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A mighty helping of music from the overlooked Mitty Collier – a 60s soul singer on Chess Records, and one who was every bit as great as bigger label stars like Etta James or Fontella Bass! Like both of those singers, Mitty's got a voice that grabs you right from the get-go – a deeply soulful approach to her music that's really fresh and without cliche – especially considering she got her start belting out tunes years before some of the bigger names in 60s female soul, and managed to keep things mighty real all the years she was working at Chess. Production and arrangements here are all top shelf – handled by Phil Wright, Riley Hampton, and others – and the CD offers up 24 gems from Mitty's years at Chess – the a-sides of all 15 singles cut for the label, plus 9 more great tunes from the flips! Titles include "Everybody Makes A Mistake Sometimes", "Gotta Get Away From It All", "I've Got Love", "I Had A Talk With My Man", "Walk Away", "My Party", "Sharing You", "That'll Be Good Enough For Me", "Git Out", "Watching & Waiting", "Like Only Yesterday", "No Faith No Love", "I'm Your Part Time Love", and "Miss Loneliness".

Another great import compilation of rare Chess stuff, this time put together to give the feel of a southside "club". The groove's a bit rawer than the Radio or Uptown compilations, and the lineup includes such fantastic talents as Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces, The Kolettes, Don & Bob, Jamo Thomas, Fred Hughes, Kip Anderson, and some of the bigger Chess names. There's even a few funky jazz cuts, and the whole thing grooves deep deep deep. Great notes too! Tracks include "Mellow Fellow" by Etta James, "Git Out" by Mitty Collier, "Hey Mr. DJ" by Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces, "My Babe" by Little Walter, "Who's That Guy" by the Kolettes, and "Musty Rusty" by Lou Donaldson.

Genius work from one of the greatest Southern Soul studios ever – Muscle Shoals' legendary Fame Studios – the start of a huge wave of great music in the 60s, and a genre-changing sound that's still going strong today! The package is the best we've ever seen to look at Fame – not just a killer selection of the studio's music – 75 tracks that bring together rare singles, hits, and some lesser-known gems – but also a beautiful hardcover book, filled with pages and pages of great notes, vintage images, and more – really telling the unique take of Fame, producer Rick Hall, and all the mighty talents who helped make Muscle Shoals one of the most important sites for soul music in the 60s and 70s. Titles include "Ten Miles High" by David & The Giants, "Search Your Heart" by George Jackson, "Let Them Talk" by Dan Penn, "Two In The Morning" by Spooner's Crowd, "Lady In The Rain" by Lowell Fulson, "Wanted Lover" by James Govan, "Grits & Gravy" by The Fame Gang, "Get Involved" by George Soule, "What Color Is Love" by Roscoe Robinson, "Laugh It Off" by The Tams, "Thief In The Night" by Ben & Spence, "Take Me Just As I Am" by Mitty Collier, "I'm Just A Prisoner" by Candi Staton, "Thread The Needle" by Clarence & Calvin, and "Slippin Around With You" by Art Freeman.

The music of Otis Redding – sung by some of his hippest contemporaries, and by a whole new generation inspired by his talents! The tunes here are all numbers you'd know from Redding's famous recordings for Stax and Atlantic – yet the versions are nice and fresh – some done with a gritty down-home feel that's rougher than any of Redding's records, others done with an inventive style that pushes the music forward into new modes – possibly those that Otis might have explored on his own, had he not been taken from us so soon! The package is a great testament to the Otis Redding legacy in soul music – and is filled with a whopping 25 tracks, all of them well-chosen – including "Baby Cakes" by Maxine Brown, "Just One More Day" by Clarence Carter, "Give Away None Of My Love" by Buddy Miles, "Wholesale Love" by Arthur Conley, "Hawg For You" by Tina Britt, "Hard To Handle" by Patti Drew, "Chained & Bound" by Bettye Swann, "I'm Missing You" by Mitty Collier, "Sister Pitiful" by Judy Clay, "These Arms Of Mine" by Albert Washington & The Kings, "Monkey On My BacK" by Jackie Hairston – plus the previously unreleased "Loving By The Pound (part 2)" by Otis Redding himself!

A tremendous batch of southern soul tunes – all originally recorded for the obscure Peach Tree label in Atlanta – an imprint that was quickly lost to time, but who recorded work that was every bit as great as that coming out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals at the time! One factor in the label's high level of quality is the fact that it was started by Stax singer William Bell – obviously a keen eye for great talent, and an important force in helping Peach Tree pick some of the best undiscovered talent at the time! Most of the work on the compilation is by lesser-known Atlanta soul stars – all of whom are great, and most likely lesser-known because Atlanta didn't have the bigger label presence of other southern cities. The set also features a few rare tracks by Mitty Collier, a singer best known for her Chess work of the 60s – and the package features 20 tracks in all, plus some great notes. Titles include "Share What You Got", "Lovin On Borrowed Time", and "What Do You Want" by Mitty Collier; "The Shocker" by Peg Leg Moffett, "Malnutrition" and "Seven Day Lover" by James Fountain, "Let's Take A Look At Our Life" and "It Sure Would Be Nice" by Emory & The Dynamics, "Purple Haze" by Johnny Jones & The King Casuals, "It's Not A Hurtin Thing" by Gorgeous George, "Things That A Lady Ain't Supposed To Do" by The Four Dynamics, and "You Hurt So Good" by Susie Rainey.