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A rare Japanese-only album from American reedman Steve Marcus – best known for his fuzzy freaky sets on the Vortex label – but heard here in the company of Tokyo reedman Jiro Inagaki – who also made some pretty freaky albums of his own! The tracks here are nice and long – longer than usual from Jiro – with extended snakey saxophone solo from both players, and some sweet electric touches from the Social Media group – who are more laidback here than on some of their more funk-based outings. The change is a nice one, and makes for a real standout from both players – the kind of overlooked early 70s moment that makes digging for Japanese records so great! Titles include "Something", "Fairly Rings", and "Serenity". CD also features the bonus track "Something" – from an alternate session.

A brilliant package that brings back two classic grooves from Kenny Dope and Louie Vega! First up is the legendary "Nervous Track" – a tune that's got this wonderfully syncopated snare – snapping along with break-like energy alongside some more house-heavy bass – all topped by this compelling keyboard line that's mighty nice! Congas are working at the core – definitely showing the Latin interests of the pair. "Mind Fluid" is another great club track from way back – similarly rich and full, and with this swirling energy that really shows a tremendous amount of musical growth since the first cut – that great style that pushed Kenny and Louie way past conventional club – into a territory that was all their own!

An incredible look at an obscure Detroit soul label – a tiny little company, but home to some really great funk and soul! The Big Mack label ran somewhat sporadically through the 60s and into the early 70s – but during that time, it managed to cut some incredible tunes with a really unique feel – work that had a rougher edge than most of the Detroit soul on the bigger labels and indies – often with an earthy quality that's miles and miles from Motown! Label owner Ed McCoy had a great ear for male singers, instrumental combos, and vocal groups – but as the 60s rolled on, he also picked up a few hip female acts as well – and throughout the whole stretch, he had a way of producing a tune that we can only describe best as slightly messed up – a sound that's often slightly tripped up, oddly spacious, and which makes the elements of the music fall into each other with a crashingly intense kind of sound! Far from being a mess, this approach only seems to cook things up more – giving an edge to tracks that might have sounded more lackluster with conventional production – and further electrifying these obscure utterings from the Detroit underground. As with other Numero collections, the work here is wonderfully worth discovering – and presented with full notes, photos, and a history of the label. LP features 20 tracks that include "Bui Bui" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "Get It Right" by Soul President, "Crooked Woman" by Edd Henry, "Fever" by Essence, "If You Feel It" by Ms Tyree Sugar Jones, "The Feeling Is Mutual" by Manhattens, "I See Her Pretty Face" by The Grand Prix's, "Let's Give Our Love A Try" by Mae Young, "I'll Be On My Way" by Bob & Fred, "Mini Skirt" by The Sleepwalkers, "Monkey Time Shine" by L Hollis & The Mackadoos, "The Man Puts Sugar In My Soul" by Mae Young, "You Drive Me Crazy" by The Grand Prix's, "Got To Have It" by Soul President, and "Your Replacement Is Here" by Edd Henry. LP also features a bonus track not on the CD – "I'll Be On My Way (inst)" by Bob & Fred.

An excellent collection of soulful house from the current Detroit underground – one that's bubbling over with great work from lesser-known talents – all of whom come together to prove that these days, Detroit's one of the most happening music scenes on the planet! There's a really unified feel to the record, despite the presence of so many different artists – and much of the work here is kind of a homegrown version of the better-known cosmic grooves that have been emanating from the city in the work of Amp Fiddler, Ayro, and others in recent years. There's perhaps a bit more of a house-heavy vibe here than those references might imply – but the sound is cosmically soulful all the way through, with some great vocals on the best tracks! Titles include "Melodies From The Jazz Republic" by Mick Huckaby, "A Walk Thru Osaka" by Marcellus Malik Pittman, "Ecoutez" by Keith Worthy & Malik Alston, "Hot N Funky" by Delano Smith, and "In The Dark" by Raybone Jones, Marcellus Malik Pittman, & Rick The Godson Wilhite. The 2012 double vinyl version includes the bonus track "Bosmos" by Rick The Godson Wilhite & Kenny Dixon Jr (Moodyman). 6 long jams on 2LPs.

An excellent collection of soulful house from the Detroit underground of the mid 00s onward – one that's bubbling over with great work from lesser-known talents – all of whom come together to prove that these days, Detroit's one of the most happening music scenes on the planet! There's a really unified feel to the record, despite the presence of so many different artists – and much of the work here is kind of a homegrown version of the better-known cosmic grooves that have been emanating from the city in the work of Amp Fiddler, Ayro, and others in recent years. There's perhaps a bit more of a house-heavy vibe here than those references might imply – but the sound is cosmically soulful all the way through, with some great vocals on the best tracks! Titles include "Everybody (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Courtney Jackson, "Melodies From The Jazz Republic" by Mick Huckaby, "Cosmic Jungle" by Rick The Godson Wilhite, "Ecoutez" by Keith Worthy & Malik Alston, "The Feeling Of Love (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Anetria Wright, "Hot N Funky" by Delano Smith, "Sugar (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Patchworks, "In The Dark" by Raybone Jones, Marcellus Malik Pittman, & Rick The Godson Wilhite. 2012 version includes the bonus track "Bosmos" by Rick The Godson Wilhite & Kenny Dixon Jr (Moodyman) plus DVD bonus disc: In The Dark: Voices, shot in Detroit by Chris Bravo and featuring Ron Trent, Franki "DJ 3000" Juncaj, Mike Huckaby, Diviniti & Pirahnahead and many more.

An excellent document of how the rawer soul jazz spiritualism of the early 70s smoothed out to become the spacey mellow fusion of the late 70s. The players all have their jazz funk chops – and include Paul Humphrey, Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin, and Bill Summers – and they've taken years at their craft to perfect their interplay in a subtle fashion, without the heavier full-on message of earlier days. Skip Drinkwater's producing the set – and as on some of his best work from the time, he manages to give the whole thing a smooth sound, yet still retain a lot of the soul. Lots of nice grooves, with almost a Larry Mizell feeling to them. Titles include "Mahal", "Ecstasy", "Butterfly", and "Cyclops". Also includes a bonus disco remix version of "Cyclops".

A pivotal album for Barbara Mason – one in which she takes the little girl soul sound of earlier albums, and turns it into a sophisticated range of emotions that foreshadows later Philly work by singers like Jean Carn and Phyllis Hyman! Despite the Philly arrangements by Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana, there's actually a bit of a southern twinge to the record – an aspect that works nicely on the ballad cuts, which have kind of an Ann Sexton or Shirley Brown feel to them – sophisticated female soul at its best, and a real change overall for Barbara. Features the uptempo extended political cut "World War Three", plus "All in Love is Fair", "Bed and Board", "Caught in The Middle", "I Miss You Gordon", and "Me and Mr. Jones", her cover of the Billy Paul hit, and a nice version too! Includes the bonus track "Child Of Tomorrow".

A great batch of lost funky club tracks – heavy moog in the mix, making some great wikki-wikki sounds over the album's smoothly grooving tunes! The group's got Gregg Phillinganes and Roger Smith in the frontline on keyboards – they also play Arp and Fender Rhodes next to moog – and Dick Griffey helped with the vocal arrangements, giving the record the smooth sophisticated feel of a classic LA Solar release from the late 70s, mixed with some of the jazzier grooving on Fantasy records from the same time. Titles include "Mood I Love Love", "Don't Overlook The Feelings", "So Long", "Let Love Flow For Peace", and "Fantasy". CD also features the bonus track "Erika (ext mix)".

Stretch! What a funky number – begins with handclaps, a shout, and rolls into a tightly breaking drum dancing with bass. Then horns come in, fuzzed-out guitar sneaks up, and a wailing keyboard line spooks the tune nicely. Part 2 really gets crazy – band chanting, horns blasting some snakey solos, and the whole thing getting all tripped out and messily funky!

A pivotal record for Patrice Rushen – a set that has her really tightening up the groove from previous albums on Prestige – heading much more towards the focused soul-drenched grooves of her Elektra Records years! The set's a stunner – still very much with the hip, west coast funky fusion vibe of Rushen's roots – but even groovier overall, with loads of massive cuts that hold up beautifully over the years – and which still show a side of Patrice that's much different than her later hits. Titles include the classic cuts "The Hump", "Stepping Stones", and "Shout It Out" – all perfect jazz funk gems in the best Prestige/Fantasy mode of the mid 70s – and other tracks include "Roll With The Punches", "Let There Be Funk", "Let Your Heart Be Free", "Yolon", and "Sojourn". This Soul Brother UK edition includes a bonus single verion of "Let Your Heart Be Free".

