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A really wonderful take on Porgy & Bess and other Gershwin standards by Pearl Bailey – there's just something about her naturally rich, bluesy, husky tone on these tunes that's simply wonderful! The backing is often well measured, but, occasionally a bigger sound and chorus vocals kick in. For the most part Pearl owns this stuff, giving warmth and resonance lost on more showbizzy takes on the style and compositions. Titles include "I Got Plenty Of Nothin". "I Got Rhythm", "Summertime", "Lady Be Good", "A Foggy Day", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Bess You Is My Woman", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Clap Yo Hands" and more.

Damn great work from Raheem DeVaughn – the full promise of his soulful sojourn in the underground mixtape scene! Raheem first got his start laying down vocals over beats and other folks' tracks on self-crafted CDs that changed hands covertly in the east coast scene – and that experience gave him plenty of time to grow and mature, quietly developing his sound to a point where he can really burst forth with power on a record like this! There's still a bit of the old mixtape feel going on here – a range of older musical influences that inform Raheem's tunes – and a personal, almost casual approach that has DeVaughn speaking intros to some tracks, almost as if he's spinning them out with a personal, conversational style. Yet the production is also much better than before too – quite warm, with some great beats and keys in the mix – proof that stepping out of the underground can often be a good thing for a soul artist. Titles include "Customer", "Hello Love", "Woman", "Love Drug", "Friday", "Can We Try Again", "Empty", "Four Letter Word", and "Woman I Desire". Includes guest appearances from Floetry, Big Boi, and Malik Yusef.

A clunky title, a so-so cover, a later recording date – and yet, the record's wonderful overall – a surprisingly funky effort from British reedman Bob Downes! The album is Bob's tribute to funky sounds oif the 60s and 70s – and although it includes a few tracks penned by Downes back in the day, the music was recorded in the past decade or so – yet done with a surprisingly classic feel overall – one that really serves the funky style of the music very well! The group is very stripped-down – just a trio with electric bass and keyboards, plus Downes on tenor, alto, flute, soprano sax, and even a bit of vocals – the kind of shouted, James Brown-chorus type – which are processed here to give them a really offbeat sound. The whole thing's pretty great – and you can bet that if this was a small label pressing from the US scene of a few decades back, it would be changing hands for a pretty penny. Titles include "Afro Swing", "Happy Funk", "A Man Without A Woman", "Pow Wow", "Funky Groove", "Hottin Up", "C'Mon Baby", and "You're Funkin Good".

Easy Star All-Stars up the ante on their reggae covers series here – taking on Thriller – and doing so with respect and real soul! We love us a good tribute album when we hear one – and all the more if it would be a mere novelty record in the wrong hands – but warmly appealing and transcendent in the right hands. Enter the Easy Star All-Stars – who deliver this timeless reggae take on MJ's monumental pop culture landmark Thriller really, really well! The All-Stars are joined by a great roster of guests – and they do Thriller track-for-track, with a couple extras: including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" feat Jowil and Ruff Scott, "Baby Be Mine" feat The Green, The Girl Is Mine feat Mojo Morgan and Steel Pulse, "Thriller" feat Mikey General and Spragga Benz, "Beat It" feat Michael Rose, "Human Nature", feat Cas Haley, "The Lady In My Life" feat Christopher Martin, "Dub It" and "Close To Midnight".

A crossover classic from the late 70s – a record that was born in the clubs, but bred in the mainstream – and the start of a very good relationship between Odyssey and RCA! The album will forever be known for its classic cut "Native New Yorker" – a seminal groover that balances disco rhythms with mainstream 70s soul – but overall, the record's got even more to offer than that gem – including some surprisingly well-done mellower cuts that really make great use of the vocals of Lillian and Louise Lopez. Production is by Sandy Linzer and Charles Calello – the latter of whom is clearly right at home with the groovers – and in addition to "Native New Yorker", other cuts include "Ever Lovin Sam", "You Keep Me Dancin", "Thank You God For One More Day", "Weekend Lover", "Easy Come Easy Go", and "Golden Hands". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Weekend Lover (single rmx)" and "Native New Yorker (12" disco version)".

