Soul -- Recently Added -- LP  

Obscure Ohio vocal group that was made up of a bunch of youngsters -- like The Sylvers, The Jacksons, or Jimmy Briscoe and The Beavers. The record was recorded for Horoscope, distributed by All Platinum, and the feel of the record is close to that classic New Jersey soul sound of the early 70's. ...

One of the records that first put Al on the map -- a smooth soul set that really revised male soul standards from the 80s by shedding some of the coldness of the quiet storm generation, and going for a bit of the deeper vibe from years before! Instrumentation and production still have a bit of a ...

A different sort of sound for Booker T -- working here not with the MGs, but with backing from the Drive By Truckers, and a fair bit of guitar from Neil Young! The album's still heavy on the sorts of organ lines we love in Booker's work stretching back to the early 60s years at Stax Records -- but ...

Mad funk from one of the heaviest cats on the early 70s Detroit scene -- guitar legend Dennis Coffey, finally given his due in a long-overdue collection of his best grooves for Sussex Records! Coffey's guitar has a sound that's been sampled countless times over the past 20 years -- a raspy way of ...

The never-before released full album from keyboardist Manzel Bush -- the legendary 70s funk figure well-remembered for his classic break tracks! As a whole, the album's a masterpiece of spacey keyboards and funky drums -- funkier than just about any other record we can think of from the late 70s! ...

One the all time great funky albums of the 70s -- a mad little record with a sense of rhythm and timing that was years ahead of its time! The Soul Searchers (along with Chuck Brown) later became known for their heavy-hitting Go Go work at the end of the decade -- but here, they're a really free-thi ...

The first album in many many years from Black Merda -- the heavy funk combo who first blew our minds with their classic work for Chess Records, still sounding great all these many years later! The newly-revived Black Merda has a groove that's even leaner than before -- tight drums, brooding bass, ...

An excellent collection of work from Spanish combo Barrabas -- and one that really has a focus on the group's most groove-heavy tracks! Barrabas were as much of a rock group as a funk combo -- but their more soulful sides managed to cross over big here in the US in the early 70s -- and a good ...

A great batch of bass-heavy funk -- sweet 80s grooving from one of Salsoul's best groups of the time! Steve Washington plays bass, arranges, produces, and heads up the conceptual side of things -- and the group's a good mix of young players, with alternating male and female vocals throughout the ...

An obscure groover from Pleasure -- recorded after their years at Fantasy Records, with a smooth modern soul sound that's kind of similar to Keni Burke's work at the time for RCA. There's less jazz funk than before, but the group's actually better at the soul songs -- and the album works great as ...

An amazing blend of raspy vocals, rumbling backings, and hip late 60s Motown soul -- proof that Gladys Knight's move to the label was one of the smartest of her career! Thanks to top-shelf production here from Norman Whitfield, Gladys gets a newer sound that's ultra-hip -- a bit deeper soul at ...

Their classic, with the great long version of "Float On", which is a monster soul cut that stands tall with steppers and rappers alike. It's probably the best track they ever did, and it's all here in a version that's nearly 12 minutes long -- with loads of samples that you'll recognize ...

Thelma's one of those singers who must have been waiting years for disco to come around and help her find a reason to sing! Her career was slightly ill-timed in the beginning, coming along with a baroque soul beginning that was great, yet somewhat out of place in the early 70s. But enter a record ...

A wonderful 70s live album from Marvin Gaye -- a set that was as expansive, ambitious, and sophisticated as his studio work from the time! The album's put together almost like a 3-sided portrait of Marvin -- in that it begins with a long section of current work, moves into a "fossil ...

There's no doubt that we prefer the earlier Kinsman Dazz material to the later more commercial output of the Dazz Band, and honestly we even have to admit that "Let It Whip" is a guilty pleasure for us, but it's a pleasure nonetheless, and with more and more distance between us and when ...

One of the greatest albums ever from Booker T & The MGs -- and very different than their early work! The record has Book & Co taking off with a stretched-out jazzy sound -- carving expanded grooves that are filled with sweet organ solos, choppy guitar riffs, and some incredibly tight ...

