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A really striking little cover – one based on the front image of Minnie Riperton's classic Perfect Angel album from the 70s – and a batch of music that really opens up whole new territory in Riperton's rich musical legacy! The set's way more than you might expect – hardly just a straight or smooth jazz take on classics by Minnie – and instead an openly creative project that takes the core structure of the songs, then pulls them apart – especially when it comes to the rhythms – so that the players continually revisit the lovely melodies created by Riperton, yet also fly free in musical moments inspired by her energy. Palmer's trumpet is great – pointed, yet soulful throughout – and other instrumentation by the quintet includes Fender Rhodes from Jake Sherman, guitar from Greg Duncan, bass from Edward Perez, and drums from Lee Fish. Titles include "Memory Lane", "Inside My Love", "I'm In Love Again", "Lovin You", "Adventures In Paradise", and "I'm A Woman".

The last album ever from the amazing Minnie Riperton – and one of her greatest records as well! The album was sadly issued after Minnie's untimely early passing from this planet – but it's a heavenly batch of tunes that definitely shows that her love of music lives forever – thanks not only to a strong talent for songwriting and sublime production from husband Richard Rudolph – but also some important help from a variety of all-star guests who are all brought together out of deep affection for Minnie. George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Patrice Rushen, Peabo Bryson and others all make key appearances here – working with arrangements from Johnny Pate, and vocals the Minnie recorded for the record before its completion. Titles include the perennial favorite "Here We Go" – easily one of Minnie's greatest tunes ever – plus "I'm In Love Again", "You Take My Breath Away", "Strange Affair", "Island In The Sun", and " The Song Of Life (La-La-La)".

Minnie Riperton's first album for Epic – and the record that broke her from a hip Chicago underground artist into one of the seventies' biggest soul divas! The record moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of mellow compressed LA styles and slicker funkier numbers that do the same thing for her Chicago-trained vocals that Rufus' backing did for that of Chaka Khan. Of course, it helps that she's got some superbly sensitive writing and arranging help by husband Richard Rudolph – and Stevie Wonder's definitely lurking in the background, too. Includes Minnie's huge crossover hit "Loving You", a perfect showcase for her beautiful 5 octave voice, plus the tracks "Our Lives", "Every Time He Comes Around", "Perfect Angel", and "Reasons".

A dream come true – Minnie's first two solo albums for Epic, back to back on one CD! Perfect Angel was one of THE albums that helped define the sound of female soul in the 70s – a record that moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of mellow compressed LA styles and slicker funkier numbers that do the same thing for her Chicago-trained vocals that Rufus' backing did for that of Chaka Khan. Of course, it helps that she's got some superbly sensitive writing and arranging help by husband Richard Rudolph – and Stevie Wonder's definitely lurking in the background, too. Includes Minnie's huge crossover hit "Loving You", a perfect showcase for her beautiful 5 octave voice, plus the tracks "Our Lives", "Every Time He Comes Around", "Perfect Angel", and "Reasons". Adventures In Paradise is even better – and may well be Minnie's greatest album ever! The album's a sparkling work of jazzy soul, with touches of the heavenly production that Minnie got in years past, and lots of smooth mellow songs that are perfectly suited to her other-worldly voice. Includes the massive track "Baby, This Love I Have" – a slow funk number that's be sampled many times over the years – plus the spacey tunes "Minnie's Lament", "Inside My Love", and "Alone In Brewster Bay", remade from Minnie's first LP! 19 tracks in all – and an essential CD for any fan of 70s soul!

2 incredible albums from 70s soul legend Minnie Riperton – back to back on one nicely-priced CD! Stay In Love is is one of the key albums of Minnie's career – recorded when she was at the height of her power, forging a whole new soul sound that mixed her incredible voice with jazzy modern arrangements that were a few years ahead of most of the other singers at her level. The album's subtitled "A Romantic Fantasy Set To Music", and it features a swirling mix of ballads and uptempo tunes – all with a sexy sound, and some of the most seductive vocals that Minnie ever recorded. Includes the club groover "Young Willing & Able", plus "Can You Feel What I'm Saying?", "Gettin' Ready for Your Love", "Could It Be I'm In Love", and the great "Stick Together", written with Stevie Wonder. Minnie was the last album released before Riperton passed away from a tragic early death – and it's a wonderful batch of jazzy modern soul cuts that gives a good indication of the direction that Minnie might have gone in the 80s! The album's got plenty of great guest players – including Minnie's longtime fan/friend Stevie Wonder, plus Phil Upchurch, Jose Feliciano, Hubert Laws, Harvey Mason, Tom Scott, and many others – and production is handled by the usual Rudolph/Riperton team, with help from Henry Lewy. Includes the great track "Memory Lane", which gets endless airplay here in Chicago, plus the beautiful ballad "Never Existed Before", and the cuts "I'm A Woman", "Lover & Friend", and "Return To Forever". 17 tracks on one CD!

