Cobblestone, 1972. Very Good+
Like Esther Phillips, during the early 70s, Ruth Brown moved away from the hard R&B vein, and cut a few nice albums in a more stripped-down jazzy style. This session features Ruth with Richard Tee on organ, David Spinoza on guitar, and Bernard Purdie on drums -- and it includes a number of
...
|
Polydor, 1979. Very Good
Gregg Diamond's fortunate enough to have some help again from Luther Vandross here -- whose lead vocals on the cuts "Crazy Lady Luck" and "Lay It On The Line" make them sparkle with a lot more soul than they might otherwise! The rest of the album's pretty decent, too -- and
...
|
Ghallab, 1980. Very Good
The kind of sweet jazzy mellow stuff that's always been big with the stepper's scene here in Chicago. Ghallab's a keyboardist and vocalist, and the stuff on here could be slotted into a tradition that includes Roy Ayers and Gene Harris, especially their mid-70s fusiony work. Titles include "L
...
|
Reprise, 1970. Very Good+
A mindblowing set from Little Richard -- a stunning comeback session from the start of the 70s -- recorded at Muscle Shoals with a heavy funk component in the mix! Richard arranged and produced the record himself -- and it's a beautiful illustration of his genius -- hardly dimmed at this point in
...
|
Capitol, 1985. Very Good+
An early 80s set from Melba Moore -- recorded at a time when she was really coming into her own! Read My Lips has Melba working nicely with some tight Capitol soul backings -- often a bit heavy on the beats, but in a way that guides the tunes strongly from the bottom, and lets Melba's vocals
...
|
Blue Thumb, 1973. Very Good+ Gatefold
Their first album, and the one that's got their big version of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" -- which starts with a nice break, too! Other tracks include "Sugar", "Pains & Tears", "Jasa", "River Boulevard", and "Cloudburst". The
...
|
Mercury, 1977. Near Mint-
A nice disco record from Hamilton Bohannon. The album mainly contains uptempo dance numbers but there are a few slower songs like "Daddy's Little Son" -- a dedication to his son whose picture is on the cover of the album. The other tracks are "Andrea", "But What Is A
...
|
Epic, 1976. Very Good
A killer album of crossover soul from the mid 70s -- one that dropped like a bomb when it hit, and gave this UK group a number of big hits in America! Keyboardist Rod Temperton wrote all the tracks on the album -- and he's got keen talent for both funky numbers and ballads. If soul stations
...
|
Motown, 1979. Very Good+
Billy Preston & Syreeta handled the music for this slightly-lame, kind of strange Gabe Kaplan vehicle from the late 70s. The music is relatively fine, although the album lacks any totally funky moments. Instrumentals include "Books & Basketball", "Half Time", "The
...
|
Buddah, 1974. Very Good
Rock-solid Buddah work from Gladys Knight & The Pips -- still pretty righteous on the vocal tip, but often a bit fuller and more polished than before! Knight shows a great talent for a mature ballad here -- no big hits, but that's part of the charm of the set -- as there's a personal, intimate
...
|
Spring, 1981. Very Good
Tight 80s grooving from Fatback -- kicking it large with the bass-heavy dancefloor sound they virtually invented! There's a really solid feel to the whole set -- as brother Bill Curtis and crew go for an uptempo style of funk that never sells out for cheap gimmicks, and which knows just when to
...
|
Volt, 1972. Very Good
Fantastic stuff! The Emotions may have been a sweet female soul trio from Chicago, but here, they're getting some extra heavy production from Ronnie Williams and David Porter -- who bring a darker side to their sound, coming up with heavy soul grooves that really open them up. The classic example
...
|
T Neck, 1969. Very Good
A stone classic from the Isleys -- the album that kicked off their successful T-Neck label, and established that mighty Isleys sound that would have such a huge influence in the 70s! The title cut of the set -- "It's Your Thing" -- is a well-known classic that really sets the tone for
...
|
Spring, 1973. Very Good
An excellent early album from Millie Jackson -- recorded in a southern soul style in New York and Muscle Shoals, but a lot hipper than most of the rest of the female soul that was coming out of the south at the time. For one thing, Millie was a bad mamma singer -- rapping hard and frankly about
...
|
Arista, 1985. Near Mint-
An 80s soul classic from Kashif -- the guy who really helped transform R&B at the time, all without the benefit of a last name! The album's completely arranged and produced by Kashif himself -- cementing the reputation he'd begun working behind other artists in the earlier part of the decade
...
|
Gold Mind, 1976. Very Good
A turning point for Loleatta Holloway -- as she makes the move from dreamy southern soul diva to club queen of the late 70s! Norman Harris is producing, and the record has a soaring Philly disco sound that proves to be just as great for Loleatta's soulful vocals as the stripped-down southern modes
...
|
Columbia, 1976. Very Good
Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around
...
|
Epic, 1984. Very Good
A stunning solo effort -- Teena's second on Epic, and proof that she could still put out the goods on her own. Teena wrote, arranged, and produced the whole thing -- and tracks include "Light", "Jammin", "Out On A Limb", "Alibi", "Youngblood",
...
|
Atlantic, 1979. Very Good
Uptempo club material by one of the lesser-known dancefloor divas of the 70s. The record has a strong soulful feel, and some great jazzy arrangements by Don Sebesky and Richard Tee -- played by players who make the set a bit hipper than you might expect! With the funky uptempo bells in "Shoot
...
|
Tamla, 1976. Very Good+
Eddie's sweet clubby soul is produced by the master, Norman Harris -- and the result is one of Eddie's best crossover albums of the 70s. The groove is pure Philly, with the usual crack team in the studio -- Vince Montana, Bobby Eli, Ron Baker, and Harris himself. Includes "Born Again",
...
|
|