Ahhhhh . . . By this point, George Clinton and the P-Funk team were on top of the world! The record is a masterful dose of slick mothership jamming -- perfectly woven together with that tightly compressed style that really served Clinton's production work well. The tracks are long, but never too ...

Marvin Gaye's last album for Motown -- and a wonderful cap to a great run of sexy soul for the 70s -- filled with great mellow grooves that rival the genius of his earlier work in the decade! There's a glowing, slow-burning feel to some of the best numbers here -- a vibe that's right out of the I ...

Isaac Hayes' first album as a solo act -- and a much more stripped down record than his later baroque symphonic sides! Ike's working here in trio mode -- playing piano and singing, alongside bass from Donald Duck Dunn and drums from the great Al Jackson -- who brings in a warmly rhythmic approach, ...

Man, it must have been something to hear this record blasting out of a boombox back in the old days -- especially if it was the magenta-hued one on the cover! The groove here is strong and loud -- plenty of bass and beats at the bottom, and even a few surprising early electro touches that really ...

Blam is right -- an all-out batch of funky tracks from The Brothers Johnson -- captured here right in the middle of their classic period with Quincy Jones! The Q's at the helm on production for the set, and the record's a great extension of their earlier efforts with the man -- but a bit more ...

The first Raydio set from guitarist Ray Parker -- an artist who'd worked on countless session gigs by the time of this album, which gave him more than enough chops to get things right from the start! The sound is tight and definitely aimed at the charts, by Ray also brings his own sort of groove ...

Clearly riding on the success of the Memphis Horns' LPs of the mid 70s -- but not a bad bunch of funky tracks! The famous horn section from Muscle Shoals takes the helm -- or is at least taken to the helm by Barry Beckett, who played keyboards, produced, and arranged the LP. The tracks have a ...

One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips -- an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before -- served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis -- fresh from his work with James Brown, but ...

Lamont's first album for Warner Brothers, and a pretty darn strong effort -- with most of the best elements of his ABC albums firmly intact! Arrangements are still by Lamont and McKinley Jackson -- and the album's got a sweet mix of mid and uptempo grooves, all done in that strong confident style ...

Seminal 80s groove material from Gwen Guthrie -- one of the few singers to take the underground sound of early 80s New York so fully into the mainstream. Gwen's strong vocals work perfectly with the arrangements -- which have a tightly produced electric sound that could overcome weaker singers, ...

Aretha Arrives in great style -- and a mixture between her earlier vocal jazz years at Columbia, and her later southern soul sides of the 60s! Arif Mardin is already arranging Aretha's work at this point, and the backing group includes southern soul studio giants like Spooner Oldham, Tommy Cogbill ...

A classic early 60s set from James Brown -- one that showcases the mellower side of his talents on a host of easygoing ballads! The approach is a bit like that used with Etta James over at Chess -- as James rough-edged vocals are mixed with sweeter string arrangements from Sammy Lowe and Gene Redd ...

Proof that the Four Tops on ABC was always a good thing -- and an overlooked gem that shows the group still working at a higher level than most of their 70s soul contemporaries! The sound here has definitely moved away from the Motown years -- into a smoother, sweeter CA groove -- with great ...

An archetypal album by Roy -- and one that really shows him at the turning point of his sound! Gone are the trippier jazz funk moments of earlier albums -- and in their place are some tight grooves and wonderfully spacey soul. Roy hits the dancefloor with one of his first up-tempo funk numbers ...

A great little album by The Godfather -- one that takes the core James Brown sound of the "Sex Machine" generation, and serves it up with a tighter mid 70s twist! Fred Wesley is still very firmly at the helm of the band -- and there's a power here that's equal to the later JBs work on ...

Despite the name, and a concept that makes it seem like the record might be some throwaway disco set -- the album's actually a good one, very much in the mode of the best uptempo soul on ABC at the time, but done without a vocalist. The album's arranged and conducted by McKinley Jackson, who was ...

A so-so comeback album from the mid 80s -- most noteworthy for the track "Ike's Rap VII", which is a weird monologue in which Ike comes to terms with his lady about her use of crack cocaine! As Ike says, "You become a resident of CRACK CITY, and the price of occupancy is way too ...

