A really great project from Tito Puente – maybe not his only collaboration with Celia Cruz, but maybe one of the best – a top-to-bottom album of unified vision, topped with sublime vocals from the legendary lady! The set was arranged and produced by Tito – and brings together tunes that are maybe a bit rootsier than some of his other work – that return to tradition that Puente was clamoring for as the 70s began, as a way of shaking off what he felt were the worse influences of the Latin Soul youngsters (not something we agree with ourselves!) The vibe of the album is quite different than its 1970 date – more like something from pre-Castro Havana at times, but with an updated, more sophisticated sense of arrangements and percussion. Titles include "Guiro 6/8", "Chango", "Alguien Vendra", "Cuyi", "Sahara", "Elegua", and "Salsa De Tomate". LP, Vinyl record album

That's quite an image on the cover, and Curly Castro follows through strongly with all the Afro-Futurist expectations it might trigger – not just in his words, but in the way the album comes together – as some sort of a moody, unified document – powerful words in the frontline, but all this sort of darkly shimmering static at the back! The intensity of the record never lets up, and contributions from Billy Woods, Mr Lif, Margel The Sophant, and Breeze Brewin only seem to add fuel to the fire – on tracks that include "Kill Her Priest", "Freehuey Fitteds", "Killmonger Was Right", "Khujo Taught Me", "Bleek Shadows", "F Stands For Hampton", "Black August", "Weapon 13X", and "Raynathan & Romello". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea". 2CD version features a bonus disc with the track "Teo", a live version of "Concierto De Aranjuez", and 9 more alternates of tracks from the album – all packaged beautifully, with great notes, and a bonus PDF digital booklet with unpublished documents from the sessions! CD

A beautiful collaboration between Miles Davis and the great Gil Evans – and perhaps the most perfectly realized of all their projects! The album's got a wonderfully unified feel – as it begins with long compositions that have a distinct Spanish-tinge (and not a Latin-tinge, which is an important distinction to the way the album progresses.) Evans' arrangements have a majesty that takes the songs to the next level – working them as lush, lively backings for Davis' equally majestic trumpet solos, some of the finest he ever recorded with large group backing. Wonderful all the way through – and with the tracks "Concierto De Aranjuez", "Saeta", "The Pan Piper", and "Solea". CD

The Ebonys sing about life, and a host of other groovy topics too – in this lost soul treasure from the 70s! The set is one of only two albums ever cut by The Ebonys – a consistently great group from the 70s, as is testified by their constant popularity in our racks! The quartet has a 3 man/1 woman harmony sound that's very hip – often applied to righteous themes worked out in a heavy soul mode, and which sounds just as great on the ballads as it does dancefloor numbers. This second album's got an even sharper edge than their debut – thanks to production and arrangements from Tony Camillo – who gives the album some great undercurrents of funk, and a slightly righteous style that reminds us of some of Norman Whitfield's best studio work of the time. Vocals are wonderful – with really great harmonies that balance out beautifully – in ways that are much more unified than other girl/guy soul groups. Titles include "Neighborhood Gossip", "Mr Me, Mrs You", "One Thing On My Mind", "Sing About Life", and "A Love of Your Own". CD

The name, and the title, give the whole game away – as Eliane performs a set of older Brazilian tunes, all in that wonderful light-hearted style of hers! About half the tracks feature Eliane on vocals, the rest just piano – working with players that include Eddie Gomez, Jack DeJohnette, Marc Johnson, Oscar Castro-Neves, and Nana Vasconcelos. The overall style is a bit bossa, a bit MPB – but overall, mostly jazz-based – as Eliane uses older standards like "Chega De Saudade", "Passarim", "Waters Of March", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Cravo E Canela" to work out some warm and jazzy stylings. The tracks are collected from older albums, but come together very nicely as a unified set! CD

Three slices of rare work by Duke Ellington – all recorded previously as semi-private recordings, and issued here in a short-lived 70s set! As you'd guess by the title, the tracks are all in "suite" form – that broader compositional style that dominated Ellington's later work, one in which he brought together complicated ideas with a very unified feel – often based around a single theme, but fleshed out beautifully with modes that were even more sophisticated than in his earlier work. Side one features "The Queen's Suite", recorded in 1959 with mostly full orchestra, but also a spare passage of just piano and bass – and side two features "The Goutelas Suite" from 1971, and "The Uwis Suite" from 1972. CD

Killer early work by the Fania All Stars – caught live at the legendary Cheetah club, which was the heart of the New York salsa scene at the start of the 70s! The album is easily one of the best by the group – and features long tracks that really capture the jamming intensity that occurred on stage when this many great artists were brought together in one space – kind of the "next step" for the older descarga mode put fort at the start of the 60s, pushed forward into the prouder, more unified Latin scene of the 70s! All Stars on this date include Ray Barretto, Larry Harlow, Bobby Valentin, Willie Colon, Johnny Pacheco, and others – and titles on this second volume include "Ponte Duro", "Estrellas De Fania", and "Ahora Vengo Yo". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning batch of tracks from a very unusual LA group of the early 70s – a funk combo at the core, but one that was also equally comfortable with bits of psych and redneck rock as well! The music here was all recorded within a short span of years, and mostly issued on the small Alpha label as a handful of funky 45s – but the style is surprisingly spacious, and shows a strong sense of musicianship from the members of the group – so much so that they seem equally comfortable and right on top of their game, no matter what direction they choose to take! And don't think that this multi-style description means that these guys are too all over the map, because there's a really unified sense of soul that holds the whole thing together – so that when they get a bit rootsy, the result is country soul – or when they get a bit trippy, they hit some Funkadelic-styled sounds. The collection includes great notes on the setting that produced these tracks – penned by Egon, who put the set together with help from Malcolm Catto, DJ Shadow, and others. Titles include "Don't Let Him Take Away Your Mind", "Strange Things", "Heaven & Earth", "Take Time", "We Got Love", "Waterloo At Watergate", "Why Don't You Trust In Me", "Cruising Central Ave", "The Dead Don't Die Alive", and "You're My Precious Someone". LP, Vinyl record album