Mid 80s soul from Detroit's Colonel Abrams – One of the first artists to take the then burgeoning house sound into the mainstream – paired up with nicely grooving modern soul vibe! Includes the his "Trapped" and "I'm Not Gonna Let", with those bright and bumping synth melodies and relentless house influenced beats underneath vocals and songwriting that helped get it over with the chart ready contemporary soul scene – plus the solid ballad "Never Change", "Over & Over", "Speculation", "The Truth", "Table For Two" and more. This CD version includes 4 bonus tracks: 12" mixes of "Trapped", "I'm Not Gonna Let You", "The Truth" and "Over And Over" – plus the non album track "Music Is The Answer".

A pair of classic Chicago soul tracks from Barbara Acklin! "Am I The Same Girl" is great great track with a totally catchy hook, and great lyrics by Barbara – and oddly enough, the exact track was stripped of its vocals, given a piano solo, and re-released by Brunswick as "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited! "Love Makes A Woman" is Barbara's other great track from the Brunswick years – a beautiful tune that's raw and sweet at the same time!

A swingin' Japanese concert by one of Cannonball's best groups from the 60's. Joe Zawinul's on piano, brother Nat's on cornet, Sam Jones is on bass, and Louis Hayes is on drums. But the real treat here is Yusef Lateef, who does some excellent reed work on tenor, flute, and oboe – and who's playing at this point with that great mix of soul jazz and out-sounds that he was cooking up at the time. There's some great long cuts, including an excellent 12 minute reading of Lateef's "Brother John", plus the title track, "Come Sunday", "Tengo Tango", "Easy To Love" and "The Weaver".

A killer album of Afro Funk – with a very unusual origin! In the wake of Manu Dibango's big hit (and some kind of failure to register the copyright), many many versions of "Soul Makossa" were recorded and released, some good, some bad. This album is a good example of that situation – kind of a quickie project issued by Mainstream Records to cash in on the hit – but it's also an amazing bit of lost funk, and a record that's lasted for years in the hearts of beatheads! The group's a studio combo headed by Richard Fritz – and includes funky drummer Paul Humphrey, organist Charles Kynard, and guitarist David T Walker – all players we can trust to keep things groovy. The record does include a version of "Soul Makossa" that's pretty great – but even better is the breakbeat classic "House Of The Rising Funk", apparently the same version of the track that was issued on a 45 under the name The Chubukos. Other nice ones include "Kissing My Love", "Hot Mud", "Get It", "Hot Doggin", and "Let Me Do My Thing".

A great second album from India Arie – sweet, smooth, soulful, and one we like even better than the first! The style is wonderful – a mix of warm vocals, spare production, and acoustic guitar – which gives the set a folksy quality that really offsets the smooth backings nicely. Songs are very well written, and linked together with a sensuous musical approach that makes the whole album drift nicely along – beating with the heart of underground soul set, but handled with a high level of class! Titles include "Beautiful Surprise", "Little Things", "Growth", "Talk To Her", "Headed In The Right Direction", "Good Man", "Complicated Melody", and "The One". Limited CD features the bonus track "Interested".

A classic bit of Chicago soul! "Stone Good Lover" is a mellow number from Jo – a warm bit of deep soul with a really great feel. The track was a real underground classic, and it's still one of the best records ever from this vastly under-rated singer. "Urge" is an instrumental – strings and piano vamping nicely with the band!

Brian Auger's first album with The Oblivion Express – a harder-rocking ensemble than his initial Trinity trio, but one who also really pushed things with a really jazzy edge! Like many of Auger's contemporaries on the UK scene, Brian was making the shift from Brit beat group jazz and soul, into a style that was more progressive and harder-driving – one that blended together jazz and rock, but which still, in Auger's case, held onto many of the best soulful sounds of earlier years! Tunes are nice and long, and really hard-jamming – with plenty of soaring organ lines throughout – and titles include "Total Eclipse", "The Light", "Oblivion Express", "On the Road", and "The Sword". CD features the bonus track "Dragon Song".

One of the greatest and most historically important compilations ever put together by our friends at Light In The Attic – the first ever (!!!) anthology devoted to Stax sax great Charles "Packy" Axton! Packy was a founding member of the Mar-Keys and a cat who played with the best of them – Steve Cropper, Booker T, Teenie Hodges, Donald "Duck" Dunn and many more – all of whom can be heard on this mindblowing set of benchmark vocal and instrumental singles from the mid 60s – truly the blueprint material for the great Stax and all around Memphis soul to come! It features singles cut for labels such as USA, Bar, Hollywood and Pure Soul – soul/R&B vocal numbers and proto-funky instrumentals. Amazing, amazing stuff recorded at Royal and Ardent Studios with some of the greatest soul music players to ever come together – so highly recommended! Includes "Holiday Cheer", "Bullseye", "Hung Over", "I'll Always Love" and "Late Late Party" by The Martinis, "No Ending" and "No Love Have I" by Stacy Lane, "House Full Of Rooms", "Out Of Control" and "I'm A Fool (In Love)" by LH & The Memphis Sounds, "Stone Fox", "Hip Pocket" and "Greasy Pumpkin" by The Pac-Keys, and "Hole In The Wall" by The Packers. 17 tracks in all – treated beautifully by team LITA – with a thick booklet of notes (by Andria Lisle) and full of vintage photos of the players, shots of the inner labels of the original singles, details for each track and more.

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

One of the rarest and greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – the sly, funky and spiritual masterpiece He's Coming from 1971 – really the beginning of the funk years from Roy Ayers Ubiquity! This one's a totally solid mix of soulful jazz, jazzy soul and righteous funk – and it's straight up wonderful all the way through – with a groove that's hugely influential to say the least! Includes the amazing track "We Live In Brooklyn Baby", which has a slow sample bassline in the intro that's just incredible – plus groovy cuts like the spiritual funk classic "He's a Superstar", "He's Coming", and "Sweet Tears". The lineup includes Sonny Fortune on soprano sax and flute and Billy Cobham drums and percussion, and the record's co-arranged by Harry Whitaker, who's also on keys and vocals – with other tracks include "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", "Ain't Got Time", "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Sweet Butterfly Of Love" and "Fire Weaver". Amazing stuff, really a beautiful encapsulation of Roy Ayers in peak form!

One of Roy Ayers' best-remembered albums of the 70s – a sublime blend of mellow numbers and some of his more club-oriented grooves of the time – all wrapped together with a genius that we can only describe as Ayers-like! The album's a beautiful example of the balance that Roy was striking in his work at the time – because alongside some of the more upbeat, catchy numbers, there's other tracks that are a fair bit more laidback, and almost abstract at times – a wonderful extrapolation of that sensitive Ayers blend of jazz and soul, with key emphasis on the vibes and keyboards. Titles include the massive groover "Running Away" – which you'll recognize from a key sample history over the years – and club cuts "Cincinnati Growl", "Fruit", "Sanctified Feeling", and "Stranded In The Jungle" – plus the more laidback cuts "Gotta Find A Lover", "I Still Love You", "Lifeline", and "This Side Of Sunshine". CD also features a bonus track – the 12-inch version of "Running Away"!

An incredible album by Roy Ayers – but one that's often overlooked because it was a rare indie effort issued between Roy's years at Polydor and Columbia! The session's Roy's only full album for Uno Melodic – the label he formed to showcase the talents of Sylvia Striplin, Ladies Of The Eighties, and others – and it's done in a snapping, boogie-styled groove that's very similar to the work by other Uno acts at the time. There's still plenty of the late Polydor Roy in the mix too – especially on the album's mellower numbers, which glide along nicely with all the right jazzy touches we love in a classic Ayers groove! Highlights include the excellent "Chicago", a really dark funk track with a mad descending groove; the Fela-styled "Black Family"; the warmly jazzy "Lots Of Love", an instrumental with vibes along strings; and the bass bumping "Everybody", a wicked later funk number! Other tracks include "And Then We Were One", "DC City", "Drive", and "Fast Money" – all great too!

