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Probably the biggest album by this Chicago soul group, and the one that yielded up their big hit "The First Time We Met". The set's got some excellent Chicago arrangements by Tom Tom, and a good bunch of tracks that includes all original material, like "Here I Am", "Just As Long As You Need Me", "I Just Want To Be There", and "Leaving Me".

Great earlier stuff from Natalie Cole – actually her third great album in a row – a tremendous early creative and commerical winning streak for Natalie! Thankful has her sweet, soulful voice out from of prodcution by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy of the Independents, and they give her a nice jazzy sound that made the record one of her best of the 70s. Richard Evans and Gene Barge arranged, which probably had something to do with that, too – but Natalie truly deserves most of the credit of the strength of this set. It includes the standout groovers "La Costa" and"Annie Mae", but the whole record is really sweet – with "Lovers", "Our Love", "Be Thankful", "Just Can't Stay Away" and "Keeping A Light".

During the mid 70s, some of the older New York soul indies were the first to get on the disco tip – and one of the biggest was Scepter Records, who found the burgeoning movement to be a perfect foil for some of its older vocal groups and singers. This set is a lost 1975 release on Scepter, featuring disco mixes of tunes that had appeared on the label as singles – all handled by the legendary Tom Moulton, one of the greatest forces in the disco studio scene on the east coast. There's a total of 8 tracks in all – including "Make Me Believe In You" by Patti Jo, "We're On The Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency, "Wan Tu Wah Zuree" by George Tindley, "Ain't No Love Lost" by Patti Jo, "Arise & Shine" by The Independents, and "Needing You" by Clara Lewis.

Great earlier stuff from Natalie Cole – actually her third great album in a row – a tremendous early creative and commerical winning streak for Natalie! Thankful has her sweet, soulful voice out from of prodcution by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy of the Independents, and they give her a nice jazzy sound that made the record one of her best of the 70s. Richard Evans and Gene Barge arranged, which probably had something to do with that, too – but Natalie truly deserves most of the credit of the strength of this set. It includes the standout groovers "La Costa" and"Annie Mae", but the whole record is really sweet – with "Lovers", "Our Love", "Be Thankful", "Just Can't Stay Away" and "Keeping A Light". This Soulmusic.com edition includes a bonus track: "Our Love (US Single Edit).

A pair of overlooked gems from Ronnie Dyson – both of which show there's way more to love than just his early hits! On Love In All Flavors, Ronnie's older than during his falsetto soul early years – and he's working here with some impeccably mature Chicago soul arrangements by Gene Barge, Gene Page, and Richard Evans. The album's produced by the always-great modern soul dynamic duo of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey (ex-Independents), and it's got an approach that mixes deeply soulful vocals with smoother backings, kind of in the same mode that The Manhattans were using, but with a bit more of a modern tip that points towards the Capitol work by the Jackson/Yancey team. Tracks include "I Want To Be Where You Are", "Sara Smile", "Don't Be Afraid", "I Just Want To Be There", and "Ain't Nothing Wrong". On More You Do It, Dyson works with the 70s hit soul team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy – the pair who brought great sound to Natalie Cole, and who work some similar magic with Ronnie! The album was recorded in Chicago – partially at Curtom – and has arrangements from Gene Barge, Gene Page, and Richard Evans – all of whom bring a fullness to the record that's a nice change from Dyson's more fragile work of earlier years. Some of the best cuts have a gentle midtempo groove that's almost like Leroy Hutson – warm, and never slick – very personal, and stepping along nicely. Titles include "The More You Do It", "You & Me", "Jive Talkin", "Close To You", "Love Won't Let Me Wait", and "Lovin Feelin".

Rare bit of Chicago soul by Maurice Jackson, who later went onto greater fame in The Independents. Donny Hathaway did the arrangments, and the track has a good loping Chicago feel, with Maurice singing in kind of a Tyrone Davis-ish style.

A great lost soul record on Prelude – with much more of a mellow feel than the label's usual disco groove! Silk are an excellent harmony trio, and they're produced with a sweet mellow vibe that gives the record a sophisticated soul sound. The whole thing was put together by Gene Barge in Chicago – and the trio includes vocalist Maurice Jackson, who is better known for his work with The Independents – and who also recorded some killer 45s back in the early 70s. Whatever the case, the record's a great one – and it's filled with nice cuts like "Gone Away", "Get Ready For That Day", "I'll Be Waiting", "I Never Had Love", and "Simply Beautiful".