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A lost bit of southern soul from Sound Stage Seven – featuring sublime production by the great John Richbourg, and a sound that's simply out of this world! Sam Baker has a strong deep soul style – a bit like Otis Redding, filtered through the rougher edges of Syl Johnson – and this rare album of deep soul tracks is one of the few records of his fantastic work. Arrangements are by Dan Penn, Cliff Parman, and Aaron Varnell – and tracks include "It's All Over", "Sometimes You have To Cry", "That's All I Want From You", "I Believe In You", "Someone", "Just A Glance Away", and "Safe In The Arms Of Love".

A treasure trove of work from this overlooked southern soul singer – recordings that Sam Baker cut down in Nashville for the Sound Stage Seven label – all brought together here in one very comprehensive package! Sam's got a voice that's pitched slightly higher than some of his contemporaries, but with soul that goes equally deep – and the setting here is perfect for his phrasing, with nicely punctuated rhythms that give even the mellower cuts a nice kick up from the bottom! Baker's got a nicely sensitive approach at times – which really makes the set great – a nice mix of sophisticated styles that gets way past overdone southern soul modes. 22 tracks in all – including "What Did Sister Do", "You Can't See The Blood", "Just A Glance Away", "Safe In The Arms Of Love", "I Believe In You", "I'm Number One", "Sunny", "I Can't Stand It", "Coming To Bring You Some Soul", and "Strange Sensation".

Sound Stage Seven recordings from Lattimore Brown – a heck of a great southern soul singer from the 60s, but one who almost never gets his due in the history books! Lattimore's got a raspy quality to his voice that's very much in the Bobby Blue Bland camp – but the backings he gets on these singles are much more soul-based than Bobby's work – and groove with the best mix of southern and funky styles used during the classic Sound Stage Seven years! Brown's voice is fantastic all the way through – easily at a level that should have made his work rival that of the best on Stax or Atlantic at the time – and his lack of fame is probably only due to the smaller distribution received by the SSS label. CD features a great range of tracks – 21 titles in all – including material that originally appeared on the Sound Stage Seven, Seventy Seven, and Renegade labels – with very detailed notes on Brown and his music. Titles include "I Will", "Sweet Desire", "Yak A Poo", "Boo Ga Lou Sue", "Please Please Please", "Little Bag Of Tricks (parts 1 & 2)", "It's Such A Sad Sad World", "So Says My Heart", "Cruse On Fanny Cruise On", "Otis Is Gone (parts 1 & 2)", "Shake & Vibrate", "Nobody Has To Tell Me", and "I Know I'm Gonna Miss You".

A much-needed look at the short-lived Rich Records from Nashville – a pretty tiny label, but one that put out some mighty great music – thanks to the talents of producer John R Richbourg, who started the company before his later efforts at Sound Stage Seven! The feel here is kind of a precursor to the Sound Stage Seven mode – southern soul that's often heavy on bluesy overtones, not nearly as polished as Richbourg's later efforts – and presented in a rough-edged early soul style. Rich was noteworthy for giving an early chance to both Bobby Hebb and JJ Barnes – both of whom appear here alongside a handful of other great singers too. Titles include "Night Train To Memphis", "You Gotta Go", and "Atlanta GA" by Bobby Hebb; "Won't You Let Me Know" by JJ Barnes; "Hully Gully Twist", "Mistaken Prayer", and "Just A Little Bit" by Lattimore Brown; "You Can Make Me Do It" and "Faith In You" by Jimmy Church; "Soul Shack" by Jimmy Church & Rodge Martin; "Living The Blues" by Johnette; and "I Got That Feeling" by Cornell Blakely.

We're not sure where "uptown" is in the Nashville scene – but the location hardly matters, given the strength of the grooves on this set! The package brings forth a whole host of Music City soul gems we've never heard before – lots of work from the Ref O Ree and Tee Jay labels, some of which has the care and class to match the uptown soul sound that was coming from New York in the 60s, although overall, the set's got even more charm as a southern-styled soul collection! You can definitely hear echoes of other Tennessee soul of the time – bits of Sound Stage Seven and Stax – yet the work here also has its own flavor, too – and is a welcome rediscovery in a world of familiar reissues. Titles include "I Still Remember You" by Gene Allison, "Sugar (alt)" by Thomas Henry, "Sweet Way Of Living" by Peggy Gaines, "Clean With Your Dirty Work (alt)" by Rufus Hunter, "I Hear A Melody" by Spice Of Life, "I'd Like To Try It One More Time" by Larry Birdsong, "Let The Funk Get Next To You" by Eddie & Freddie, "You're Still The One" by Roscoe Shelton, "It Has To Be Love" by Freddie Waters, and "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" by Levert Allison.

Deep soul from Roscoe Robinson – a singer who hardly ever got his due, but who made some killer singles at the end of the 60s! Roscoe's got a style that's rooted in the south, but has funkier touches too – a blend that marks his time spent both in the south and up in Chicago – served up here in a batch of singles recorded for the Gerri and Sound Stage Seven record labels! There's a gritty edge to most of these tunes – not one that comes from rough production or uncareful recording, but from Roscoe's raspy, personal vocals – which are unlike any other singer of his time we can think of. Robinson's got a great way of avoiding cliches, and moving towards the unfamiliar – really surprising us with the turns he takes in the tunes, a good deal of which he penned himself. CD features 20 tracks in all – including "One Bo-Dillion Years", "Let Me Know", "Why Are You So Afraid", "That's Enough", "One More Time", "My Pride Won't Let Me", "I'm Burning & Yearning", "In Time You'll See", "Tis Yuletide", "Don't Forget The Soldiers", "Leave You In The Arms Of Another Man", and "Darling Please Tell Me".

Haunting western work from Francesco De Masi – a film score that mixes nice bits of electric guitar and bass in with the larger orchestrations! A number of tracks here also used some great harmonica, too – very much in the best Morricone-styled sound of the period, but warmed up in different directions by some of De Masi's string-based backdrops. The main theme – "Seven Men" – is a doozy – and other tracks include "The Pursuit", "To Durango", "The Massacre", "Stagecoach Attack", "The Night Attack", "Bandits", and "The Man Without A Home". Great Japanese pressing – with 26 tracks in all!