One of the greatest Roy Ayers albums of all time – and one of the rarest! The record is right in the same vein as Roy's groundbreaking He's Coming LP – a righteous mix of soul jazz, subtle funk, and some of the cosmic wisdom that Roy was spreading among the jazz funk underground – all wrapped up beautifully, but never in a way that's like commercial soul of the time. There's a few instrumental tracks on the album, plus some vocal ones that show that off-beat male/female style that Roy would use more famously in later tracks like "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" or his work with Ramp. Players include Harry Whitaker on electric piano, Edwin Birdsong on organ, Alphonse Mouzon on drums, Jumma Santos on congas – and titles include a version of Nat Adderley's "Hummin", done as "Hummin In The Sun", and very much in the Ramp vein. Also features instrumental cuts "The Fuzz", which has Roy's vibes toned way up, and the cool mellow "The Painted Desert", a really offbeat slow jazz number. The group also does a great job with Edwin Birdsong's "Pretty Brown Skin", picking up the song as a really anthemic groover that gives the record a nice kick! CD also includes the rare 45-only track "He Gives Us All His Love" – originally done for the movie Cold Turkey.

A cool collection of work from one of our favorite artists ever – literally one of the guys whose music was so great, it inspired us to start Dusty Groove! The package brings together a really hip assortment of Roy Ayers' best work for Polydor in the 70s – really incredible tracks that merge together jazz, soul, and funk at a level that nobody else can touch – not just the sum of the parts, but a sublime fusion that's completely Ayers-like, and which has gone onto inspire countless other folks over the years – even though nobody else can ever do it this well! The track selection is great – way hipper than the usual best-of on Roy – and titles include "And Don't You Say No", "Moving Grooving", "Come Out & Play", "Magic Lady", "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing", "Vibrations", "Tear To A Smile", "When Is Real Real", "Together", "He's A Superstar", and "He Gives Us All His Love".

One of Roy Ayers' greatest albums of the 70s – a set that tightens up the groove from previous Polydor productions, yet still keeps all the soul intact! The record picks up the style begun with the Mystic Voyage album, and pushes it to some slightly tighter territory – a more focused Roy Ayers sound that's totally great, and which makes the album sparkle wonderfully throughout! All aspects of Roy's talents are perfectly balanced here – his warm vocals and jazzy vibes, his uptempo grooves and mellower rhythms – played to perfection by a hip lineup of players that includes Philip Woo on electric piano, Justo Almario on tenor sax, and Steve Cobb on drums. Edwin Birdsong guests a bit on the record – bringing in a nice edge to a few tunes – the album's got a really unique dark undercurrent, even in smoother moments – that subtle Roy Ayers' approach that's always made him one of our all-time favorite artists. Titles include the wonderful jazz-tinged "Searching", a great midtempo stepper that we really love; the funky break track "The Memory", a righteous number that feels like work from earlier records; the clubby classic "One Sweet Love to Remember"; and the sweet instrumental "Vibrations", which has a mellow kickback feel! Other tunes include "Higher", "Domelo (Give It To Me)", "Baby I Need Your Love", and "Better Days".

A great 12-inch from BADBADNOTGOOD – with a far-reaching jazzy/cosmic funk take on Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" – plus the equally impressive "UWM". "Flashing Lights" kicks off sparely with thick keys and heavy, heavy drum sound – in a way that initially made us think it was going to settle in with sort of a space rock take on Kanye's track – but it blasts off from there with a far more varied, continually evolving sound. The beats roll from stable to frenetic, and the tune eventually brings in some pretty incredible soul jazz keyboards – and finally comes full circle. "UWM" is a creative mix of spacey hip hop and jazzy keyboard grooves.

A brilliant funky soundtrack – with great work from a number of different artists! The Buddah soul stable came out in full force for this soundtrack, including Harvy Fuqua, The New Birth, Barbara Mason, and Horace Ott – as well as the little known group Badder Than Evil! They play on the great instrumental track "Hot Wheels", which is the chase theme in the film, and a great sample track! Also includes "Super Shine #9", sung by Sister Goose & the Ducklings, which is a very groovy, goofy, soulful number – plus the tracks "Child Of Tomorrow", "Harlem Dreams", "Child Of Tomorrow", and "Come On & Dream Some Paradise".

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual narrative in the strongest of these cuts. It's not that she's forgone lyrics; but it's all about the ambience, not radio sing-a-longs. She also dives head first into her organic soul and hip hop hybrid sound a little more sparingly, but still better than any of the ladies that followed her lead after Baduizm. She channels Donald Byrd on the great "Think Twice", which is pretty indicative of the vibe as a whole. The groove is sorta mellow, but in a very tripped-out way, with deep organ washes and synth tones, scratchy soul guitar, and crisp organic beats. There's an appearance by Dead Prez on "Steady On The Grind", and a really sweet old school flavored remake of the great "Love Of My Life" track from the Brown Sugar soundtrack with Queen Latifah and Bahamadia, but for the most part Erykah is sweating soul on her own spiritual plane here. It's gonna take a little while to sink in, but this may be her best album (despite whatever naysaying BS you may read in mainstream reviews.) Tracks include "Bump It", the great single "Danger", "Woo", "Back In The Day" and "I Want You".

A brilliant new vision for the legendary Banda Black Rio – the pioneering samba, soul and funk combo that broke so much ground in the 70s and remain vital to this day – led here by William Magalhaes, in a mode that celebrates decades of the best Brazilian music, while fearlessly moving it forward! William's father Oberdan Magalhaes was a driving force behind the original Banda Black Rio, and we couldn't really imagine a more appropriate new vision for the group than his son's. William wrote or co-wrote each track and he sings, plays keys and synth, guitar, bass, drums and more. The expansive group brings a depth of percussion, horns, strings and vocals – delivering timeless and dexterous jazzy Brazilian funk and dancefloor soul. The guest list includes classic and contemporary greats like Seu Jorge, Elza Soares, Marcio Local, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and others! Includes "Louis Lane" with Seu Jorge & Mano Brown, "Super Nova Samba Funk (9 No Samba)", "America Do Sul", "Isabela" feat Elza Soares and Cesar Camargo Mariano, "Samba Nova", "Quem Vem La" feat Marcio Local, "Deixa Estar" feat Aleh, "Lindos Olhos" feat Seu Jorge and Don Pixote, "Paname" feat Pyroman, "Final Feliz", "Irere" feat Gilberto Gil, "Aos Pes Do Redentor" feat Caetano Veloso and more. 16 tracks on the CD version.

One of the best instrumental records to come out of Memphis, and a real kicker by the funky band that went down with Otis Redding in the tragic plane crash in 1968! The leadoff track is the group's amazing hit "Soul Finger", a stormin' instrumental with a wailing brassy sound that influenced a generation with its "charge" kind of groove. Lots of other nice ones, too – like "Bar-Kays Boogaloo", "Knucklehead", "Theme From Hell's Angels", and "Pearl High". The best of the best of Stax helped out, too!

After "The Bottle", Joe's big remake of the Gil Scott Heron song in 1975, "Rap-O Clap-O" was probably his second biggest club cut. The track's got a very catchy groove – with sort of a stomping beat that Joe used to cook up his own dance. Arranged by the great Marty Sheller, so it's still got some Latin soul cred.

A real killer from the legendary Joe Bataan – an album of righteous power that really lives up to the dynamic promise of the title and cover! Joe Bataan's in top form throughout – serving up a blend of Latin grooves and 60s soul influences that few other artists of the time could touch – soaring and upbeat one minute, but mellow and laidback the next. There's a number of longer tracks on here that really move past the standard Latin Soul modes – bringing in bits of descarga jazz, instrumental soul, and mellower ballads to Joe's already-great blend of styles. The depth here is tremendous, and nearly every track's a winner! Titles include the slamming "It's A Good Feeling (Riot)", "Muneca", and "Mambo De Bataan" – plus the soul tracks "What Good Is A Castle", "My Cloud", "Daddy's Coming Home", "Ordinary Guy", and "For Your Love".

The Beasties' masterpiece – and one of the original nightmares for sampling opponents everywhere – the cut & paste hip hop classic Paul's Boutique! The Dust Brothers unapologetic way of weaving very famous samples with soul, funk and film score obscurities would steal the show if not for the infectious, boisterous rhymes of the Beastie Boys – they couldn't possibly have cared less about alienating the massive frat boy fan base built with License To Ill, and it's a joy to behold. It's one of those mindblowing pop transformations on par with the Beatles (who the Beasties and Dust Brothers were so brazen to sample several times on this album) and the Beach Boys on the pop maturation scale from earlier hits to later artistry – even if the wild lyrics and deft back & forth rhymes by the Beasties are the antithesis of maturity. From classic rock dinosaurs to soul and disco classics, from the Jaws score to "Dueling Banjos", it all finds it's way into the beatcraft – and both mainstream pop and underground hip hop are better now because of this record. Tracks include "Hey Ladies", "Shake Your Rump", "High Plains Drifter", "Shadrach", "Johnny Ryall", "Eggman", "Car Thief", "What Comes Around", the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite and more.