Mindblowing work from Minnie Riperton – her first solo album, cut at the end of the 60s, after a number of years of work with the group Rotary Connection. The album builds off the now famous sound of Rotary Connection – but takes it to the next level, with arch-baroque production by the great Charles Stepney – who couches Minnie's fantastic vocals in a suite of shimmering soulful tracks that mix strings, horns, jazzy piano, and slight touches of bouncing rhythms. The overall sound is impossible to describe – sort of a cross between Burt Bacharach on A&M, Scott Walker's 3rd album, and the sound of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On. The album's pure genius all the way through – one of the highlights of the Chicago scene of the 60s – and proof that Riperton, Stepney, and crew were shooting for the outer limits of soul music! Titles include "Les Fleur", "Only When I'm Dreaming", "Rainy Day In Centerville", "Memory Band", "Expecting", "Whenever Wherever", and "Oh, By The Way".

One of the only albums ever cut by Maxi Anderson – a hell of a soul singer who's lent her talents to a number of sessions over the years, but who sounds especially great here in the lead! Anderson's got a vibe that's almost like Minnie Riperton at the time – a warmly glowing approach to soul that's sophisticated, yet sweet and personal too – set up nicely here with some great Cali arrangements from Gene Page, who slides in an undercurrent of funky soul at the bottom – especially on some of the album's great Skip Scarborough cuts. Titles include "Dancin To Keep From Cryin", "Glory Glory", "Delta Road", "Lover To Lover", "Let Him In", "By Your Side", "Walk Softly", "The Perfect Day", and "Music On My Mind".

A positive, powerful set from the always-great Sheree Brown – a new recording, but one that sparkles just as much as her rare classics for Capitol Records at the start of the 80s! Like those gems, there's a blend of jazz and soul here that's really wonderful – a special sound that puts Sheree in the rare company of artists like Minnie Riperton or Patrice Rushen – able to embrace so many ideas at once, and turn them into a rich new groove of her own! Rushen actually helps out a bit on the record, as does Leon Ware – although the main production credits go to Brown herself, who only seems to have stepped up her game in these recent years. Great proof that the great ones still keep on keepin on, if given the chance – with titles that include "Messages From The Heart", "Time For The Party", "Just A Simple Love", "I Think I'm Gonna Pray", "Getting Started", "We Can Chance The World", and a bonus version of Minnie Riperton's "Inside My Love".

A triple pack of early magic from Natalie Cole! Inseparable is Natalie's stunning debut for Capitol Records in the mid 70s – a real surprise, and a set that should have had the singer blossoming even more than she did at the time! As with some of the other Capitol soul sessions of the time, the album's done very firmly under the guidance of Charles Jackson and Marvin Yancey – a pair who give Natalie just the right sort of backing to launch her career – a sound that's full and rich, deeply sophisticated – but also still plenty soulful, almost in the mode of some of Minnie Riperton's work at the time. Given the pair's Chicago roots – and the arrangement help from Richard Evans – that comparison is no surprise, and Natalie rises to the occasion nicely. Titles are all originals too – and include "Needing You", "Joey", "I Can't Say No", "Something For Nothing", "I Love Him So Much", "You", "Your Face Stays On My Mind", and the huge hit "This Will Be". Next up is Natalie – a record that really has Natalie Cole finding her groove – not needing any help from her famous familial legacy, thank you – and instead stepping out with a tight, proud mode that really helped refine the sound of female soul in the 70s! The album's got plenty of influences from the Chicago soul scene – including songwriting and production from the team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy – and work from key session players like Richard Evans and Gene Barge, who worked in the Curtom Studios to craft the grooves on the set! Titles include "Keep Smiling", "Mr. Melody", "Heaven Is With You", "Can We Get Together", "Touch Me", "Hard To Get Along", and "Good Morning Heartache". Unpredictable is an album that reunites Natalie Cole with the smooth soul team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey – the team who did such a great job with Natalie's Capitol debut, and who really continue the groove here too! The album's got a rock-solid approach through and through – a quality that has Natalie really standing out on her own as a positive young artist in soul – without any need to nod towards her father, as in later years. And Jackson and Yancey bring a nice dose of Chicago soul class to the affair – which turns out to be a perfect match for Natalie's vocals! Titles include "Be Mine Tonight", "Party Lights", "This Heart", "I've Got Love On My Mind", and "Still In Love".