A relatively short album, at least in terms of hip hop records that can span multiple discs and dozens of tracks – but that also marks the sharp focus that's made Freddie Gibbs such a powerful force in the music – an MC who gets right to the point, and never needs to hide his ideas behind intros and skits! Production here is by a variety of talents – Badbadnotgood, Teddy Walton, Speakerbomb, and others – shifting from track to track, in a nicely varied way – all unified through the subtle majesty of Gibbs! Titles include "Phone Lit", "Homesick", "Alexys", "Amnesia", "Dear Maria", "Crushed Glass", and "20 Karat Jesus". LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to stop the Blastfighter when he's got music like this to back him up – an assortment of sounds served up by Fabio Frizzi – in a style that uses some of the instrumentation of his better-known horror work, but in a very different way! The buzzword here is "action" – and the best cuts have a throbbing rhythm driven by drum machines, and washes of 80s keyboards over the top – then guitars, basslines, and whatever touches are needed to move things forward – with an occasional rest on a cut that's a bit more mellow, but never sleepy at all! If you dig 80s action scores, you'll find plenty to love here – and there's a lean, compact vibe that gives the whole record a very unified feel. CD

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his previous record. The record shows a sexy side of Marvin that would stun fans of his 60s work – very adult, very warm, and very preoccupied with desire and love. In a way, this sort of full-on love fest was a big payoff for all the folks who'd hung onto his simpler expressions of affection in the earlier years – sort of like getting let into the bedroom after spending years on the front porch! The record was produced by both Marvin and Ed Townsend – and the arrangements by David Van DePitte, Rene Hall, and Gene Page are smooth and seductive all the way through. Includes slow jam classics like "You Sure Love To Ball", "Distant Lover", and "Let's Get It On" – plus "Come Get To This", "Just to Keep You Satisfied", and "If I Should Die Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

Cosmic jazzy goodness from a hip French group – one who are awash in keyboards throughout, while changing up their rhythms nicely! There's no set groove to the record, but the set's also not scattered either – as the whole thing almost feels like a rhythmic evolution through space, unified through the mix of keyboards from Victor Dijoud over grooves from Leo Puccio – with strong guest contributions on flute, saxes, guitar, and Fender Rhodes from other French musicians! All tracks are instrumental, which furthers the future fusion sound – and titles include "Shyance", "Yubaba", "No I Can't Be Free", "Can You Plug My SM58 Tonight", "Crush", and "La Couenne Rance". LP, Vinyl record album

Few people could make a session cook like Johnny Griffin in his early years – and this late 50s sextet date is great proof of that fact! The album's a relaxed, open, almost unstructured set that might be dubbed a "blowing session", were it not for the tightness of the players and the relatively unified feel of the date. Griffin's tenor is very firmly in the lead, and he's very clearly the leader here – helping shape the sound of the group that includes Donald Byrd on trumpet, Pepper Adams on baritone, Kenny Drew on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. There's some really hard-wailing extended numbers that come across as full-on hardbop workouts – really driving things along as you might guess with a rhythm section like that in action – but other tunes show some more fully-fleshed sounds from the group – that slight undercurrent of modern expression that was always present in Griff's music. Titles include "Johnny GG", "Catharsis", "Stix Trix", and "What's New" – plus a take on "Woody N You" that just has Griffin wailing along with the rhythm section! CD

There's plenty of drums and percussion on this sweet set of funky instrumentals – played both by Dan Hastie and Terin Ector, who also each handle bass, guitar, and keyboards too – an approach that makes for a very tight, wonderfully unified vibe on the set! The only other instrumentation is a bit of light strings added by Thomas Lea – who uses those elements in a great way, just to touch up the funky energy at the core – maybe inflecting things with a slight cinematic vibe, but never in a way that's overwhelming or too rich at all. The whole thing's nice and funky, yet also has a standout vibe from others in this Madlib sound library series – with titles that include "Mirage", "Timeless Tales", "Dorado", "Deep Waters", "Telescopics", "Better Days", "Blue Shade", "Vision", "When I Go", and "Streetwise". LP, Vinyl record album

A key outing from drummer Roy Haynes – a classic trio session that has a lot more energy than the usual set from the time – thanks to equal participation from Paul Chambers on bass and Phineas Newborn on piano! The unified approach hinted at in the title certainly comes through in the grooves – as Chambers bass works way more than rhythm here – and Haynes' drumming is lightly melodic on the best numbers, allowing Newborn to almost handle more of the pace of the tunes himself. Tracks are longish, and titles include "Reflection", "Sugar Ray", "Solitaire" and "Sneakin Around". CD

A key outing from drummer Roy Haynes – a classic trio session that has a lot more energy than the usual set from the time – thanks to equal participation from Paul Chambers on bass and Phineas Newborn on piano! The unified approach hinted at in the title certainly comes through in the grooves – as Chambers bass works way more than rhythm here – and Haynes' drumming is lightly melodic on the best numbers, allowing Newborn to almost handle more of the pace of the tunes himself. Tracks are longish, and titles include "Reflection", "Sugar Ray", "Solitaire", "Our Delight", and "Sneakin Around". CD