A bit of a change for Allen Toussaint -- the kind of an album that makes good use of all the connections he was making during the early 70s, when he was becoming the darling of the Warner Brothers scene in LA. Overall, Allen's getting pretty smooth by this point -- so smooth that even some rootsy ...

One of the high points of Larry Graham's career -- a hard-jamming set of guitar-based funk that forever put Graham Central Station on the map! There's a virtuosity to the record that's really stunning -- bass, guitar, and drums all dropping into place magically alongside one another -- while ...

Smoking stuff -- and a tasty album of organ instrumentals that has James on the Hammond, and Pee Wee Ellis leading the band behind him. The record's got a lot of cuts that are longer than the usual James Brown instrumentals from the time -- which means more solo work, more interesting grooves, and ...

A key early classic from Slave -- as the set features the group's first work with drummer Steve Arrington, who not only opened up their rhythmic concept, but also gave them a great new sound on lead vocals! Arrington's approach here is very much in the spirit of Slave's first 2 records -- a lean, ...

A dozen great tracks from funky Latin soul grooves from LA -- most of which forever transformed the sound of funk! All your favorites are here, with 12 tracks in all, including "Slippin Into Darkness", "Cisco Kid", "City Country City", "All Day Music", " ...

A big one for Billy Ocean -- a set that's got some catchy beats on the bottom and plenty of sweetly crafted vocals over the top! The style's smooth, but never too much so -- thanks to a nicely percolated sense of rhythm on most of the numbers -- and in a way, the record represents a nice ...

A classic 1979 album from Phyllis Hyman! Hyman was one of the few female singers who started in the pre-disco years and managed to move through the disco years with a good groove -- but never get totally swamped by the production styles of the day. She stuck close to her roots as a jazzy soul ...

Hard to go wrong with Al Green at this point -- 1973, when the mighty one was at the height of his secular soul powers -- and when the sweetly compressed production style of Willie Mitchell just couldn't miss! There's a homey, earthy feel to the record that's really great -- a sound that kicks ...

Sort of a comeback album for The Mad Lads, and one that has their southern vocal group style hitting a style of production that's a bit more way out than that on some of their 60's recordings. The album's a nice one -- with these arrangements by Dale Warren that are a bit mad, as you could ...

A clear follow-up to "The Hustle" (not on this album), with a number of tracks that come close to the genius of that track, but never quite manage it altogether. Van's on lead vocals, and the record's got some good keyboard work by Paul Griffin, Richard Tee, and Leon Pendarvis. Includes ...

Very high concept work from Stevie Wonder! The record is, in fact, about the "secret life of plants" -- partially used as a soundtrack for a film of the same name, but also acting as kind of a storybook in itself! Stevie's exploring a wide range of plant life and plant themes on the set ...

Think what you want -- we think this is a damn great soul album! Sure, the record was a crossover classic that got played to death back in the 80s -- but give it a listen now, and you'll be stunned to hear how fresh it sounds, and how much it reminds you of all the British soul acts that sprung up ...

A late 70s family group soul effort -- clearly cut in the style of the successful Sylvers, and following a similar blend of uptempo modes designed to help the sweet soul family approach move into the crossover dancefloor. The group's got 10 members (man, where did their parents ever find the time ...

Early work from Gwen Guthrie -- produced by Sly & Robbie, but with a sweet modern soul sound that's got a lot less of their influence than you'd guess! The sound is much more New York than Jamaica -- and that's probably due to some great instrumental backing on keyboards by the likes of Harry ...

A definite Tasty Jam from Fatback -- a set that bumps along wonderfully with lots of the bassy bottom grooves that made the combo so great! The style here's tightened up from the past, but still plenty great -- almost a reinvention of the group's 70s funk for the old school scene -- with a groove ...

An early 80s classic from Richard Dimples Fields -- one of the most unique talents in soul music of his generation -- with an appeal that's both down home, and smoothly sophisticated at the time! In a way, Fields' music represents many changes his audience was going through at the time -- classing ...

A stone classic from Alicia Myers -- one of her classic sets recorded during the MCA years of the mighty One Way empire! By this point in the 80s, Myers was just about the only part of Al Hudson's One Way collective that was still running strong -- and this album of smooth modern soul tracks shows ...