One of the greatest records so far from the lovely Elizabeth Shepherd – a set that's got all the careful charm and jazzy swing of her own self-penned efforts – yet which also features Shepherd taking on a host of songs from years past! The approach is great – as these well-chosen tunes are completely transformed in the hands of Elizabeth's work on the piano and Fender Rhodes – and by her soulful yet swinging vocals – often backed by a cool acoustic combo who really know hot to keep things interesting. As with previous records, there's a few modern inflections, yet never too many to get in the way – and titles include "Poinciana", "Love For Sale", "Lonely House", "Feeling Good", "Sack Of Woe", "Midnight Sun", "Buzzard Song", and "Born To Be Blue".

A beautiful album by Bill Withers – filled with incredibly well written songs, and an amazing instrumental technique that blended folksy elements with smoother 70s soul, in a sound that would put Bill at the top of the charts for many years, yet still give him cred with soul fans for decades! Booker T Jones arranged, produced, and played electric piano on the album – and we can say without a doubt that the record's one of the few good things to come out of his move to LA! Although the album's not a greatest hits one, given the strength of the tracks, it may as well be, as it includes Withers classics like "Grandma's Hands", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Harlem", and "Hope She'll Be Happier". Also features the nice groover, "Better Off Dead", which has a very tasty intro!

Ashford & Simpson recorded plenty of great work on their own, but they were also a tremendous pair of songwriters – and had a way of penning can't-miss work that sounded great in just about anyone's hands! This collection is great testament to that fact – as it starts with gems the duo first wrote back in their early Motown days, then quickly moves up to their late 70s fame, and the way they had a major impact on the dancefloor. The tracks here are often quite familiar, but the actual recordings are sometimes obscure – lesser-known takes on some of Ashford & Simpson's best numbers, laid out back to back as proof of their genius talent for a groovy soul tune. Titles include "Top Of The Stairs" by Collins & Collins, "Keep It Coming" by Tata Vega, "Rough Times" by Angela Bofill, "California Soul" by Marlena Shaw, "Bourgie Bourgie" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Have You Ever Tried It" by The Main Ingredient, "I Wouldn't Change The Man He Is" by Blinky, "It's In There" by Jennifer Holiday, "Clouds" by Chaka Khan, "Over & Over" by Sylvester, "Hit & Run Lover" by The Dynamic Superiors, "The Boss (ext club)" by Diana Ross, "Is It Still Good To Ya" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Keep It Coming" by Tata Vega, and "Keep Away Girls" by Stephanie Mills.

A massive overview of the genius Chicago scene of the late 60s – and a set that's overflowing with some of the heaviest music ever recorded! The collection focuses on the most groundbreaking work from the later Chess years – particularly the funky blues, psychedelic soul, and tripped out jazz that was coming out of the Cadet Concept studios in the hands of producers like Charles Stepney, Richard Evans, and Marshall Chess! The Chess groups were ahead of their time by decades – blending together styles without a thought of simple genre restrictions, often forsaking chart fame and record sales in pursuit of an adventurous groove. And while some of the artists on the set may be familiar names, we can promise that most of them are presented in styles that you may not have heard before – as the collection features many unreissued numbers that are making their first reappearance here! 2LP set comes with a great set of notes on the inner sleeve – and features 20 tracks in all, including "Please Newsboy" by Eve Barnum, "Burning Spear" by Soulful Strings, "More & More" by Little Milton, "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria, "Soul Vibrations" by Dorothy Ashby, "Evil" by Howlin Wolf, "Stereo Freeze" by The Stereos, "The Way I Feel" by Phil Upchurch, "Mama's Got A Good Thing" by Laura Lee, "The Wailer" by Sonny Cox, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love" by Fontella Bass, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by The Majestic Choir & The Soul Stirrers, "She Suits Me To A Tee" by Buddy Guy, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, and "In My Body's House" by Gene Chandler.