Post-Labelle solo work from Nona Hendryx – and a set that very much shows that she's the one who brought all the raw funky power to the group! Unlike Patti Labelle's work from the same time, which was getting smoother and classier, Nona's work here is almost in the vein of rock music – working the lead guitar hard in a style that's a bit Betty Davis, but more crossover too – in ways that helped Hendryx gain a huge audience for her groove in the 70s! The core group is super-tight, and also helps Nona with all the arrangements too – a nicely unified set that includes a version of Russ Ballard's "Winning", plus "Everybody Wants To Be Somebody", "Once Again", "Problem", "Will You Be There?", "Leaving Here Today", and "Take A Chance". LP, Vinyl record album

Homeboy Sandman is sounding very much at the top of his game here – on a record that almost seems to have two sorts of flavors, but both nicely unified by the work of producer Aesop Rock! The lyrics spin out with the kind of effortlessness that Sandman's always given us – charged up especially strongly at a few key spots, and with guest work from Aesop on the cuts "Lice Team Baby" and "Sheesh" – alongside other tracks that include "FYI", "Cow's Milk", "West Coast", "Go Hard", "No Beef", and "Lovin It". Record features two more tracks than the digital release – and LP also features instrumentals for all eight tracks too! LP, Vinyl record album

Really wonderful work from the young Michael Hurley – one of his first records to get somewhat wide exposure, thanks to the help of Jesse Colin Young, who signed Hurley up to his Raccoon label at Warner Brothers! The vibe here is right up there with some of the best offbeat acoustic work cut during that stretch at the label – not the same in sound, but not far in spirit from unique records by Steve Young, John Hartford, and others – not to mention the cooler currents from Jesse's scene too! Hurley's vocal style changes nicely to fit the mood of each tune, really bringing the most out of the sorts of lyrics that were his special stock in trade – while the guitar playing is nicely unified, and although spare, really does a great job of holding the album together. Titles include "Blue Driver", "Water Train", "The Sun Is Slowly Sinking", "I'm Worried I'm Worried", "In Florida", "Lilly Pads Upon The Pond", and "Trinidad". CD

The album may not have been much of a Money Maker for Studio One Records – given that it's one of the rarest in their catalog – but it stands as a key illustration of the label's genius, and just how far away they were from most of their contemporaries! The set's a bit of a split effort in the studio – mostly tracks credited to the duo of Im & David, who are Cedric Im Brooks and David Madden – plus a few others handled by keyboardist Jackie Mittoo, and a few by others thrown in for good measure! Yet as on most indie reggae efforts of the time, there's a very unified vibe to the whole thing – especially as the album's a mostly instrumental outing, and most likely features the same players working together on different tracks – contributions from Sound Dimension, Soul Vendors, and Soul Brothers – plus some sweet guitar from Ernest Ranglin. Titles include "Money Maker", "Black Is Black", "Soul Brother", "Soul Walk", and "Candid Eye" by Im & David; "Stormy Night", "Mixing", and "Feel It" by Jackie Mittoo; "Black Man's Train" by Lloyd Williams; and "Great Gu Gu Mu Ga" by The Boss. CD

A soundtrack project from tenorist Javon Jackson, and one that may well be our favorite album from him in years – as it really lets Javon explore all these different sounds, shapes, and styles – while still working with a small combo that makes for a very unified vibe on the entire record! The set mixes a few non-soundtrack titles with the shorter numbers from the film, really expanding the palette – and overall, things have this soulful, swinging quality that almost reminds us of the spirit of some of the soundtrack material by Bill Lee from many years back – equally evocative, lyrical, and well-performed – by a quintet that features Gregg Glassman on trumpet, Jeremy Mansaia on piano, David Williams on bass, and either Charles Gold or McClenty Hunter on drums. Titles include "The Game", "Brother G", "Never Let Me Go", "In The Studio", "CB", "D Town", "In The Clouds", "On The Move", and "Amy's Theme". CD

A stunning record from the duo of George Jones and Tammy Wynette – a set that could be easily written off as a reflection of their shaky relationship – yet instead the kind of material that has the pair continuing to plumb emotive and vocal depths that few other country singers could ever hope to touch! The album works wonderfully as a unified whole – a testament to the strengths and struggles of human relationships, delivered by two singers who had plenty of life under their belts by the time of the session – and who still know how to come together on their vocals in a way that's unlike anyone else before, then, or since. Titles include "Golden Ring", "Keep The Change", "Near You", "Even The Bad Times Are Good", "Did You Ever", "Tattletale Eyes", "Cryin Time", and "If You Don't Somebody Else Will". CD

Beautiful ballads from Dutch singer Greetje Kauffeld – a host of rare recordings from the 60s, 70s, and 80s – all pulled together in one nicely unified set! Kauffeld sings in English throughout, with a lush style that's very much on par with the most mature American vocalists of the time – a mode that's a great later extension of older jazz torch modes – but with a refined, sophisticated style that's pretty darn compelling! Arrangements are by Rob Pronk, Jerry Van Rooyen, Addy Flor, and Rogier Van Otterloo – but tunes work together with a very similar feel – almost making the whole thing sound more like a well-conceived album than just a compilation. Titles include "Vincent", "Andorinha", "Spring Is Here", "You Must Believe In Spring", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Dear Death", "Miss Otis Regrets", and a haunting wordless version of "The Way We Were". CD