A great little record that's kind of a prequel for Rubber Soul – filled with short, tuneful tracks that would flower more deeply on that later album – and often served up with a bit more wit and adult consciousness than in any of the group's earlier records! One of those records that we always forget about, until we drop the needle – the revel in its sweet blend of Beatles modes on tracks that include "Help", "The Night Before", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", "I've Just Seen A Face", "Yesterday", "Act Naturally", "It's Only Love", "Ticket To Ride", and "I Need You". Original 14 track UK lineup – much different than the American release!

An incredible bit of southern funk – the first landmark LP by Archie Bell & The Drells, and the first big burst of energy from the Texas scene of the 60s! The album's incredible – with Archie up front on rough-hewn vocals, the band grooving in a mad tangle of guitar, bass, and drums, and some super-fierce horn work by the TSU Tornadoes! You've no doubt heard the band's classic "Tighten Up (part 1)", but this album also includes the incredible "part 2" to the track – which takes the groove a million miles higher! And the whole album's equally great – filled with other tight soul gems that include "A Thousand Wonders", "I Don't Want To Be A Playboy", "Give Me Time", and "When You Left Heartache Began".

An incredible bit of southern funk – the first landmark LP by Archie Bell & The Drells, and the first big burst of energy from the Texas scene of the 60s! The album's incredible – with Archie up front on rough-hewn vocals, the band grooving in a mad tangle of guitar, bass, and drums, and some super-fierce horn work by the TSU Tornadoes! You've no doubt heard the band's classic "Tighten Up (part 1)", but this album also includes the incredible "part 2" to the track – which takes the groove a million miles higher! And the whole album's equally great – filled with other tight soul gems that include "A Thousand Wonders", "I Don't Want To Be A Playboy", "Give Me Time", and "When You Left Heartache Began".

A dancefloor classic! The album's the second by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie, and head and shoulders above the rest – a sublime blend of soul and club that's hardly been matched again! Diamond manages to make things groove, but never loses sight of the soulful styles that make the record so great – and works here with key contributions from a young Luther Vandross, who gives the album some of the same strong vocal arrangements he brought to his own first two albums on Atlantic! Luther sings lead on the album's legendary track "Hot Butterfly", and works in a group with Cissy Houston on other tracks – sweetly soaring with vocals that go far beyond most disco efforts of the time. Simply sublime, and with classics that include "Hot Butterfly", "Paradise", "Cream (Always Rises To The Top)", "Chains", and "When The Sh*t Hits The Fan (Rocket Pocket)".

The keys are coral, and the sound is sublime – one of the greatest albums ever from pianist Walter Bishop Jr, and proof that he can really stretch out, given the right setting! The piano here is all acoustic, but there's an almost-electric vibe to the date – long, open tracks that sway and swell with some great spiritual energy – made even more wonderful by work from reedman Harold Vick, who plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax on the record – and makes it one of his best recordings ever! The reedwork alone is worth the price of admission – but the rhythms are also great too – a mix of soulful, modal, and some slight funky bits – handled by Reggie Johnson on bass, and either Idris Muhammad or Alan Benger on drums. Woody Shaw plays trumpet on some cuts, too – and titles include "Coral Keys", "Soul Turn Around", "Freedom Suite", "Track Down", "Waltz For Zweetie", and "Three Loves".

A pivotal album for the group – released at a time when Black Ivory, like so many other east coast vocal groups, was making the transition away from an older sweet soul style to a more sophisticated club vocal sound. The group's producing themselves here – and we're guessing that most of the real work is being done by Leroy Burgess, although Patrick Adams still appears to be working with the group on the string and horn arrangements – giving things just the right sort of underground disco twist to make things groove! The record includes the great club track "Walking Downtown (Saturday Night)", a longtime fave around Chicago – plus "White Wind", "Making Love In My Mind", "Could This Be Magic", "Longer Ride", and "Can't You See".

Wow! The one-and-only album by Trinidadian combo Black Truth Rhythm Band – a completely incredible one at that – hypnotic Caribbean funky soul, jazz and wildly impressive musicianship all around by this group led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Oluko Imo. The record was made in the mid 70s era in which the Afro Funk sound was hitting it's peak – when African rhythms and James Brown style funk were being fused so furiously – but Black Truth Rhythm Band take a different approach, working more with sounds from African spectrum and the West Indies. It's really amazing stuff that takes unpredictable twists from stripped down rhythms, to jazzy guitars and cosmic synths – always with straight up brilliant playing by the group. A fusion of African rhythms, strains of Calypso and boundary free jazzy grooves that balance and exploratory sensibility with tight, irresistible rhythms. Soundway raises the bar once again! Titles include "Ifetayo", "You People", "Saved Musician", "Kilimanjaro", "Aspire", "Umbala" and the bonus track "Imo".

Hard hard hard soul from the great Cicero Blake – a singer who's better known these days for his down-home blues work, but who was a heck of a great soul artist in the 60s and 70s! This wonderfully-done set collects together 23 singles from Cicero's diverse recordings of the 60s and 70s – pulling together recordings that were issued on a variety of different labels, but when taken together show Blake to be an incredibly powerful singer, with a depth to rival that of his Chicago contemporaries, like Tyrone Davis or Syl Johnson! And honestly, even though we'd heard the odd single by Cicero here and there over the years, we'd never gotten a complete picture of his career until this wonderful set – and we're extra-thankful to the folks at Grapevine for doing such a great job on the notes and track selection. Titles include "See What Tomorrow Brings", "Sad Feeling", "Soul Of Pain", "Take It From Me", "Loving You Woman Is Everything", "Shing A Ling", "Here Comes The Heartache", "Should I Go", "Could This Be Love", "Face The Case", "Don't Wait Until Tomorrow", "Bad But Beautiful Bag", "Doin What Comes Naturally", "Dip My Dipper", "Be Good To Me", "Your Love Is Like A Boomerang", and a bonus 90s sweet soul number, "Don't Wanna Blow My Chance With You".

A sweet Jamaican-tinged take on this tune by Bob & Gene – one that features the duo's vocals set to grooves from the Inversions, a group led by Ticklah – all in a style that turns the soul track into a lost rocksteady number! The approach is mighty nice – strange at first, but really a grower – and the flip features a track that's basically the instrumental version of the vocal number!

Scorching raw soul from Charles Bradley – backed by the tight Menahan Street Band! "World (Is Going Up In Flames)" might be the best track yet from Bradley – an incredible groover with a heavy theme – but the apocalypse never sounded so sweet! The groove is raw and emotive, given a deeper feel thanks to some piano in the mix – with a rubbery bass line and backing vocals by the Gospel Queens! The flip "Heartaches And Pain" is another emotional workout – and has the feel of a lost southern soul scorcher, but with funkier bassline and drums! Amazing stuff!

Brand New Heavies back in action – and sounding every bit as great as always! The group still has that sublime mix of soul, jazz, and funk that's made them so great right from the start – a mode that's steeped in classic influences from the 60s and 70s, yet finds a way to come out sounding really fresh and unique on every track! Instrumentation is razor-sharp, and mostly live – and vocals are by N'Dea Davenport, Jan Kincaid, Dawn Joseph, and Simon Bartholomew – creating a nice mix of personalities that make the record feel even more joyously collaborative than ever – almost as if the group's borrowed a page from the Incognito book – and the great way that combo has of coming together. The sound is warm and flowing throughout – never stiff or commercial – and titles include "Heaven", "Turn The Music Up", "Do You Remember", "On The One", "Sunlight", "Forward", "Addicted", and "A Little Funk In Your Pocket".

Classic work from Brick – a group who went onto become surprisingly successful during the 70s with a hot Atlanta blend of funky soul and uptempo club grooves. The group has a feel that would be taken up heavily a few years later by LA funk combos – particularly those on the Solar label – and their style of slicking up funky licks into a tightly compressed sound was obviously a bit hit with the kids of their generation, and hip hop sample heads in years to come. This 12 track greatest hits set includes the classic g-funk number "Dusic", plus "Music Magic", "Dazz", "Good High", "Free Happy", "We Don't Wanna Sit Down, We Wanna Get Down", and "Living From The Mind".

2 beautiful tracks of group soul by this lost Chicago group. "I Owe You Love" is a smooth ballad cut, with a very nice descending chorus that's extremely catchy. "Summer Ride" is a remake of a track done by the Sandpebbles, and is a very nice groover!