Some of Bobbi Humphrey's greatest work of the post-Blue Note years – an album that's filled with soulful fusion tunes throughout, all with a great focus on her funky flute! Bobbi also sings a bit on the set, but in a way that's pretty darn great – wonderfully sweet at times, with a bit of an influence from Minnie Riperton that really warms up the set. Arrangements are by Cleveland Eaton, with a bit of help from Art Jenkins – and production is by Ralph MacDonald, who clearly has a great ear for the blend of jazz and soul that Bobbi's going for on the set. And although Larry Mizell's not on board, some of the cuts here still have that stepping/sliding sort of groove from Bobby's Mizell-produced Blue Note years – a really wonderful sound that's a perfect showcase for her uniquely jazzy talents on the flute! Tracks include "Freestyle", "Home Made Jam", "Sunset Burgundy", "Good Times", "My Destiny", "I Could Love You More", and "If You Want It". This Soulmusic.com edition has 2 bonus tracks: "Home-Made Jam (Extended Version)" and "Sunset Burgundy (Single Version)".

Wonderful sounds from Hubert Laws – and like some of his best CTI work of a few years before, a set that really goes way beyond any easy expectations! There's moments of ambition here that really link the record to Laws' CTI sides – that mix of fuller arrangements and higher-concept sounds that are a perfect fit for his careful tone on flute – sitting nicely alongside more easygoing fusion number that really flesh out the sound – some of those sparkling Columbia Records grooves from the start of the 80s that mix together acoustic and electric instrumentation! The album features Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano from Bobby Lyle, drums from Leon Ndugu Chancler, and bass from Nathan East – plus a bit of acoustic piano from Chick Corea, and guest vocals on one cut from Deborah Laws! Tracks include "What A Night", "Family", "Memory of Minnie (Riperton)", and "Say You're Mine".

A wonderful album from Linda Lewis – certainly one of her best from the early days, and a completely captivating mixture of soul, jazz, and rock that sparkles like Minnie Riperton's best work from the time! The album's got a sweet LA sound – with Linda's great vocals up front in the mix, and lots of nice touches on acoustic guitar, almost foreshadowing the later work Sheree Brown with some nicely jazzy undercurrents! Lewis' sound here is great – very unique, warm and sweet, with a quality that really makes her stand out from other artists of her generation. Tracks include "Lullabye", "Fathoms Deep", "I'm In Love Again", "Play Around", "Wise Eyes", "On The Stage", and "Goodbye Joanna". Includes some nice bonus tracks too – the classic groover "Sideway Shuffle", the track "Safe & Sound", and an acoustic demo of "Red Light Ladies".

One of the best-ever albums by this lovely soulful singer! Linda Lewis had an amazing style that was somewhere in between Minnie Riperton, Joni Mitchell, and Ellen McIlwaine – meaning that she mixes soul, folk, and a bit of jazz into her own unique vibe. This album's a gem, and is filled with groovy little songs that have a great sweetly jazzy vibe, and some excellent production that keeps things nicely in place. Linda wrote all the tracks, and backing is by a tight little group that mixes guitar, keyboards, and percussion, in kind of an LA small studio combo sort of way. Titles include "Spring Song", "It's The Frame", "Feeling Feeling", "Waterbaby", and "More Than A Fool". Great songwriting, and one of the loveliest voices that never got the fame it deserved! CD also features the bonus track "Rock A Doodle Doo" – kind of a hit for Linda!

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me".