Never-heard music from guitarist Calvin Keys – recorded in a number of different settings over the past decade or two, and issued here together to make for one of his most satisfying records in years! While we've liked the Wide Hive material Keys has recorded during his comeback, we're even more stunned by these tracks – as they've got an even more solid jazz basis overall – as Calvin plays in modes that run from group performances with varied artists who include pianist Elmer Gibson, tenorist Dawan Muhammad, and flute player Art Maxwell – to one solo number that shows an especially beautiful side of Key's music! The whole thing's put together wonderfully – not a scattered batch of tracks, but a record with a surprisingly unified feel – in the manner of the other excellent work we love on this label – and titles include "Emily", "The Last One To Be Loved", "Seems To Be", "Dolphin Dance"," Blues For Ahmed", and "Satchmo's Song". CD

Tenorist Eero Koivistoinen first rose to fame with a handful of groundbreaking records in the 70s – but in more recent years, he's reemerged with maybe an even sharper sound and bolder sense of his talents! The music here feels like that of a young artist spreading his wings and on fire with new ideas – brilliantly fresh tenor lines from the leader, but tied to a unified group sound that's every bit as great – work from Alexi Tuomarila on piano, Jorhi Huhtala on bass, and Jussi Lehtonen on drums – all lesser-known players from the Finnish scene, but who really follow the visionary lead of Koisivistoinen as he moves between equal moments of darkness and light! Titles include "Stammer", "Played Twice", "Casa De Ferro", "Kelo", "Body Language", "Hokum", and "Diversity". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking record from Kraftwerk – a set that unified the 70s worlds of analogue electronics and prog rock – yet somehow managed to set the scene for a whole new sound to come! The album's a treasure all the way through – slow-building, and with beautiful bubbling moments that have these surprisingly simple hooks – heard to best effect in the album's classic title cut "Autobahn" – but echoed nicely through the album's other longer tracks too – "Kometenmelodie 1 &2", "Mitternacht", and "Morgenspaziergang". LP, Vinyl record album

The cut builds with a nice snapping groove for quite awhile before the female vocals come into the mix – then really soars with some great interplay between the two singers in a really great way – with a style that often has a slight touch of processing that makes for a spacey edge! "Everybody's Problem" has more great basslines, and maybe a more unified approach when the voices come together – and strong leads that serve up a nicely dated take on issues of the time! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Beautifully introspective work from reedman Emil Mangelsdorff – material that's very different than the sounds he was bringing to the German jazz scene in his youth, and which showcase the mature command he developed over his instruments during the passage of time! The record features material recorded almost a decade apart, but still with a nicely unified vibe – four later tracks that have Mangelsdorff soloing in these tracks that really demonstrate his growing sense of tone – balanced with earlier material that features some slightly different smaller groupings – three trio numbers with Jo Flinner on piano and Gerhard Bitter on bass, and four more with the great Attila Zoller on guitar. Mangelsdorff blows soprano, alto, and flute – and titles include "Phrygian Summer", "Corrina", "Joanne", "After The Snow", "Mezzanine Floor", "Stiner", "Ember", and "Songe Ma Belle". CD

A great little record, and one that might be thought of best as a "Herbie Mann Plus" record – rather than a duet between the artists on the cover! Half the set features the American release of some great Joao Gilberto material from the early years in Brazil, with arrangements from Antonio Carlos Jobim – and the other half features excellent alto and flute solos from Mann, set to some sweet bossa backings by Jobim – with some additional guitar from a young Baden Powell! Given the Jobim arrangements on both sets of material, there's a great unified feel to the whole thing – and Herbie cuts include "Amor Em Paz", "Insensatez", "Consolacao", "Deve Ser Amor", and "One Note Samba" – which has a vocal by Jobim. Gilberto cuts include "Rosa Morena", "Samba Da Minha Terra", "Bim Bom", and "Desafinado". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album by Curtis Mayfield – filled with some excellent lesser-known gems! There's No Place Like America was Curtis' scathing testament to the State Of The Union – and it's got a hip political tone that's right up there with the best of his early 70s songwriting – perhaps even more so, as the message is a bit subtler than on other albums, and laid out in this stoner mellow funk vein that's very tasty throughout, and which makes for an extremely unified album! The album includes a version of the cut "Hard Times", which was done earlier by Baby Huey, plus "Blue Monday People", "Love To The People", and "When Seasons Change". Also includes the great sweet love song, "So In Love"! LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost gem from Motown – and a whole lot more! Greetings! We're The Monitors is the only full album ever cut by The Monitors – a 3-man, 1-woman vocal group who were in a popular Motown mixed harmonies mode. The quartet had a wonderfully strong vocal presence – blasting away at most tracks with a strength that groups like The Miracles or Gladys Knight & The Pips could never match – and like those groups, they bridge that key period between late doo wop-oriented harmonies, and tighter 60s group soul. The LP brings together singles the Monitors cut for Motown during the previous few years, but it also works extremely well as a unified album – and it's a refreshing change from some of the oft-heard Motown material. Titles include "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)", "Number One In Your Heart", "Bring Back The Love", "Step By Step (Hand In Hand)", and "Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music". This incredible anthologogy from Kent starts off with that album and includes 12 unissued tracks – a whole album's worth – plus 2 B-Sides. Unissued tracks include "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" , "The Letter", "Poor Side Of Town", "Anything", "Guilty" and more. 26 tracks in all! CD

Key early trio material from Thelonious Monk – a record that features seminal recordings of important compositions, all done in sharply angular versions that showcase the best modern Monk touch on piano! As with a number of early Prestige LPs, the material here is pulled from 2 different sessions that were originally issued as smaller records – but there's a deeply unified sound to the record, and the raw early Monk sound is undeniably great! The trios here feature either Gary Mapp or Percy Heath on bass, and Art Blakey or Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Monk's Dream", "Little Rootie Tootie", "Bemsha Swing", "Trinkle Trinkle", "Blue Monk", "Just A Gigolo", and "Bye-Ya". CD