Incredible sounds from Burma – a really under-tapped musical legacy, finally brought forth by the always-great efforts of Sublime Frequencies! The sound here is unlike anything else we've ever heard – a very weird mish-mash of Southeast Asian elements, but always moving away from our expectations just when we think we've got a handle on it! There's some soulful vocals that remind us a bit of recordings from the subcontinent – but at other times, there's some very noisy, very percussive passages that remind us of the intense side of Indonesian gamelon – and at still other points, there's the weird sort of cultural crossroads that you'd get in frequently passed-through territories like Vietnam or Cambodia. But this hardly even gets at the surface of the whole thing – and as usual, you're best just putting your ears in the hands of Sublime Frequencies – as they blow your mind with cuts that include "Burmese Golden Drum" by Bo Hein, "Really Strange & Weird Things" by Sein Sah Thin, "Beautiful Town" by Mar Mar Aye, "Elephant Dragon" by Luan Moe, "Good Time" by Yi Yi Thant/Aung Heina, and "The Tune Of The Second Entertainment" by Yangon Sein Kyi Moe.

A beautiful 2CD set of long buried Townes Van Zandt recordings from the early 70s – a period that you can easily argue was his peak – even though few people were buying his records at the time! You get a pretty solid representation of 2 sides of the Townes sound on this great compilation from Omnivore. Disc One features alternate studio versions of some of our favorite songs – a good deal of which were produced by Cowboy Jack Clement at his Nashville studio in 1972 – plus a handful that Townes recorded in LA a year earlier. These have a sound that are fleshed out enough instrumentally, but without the horns, strings and some of the other grander aspects of the officially released album versions in hopes of breaking Townes through to a larger audience at the time. Ironically, it's the rawness and intimacy that Townes fans are drawn to – and that's what you get here! The second disc features demos that mostly feature just Townes's voice and acoustic guitar – and it's achingly beautiful! Despite the familiar track list, every song on this 2CD set is previously unreleased – and essential for longtime Townes fans and newbies alike! Includes "T For Texas", "Who Do You Love", "Sunshine Boy", "Pancho & Lefty" (an alternate 1972 mix without strings and horns), "Sad Cinderella", "Lungs", "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold", "White Freight Liner Blues", "Two Hands" and more on the studio sessions disc – and the titles on the disc of demos includes "Heavenly Houseboat Blues", "Diamond Heel Blues", "Tower Song", "Hightway Kind", "Old Paint", "Standin'" and more. 28 tracks in all – and it features some excellent notes by Colin Escott.

Gentle magic from singer Jimmy Scott – one of our favorite of his comeback recordings of recent years! The album features tracks that Jimmy Recorded over sessions done in 2000 and 2001 – working with a host of great jazz players like Eric Alexander, Joe Beck, Hank Crawford, David Newman, Grady Tate, and Cyrus Chestnut – all of whom bring a warm and mellow feel to the set, allowing Jimmy some good space to breeze around in understated brilliance. Titles include "Yesterday", "Those Who Were", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Time On My Hands", and "If I Should Lose You".

Even though Paul Winter's always been a little bit of a phony, this bossa LP on Columbia is pretty good stuff! The record was recorded with some of Brazil's best bossa players – like Luiz Bonfa, Roberto Menescal, and Luiz Eca (of Tamba Trio fame). John Hammond produced the session, so you can be sure it's got the kind of rootsy sound that will make the tracks have a bit more kick than if the album was in the hands of a regular pop-bossa producer. Titles include "Avion", "Reza", "Vagamente", "Ela E Carioca", "Zomba", and "Alem Da Imaginacao".