Massive – and one of the best James Brown compilations ever, filled with rare and unreleased material! This completely essential set features tracks pulled from James' best years ever – the mighty early 70s, when he was working with the JBs, and laying down tracks that would forever change the face of funk! The tunes on the album are right up there with the best work on classic albums like The Payback, Doin It To Death, Hot Pants, and any of the other killer Polydor funk albums by James – and most of them were pulled from sessions for those records, and brought together in this format for the first time in the late 80s. The centerpiece of the set is a 9 minute version of "Funky Drummer", and other highlights include new versions of "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (remix)", "Soul Power (mono re-edit)", and "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothin (remix)". The set's also got bonus beats of "Funky Drummer", a long single take of "Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)" (8:42 minutes long!), and the nice rare track "I Got To Move" – previously unreleased, and nice and long! Plus, this new version features the previously unissued extended mix of "Blind Man Can See It".

One of the stranger James Brown albums from the 60s! The record is one of the only vocal albums he cut for the Smash label – and it was issued during a time when James was strangely contracted to two labels – King and Smash. His dual contract situation was that he couldn't record any new original vocal material for Smash – apart from the title track "Out Of Sight", which had already been snuck on the market, and which is a sinister funky track built along the same lines as "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (not on this album.) Apart from that track, the rest of the material on the record is more traditional R&B and pop stuff – sung by James in a strong soul style. Titles include "Somethin Else", "Nature Boy", "Maybe The Last Time", "I Wanna Be Around", "I Got You", and "Good Rockin Tonight". The liner notes are great, too – with some pretty interesting information on Brown's career, and African-American politics.

Here's where things really started getting interesting for James Brown! The album was issued right around the same time as James' single "Out Of Sight" on Smash – and like that track, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" was one of the first to use that "instruments on the beat" style of funk that would dominate all of James' work in years to come – that amazing groove that completely turned soul music on its ear – and paved the way for generations to come! The result is a startling sound that forever changed the face of groove – and you'll hear it nicely placed on this album, along with great cuts like "Cross Firing", "Mashed Potatoes USA", "Doin The Limbo", and "Love Don't Love Nobody".

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number in the set – and which also has James himself stepping out vocally for a few key tracks. The album features the massive groover "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" – a slamming track that beats nearly every number in the JB 70s catalog – plus other cuts that include "To My Brother", "Brother Rapp", "Sexy Sexy Sexy", "Slaughter Theme", "Transmogrification", "King Slaughter", and "How Long Can I Keep It Up".

One of James Brown's earliest full albums for King Records – and a set that kicks off with his monstrous reworkin of the tune "Think" – originally recorded by the Five Royales, but recast here by James as the blueprint for all the funky goodness in years to come! That track really sets the scene for the record – and James follows up with some other harder, sharp-edged tunes – offset by a few more deep-burning mellower soul tracks. Other titles include "You've Got The Power", "If You Want Me", "So Long", "Baby, You're Right", "I'll Go Crazy", "Good Good Lovin", and "I Know It's True". Reissued with the great original cover, too!

Get down with the sound of Peter Brown – one of the funkiest white cats on the Miami soul scene of the 70s! Peter originally hailed from the Chicago area, but he got the call down to Miami with his classic club groover "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" – a compelling blend of snappy rhythms, soulful horns, weird keyboard bits, and sweet female vocals. That track instantly set Peter up large – reputedly the first 12" single to sell a million copies – and Brown followed the groove with a whole host of other clubby classics cooked up in the Miami TK studios! This set brings together 9 of Peter's extended dancefloor cuts from the 70s – plus 2 more remixes from later years – for a total of 11 tracks that include "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me", plus "Dance With Me", "Love In Our Hearts", "Stargazer", "Fantasy Love Affair", and "You Should Do It".

Way more than just a greatest hits album from Solomon Burke – as the set's the only album appearance of most of his key early singles – making the whole thing pack the same punch as his other full-length records for Atlantic! Plus, given that although Burke's music was great, it never got the same radio play as some of his bigger contemporaries – these aren't really hits, so much as seminal 60s soul tunes that went onto form the blueprint for countless other acts to come – both in the north and the south! Burke really draws on his deep gospel roots here – and knocks it out of the park with every number – killer material that we'd take any day against even a pile of his albums from later years. Every track's a winner – and titles include "Down In The Valley", "Cry To Me", "Just Out Of Reach", "Keep The Magic Working", "Looking For My Baby", "How Many Times", "Baby", and "Be Bop Grandma".

The second album by this great French funk collective! The album's tighter than the group's first one – with lots of wah-wah guitar jamming, spaced out production, and some excellent soul vocals that must have been some of the best recorded in Paris in the 70s! The whole thing sparkles like a rare American funk album on an indie label from the same time – and it's filled with loads of great tracks like "Sweet Burn", "Stoned Groove", "No Time", "Be Free", and "Mass of Confusion", a nice long funky track.

An incredible bit of southern soul – one of two classic albums cut by James Carr for the Goldwax! At the time of release, this album virtually died in the racks – but thanks to the work of countless music writers over the past few decades, Carr has finally achieved legendary status in the annals of soul music – and this album's one of the best examples of his genius! Every track is a deep soul masterpiece – and the album sparkles with production by Quinton Claunch and Rudolph Russell, and is filled with classic tracks like "The Dark End Of The Street", "You Got My Mind Messed Up", "She's Better Than You", "These Ain't Raindrops", and "Coming Back To Me Baby".

Great work from the man with the money on his suit! "Diff'rent Strokes" has a nice hard soul sound, with lots of vocals, and a sound that's very similar to Syl Johnson's big track of the same name. The real groover, though, is "The Charge", which has a raucous shouting sound, and a crazy cowbell that slams through the whole thing – madness!

Probably the rarest of all albums by The Chairmen Of The Board – and also the last! The album was cut after the band re-formed briefly, and it's got a fuzzed-out heavy soul sound that's quite different from some of the group's earlier work. There's heavy guitar on many tracks – riffing away in a psychedelic mode that dominates most tracks, but which almost buries the group's vocals. The album's a great one if you dig the funk side of the Chairmen – and at times, it almost reminds us of The Politicians, who were kind of labelmates of the group. Includes the excellent two-part funk track "Life & Death" – plus "Love At First Sight", "Everybody Party All Night", "Let's Have Some Fun", "Finder's Keepers", "Skin I'm In", and "White Rose (Freedom Flower)". Lots of bonus tracks too – including "Finders Keepers (inst)", "Someone Just Like You", "Come On In & Dance", and "You've Got Extra Added Power In Your Love".

One of the most easy-going Motown albums of the early 80s – a set that steps past some of the heavier funk the label's other acts were using, and which goes for kind of a crossover mix of ballads and heartfelt numbers! The title track is something of a post-70s feminist statement, although one that's gotten a bit cheesy over time – and Charlene sings here in this slightly emotive style that's partly soul, but which also makes a big nod to the growing adult contemporary side of the spectrum too. Titles include "I've Never Been To Me", "Hey Mama", "Can't We Try", "It Ain't Easy Comin Down", "I Won't Remember Ever Loving You", and "If I Could See Myself".

Forget everything you know about Chubby Checker – because this album's unlike any of his 60s hits – and instead shows the singer as a hipper, funkier, more soulful talent than before! As you might guess from the spelling in the title, the set's got overseas origins – and really only circulated in the European market of the early 70s – and unfortunately never helped Checker regain his fame over here on our shores. There's some nice tripped-out elements that really work well with the groove – a bit of psych mixed in with funk and deep soul – all kind of that hip London brew that has all the separate elements coming together wonderfully. Titles include "Stoned In The Bathroom", "How Does It Feel", "My Mind", "He Died", "Goodbye Victoria", "Love Tunnel", and "No Need To Get So Heavy". CD features the bonus track "Gypsy".