A classic set of 70s crossover deep soul – recorded in the mode of similar work by Betty Wright or Laura Lee, and done with a similar mix of raw southern vocals and tighter production! About half the work was handled by the team of Dave Crawford and Brad Shapiro – working in the Criteria Studios in Miami to give Jackie a sound that's similar to Shapiro's work with Millie Jackson. The other half was produced in Philly, by the Young Professionals team of LeBaron Taylor, Tony Bell, and Phil Hurt – who give Jackie a warm, gliding, sweet 70s Philly groove! And although you might think that this Philly/Miami split would make for a mixed bag of tunes, the album's surprisingly unified – and in a way, does plenty to link together the growing dancefloor scenes in both cities. Titles include "Willpower", "Both Ends Against The Middle", "Time", "Something In A Look", "Clean Up Your Own Yard", "If", and "Darling Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Joshua Moshe soars out of the gate on this wonderful record – equally great on saxes and keyboards, and working in a style that has him as a solo leader, opening the door to guests on each new track! The approach might be jagged in the hands of another, but there's a very unified vibe here – as Joshua blows alto, tenor, soprano, and bass clarinet – playing keyboards and piano too – while others bring in Fender Rhodes, flute, trumpet, bass, and percussion – all with a very fluid vibe! There's lots of Fender Rhodes in the mix – different players, with some different solo styles on some cuts, which increases the vibe of the record – and one tune, "Yehuda", has guest vocals. Other titles include "Levels", "Tree House", "Shemesh", "The Healer", "Spin Cycle", and "Inner Search". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that wasn't much of a success when released, yet one that really helped define a new era in the sound of Willie Nelson – one that's both as introspective as the concept albums he would soon issue on Columbia, and which also maybe has a bit of the Austin underground creeping into his sound as well! The record has a unified vibe – the story of a couple going through phases and stages, good and bad – mixed with a few bits that preface the "skit" style of later hip hop records, and which really tie things together. Titles include the classic "Bloody Mary Morning", the excellent "Pretend I Never Happened", and the tracks "Walkin", "Down At The Corner Beer Joint", "Pick Up The Tempo", "It's Not Supposed To Be That Way", and "No Love Around". 2LP version features all sorts of rare bonus material – alternates of most of the tracks on the album – some nicely different! LP, Vinyl record album

A really rare slice of work from the funky genius Janko Nilovic – not the sound library grooves which have gained him fame over the decades – but instead a batch of rare cuts from his own short-lived record label, which he formed in 1968 with soul singer Davy Jones! Nilovic and Jones wrote all the tunes on the set, and they're presented by a variety of different artists – but have a unified feel that certainly comes from the strong instrumentation provided by Janko! The tunes are in a mix of mod 60s styles – some soul, some Hammond-heavy groovers, and some with a more expansive vibe that's almost a psychedelic take on the spirit of French pop during the period. The set features every a and b-side of the six singles issued by the label – plus four more bonus remixes – and titles include "Voodoo Juju Obsession (parts 1 & 2)" by K Ptyacunthapuserectus, "Lover's Summer Song" and "Moon Man" by Bobby Cannon, "Restless Gringo" and "The Lost & The Lonely" by Spiritus M, "Groovy Kinda Samba" and "The Juju Is The Thing" by Abra K Dabra, "Treasure Lee" and "Voodoo Juju" by Killer Steen, and "Tinka Bell" and "There's A Little Old Lady" by Tinka Bell. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of funky tracks recorded by The Players when the were with Westbound, but released later, when they hit Mercury. Sort of a "cleaning house" effort, and not really a unified album, but that doesn't stop it from having some nice moments. Titles include "Introducing the Players", "Hustle Bird", "Spinning", "Hollywood Hump", "Varee", "Laid It", and "She Locked It". LP, Vinyl record album

An insanely wonderful album! Shuggie Otis is the son of Johnny Otis – the LA R&B maestro who was moving heavily into funk at the end of the 60s – and he has this tripped out, super-dope guitar style that he played to strong effect on Johnny's albums of the late 60s and early 70s, and on his first two solo albums, which were kind of bluesy in tone. For this album, though, he shocked the world by moving into a stripped-down mode that pairs his guitar with spare drum machine rhythms, flanged-out deeply soulful vocals, and one of the most laidback conceptions of funk you'll ever hear. The album's a landmark – one of those gems that's unlike anything else you can think of, but which will redefine your concept of what you want in a record for years to come. Every track's a winner – and the whole thing's a perfectly unified batch of tunes that includes instant classics like "Inspiration Information", "Island Letter", "Aht Uh Mi Hed", "XL 30", and "Rainy Day". Plus, this reissue features 4 tracks from Shuggie's Freedom Flight LP – including his original version of "Strawberry Letter 23", and "Sweet Thang", "Freedom Flight", and "Ice Cold Daydream". CD

Percussion duets between Tony Oxley and Stefan Holker – with electronics by the latter – all served up at a level that reminds us why Oxley has been such an important improvising talent on the drums over the course of his many decades in music! As with the best improvisers, Tony is able to shift into a mode that's very resonant with his partner on a date – which in this case means work on drums that's often more spacious and textural than some of his other recordings – very aware of all the sonic possibilities of his instrument, and served up in ways that are often far from conventional sounds and rhythm! The CD features six improvisations, of varying lengths – but with a nicely unified vibe. CD