An amazing package – filled with loads of rare gems – all vintage vinyl nuggets from the enormous collection of The Cramps! Lux Interior and Poison Ivy are legendary record collectors – and have been digging in thrift stores, warehouses, and basements for many decades – filling a love of music that even predates the formation of their famous group – and which went onto inform the sounds they made on their own! Given that the duo were out there digging for many years before the rest of us, they've definitely gotten their hands on some amazing gems over the years – a good number of which are presented here in an ultra-cool 10" vinyl package – subtitled in ways that really give you an idea of the sounds – "ghoulish exotica", "lip-curling rock n roll", "crazy mixed up sounds", and "instrumental madness". Titles include "The Cave" by Gary Spider Webb, "Wild Man Walk" by The Ebonettes, "Mashed Potatoes" by Noble Watts, "Unitar Rock" by Willie Joe & His Unitar, "Jibba Jab" by Tic & Toc, "From The Top Of Your Guggle" by The Five Blobs, "Gang War" by Gene Maltais, "Sugar Doll" by Johnny Jay, "Bongo Beatin Beatnik" by Joe Hall & The Corvettes, and "Dragon Walk" by The Noblemen.

Easy All-Stars up the ante on their reggae covers series here – taking on Thriller – and doing so with respect and real soul! We love us a good tribute album when we hear one – and all the more if it would be a mere novelty record in the wrong hands – but warmly appealing and transcendent in the right hands. Enter the Easy Star All-Stars – who deliver this timeless reggae take on MJ's monumental pop culture landmark Thriller nicely! The Jamaican and American All-Stars are joined by a great roster of guests – and they do Thriller track-for-track, with a couple extras: including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" feat Jowil and Ruff Scott, "Baby Be Mine" feat The Green, The Girl Is Mine feat Mojo Morgan and Steel Pulse, "Thriller" feat Mikey General and Spragga Benz, "Beat It" feat Michael Rose, "Human Nature", feat Cas Haley, "The Lady In My Life" feat Christopher Martin, "Dub It" and "Close To Midnight".

Syl Johnson, back in action and sounding great – and working here with key help from the younger generation too! As the title indicates, Johnson's singing here with up-and-coming vocalist Melody Whittle – a contemporary artist, but one with deep soul touches that work perfectly with Syl's classic approach – all wrapped up here with a style that's partly old school, and partly that modern evolution of the southern soul style you might find on a label like Malaco – further proof that Johnson just keeps on growing after all these years! Daughter Syleena makes an appearance on the set, and shades things in with some of her own flavors too – and titles include a few remakes of old tracks too. Tracks include "Mr Invisible", "I'm With You Too", "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", "Is It Because I'm Black 2006", "Ms Fine Brown Frame", "Loving On The Run", "Baby I'm Scared Of You", "Goodie Goodie Good Times", "Mellow Down Easy", "I'm Just A Freak For You", and "Just Make Love To You".

Amazing material from this mini-soul empire – the mighty New Birth collective, which also features great backing work from The Nite-Liters! The package is a bit low on notes, but features some really standout performances from the ensemble – hard-hitting soul produced by the mighty Harvey Fuqua, and easily some of the most memorable material from RCA Records in the early 70s. The vocals are amazing – strong harmonies with really breakout leads, both male and female – and titles include the classic "Wild Flower" – plus "Dream Merchant", "I Can Understand It", "It's Impossible", "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", "I Wash My Hands Of The Whole Damn Deal (part 1)", "How Good It Feels", "Do It Again", "Until It's Time For You To Go", and "Granddaddy (part 1)".

A beautiful album by Bill Withers – filled with incredibly well written songs, and an amazing instrumental technique that blended folksy elements with smoother 70s soul, in a sound that would put Bill at the top of the charts for many years, yet still give him cred with soul fans for decades! Booker T Jones arranged, produced, and played electric piano on the album – and we can say without a doubt that the record's one of the few good things to come out of his move to LA! Although the album's not a greatest hits one, given the strength of the tracks, it may as well be, as it includes Withers classics like "Grandma's Hands", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Harlem", and "Hope She'll Be Happier". Also features the nice groover, "Better Off Dead", which has a very tasty intro!

