whole thing's unlike anything else we can think of – and is a definite bridge between 70s soul scenes at the time – echoes of folks like Al Green or Sam Dees, but a tighter approach at points too. Titles include "You, Trouble, & Me", "That's That", "The Key To My Life", and "Baby, Hold On To Me".

The Impressions first album for Cotillion, cut after a great 70s run on Curtom – but one that's done with a sound that still carries on the groove nicely! The more righteous tones of the earlier work are shaken loose a bit, to be replaced by a fuller approach to the music built from arrangements by HB Barnum, Gene Page, and Gil Askey – a bit more LA than Chicago, but with a soaringly soulful quality that almost recalls the sound of The Spinners during their best Philly years. As with that work, the harmonies here are all right on the money, and get plenty of space to sparkle amidst the full strings and tight rhythms – and new group member Nate Evans really brings a deep sense of soul to the group's work. Many tunes were written by the team of Mervin Seals and Melvin Steals – and titles include "I'm A Fool For Love", "Same Old Heartaches", "This Time", "Stardust", "I Need You", and "What Might Have Been".

One of the best-remembered moments from the mighty King Floyd – a southern soul singer who came into the game slightly later than some of his Atlantic Records contemporaries, but who still packs a punch that's right up there with the best of them! The album's best known for the huge hit "Groove Me" – a slinky, catchy tune that's gotten King plenty of play over the years – but the whole thing is pretty darn great, and shows a new sound and style of southern soul coming into play – as Floyd's working in Jackson, at the Malaco Studios, with Wardell Quezergue producing – in a sound that's a bit free of some of the more obvious Memphis and Muscle Shoals modes, yet without any of the cliches that would later hold some folks back too. King balances things perfectly throughout – and in addition to "Groove Me", the set also features "Let Us Be", "Messing Up My Mind", "What Our Love Needs", and "Don't Leave Me Lonely".

An incredibly captivating album of female soul – unlike anything else we can think of! Side one features a suite of tracks that details an ill-fated love affair in 4 modes: Introduction, Hoping, Final Attempt, and The Next Time – all done in a mode that mixes standard southern soul with these deeper monologues delivered by Tami in between each track! Lynn performs the work in a starkly intimate style that sends chills down our spine – and which makes you feel like you're listening in on her talking to her best friend – very cool, very personal, and deeper than most other work of its type. Side two is back on the regular tip – with shorter songs overall – but Tami does a pretty good job its range of mellow southern ballads and a few more uptempo numbers. Titles include a version of Andre Williams "Mojo Hanna", plus "Ain't No Soul", "One Night Of Sin", "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone", and "That's Understanding".

The one and only album from Detroit underground legend Ronn Matlock – but a modern soul classic through and through! By the time of this late 70s set, Matlock had spent nearly a decade working under Motor Town legends like Norman Whitfield and the Holland-Dozier-Holland team – and he emerges here fully formed as a wonderful soul songwriter with a really mature approach to his music! The album's more mellow soul than the uptempo disco you might expect for the time – and Matlock's very much in the spirit of Leroy Hutson or Leon Ware here – hitting gentle grooves that are never too sleepy, and which come off with a really mature, sophisticated feel. Production and arrangements are by Michael Stokes, but we're guessing that it's Matlock's talents that are still the main guiding light on the set – and titles include the sublime stepper "I Can't Forget About You", plus "Take Me to the Top (Of Your Mountain)", ""Back Street", and "You Got the Best of Me". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Let Me Dance (single version)" and "You Got The Best Of Me (mono single version)".

A soaring solo effort from the great Philippe Wynne – a vocalist who's probably best known for his hit 70s work with The Spinners, but one who also turns out to be a hell of talent on his own! Wynne's sweet raspy vocals click into place right from the start – stretching out over a host of Philly-styled arrangements that recall the backdrops he received with The Spinners, but with a much stronger focus on his lead – as often any backing vocals are just a female chorus back farther in the mix. Wynne really sparkles on the ballads – grabbing our hearts all over again – but the album also sports some great groovers too – of the sort that really benefit from the tight arrangements. Titles include the seminal "Think Of Your Thoughts As Children" – a really beautiful number – plus "Starting All Over", "Waiting On A Letter From Home", "Lisa", "Take Me As I Am", and "Like A Loser Needs A Winner".

