A solid bit of heavy funk – and one of the last strong-selling soundtracks of the blacksploitation era! Sure, you know the hit "Car Wash", but there's plenty of other great numbers that rank the 2LP set right up there with the best of its genre. There's a lot of nice instrumentals on the album that feature a tight smooth funky sound – with good work on clavinet, wah wah guitar, and horns – all quite different than the usual work of Whitfield and Rose Royce at the time. The group do a good job on the vocal cuts, working in that soulful early 70s Motown mode that Whitfield was working on with other acts – and the whole album's as great a debut for Rose Royce as anyone could have hoped for. Features the hit title cut, plus "I Wanna Get Next To You", "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is", "Zig Zag", "Mid Day DJ Theme", "I'm Going Down", "Crying", "Doing What Comes Naturally", and "Righteous Rhythm". The Pointer Sisters sing on one track, "You Gotta Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

The third album from the mighty Rose Royce – working here in perfect hit formation – with older styles of harmony soul wrapped around some of the best late 70s mainstream funk modes – all produced to perfection by the mighty Norman Whitfield! Whitfield's guidance of the group is maybe even stronger here than in the group's Motown years – as he balances funky and righteous elements with some sublime mellow soul moments – most especially here on the classic "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" – one of the group's standout cuts, and a masterpiece of spacey soul that still shocks us today with its greatness. Other tracks include "I'm In Love", "That's What's Wrong With Me", "Let Me Be The First To Know", and "First Come, First Serve". LP, Vinyl record album

A big one for Norman Whitfield – who found in Rose Royce what he'd been lacking for years – a hit group ready to handle a number of styles, all well, and all with an adventurous style that would break them past the legions of lackluster funky soul groups of the late 70s. The record blends the band's more famous funky styles with smoother jazzy soul that's almost in a Minnie Riperton mode – and which is made even more so by the sweet lead vocals of Rose Norwalt. She's heard to best effect on the cuts "Wishing On A Star" and "Ooh Boy" – and other funkier numbers include "Do Your Dance", "Funk Factory", and "It Makes You Feel Like Dancing", which are all filled with great keyboards and nice spacey grooves. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from one of our all-time favorite producers in soul music – the legendary Norman Whitfield, the man who helped some of Motown's artists pick up a new sort of righteous sound at the end of the 60s, before moving on to start his own Whitfield label in the 70s! If you don't know Norman, you definitely know his work – as he's the cat responsible for adding heavy basslines and fuzzy guitars to Detroit soul – picking up on some of the wider musical changes in the Motor City, and using them to push more message-oriented tracks into the scene! Yet Norman wasn't just a 60s powerhouse – as when the 70s approached, he found a way to expand and refine that sound, keeping it fresh in so many different ways – as you'll hear here in this really well-done collection of his best recordings, supported by very detailed notes as well. Tracks include "I Saw You When You Met Her" by The Undisputed Truth, "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce, "And All Hell Broke Loose" by Willie Hutch, "I've Been Waitin (single version)" by Spyder Turner, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "Come With Me (single version)" by Rare Earth, "Just One Love" by Stargard, "Wishing On A Star" by Jr Walker, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Rose Roce, "Love Is What You Make It" by Masterpiece, "Good Lovin" by Mammatapee, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone (single version)" by The Temptations, "War" by Edwin Starr, "It Should Have Been Me" by Yvonne Fair, "Me & Rock & Roll Are Here To Stay" by David Ruffin, and "Psychedelic Shack (single version with intro)" by The Temptations. CD