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me". This expanded CD also includes 2 live tracks recorded in Long Beach – versions of "Deja Vu" and "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus the bonus track "Square Biz", done in an instrumental version. All written & produced by Teena, too!

Long tracks, lots of open energy, and plenty of freewheeling solos too – just the sort of Japanese jazz album from the 70s we treasure so much! The group here is led by drummer George Ohtsuka – sometimes spelled Otsuka – and features Fumio Karashima on piano and Fender Rhodes – a great player who has a way of rolling things out with a hell of a lot of feeling – a mix of modal and lyrical energy that sets fire to each tune in a different way – and provides just the right colors of inspiration for Shoszu Sasaki to soar on soprano and tenor sax! The group also features Mitsuaki Furuno on bass and Norio Ohno on additional percussion – and titles include a take on Steve Kuhn's "Something Everywhere", Coltrane's "Miles Mode", Minnie Riperton's "Loving You", and the Karashima original "Little Island".

A beautiful second set from Seval – even more powerful and personal than the group's debut – with sublime compositions and cello by Fred Lonberg-Holm, and these fragile yet soulful vocals from Sofia Jernberg! Instrumentation is quite spare – just cello, guitar, trumpet, and bass – often not used entirely, which leaves Sofia out front to work through the lyrics with a warm, fluid feel. There's echoes of Joni Mitchell and Minnie Riperton at times – although the album's more jazz-based than either of their work – and titles include "Children Of Monsters", "Boredom Is Bliss", "Light Brush", "Simple Flowers", "Details", and "Super Seeded".

Amazing stuff! Arguably Leon Ware's greatest record – and one of the greatest Motown records of the 70s! The record is a beautiful set of interwoven mellow soul tracks, recorded right on the heels of Marvin Gaye's I Want You album, which was written and conceived by Ware, then taken at the last minute by Marvin! For this set, Ware creates a very similar sound – mixing together smooth keyboards with subtle bits of funk and electronics, all wrapped up in his own sweet warm vocals, which sound better here than on any other album. The whole thing's filled with loads of beautiful tracks, including "French Waltz", "Journey Into You", "Phantom Lover", and the great "Turn Out the Light", written with Minnie Riperton. Plus, this reissue features 5 previously unissued bonus tracks – Leon's original versions of "Comfort (aka Come Live With Me Angel)", recorded with Minnie Riperton, and "I Wanna Be Where You Are", both done by Marvin Gaye on I Want You, plus the tracks "Don't You Wanna Come", "Long Time No See", and "You Are The Way You Are".

Genius work from Denice Williams – a singer who'd cracked the charts a bit as Denice Chandler, with a little girl soul sound, way back in the 60s – but who's grown up considerably by this essential 70s set! Chandler's voice is still a bit high – almost in a Minnie Riperton sort of mode – and she's working with some great help from the Earth Wind & Fire camp, considering that production is by Maurice White and Charles Stepney! Like the best EWF work of the 70s, the album's polished, but has a tremendous sense of depth – feelings that are mature and massively soulful, and which are quite different than Williams later pop from the 80s. Titles include her standout classic "Free", plus "It's Important to Me", "Watching Over", "Cause You Love Me Baby", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", "That's What Friends Are For", and "Slip Away". This Big Break UK remastered edition has 3 bonus tracks: "Free (Short Single Version)", "That's What Friends Are For (Single Version)" and "Free (Long Single Version)".

Some of the most godlike soul music to be recorded on this planet, and two of the best-ever albums by this amazing Chicago collective that included the late Minnie Riperton, and who were arranged and produced by the great Charles Stepney! Both albums feature swirling complex arrangements, filled with strange time changes, chord passages, and nice jazzy bits. Inside it all, the group's cool male/female vocal sound rings out – with Minnie singing on some cuts along, and in duet on others. Includes the band's classic "I Am The Blackgold Of The Sun" (covered recently by NuYorican Soul), plus "The Sea & She", "Hey Love", "Song For Everyman", "The Weight", "Respect", "Salt Of The Earth", and "Vine Of Happiness". Imagine if Scott Walker met The Dramatics, and you've only got part of the picture!