A far reaching batch of classic and rare mod, R&B and other swinging London sounds of the mid-to-late 60s – with a few big names, but heavy on hard-to-find treasures – selected by Paul Weller! Weller, of course, has been the one of the greatest living embodiments of these sounds from the 70s onward, so you know you're in great hands for the tracklist – and there's a heck of lot of material here! It's mostly British mod and it's completely great, with classics that made a huge impact and lesser known gems that deserve a greater audience. Classic stomping groovers from The Spencer Davis Group, The Arthur Brown Set, The Bats, The Soul Purpose, Barbara Ruskin, The In Crowd, The Mojos, Ray Singer, The Picadilly Line, John's Children, Episode Six and many more. 80 tracks on 3CDs! "Looking Back" by Spencer Davis, "I Don't Need Your Kind" by The Rockin Vickers, "Done Me Wrong" by The Couriers, "Broken Truth" by A Wild Uncertaintly, "Looky, Looky" by The Brothers Grimm, "Kangaroo" by Hoagy Benson, "Reviewing The Situation" Jacki Bond, "No Good Without You" by The Birds, You Can't Be Serious" by The Mirage, "Jak D'Or" by Episode Six and many more/

Heavy funk, deep soul, and lots lots more – an amazing testament to the songwriting skills of New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint! Allen was a heck of a singer on his own – but he also worked plenty behind the scenes in the 60s and 70s – lending his tunes to many others, and producing a good number of recordings as well – some of the best of which are featured in this sweet little set! The package features two dozen smoking tunes from the pen of Toussaint – songs that are heavy on influences from New Orleans soul and funk – already sounding great in the hands of other soul singers in the collection, and really helping transform the style of other artists in ways you might not expect. The whole thing's got the same righteous vibe as Allen's best records from the 70s – and titles include "I'll Be Rolling" by Millie Jackson, "Hercules" by Boz Scaggs, "Occapella" by Lee Dorsey, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by Solomon Burke, "Sweet Touch Of Love" by Irma Thomas, "Sneakin Sally Thru The Alley" by Robert Palmer, "What Do You Want The Girl To Do" by Lowell George, "Shoo Rah" by Frankie Miller, "Fortune Teller" by Benny Spellman, "Freedom For The Stallion" by Bill Medley, "Whoever's Thrilling You" by ZZ Hill, "Tampin" by The Rhine Oaks, "A Certain Girl" by Warren Zevon, and even "Southern Nights" by Glen Campell.

A different side of the stepper's scene in Chicago – the more bluesy, southern soul-inflected one – kind of a criss-cross of two different modes in the Windy City! The tracks here are from a variety of sources, but all echo kind of a down home mode – often a modern take on older southern styles that comes off with a sweet little groove – one that's almost a musical illustration of the regional shifts that have taken place as folks from points south moved up to Chicago over the years. That's not to say that all the tunes here have Chicago origins, just that they play well in a side of the city's scene – and the track list includes "Hard Road To Travel" by Shakey Jake, "Wrapped Up In Your Love" by Joe Perkins, "That's When The Crying Begins" by Kip Anderson, "A Good Date" by Charles Earland, "Man To Woman" by Lonnie Youngblood, "Too Many Hands" by Otis Clay, "I'm At The Crossroad" by Vernon Garrett, "Blues For Gerry" by Mark III Trio, "Stone Hearted Woman" by Andrew Tibbs, and "Give It Back" by Lee Roberts.