George Clinton may have pretty well disbanded Parliament and Funkadelic by the time the 80s came around, but the Mothership is still soaring highly on this first album from the P-Funk All Stars project – featuring some (but not all) of George Clinton's better players from various groups! Urban Dancefloor Guerillas his a pretty great little set of jammed-up cuts produced by Clinton, Bootsy, Gary Shider, and Sly Stewart. The flame was still burning, even in the "dark years" of the litigious early 80s – on a set that's actually a bit more stylistically diverse than some the related projects, though unified by never wavering funk! Titles include "Copy Cat", "Pumpin' It Up", "Catch A Keeper", and "Generator Pop". CD

A sublime celebration of this amazing spiritual ensemble from the Los Angeles scene – a 60th anniversary record from the group, and one that features a track recorded in every decade of their existence! The material comes from the group's archives, and has a surprisingly unified sound, despite the span of time and range of great musicians here – a shifting lineup that includes key work from group founder Horace Tapscott on piano, plus Phil Ranelin on trombone, Butch Morris on cornet, Nate Morgan on piano, Dwight Trible on vocals, and Arthur Blythe, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian on reeds. With players of that nature, you can bet that there's a lot here that resonates with classics on the legendary Nimbus label – and the set is a great addition to the too-few recordings from that scene over the years. Titles include "Little A's Chant", "Nation Rising", "The Ballad Of Deadwood Dick", "Justice", "Dem Folks", and "The Golden Pearl". LP, Vinyl record album

Contemporary sounds from the legendary Parchman Prison farm in Mississippi – once home to musical blues and jazz legends in the 20th Century, and open to visits from creative talents and photographers – but which has been much more closed off in recent years, which maybe makes this collection even more important than some of the classic efforts to showcase the talents at Parchman in the postwar years! The music is spiritual, but with a feel that's very different than more mainstream gospel – very intimate and personal, as the voices of these young men rise up together in a beautifully unified spirit – almost acapella, but with some occasional piano or organ. Titles include "Break Every Chain", "Open The Eyes Of My Heart", "I Give Myself Away", "Step Into The Water", "Lay My Burden Down", and "Solve My Need". CD

Contemporary sounds from the legendary Parchman Prison farm in Mississippi – once home to musical blues and jazz legends in the 20th Century, and open to visits from creative talents and photographers – but which has been much more closed off in recent years, which maybe makes this collection even more important than some of the classic efforts to showcase the talents at Parchman in the postwar years! The music is spiritual, but with a feel that's very different than more mainstream gospel – very intimate and personal, as the voices of these young men rise up together in a beautifully unified spirit – almost acapella, but with some occasional piano or organ. Titles include "Break Every Chain", "Open The Eyes Of My Heart", "I Give Myself Away", "Step Into The Water", "Lay My Burden Down", and "Solve My Need". LP, Vinyl record album

Here's where it all happens – the huge culmination of all the years of heavy funk and psychedelic soul created by George Clinton and the P-Funk empire – fused into an amazingly tight groove that helped win over much bigger audiences than ever before! The album title and cover are very fitting – as George Clinton launches the mothership, forges his classic space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act – all with grooves that are still some of the tightest, sharpest funk you'll ever hear – all these many decades later. The instrumentation is razor-sharp – played by giants like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell – and the lyrics still have all the edginess and naughtiness of the earlier years – tied together wonderfully to make a very unified album, and one that's full of classics too! Titles include "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples", "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Handcuffs", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", and "Unfunky Ufo". CD

Here's where it all happens – the huge culmination of all the years of heavy funk and psychedelic soul created by George Clinton and the P-Funk empire – fused into an amazingly tight groove that helped win over much bigger audiences than ever before! The album title and cover are very fitting – as George Clinton launches the mothership, forges his classic space-funk image, and blows the P-Funk empire into an arena-filling mega-star act – all with grooves that are still some of the tightest, sharpest funk you'll ever hear – all these many decades later. The instrumentation is razor-sharp – played by giants like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell – and the lyrics still have all the edginess and naughtiness of the earlier years – tied together wonderfully to make a very unified album, and one that's full of classics too! Titles include "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", "Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples", "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", "Handcuffs", "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)", and "Unfunky Ufo". CD features a bonus version of "Star Child", a promo radio version! CD

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Love" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The Upsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, and "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator. LP, Vinyl record album

A great return to form for Prince – even though at the time, we all had to refer to him with an unpronounceable symbol! There's a lean, funky vibe to most of the record – almost a step back to the unified group approach of his mid 80s classics – and even though a few sonic elements have been updated, they changes have been done in the best way possible – partly by absorbing some of the new pop psychedelic touches that Prince himself had unlocked back in the 80s, filtered into the work of others, and which are taken back here with great modifications that really sound great next to the grooves! Titles include "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", "We March", "Now", "319", "Billy Jack Bitch", "Eye Hate U", "P Control", and "Shy" – plus a number of short "NPG Operator" tracks. CD

A great return to form for Prince – even though at the time, we all had to refer to him with an unpronounceable symbol! There's a lean, funky vibe to most of the record – almost a step back to the unified group approach of his mid 80s classics – and even though a few sonic elements have been updated, they changes have been done in the best way possible – partly by absorbing some of the new pop psychedelic touches that Prince himself had unlocked back in the 80s, filtered into the work of others, and which are taken back here with great modifications that really sound great next to the grooves! Titles include "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", "We March", "Now", "319", "Billy Jack Bitch", "Eye Hate U", "P Control", and "Shy" – plus a number of short "NPG Operator" tracks. Promo-only vinyl pressing features a full side of bonus material – five different mixes of "Eye Hate U". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". CD

One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". LP, Vinyl record album