One of Syreeta's deepest albums ever – proud, bold, and wonderfully righteous throughout – filled with a sense of message and purpose that was quite rare for Motown at the start of the 80s! Syreeta's really tapped back into that wonderful energy that made her so great when first working with Stevie Wonder – a warm, jazzy glow that suits her unique vocals perfectly – and which is shaped to perfection here by producers Richard Perry, Hal Davis, and Jerry Peters! The album's got a few funky groovers that are definitely Motown circa 1980, but its best moments are the mellower ones – which hit a Minnie Riperton-like quality that's mighty nice. Sheree Brown sings with Syreeta on a few cuts – and titles include "Blame It On The Sun", "Let Me Be The One", "Love Fire", "Here's My Love", and "You Bring Out The Love In Me" – plus "Please Stay" and "One More Time For Love", both duets with Billy Preston.

Smooth and soulful club from the mighty Capitol Records – one of the few major labels to really understand a groove at the end of the 70s! The 2CD package is a wonderful tribute to the hipper soul coming out of Capitol at the time – a set that features some hits, some album tracks, and a fair bit of rarities that we've never seen on CD before – some lesser-known club cuts that sit beautifully here next to the bigger names in the collection. But big or small, the artists here are all pretty darn great – much more soul artists heading for the clubs in the late 70s than quickie disco acts just looking for a buck. The collection features 31 tracks in all – including a few non-Capitol cuts – with tracks that include "A Little Bit Of Love" by Gentle Persuasion, "Expressway To Your Heart" by Margo Thunder, "Sophisticated Lady" by Natalie Cole, "Windstorm" by Gloria Jones, "One Thing On My Mind" by Evie Sands, "Surrender" by Barrett Strong, "Do It Good" by Taste Of Honey, "I'm Back For More" by Tavares, "Save Your Love For Me" by Donna Washington, "Conscience" by Sun, "Party In Me" by Gene Dunlap, "Our Love Is Insane" by Desmond Child, "I'm Going Through Changes Now" by Brown Sugar, "Southern Girl (live)" by Maze, "Adventures In Paradise" by Minnie Riperton, "Man Up In The Sky" by Barrett Strong, "Positive Forces" by Tavares, "Sixty Thrills A Minute" by Mystic Merlin, "Street Corner" by Ashford & Simpson, "We All Need Love" by Troiano, "Annie Mae" by Natalie Cole, "Don't Tie Me Down" by Brown Sugar, and "Ooh Child" by Charles Jackson.

An amazing look at the music of Leon Ware – one of our favorite soul artists of the 70s! Leon's got a warmly mellow style that's totally great – heard most famously in collaboration with Marvin Gaye on the classic I Want You album, but equally noteworthy on Leon's own records – and on a host of other projects he's done with top-shelf soul artists over the years! A good number of those projects are collected here – the cream of the crop of Ware-associated cuts from the 70s and early 80s – tunes penned, produced, arranged, or even featuring Leon himself – all brought together here in a really wonderful little collection. Each track is a treasure, and the whole thing is a sublime mellow soul masterpiece – filled with musical moments that sound even better in the company of each other – pulled from other records, and rewoven here in a new tapestry that stands as a rich tribute to Ware's mighty talents. Titles include "Everywhere Inside Me" by Norman Connors, "I Don't Know" by Syreeta, "You Do The Right Things" by Al Wilson, "Point Of View" by Rockie Robbins, "No Tricks" by Chuck Jackson, "I Can't Keep Holding Back" by Shadow, "Trust Your Heart (ext 12" mix)" by Bobby Womack, "Just Don't Make It Hurt" by Krystol, "I Came To Love You" by Booker T, "I Can Dream" by Themal Jones, "You Make Me Wanna Love Again" by Vesta Williams, "I Know It's You" by Donny Hathaway, "Can You Feel What I'm Saying" by Minnie Riperton, "Looking Up To You" by Michael Wycoff, "Thank You Early Bird" by Jerry Butler, and the tracks "What's Your World" and "Girl Girl Girl" by Leon Ware himself!

A great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey sound that provides a perfect spiritual edge to the girls vocals – taking them way past the hits, into much more sophisticated soul territory. There's a beautifully righteous vibe going on throughout – a sound that's almost like Minnie Riperton at her 70s Capitol best – and titles include "Love Vibes", "Walking The Line", "Time Is Passing By", "I Wouldn't Lie", "Smile", and "Spirit Of Summer".