Dark and spooky jazz from the godlike hands of Kryzstof Komeda! Komeda's best known in the US for his soundtrack work for the film Rosemary's Baby, but this album features tracks he scored for an earlier Roman Polanski film, the dark thriller Cul De Sac. The music is a strange blend of bossa nova, crime jazz, and some sci-fi touches – horns, piano, off-beat rhythms, and some odd production serving up a wonderful set of tunes that make the album one of Komeda's best soundtracks ever. 7 tracks in all – but it's also the only way you'll find this material in this form, and comes with a good set of notes on the music and Komeda. Titles include "Walk On The Water", "Pushing The Car", "Radio One", "Cul De Sac", and "Dicky's Death".

A massive overview of the genius Chicago scene of the late 60s – and a set that's overflowing with some of the heaviest music ever recorded! The collection focuses on the most groundbreaking work from the later Chess years – particularly the funky blues, psychedelic soul, and tripped out jazz that was coming out of the Cadet Concept studios in the hands of producers like Charles Stepney, Richard Evans, and Marshall Chess! The Chess groups were ahead of their time by decades – blending together styles without a thought of simple genre restrictions, often forsaking chart fame and record sales in pursuit of an adventurous groove. And while some of the artists on the set may be familiar names, we can promise that most of them are presented in styles that you may not have heard before – as the collection features many unreissued numbers that are making their first reappearance here! CD set comes with a 40 page set of notes – and features 20 tracks in all, including "Please Newsboy" by Eve Barnum, "Burning Spear" by Soulful Strings, "More & More" by Little Milton, "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria, "Soul Vibrations" by Dorothy Ashby, "Evil" by Howlin Wolf, "Stereo Freeze" by The Stereos, "The Way I Feel" by Phil Upchurch, "Mama's Got A Good Thing" by Laura Lee, "The Wailer" by Sonny Cox, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love" by Fontella Bass, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by The Majestic Choir & The Soul Stirrers, "She Suits Me To A Tee" by Buddy Guy, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, and "In My Body's House" by Gene Chandler.

Janeiro Jarel and MF Doom – united as JJ Doom – and it's one of the fresher Doom collaborative projects of the past couple years! As unique as MF Doom is on the production tip, we gotta say we dig his joint efforts more when he's on the rhymes and another producer is behind the beats. Of course, the reason is that Doom is even more distinct behind the mic than he is when he wears the production mask. JJ's spacey style pilots most of the tracks on Key To The Kuffs, so Doom is free to drop mad rhymes. There's an impressive guest list, too – which includes Beth Gibbons, Damon Albarn, Indigo, Khujo Goodie and others. Titles include "Waterlogged", "Guv'Nor", "Banished", "Bite The Thong", "Dawg Friendly", "Rhymin Slang", "Winter Blues", "Viberian Sun Pt. II", "Wash Your Hands" and more.

A career-spanning BB King anthology in a heavy-duty box – nicely representative of his roots and evolution over the decades – and including a great 64-page, hardback booklet of essay and photos! The CDs are chronological – with Disc One covering 1949-1964, Disc Two taking care of the rest of the fertile decade of the 60s, Disc Three spanning 1970-1983 and Disc Four from 1984 to 2003. Ladies & Gentleman. . . , simply put, has to be our favorite of all the BB King retrospectives we've seen. His styles over the years are so well consolidated, and the material that's chosen is so prime – from the early talking blues, to the show-stopping 60s electric blues, to the best of late career highlights – it's hard to find much fault! Even the packaging is handsome – and it's got 77 songs on 4CDs: "When Your Baby Packs Up", "Three O'Clock", "You Upset Me Baby", "Night Life", "The Thrill Is Gone", "Lucille", "Why I Sing The Blues", "Nobody Loves Me But My Daughter", "Chains And Things", "Guess Who", "Ghetto Woman", "Let The Good Times Roll (Live)", "Into The Night", :When Loves Comes To Town", "I'm Moving On", "Caldonia", "Ten Long Years", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" and many, many more.

