All Categories — All Formats  

A gem of a record from the same Pernambuco early 70s scene that gave us Lula Cortes, Ze Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Alceu Valenca! This obscure little set has lots of the earthier tones that showed up in work by the above artists – a style that mixes folksy touches with bits of psychedelia – kind of a north east answer to the growing sound from the Minas Geraes generation around Milton Nascimento. Many of the tunes here are fairly mellow – building slowly with an honest, earthy integrity – and mostly relying on acoustic instrumentation to carry the gentle poetry of the lyrics, but still coming across with enough of an edge to appeal to fans of stronger South American rock. Titles include "Canto Funebre", "O Tempo", "Noite", "Desespero", "Cancao De Outono", "Do Amigo", and "Romance Da Lua Lua".

One of the best records ever from Don Nix – a legendary figure whose work on the Memphis scene of the 60s touched countless of rock and soul artists – recording here with a nicely tight sound at Muscle Shoals! Like some of his contemporaries, Nix made the move from Memphis to Muscle Shoals, and really helped push his music further – drawing on his strong southern roots on both sides of the fence, and turning out a set with the kind of depth and integrity that so many others would try at the time, but never get this well! Most songs are originals, and production and arrangements are by Nix as well – and titles include "Olena", "The Shape I'm In", "Going Back To Iuka", "Three Angels", "Mary Louise", "My Train's Done Come & Gone", and "Living By The Days".

We're always hard-pressed to define that certain something that makes Bruno Mars so great – that unusual quality that isn't quite soul, isn't quite pop, and which almost takes us back to some of our favorite crossover moments of the early 80s. Bruno's got this classic raspy voice, but instead of going for authentic old-school modes, he comes across even better with playful, tuneful melodies – just the sort of right grooves that balance out his integrity with his winking sense of wit – a blend that's really unique, and which other contemporary singers would do well to learn from! The album's a cracker all the way through – and titles include "Young Girls", "Locked Out Of Heaven", "Gorilla", "Show Me", "When I Was Your Man", "Moonshine", "Treasure", and "If I Knew".

The funkiest cuts from the legendary TK family of labels – all perfectly selected and laid out together in one mindblowing mix! The sound here is tremendous – way harder and deeper than the TK sound you might know from their disco tracks, or their top 40 hits – and is proof that down at the bottom, the label had some killer funky material – some of which easily rivals the best funky 45s of the time! Production is great, and the track selection is brilliant – a non-stop blend of killer numbers, put together in a way that packs plenty of punch – yet still respects the integrity of the original song structures too. Titles include "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "The More Things Change" by King Sporty, "Miss Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Look What You Can Get" by Funky Nassau, "Keep Me Satisfied" by JP Robinson, "Hey There Jim" by Jimmy Bo Horne, "Life Goes On" by Freak, "Confusion" by Leno Philips, "Funky Pants" by The Oceanliners, "Lay It On Me" by Willie Johnson, "Tears Of The World" by Robert Moore, "Good Love" by The Rising Son, "Sleep On Dream On" by Ralphael Munnings, and "Cramp Your Style" by All The People.