A massive 2-fer from The Chi-Lites – 2 amazing post-Brunswick records on a single CD! Happy Being Lonely is beautiful beautiful work from The Chi-Lites – and a record that we might even say tops the best of their late Brunswick book! Despite the move from that label to Mercury, the group have a sound here that's still wonderfully fragile and harmony-focused – especially on the mellower cuts, which crackle with a sense of humanity that so many other harmony groups were losing at the time. But even the more upbeat tunes are great too – rolling along on some spacious arrangements by Tom Tom Washington, and showing that Chicago could come up with grooves to rival the sound of Philly! Titles include the great ballad "Love Can Be Hazardous", the Sam Dees number "Vanishing Love", and the titles "Don't Blame The World", "Message To The World", "Let Your Love Fall Like Rain", and "I Turn Away". The other album on the set is great too – and Fantastic Chi-Lites is right, because the group's still going strong even after their hit years on Brunswick – stepping forth with a sweet harmony sound that nicely fits the Philly arrangements they get on this set! There's a maturity here that gets past the fragile soul of earlier sets, and which has the group moving into a warmly adult mode that's a perfect shift from their more familiar hits. Includes the classic club groover "My First Mistake" – a stunning track that recalls the best work of groups like Blue Magic or Double Exposure – and other tracks include "I've Got Love On My Mind", "If I Had A Girl", "Who's In Love With Me", "Let's Touch", and "Love At Its Best".

Perhaps the most heavenly of all the Chi-Lites albums, with soaring harmonies leaping all over beautiful Chicago soul production, and loads of great heartbreaking stories unfolding as the whole thing spins away! A true masterpiece from the Chicago scene – and filled with loads of wonderful moments that almost seem to be the group's answer to some of the growing wave of harmony soul coming from the east coast at the time. Includes the excellent title track, plus "Just Two Teenage Kids", "Too Late To Turn Back Now", "Someone Else's Arms", "You Smiled The Same Old Way", "My Heart Just Keeps On Breakin'", and "Love Comes In All Sizes". Nice cover, too, with a skyline shot of Chicago around the same time that Bob Newhart was working there as a shrink!

Sweet Miami funk from the team of George "Chocolate" Perry and Clay Cropper – one of the rarest TK albums from the time, and also one of the funkiest too! The sound here is slightly polished, but never too much – a bit more in the sound of bigger Florida groups, like Miami, with a tight groove overall, but still enough sharper funky bits on the edges! George plays bass and Clay handles guitar and keyboards – and the vocals seem to be sung by both parties, often in that slightly-flanged Miami style of the time. Titles include "My Uncle Funky", "Sweet Mary", "Cream Is Rising To The Top", and "Two Different Worlds" – plus the excellent mellow soul track "Free (I'll Always Be)", which has a nice sweet sound in the same vein as work by Milton Wright.

An excellent album of strident female soul tracks! Sure, the Clark Sisters were a gospel group – but their crossover single "You Brought The Sunshine" is a massive dancefloor track, with a stepping 80s groove that keeps on going strong, and which has the same crossover sense of righteousness that you'd find in later work by the Sounds Of Blackness. Other titles include "Center Of Thy Will", "He Keeps Me Company", "Crown Him Lord Of All", and "Walking In The Spirit".

A trio of funky electric albums from Stanley Clarke's mid 80s R&B years – 1984's Time Exposure, ''85's Find Out and '86's Hideaway – in a 2CD set! Time Exposure has a lot of 80s electro funk in the mix, particularly Clarke's impeccable bass lines, which are heavy throughout. Titles include "Play The Bass '10", "Heaven Sent You", "Speedball", "Future Shock" and the great title track. Find Out follows somewhat similar territory, an 80s synth funky set with a few surprising twists – including an electro/funk/old school rap cover of "Born In The USA"! Other tracks include "Find Out", "The Sky's The Limit", "Stereotypica" and "Psychedelic". Hideaway makes a move towards more delicate synth soul for Clarke – who assembles an impressive guest list that includes Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock and Stewart Copeland. Titles include a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", plus "My Love, Her Inspiration", "Where Do We Go", "Old Friends" and "When It's Cold Outside".

"Nubian Nut" is more of the Atomic Dog formula – kind of a popping bass groove that was the inherited legacy of P-funk that every other band was ripping off at the time, and rap-like vocals that George would probably never claim were rap! "Free Alterations" is the real charmer here – a sweet mellow soul track with a midtempo stepping groove, great harmony vocals, and a sound that's very different than any other Clinton tune we can think of!

NuHop? Common newcomers who buy Electric Circus for the single with Mary J Blige are going to be left with some head scratching – but if you like the spiritual/psychedelic Com that was hinted at on Like Water For Chocolate, this may be the follow up you were waiting for! This is still hip hop – with production by the Neptunes, Jay Dee, ?uestlove and others, but it's definitely a boundary stretcher. The mood runs from Roots style soul bumpers to Hendrix and Eugene McDaniels style feedback heavy freakouts. There's a guest on nearly every track, mostly from the Okayplayer camp and NuSoul titans, including Bilal, Omar, Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and others. We won't lie to you, we miss the Chicago hip hop Common that kicked insight over raw and soulful productions, but you can't fault the guy for being an artist, and he really has crafted something original here. A great cover – a kind of rainbow drenched cut and paste photo collage of the contributors and inspirations with Com out front, sort of reminding us of Tribe's Midnight Maurauders, and even Sgt. Pepper. Tracks include "Ferris Wheel", "Soul Power", "The Hustle", the first single "Come Close", "New Wave", "Star *69", "Jimi Was A Rock Star" and more.

A full length debut knockout for The Congregation – who had more-or-less been serving as the live soul house band on the north side of Chicago in the months leading up to Right Now Everything – and deservedly so! The group might take the most cues from classic raw soul and live show R&B – but they've also clearly soaked up plenty of garagey rhythms, uptempo blues and rave-up gospel – and most importantly, they're somehow delivering their raucous stage intensity in the studio. Vocalist Gina Bloom has the grit and the genuinely soulful spirit of singers who have been at it for decades – but this is a fairly young group – which is important, because we're hoping they'll continue to slay us for many years to come! The excellent band includes Chuck Sansone on keys and percussion, Charlie Wayne on guitar, Joe DeBord on bass, Dan Wendt on drums, Brian Crane on trumpet, Nick Nottoli on trombone and Erik Eiseman on sax. Includes the title track, "When There's Fighting", "Real Thing", "Darlin'", "High Class", "I Know You Will", "You'll Always Be Alright With Me", "I Will Forget You" and more.

A masterpiece of mellow soul and jazzy grooves, with the heavenly title cut – "You Are My Starship" – which features Michael Henderson on vocals and Gary Bartz on sax! Bartz plays on a number of other cuts, too, including a remake of "The Creator Has a Master Plan", "Just Imagine", and a remake of "Betcha By Golly Wow", with Phyllis Hyman on vocals. Hyman also sings a duet with Michael Henderson on the track "We Both Need Each Other". Great stuff, and a groundbreaking LP that showed the world that Norman was going to make as big of a splash on the soul scene as he did in the jazz world!

A second sublime set from Ruth Copeland – a funky female singer from the Detroit scene of the early 70s, with key ties to the P-Funk universe, and a unique groove that mixes singer/songwriter modes with the fuzzier funkier elements of artists like Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair! There's a bit more emphasis on soul here than the funk of Copeland's previous efforts – but in a way that makes for an even more impressive record overall, especially when you realize that Ruth arranged and produced the whole thing. George Clinton and Eddie Hazel both had a hand in co-writing songs with Copeland – and instrumentation features Hazel on guitar, plus Bernie Worrell on piano – so there's still a key P-Funk link. Titles include the breakbeat track "Suburban Family Lament", the fuzzy stoner funk number "Don't You Wish You Had", and covers of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "Play With Fire" – plus "Crying Has Made Me Stronger", "Hare Krishna", and "The Medal". CD features bonus single versions of "Hare Krishna" and "Gimme Shelter".

Excellent early soul from Lou Courtney – very much in a Northern groove! "Do The Thing" begins with a rolling piano line, almost Motown – but Lou's vocals are rawer, and really make the track come on hard! "Man Is Lonely" is a vamping number with a catchy groove too – and Lou's vocals again are very very nice!

The group were certainly doing something right – as this album has Joe Cuba's sextet at the top of their game, easily showing why they were one of the best groups on the New York scene of the 60s! The album's a pivotal one in the development of Latin Soul – as it sports the incredible track "El Pito" – one of those Latin jammers that grabbed everyone right away, and which has barely ever been matched since! The album's also got some great use of English language lyrics – crucial to the unique crossover sound that Joe was forging, and a real bridge between Spanish and African American Harlem in the 60s. Titles include "My Wonderful You", "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back To Georgia)", "Pruebalo, OK?", "Bochinchosa", "Incomparable", and "Clave Mambo".