A killer debut from Rasputin Stash – a funky group who work with all the long-haired inspiration you'd expect from their name! The groove is a mix of guitars and tight horns – undercut by the kind of heavy basslines that later made the group a good fit for Curtom Records, and lots of cool percussion touches that pepper the bottom of the rhythms nicely – with a pretty spontaneous feel! At times, there's almost a Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band vibe to the record, but mixed with some of the trippier influences of the Westbound crew – especially on the guitar – and like those artists, these guys have no trouble at all dipping into a touch of rock here and there to trip out their groove. Titles include "Mr Cool", "You Are My Flower", "Dookey Shoe", "I Want To Say You're Welcome", "Take Me On Back", and "Freaks Prayer".

Great smooth soul from Wee Gee – a wonderful little record from the dawn of the 80s! The album's a great one, thanks largely to Vernon Bullock, who wrote, arranged, and produced with that uptempo modern style that he brought to his best work of the 70s. The soaring title track is a 10+ minute epic that really transcends – hitting an emotional groove early and holding it throughout – and the rest of the tunes are just as nice! Wee Gee's a pretty decent vocalist – and the lofty arrangements keep him in the groove in a mode that's similar to some of Lamont Dozier's best work. The keys and synthesizers are nice – never oversteeped in ways that mired modern soul later in the decade and they go very will with the larger arrangements! Titles include "Hold On (To Your Dreams)", "Let Me Lay With You", "You've Been A Part Of Me", "Remember The Love", and "Don't Make Me The Reason".

They got the title right on this one – and the album's a smoking batch of tunes that captures Freddie in all his guitar-driven glory! The set features Freddie working with a tight Atlantic studio group that includes King Curtis, David Newman, James Booker, and Billy Butler – but the sound is raw, rootsy, and has a nice down-homey feel – with none of the cliches that you might expect from a release on Cotillion. Freddie sings a bit, but the best cuts are the instrumental ones, which take his older blues guitar style into a funkier Atlantic groove. King Curtis produced, and the titles include "Play It Cool", "Blue Shadows", "Hot Tomato", "Wide Open", "Sweet Thing", "Hideaway", and the excellent groover "Funky " – a massive instrumental filled with great guitar!

A windy city hero – the amazing Garland Green, a singer who makes us mighty proud we hail from Chicago! Garland's got an incredible style that few others can touch – partly schooled in the 60s iceman modes of Jerry Butler and Walter Jackson, with all the sophistication that might imply – but also often given a raspier twist, with slightly southern echoes that make Garland's music feel even more deeply personal! And while most folks know Green's big hits for the Uni label, this package shows a rich legacy that goes much father than that – work recorded for labels that include Cotillion, Spring, RCA, Ocean Front, and Revue – in addition to some key Uni tracks. This trans-label set really does a wonderful job of showing the full range of Garland's mighty talents – a sublime set of soul cuts that run from the start of the 70s right up to the early 80s modern years – packaged with detailed notes too. Titles include "Since You've Been Gone", "These Arms", "Just Loving You", "Just My Way Of Loving You", "He Didn't Know", "Don't Think That I'm A Violent Guy", "Love's Calling", "Just What The Doctor Ordered", "Sweet Loving Woman", "Ask Me What You Want", "You Played On A Player", "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", and "Sending My Best Wishes".

Overlooked 70s genius from The Impressions – 2 killer albums back to back on a single CD! Loving Power is later Curtom work from the group – but still plenty darn nice, with a super-dope vocal harmony approach on the best tracks! The title cut is worth the price of admission alone – as it's a slow-stepping harmony tune that really burns with a sweet mellow feel – sung to perfection by a quartet lineup that includes younger singers Ralph Johnson and Reggie Torian working with older Impressions Fred Cash and Sam Gooden. Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy had a good hand in much of the record – bringing it into the warm, sophisti-soul style they were using at the time – and arrangements include some great work by Richard Evans and Rich Tufo. Titles include "Loving Power", "If You Have To Ask", "Sunshine", and "I Can't Wait To See You". It's About Time is The Impressions first album for Cotillion, cut after a great 70s run on Curtom – but one that's done with a sound that still carries on the groove nicely! The more righteous tones of the earlier work are shaken loose a bit, to be replaced by a fuller approach to the music built from arrangements by HB Barnum, Gene Page, and Gil Askey – a bit more LA than Chicago, but with a soaringly soulful quality that almost recalls the sound of The Spinners during their best Philly years. As with that work, the harmonies here are all right on the money, and get plenty of space to sparkle amidst the full strings and tight rhythms – and new group member Nate Evans really brings a deep sense of soul to the group's work. Many tunes were written by the team of Mervin Seals and Melvin Steals – and titles include "I'm A Fool For Love", "Same Old Heartaches", "This Time", "Stardust", "I Need You", and "What Might Have Been".