Rich-voiced tenor work from Diego Rivera, a player who just seems to get better and better with each new album as a leader! The set follows strongly on Diego's previous – and as with that one, features that top-shelf Posi-tone presentation – with a focus on original material, a strong group of sidemen, and a nicely unified vibe! Other players include Art Hirihara on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – plus Pete Rodriguez on trumpet, also adding in some percussion at points that have a slightly Latin vibe. Titles include the originals "With Just A Word", "Tinte Latino", "Machete", and "Dignified Response". CD

A very heady combo from the French scene at the start of the 70s – one who seem to have really been inspired by the free jazz experiments of the BYG/Actuel scene right at the end of the 60s! The group's a septet, as you'd guess from their name – and they shift between unified expressions and very frenzied moments when each individual player is doing their own thing – yet somehow managing to make a sense of the sound as it rises together! Players include Sonny Grey on trumpet – a surprise if you know his straighter work from earlier years – plus William Treve on trombone, Jean-Francoise Sicard on alto sax and flute, Gerard Coppere on tenor and flute, Jean-Louis Mechali on vibes and drums, Francois Mechali on bass, and Manuel Villarroel on piano. Titles include "Parisionophobie", "Theme Z", "Relaxin", "Terronesia", "Brack", and "Amma". CD

A very heady combo from the French scene at the start of the 70s – one who seem to have really been inspired by the free jazz experiments of the BYG/Actuel scene right at the end of the 60s! The group's a septet, as you'd guess from their name – and they shift between unified expressions and very frenzied moments when each individual player is doing their own thing – yet somehow managing to make a sense of the sound as it rises together! Players include Sonny Grey on trumpet – a surprise if you know his straighter work from earlier years – plus William Treve on trombone, Jean-Francoise Sicard on alto sax and flute, Gerard Coppere on tenor and flute, Jean-Louis Mechali on vibes and drums, Francois Mechali on bass, and Manuel Villarroel on piano. Titles include "Parisionophobie", "Theme Z", "Relaxin", "Terronesia", "Brack", and "Amma". LP, Vinyl record album

Something of a concept album from Jeri Southern – a record of familiar tunes, but all strung together as "the story of a love affair", and set to backings by Gus Levene! The approach here is a bit like some of the Sinatra Capitol sides of the mid 50s – with a really unified sort of mood overall, one that's mostly that of sadness and longing – thanks to Levene's darkly gentle string arrangements. Jeri's breathy vocals sound great in the setting, and the album's got a solidity that we really love. Titles include "Close To You", "Close As Pages In A Book", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "Please Be Kind", "Cross My Heart", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

A trippy little combo with a distinct post-Coltrane feel – stretching out here wonderfully, on a hip little session on a homegrown label! The group hail from the unlikely spot of Las Vegas – but they've got a deeply spiritual sound that rivals the best work on the coasts in the early 70s – a very searching, righteous sort of groove – crafted beautifully from the tenor sax lines of Rick Davis, and the sweet Fender Rhodes of Ron Feuer! The album's filled with long, exploratory tracks – tunes that are free, but never too much so – and the mixture of electric keys and tenor works nicely throughout – giving the album a really unique and unified feel that sets it apart from other small jazz sets of its type. All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Vibrations", "Starship", "Spirit Free", and "Isis Unveiled". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Horizon", "Starship (alt)", and "Dear Latin Friend". CD

Excellent funky jazz from Jeremy Steig – the funkiest flute player we can think of! The record takes up where Jeremy's LPs on Solid State left off – adding Steig's hard-blowing flute to some groundbreaking beat-heavy backings by Gene Perla and Eddie Gomez on bass, Don Alias on drums, and Jan Hammer on electric piano. The sound is super-dope – and the cuts feel like they fell off some lost blacksploitation soundtrack from the early 70s. All titles are great, and the record's a completely unified, fiercely funky set that should be in the collection of any fan of funky electric jazz. Titles include "Down Stretch", "Swamp Carol", "Home", "Cakes", and "Come With Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the A double-length, 4 act disco fantasy from Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder – both very much at the height of their powers here – and able to keep up enough energy to make it through what was originally 2LP set! The work's a unified sort of story – kind of a disco opera of sorts – but more than the lyrics or the story, what makes the album great is the rhythms – full-on and non-stop, rolling strongly from tune after tune in a highly energized blend. Titles include "Once Upon A Time", "Fairy Tale High", "Queen For A Day", "Now I Need You", "Dance Into My Life", "A Man Like You", "I Love You", and "Rumor Has It". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge crossover hit for the Talking Heads – music released in conjunction with the great film of the same name, but with a unified vibe that made the whole thing way more than just another soundtrack! In many ways, the set's a part two to Little Creatures – delivered with the same sort of upfront charm, and ear for well-crafted tunes that really display the sharper songwriting skills of David Byrne in this period. Yet there's also some hints of the global elements that were always present in his music, and which would come more to the fore during the Luaka Bop years – used in more subtle ways here. Titles include the big hit "Wild Wild Life" – plus "People Like Us", "Puzzlin Evidence", "Love For Sale", "Radio Head", "Dream Operator", "City Of Dreams", "Hey Now", and "Papa Legba". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from a player who never fails to surprise us – recorded later in the years of drummer Art Taylor's life, but bristling with the same kind of energy we first came to love in his 50s recordings! The set's got a really unified feel – with Taylor masterfully leading the group on drums, working through an assortment of like-minded tunes with a Blakey-like sense of equal power for strongly soulful numbers, and gentle guidance for mellower and more introspective tunes. The group's got a tremendous two-horn frontline in the tenor of Willie Williams and alto of Abraham Burton, and the rest of the lineup includes Marc Cary on piano and Tyler Mitchell on bass. The album's got one very short "out" track entitled "It Doesn't Matter", alongside a number of longer soulful explorations that include "Mr AT", "Soul Eyes", "Bullet Train", "Ahmad's Blues", and "Gingerbread Boy". CD