A Latin classic from the word "bang"! This album was the one that busted Joe Cuba out of the Latin ghetto – into the sound of 60s soul, early funk, and beyond. The record's a stone winner – filled with boogaloo tracks delivered by Joe's firey young sextet, a killer ensemble that was setting the Latin world on its ear at the time. The title track – "Bang Bang" – is one of those tracks that you'll recognize from a million references, but which never sounds as good as it does on this impeccable version from Joe. The whole album follows in a similar suit – blending Latin, jazz, and soul with effortless ease – shifting between English and Spanish lyrics in a genre-busting style that really captures all the freshness of the era. The whole thing's great, and titles include "Asi Soy", "Alafia", "Triste", "Mujer Divina", "Oh Yeah", "Sock It To Me", and the "Bang Bang" follow-up, "Push, Push, Push". Great, hard, and a heck of a lot of fun!

Rare hard funky soul from early 70s titans Damn Sam The Miracle Man – and some of the rawest, fiercest funk we've ever heard! Damn Sam is actually a group – spearheaded by vocalist OC Tolbert – a man with a roaring voice and righteous delivery that could tear through brick – and producer Jack Taylor. If not for the amazing funky 45 tracks "Damn Sam The Miracle Man", "Smash" and "BJ" – all of which appear on this long lost LP – they may have been obscure to even the most diligent crate diggers, an argument in favor of that format if there ever was one. The group is a real killer, with absolutely pummeling funky drums and snapping electric congas & bongo work on just about every track – plus soaring trumpet and sax work that counterbalance the fury of Tolbert's vocals nicely. Tolbert's history with gospel lends a genuine spiritual aspect to the frenzy, too – one of the sweetest raw funk tornadoes you could every hope to get swept up by! Other tracks include "Give Me Another Joint", "Let Me Be Your Only Man", "LA 26000", "Poor Mary", Music Makes You Feel Alright", "Rainy Night In Georgia", and "Sonny B".

The first-ever release of this lost soul treasure – a rare session from a late 70s group from Tulsa, recording in LA at the studio of Sly Stone! The set's got a groove that's way more than you'd expect from any Oklahoma combo – a mature, modern soul sparkle that's totally great – almost the sort of vibe you'd find from some of the best groups of the time on labels like Elektra or Capitol, but handled here with a bit more indie charm overall! The tracks are all originals, and they balance out mellow steppers and tighter groovers nicely – which makes for an album that's amazingly deep in conception, and way more than just a slap-dash batch of tracks from the studio. We're sure that Sly would have been proud of the work here – and our hat's off to the folks at Lotus Land for finally getting this one released! Titles include "Funky Sounds", "Accept The Truth", "Keep On Smiling", "If You Dance Tonight", "I Love Everything About You", "On A Lovely Night Like This", "I Hope You'll Be", and an untitled track.

Sweet disco and soulful jazz – the only album we've ever seen from Copeland Davis, a great talent on the piano, and a mellow soul singer with a clear inspiration from Marvin Gaye! The album's a pretty unusual one – in that the overall groove is instrumental, mostly tight rhythms and strings with Copeland playing piano over the top – but a few cuts have Copeland singing as well – in this great sexy style that really adds a lot to the record. The approach is a bit rough at times, but it's kind of a rough version of slickness, which makes for a compelling set, and gives the album a few nice underground clubby numbers! Titles include "Look What We've Found", "Morning Spring", "So In Love", "Jet", and "No Arms Can Ever Hold You".

A pretty rare one – and one of the best albums that Eddie Lockjaw Davis ever recorded! The album takes Eddie's usual trio with Shirley Scott on organ, and adds in some extra bongos and conga – by Luiz Perez and Ray Barretto, respectively – to create a Latinized version of soul jazz, with a very nice swing! The album grooves well on nearly every track – almost in the mode of Eddie's classic Afro-Jaws album – and the setting really brings out the best in his tenor work, cutting across lines in a way that almost hearkens back to his R&B days. Titles include "Dobbin The Redd Foxx", "Last Train From Overbrook", "Fast Spiral", "Dancero", and "That Old Black Magic".

Don't pass this one up! Although lots of other albums by Eddie Lockjaw Davis are laidback quartet and quintet sessions, done in a soul jazz organ/tenor mode – this session features Eddie working with stunning bigger band backings, in a searingly soulful sound that's simply incredible! The leadoff track, "Trane Whistle", has Lockjaw really working new waves of sound into his tenor sax – screaming the horn in a way that you thought you'd never hear, and playing with tones that are a lot darker than usual! The set moves on from there in a nice batch of material that includes "Whole Nelson" and "Stolen Moments", two fantastic originals by Oliver Nelson, who also arranged the album – and takes a great deal of responsibility for the strength of the set. The record shows a whole new side of Davis' talents – one that was barely if ever recorded like this again – and which is made even better by the presence of freshly modern players that include Eric Dolphy, Richard Williams, Melba Liston, and Roy Haynes. Great stuff!

The debut album from Tyrone Davis – a supreme achievement for the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s, and a record with a sound that would set the standard for years to come! Tyrone had been bumping around as a blusier singer before this set – but here, working with arrangements by Don Myrick and Willie Henderson, he gets a sound that's sweet and soaring – taking a rough-spirited soul, and recasting it in a sweeter sound for the 70s. Tyrone's not lapsing into bluesy cliches here, and instead keeps things wonderfully soulful by hitting a loping groove that picks up his beat and gives the songs a nice lilt. You can hear this to best effect on the title track "Can I Change My Mind", but all tracks are great – including "She's Looking Good", "Call On Me", "Open The Door To Your Heart", and "Have You Ever Wondered Why?".

The debut album from Tyrone Davis – a supreme achievement for the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s, and a record with a sound that would set the standard for years to come! Tyrone had been bumping around as a blusier singer before this set – but here, working with arrangements by Don Myrick and Willie Henderson, he gets a sound that's sweet and soaring – taking a rough-spirited soul, and recasting it in a sweeter sound for the 70s. Tyrone's not lapsing into bluesy cliches here, and instead keeps things wonderfully soulful by hitting a loping groove that picks up his beat and gives the songs a nice lilt. You can hear this to best effect on the title track "Can I Change My Mind", but all tracks are great – including "She's Looking Good", "Call On Me", "Open The Door To Your Heart", and "Have You Ever Wondered Why?".

A landmark of Chicago soul! "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" was a huuuuuuge crossover track for Tyrone – and it mixed his roosty vocal style with the soaring Chisoul arrangements of Tom Tom in a very groovy way!

A killer start to the 80s for the Dazz Band – with great tunes in a funky mode as well as more measured group soul numbers – and it all adds up one of their best albums ever! Tunes like the opener "Shake It", plus "Shake It Up" and "Magnetized" bring the funkier vibes – with a vamping guitar, thumping bass groove, punchy horns, and top notch vocals from the group – while tunes like the title track and "Beyond The Horizon" have a more soaring arrangement of horns and some strings,still with an impeccable core groove. It's not as smoothed out in the production booth as some of their later grooves of the 80s – a total gem! Other titles include " Skate Lovers", "Carry On", "Do It Again", "Do It Again", "Sooner Or Later" and "Beyond The Horizon".

A beautiful bit of funky rocking soul – and the one and only album by the Deirdre Wilson Tabac – a group whose name is as strange as their grooves are funky! The group are best known for their well-compiled track "I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes" – an uptempo jazzy gem that mixes skipping Hammond with soaring vocals and some really great horns – and the rest of this set has a very similar feel – one that blends jazz rock with more soulful vocals, in a groove that's totally unique! Sonny Casella wrote, arranged, and produced the record – and he's also the drummer in the group, so there's keen attention to rhythms on all tracks. Titles include "I Can't Keep From Cryin", "Magic One", "I Go To You", "Other Side Of Life", "Angel Baby", "Get Back", "The Last Thing On His Mind", and "Let's All Join Together". Includes two bonus tracks "Turn Around" and "Children Listen".

Delegation really hold onto their groove in this rock-solid second set – an album that burns with vibrant energy right from the start – but all in ways that are really a cut above the usual uptempo soul of the time! Rhythms are a key part of the sound, but it's the trio's vocals that really hold us rapt – a warmly glowing approach to the lyrics, and one that still keeps things plenty soulful, even when tunes are upbeat, catchy, and very firmly aimed at the dancefloor! These guys were never huge at the time, but they've got a near-perfect sound throughout – a sense of funk that rivals some of the large-member ensembles, and a warmth with their vocals that matches some of the solo acts of the period. Titles include the sublime "In Love's Time", which has a great Earth, Wind & Fire kind of groove – plus "Singing", "Feels So Good", "In The Night", "Gonna Keep My Eyes On You", "12th House", "Turn On To City Life", and "I Wantcha Back".

