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Sweet 80s grooves from Cherrelle – a set that really has the singer cooking strongly with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – complete with all the heavy beats you might expect! Jam and Lewis borrow plenty of bottom sounds from the styles of hip hop and electro, and do a great job of mixing the rhythmic elements with Cherrelle's catchy vocals – all in a way that really blows away some of their more chart-topping productions, as the tunes have a bit more of an underground appeal! Make no mistake, this is definitely the poppier side of the soul spectrum – but there's also a freshness here that goes way past Janet Jackson – and which retains some of that smoother, more sophisticated sound we always love in the Tabu label. Titles include "You Look Good To Me", "High Priority", "Artificial Heart", "Saturday Love", "Oh No It's U Again", and "New Love". 2CD version features a cool book-style cover, new notes, and 11 bonus tracks that include "Artificial Heart (dance rmx)", "Oh No It's U Again (ext version)", "Saturday Love (ext version)", "Saturday Love (feelin luv ext mix)", "Saturday Love (Steve Anderson rmx)", and "You Look Good To Me (ext rmx)".

One of the sweetest Funkadelic albums from the middle period, and a good batch of tracks that often gets overlooked in the haze of similar Pedro Bell covers! Don't miss this one, though – because it is a very strong album – key in the shift from more guitar-based funk to more groove-oriented rhythms – and a record that's got more than a few tasty numbers. Includes nice ones like "You Scared The Lovin Outta Me", "Comin Round The Mountain", and "If You Got Funk, You Got Style", plus a live version of "Cosmic Slop" that's totally great!

An instant classic the day it was released – and a perfect blending of the group's older freaked-out style with a slick late 70s funk sound that started showing up in the work of many other groups. "One Nation Under A Groove" is a monster cut with a hook that won't quit, and the LP version runs way over 7 minutes long. Other tracks are equally great, and the whole thing's woven together with the same sort of skill as some of the best Parliament albums from the mid 70s. Tracks include "Into You", "Grooveallegiance", and "Cholly". Plus, this CD reissue also includes the bonus cuts from the original 45rpm ep that came with the album – including "Maggot Brain (live)" and "Doodoo Chasers".

A 80s groove treasure – one of the few albums cut by Paradise, a hip little combo who were plenty heavy on the keyboards! The style here is really great – very stripped down, but never too much so to ever be cold or electric – and instead always warm and soulful, thanks to great vocals from the group, and a slight undercurrent of jazz in the mix! Paradise come across with a quality that could have easily landed them at a bigger label – but the record's also got a better indie appeal too – a really fresh, unique quality that's miles from most hit soul of the time. Songs are all well written – and titles include "One Mind Two Hearts", "With You", "Just Can't Stop", "Satisfied", "Don't Give Up Now", "Love is The Answer", and "New World". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "One Mind Two Hearts (extended)", and "Back Together".

Mos Def's first for Downtown after a weird few years on Geffen that saw many a bumped street date, the hit & miss New Danger, and finally, the semi aborted release of the controversial True Magic – back with a top shelf, excellent album in 2009's The Ecstatic! It may not be Black Star or Black On Both Sides, but The Ecstatic is absolutely strong stuff, and to be honest, much better than we would have expected – even if we knew he had great hip hop left in him! The beats are compelling, unpredictable, and steeped in abstract global funk that would sound at home on Stones Throw – some of the beats are literally Stones Throw, given Madlib's Beat Konducta and Oh No's Oxperimental sounds to be found. If we weren't already loving it, Slick Rick drops an unforgettable guest appearance on the the moody "Auditorium", Georgia Anne Muldrow does her inimitable thing on "Roses", and Talib Kweli rhymes on "History". Mos rhymes skillfully throughout, and with an infectious immediacy, as if he dropped records this tight all the time. Sadly, he doesn't, so this one's all the more rewarding! Other tracks include "Twilite Speedball", "Revelations", "Pretty Danger", "Quiet Dog", "The Embassy", "Wahid", "Priority" and more.

There's a heck of a lot of great music here – a whopping 35 tracks of contemporary and vintage soul, all put together for the price of a regular single CD! The package is the latest in the excellent Luxury Soul series – based around artists who have worked the UK series of the same name – and who really come together here in a warm array of the best contemporary soul styles! There's plenty of Neo Soul numbers, a handful of classics, and a few more modern elements too – and titles include "I'm Not That Tough" by Ashford & Simpson, "Rubber Soul" by Live Tropical Fish with Omar, "Things That I Do" by Gianna, "Enough Is Enough" by Dennis Taylor, "Music & Love" by Victor Haynes, "Just A Simple Love" by Sheree Brown, "In The Meantime" by Johnny Britt, "Crystal Clear" by Howard Hewett, "Just Let Me Be Close To You" by Valentine Brothers, "I'll Come Running Back To You" by June Yamagishi with Bobby Womack, "So In Love" by Chapter 8, "Slow Down" by Al Olive, "Priority" by Kloud 9, "It's Just One Of Those Things" by Incognito, "I Want It" by Soul Talk, "Wake Up Everybody" by Eric Benet, and "Anything" by Angela Johnson.