A great return to basics for Pieces Of A Dream – a set that's tightly jazzy, yet still filled with plenty of soul! The style's a great illustration of the smooth jazz roots the group first offered the world – a style that was really coming into its own at the time of this release, but which still sounded better in the hands of Pieces Of A Dream than just about anyone else! Eva Cassidy sings a bit on the record, but there's plenty of instrumentals – many with some very nicely focused tenor lines from Ron Kerber – just joining the group for this release, but already helping them get a new voice. Titles include "Magens Bay", "After Dark", "We're All Alone", "Bassik Instinct", "Lights Out", "Let's Get Smooth", "Club Jazz (Quiet Storm mix)", and "Have A Little Faith".

Great work from OV Wright – one of the few singers who was still strongly carrying the Hi Records torch at the end of the 70s! Although Wright had sometimes been bluesier in the past, his late 70s Hi sides have a much mellower, mature sort of feel – a ripening of the seeds in his Backbeat label work, taken to nice new heights at Hi in the hands of Willie Mitchell. Mitchell's backings have a feel that's somewhat like his work with Al Green, but OV's style of singing is completely different – not as overtly sexy, but really personal in approach. Titles include "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", "A Little More Time", "I Don't Know Why", "No Easy Way To Say Goodbye", "Let's Straighten It Out", and "The Bottom Line".

A treasure trove of rare spoken word material, plus a few songs as well – all pulled together with the same Civil Rights vibe as the first volume in the series! The package is an amazing historical document – and features a lot of key parts from 60s speeches, plus earlier political moments, righteous religious messages, and a few songs that help put the whole thing in perspective! The audio presentation works strongly almost as a sound collage – although each passage is very discreet – and titles include "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "Brown V Board Of Education" by Thurgood Marshall, "Sticks & Stones" by Sugarchile Robinson, "Black Pilots Mission To Italy" by William Campbell, "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" by Eloise Wilson, "Address To Congress 1939" by Mary McLeod Bethune, "Father I Stretch Forth My Hands" by Rev CL Franklin, "Blacks Vote In South Carolina 1948", "These New York Neighbors" by Babs Gonzalez, and "The Day Of Registration" by Fannie Lou Hamer.

A great step forward for The Main Ingredient – a record that's still got all the harmony soul charm of their earlier work for RCA, but with a tighter feel overall – one that has them moving into the same mature group soul mode as The Manhattans over at Columbia! Production and arrangements are by Cuba Gooding and Luther Simmons of the group, with some help from Rene Hall on arrangements too – and the sound is polished, but never slick – a tightening up of the early 70s group soul sound, but in ways that sparkle even more than before! Titles include "Shame On The World", "Let Me Prove My Love To You", "Over You", "Old Greyhound", "Jamaica", "Put Your Love In My Hands", and "Lillian".

A great return to basics for Pieces Of A Dream – a set that's tightly jazzy, yet still filled with plenty of soul! The style's a great illustration of the smooth jazz roots the group first offered the world – a style that was really coming into its own at the time of this release, but which still sounded better in the hands of Pieces Of A Dream than just about anyone else! Eva Cassidy sings a bit on the record, but there's plenty of instrumentals – many with some very nicely focused tenor lines from Ron Kerber – just joining the group for this release, but already helping them get a new voice. Titles include "Magens Bay", "After Dark", "We're All Alone", "Bassik Instinct", "Lights Out", "Let's Get Smooth", and "Have A Little Faith".

Great work from OV Wright – one of the few singers who was still strongly carrying the Hi Records torch at the end of the 70s! Although Wright had sometimes been bluesier in the past, his late 70s Hi sides have a much mellower, mature sort of feel – a ripening of the seeds in his Backbeat label work, taken to nice new heights at Hi in the hands of Willie Mitchell. Mitchell's backings have a feel that's somewhat like his work with Al Green, but OV's style of singing is completely different – not as overtly sexy, but really personal in approach. Titles include "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", "A Little More Time", "I Don't Know Why", "No Easy Way To Say Goodbye", "Let's Straighten It Out", and "The Bottom Line".