A groundbreaking album of vocal group soul – right from the first note! The record kicks off with the sublime "Ready Or Not, Here I Come" – which starts with fierce stepping strings that are actually funky, then soars into some of the best harmonies the group ever put to record, superbly arranged by the great Thom Bell, who also wrote the track. As the album progresses, the sound expands further to encompass many elements that would become the blueprint for vocal groups over the next few years – like twangy electric sitar, cascading orchestrations, and pinched lead vocals that take a lot more chances than most group singers had been taking for years! There's still a bit of a 60s soul sound to some of the cuts, but the album's a watershed – not only for Thom Bell and the group, but for harmony soul as well! Titles include "Ready Or Not Here I Come", "My New Love", "Loving Him", "With These Hands", "Somebody Loves You", and "Everytime I See My Baby".

A groundbreaking album of vocal group soul – right from the first note! The record kicks off with the sublime "Ready Or Not, Here I Come" – which starts with fierce stepping strings that are actually funky, then soars into some of the best harmonies the group ever put to record, superbly arranged by the great Thom Bell, who also wrote the track. As the album progresses, the sound expands further to encompass many elements that would become the blueprint for vocal groups over the next few years – like twangy electric sitar, cascading orchestrations, and pinched lead vocals that take a lot more chances than most group singers had been taking for years! There's still a bit of a 60s soul sound to some of the cuts, but the album's a watershed – not only for Thom Bell and the group, but for harmony soul as well! Titles include "Ready Or Not Here I Come", "My New Love", "Loving Him", "With These Hands", "Somebody Loves You", and "Everytime I See My Baby".

We can't help but favor the Dells earlier soul work, but later disco numbers like the a-side of this nice single, and the sophisticated title track off the I Touched A Dream LP, a more downtempo cut, are no less great!

Funky soul, but with a touch of jazz – almost a mod soul undercurrent that really sets these guys apart from the rest! The blend is great – nice and tight, yet never too slick – almost the sort of direction Georgie Fame should have gone in the early 70s, had he stayed on the right track – with lots of lead vocals from songwriter Frank Montis, who's got this raspy sound that's perfect for his hip lyrics! Frank also plays Fender Rhodes and Hammond as well – amidst some great horns, and backing vocals from Laura Vane on a number of cuts too. Tracks include "Make It Right", "Fading", "Right From Wrong", "Façade", "Life Is Short", "We'll Meet Again", "Sunny", "Straightforward Fascination", and "Live My Life".

A pair of late 60s albums from Martin Denny – back to back on a single CD! Exotic Love is an overlooked gem from Martin Denny – cut during a range of later sides for Liberty Records, but somehow a standout, thanks to some soulful undercurrents in the music! The arranger is billed as Harold Johnson – who may well be the same cat leading the groovy sextet over on Revue Records at the same time – and the record has this subtle groove that's mighty nice – definitely an ear for some of the more soul-based instrumental styles of the 60s, with a nice bounce on the bottom that might almost make some of these cuts just right for older-style steppers. Instrumentation has a few exotic touches, but more piano than anything else – and titles include "A Beautiful Morning", "Love Exotic Style", "I Say A Little Prayer", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Love Is All Around", and "Voodoo Love". Exotica Today is an album that signifies its style right from the first track – which echoes Martin Denny's classic "Quiet Village", but which then rolls into a set of sprightly arrangements from Julius Wechter – who almost brings an A&M Records vibe to the album! Tunes are mostly Denny remakes of 60s instrumental themes, plus a few originals co-penned with Wechter – and there's some nice percussion bits that lurk in the background next to Denny's piano – which mostly rings out in the lead. Titles include "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Lara's Theme", "Strangers In The Night", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", "Patch Of Blue", "Promises", and "Snowflakes In Summer".

Sockin soul from one of the greatest 60s singers on Chess! "Soulful Dress" is a chunky dancefloor groover – Sugar Pie singing the lyrics nice and hard, as the track crackles along with a really catchy hook! "Use What You Got" is more of a bluesy tune – but still quite nice.

The best collection we've ever seen on Ernie K Doe – a really massive set that not only features all the tracks from his early years on the New Orleans soul scene, but also includes his great comeback album from 1970 too – plus some killer cuts from the mid 70s as well! Allen Toussaint produced all the recordings – which makes for not only a really unified feel throughout, but also a nicely evolutionary one too – as the rough, gritty grooves of New Orleans are taken to hipper, more sophisticated territory as time moves on – those really complicated funky rhythms that have always made the title track a standout favorite from Ernie! The package features a hardcover book-style design, with notes, photos, and label scans in the middle – and cuts include "Come On Home", "Popeye Joe", "Here Come The Girls", "Stoop Down", "You Got To Love Me", "So Good", "Back Street Lover", "Talkin Bout This Woman", "A Long Way Back Home", "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", "So Good", "The Fight", "Rub Dub Dub", "Hey Hey Hey", "There's A Will There's A Way", "Wanted $10,000 Reward", "Mother In Law", "A Certain Girl", "Reaping What I Sow", and "Penny Worth Of Happiness".

Denise Donatelli gets some great backings here from Geoff Keezer – mostly in a straight jazz mode, but sometimes in a fuller style that really opens her up! Donatelli's got a sound that's rooted in jazz, but more expressive than most – and Keezer really sets her up nicely for the record – shifting the instrumentation a bit from track to track, and showcasing her strength both on ballads and more upbeat numbers. Titles include "Soul Shadows", "Another Day", "Ange", "Too Late Now", "Postcards & Messages", and "No Better".

A sterling set from the great Will Downing – and a record that definitely has the master at the top of his game throughout! The package features some songs from his recent trilogy of EP releases – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow – but also includes five new songs too – and together, the tunes work wonderfully to create one of the best full length efforts from Downing in years! Will's got this style that's easy-flowing, yet completely confident too – a reminder that sometimes the best approach to male soul music is one that relaxes into the groove – in ways that so many other singers in the younger generation seem to have forgotten. The backings are great too – as laidback as Downing's vocals, without any of the clunk that might have happened if Will was recording for a bigger label trying to push him into the charts. There's plenty of glow and warmth throughout – and titles include "Only One", "Send For Me", "Falling", "Stuff That I Like", "One Step Closer", "Never Find Another Love", "Sexy", and "You Were Meant Just For Me" – a duet with Avery Sunshine. Also includes a totally great long track – a "live rehearsal" of the medley "I Go Crazy/Wishing On A Star/Try".

A wonderful album from George Duke – and one of our favorite records from his legendary years at Columbia! George Duke's always had plenty of Brazilian elements in his music – but this album really brings them all together – offering up a perfect blend of Duke's keyboards and Cali soul with some key additions from the Rio scene of the time – a mix of singers and musicians who really help round out the sound and authenticate George's ears for Brazilian music! The album was actually recorded down in Rio – and features great contributions from Simone, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Silva, Toninho Horta, and Airto – all working beautifully under Duke's leadership, on cuts that include "Brazilian Love Affair", "Cravo E Canela", "Brazilian Sugar", "Sugarloaf Mountain", "Ao Que Vai Nascer", and "I Need You Now". CD features a single edit of "Brazilian Love Affair".

One of George Duke's best albums for the MPS label – and a set that has a sound that's a little bit more soul than before! The album uses a fair bit of vocals alongside Duke's funky keyboards – but in a way that's not nearly as smooth as some of his albums for Epic, and which still retains all the best spacey and cosmic bits of his roots! The record's got a strong west coast soul feel – with elements of some of the jazzy funk of the Fantasy Records/Bay Area scene, and elements of the electric funk that was starting to come out of LA at the time – and there's a huge host of guest stars on the record, including Johnny Guitar Watson (who sings on one track), Emil Richards (who plays marimba), and Flora Purim (who does her usual thing!) Titles include "Chariot", "Someday", "That's What She Said", "Sister Serene", "Prepare Yourself", "Rokkinrowl", and "Look Into Her Eyes".

A great little groover from keyboardist Charles Earland – and an album that definitely lives up to its title! There's plenty of street sounds going on here – lots of modern R&B modes that echo the changing styles of early 80s soul music, especially on the east coast! And as part of that, there's a good deal of vocals on the record, alongside Charles' keyboards – work by singers who include Larry Hancock, Bruce Gray, and Sheryl Kendrick – each of whom adds plenty to the record, working over jazzy grooves nicely scored by Earland. Titles include "Be My Lady", "Take Me Away", "Feels So Good To Me", "Burning Devotion", "Tell Me What It Is", and "Go All The Way". CD features a bonus track – "Be My Lady (7" mix)".