Michael Thomas really shines here as an altoist – blowing his instrument with this crisp, sometimes-spacious quality that's totally great – and which shows us that there's still plenty to be opened up in the instrument – especially when matched with all the great original material that Thomas brings to the session, which features almost all tunes penned by the leader himself! The rhythm trio also has a lot to do with the fresh expression that Michael gets from his horn – a lineup that features Manuel Valera on piano, Matt Brewer on bass, and Obed Calvaire on drums – very unified at most moments, with this way of building up sound in steps, which Thomas responds to wonderfully. Titles include "Mnemosyne", "Hokkeshu", "Information Paradox", "Shades Of Green", "Darkness & Light", and "The Other Side". CD

Fantastic sounds from a Colorado trio who only existed for a few short years at the start of the 70s – and worked in this wicked blend of fuzz and freak, acid and heavy – all with a sound that's really incredible, given the homemade nature of these recordings! The tracks here aren't half-warmed psyche, or more-sophisticated garage – but instead show a group instantly ready to express their own sort of style – longish tracks that have a really great sense of structure, and which are unified by a really sharp sense of instrumentation from the trio, despite a few different lead singers in the mix! There's a nice current of sadness in the mix, too – almost a morning/mourning after the 60s sort of sound – and titles include "Jupiter Probe", "Ho Pideous", "Denver Over Glide", "Ides", "Siberia", and "Bloon Moan". CD

A record as powerful as the image on the cover – and a set that strongly continues the personal and political legacy of British rapper VV Brown! The set works very strongly as a whole, to examine issues of race in contemporary England – and Brown mixes hip hop lyrics with sung vocals, amidst contributions from a variety of guest poets – including Liam Bailey, Durone, Veronica E Banks, and Myrtle E Roach. Production is great – very unified, and handled by VV with Sensible J – on titles that include "Twisted", "Go Back", "Break Of The Night", "Marginalised", "Let Us Remember", "Black British", "I Will Always Be Black", "No Fear", and "Generations". CD

A record as powerful as the image on the cover – and a set that strongly continues the personal and political legacy of British rapper VV Brown! The set works very strongly as a whole, to examine issues of race in contemporary England – and Brown mixes hip hop lyrics with sung vocals, amidst contributions from a variety of guest poets – including Liam Bailey, Durone, Veronica E Banks, and Myrtle E Roach. Production is great – very unified, and handled by VV with Sensible J – on titles that include "Twisted", "Go Back", "Break Of The Night", "Marginalised", "Let Us Remember", "Black British", "I Will Always Be Black", "No Fear", and "Generations". LP, Vinyl record album

A real sweet soul gem from Nancy! The record has her working with arrangements and production by Gene and Billy Page – who give the record a great smooth 70s soul finish, and a feel that's a lot more unified than some of her other efforts from the decade. Nancy sings some great versions of "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" and "Come Get To This", plus the original tracks "Houdini Of The Midnight Hour", "Like A Circle Never Stops", "Boogeyin All The Way", and "Happy Tears". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different entry in this always-great series – one that doesn't focus on a specific artist, or just the instrumentation of the two leaders – but instead has this great range of artists coming together in a very jazz-based style! Things here are even more organic and flowing than on some of the other volumes – as there's a very cool array of players that shift nicely from track to track, while still giving the record a unified vibe – work from Jeff Parker on guitar, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Tony Allen on drums, Henry Franklin on bass, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Wendell Harrison on bass clarinet, Jaman Laws on tenor, Phillip Wack on alto, and Scott Mayo on flute – all players who work with Younge and Muhammad to create soulful and funky elements that bring us back to the spirit of the Black Jazz label in the 70s Even if you've heard other titles in the series, this one still really advances the concept even further – and with more live, spontaneous energy in the studio – on titles that include "Running With The Tribe", "Phoenix", "Come As You Are", "Ebun", "El Cambio Es Necesario", "The Avenues", and "The Griot". CD

A very groovy album from 70s Japan – one that makes all the best use of the sexy vocal style of Kaoru Yumi, set to a warm mix of funky and easygoing backings! Yumi's as famous for her appearances on screen as she is on record – a role that was unified here through the scandalous album cover – which maybe gets at the way her music was marketed. Yet despite that crass approach, Kaoru's got a strong vocal style too – one that really fits well with the backings, no matter the style – just the right subtle sense of drama from the earlier generation, but refitted here for a nice 70s approach. Lyrics are in Japanese throughout – and titles include "Delta Queen", "Miami Beach Rumba", and "Taboo". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer soul from a tiny label on a tiny scene – the small Tammy Records imprint, not to be confused with Motown partner Tamla – a really great indie from the Youngstown scene in east Ohio, and a company who cut some killer soul in the 60s and 70s! The label seem to have an especially great ear for group soul – both the 60s variety and the 70s mellow soul approach – and the album's filled with cresting harmonies that really blow us away, and which are definitely a new discovery to our ears – as we'd never heard any of this material before! If you dig east coast soul of the New Jersey/Philly style from the 60s and 70s, you'll find plenty to love here – on a nicely unified set, as much of the work comes from a small band of artists. Titles include "I Finally Found True Love" and "Hesitate One Time For Me" by Lynn Minor & His Band, "Shakin It Down (part 1)" by Steel City Band, "Oh Love" and "Give Me A Little Taste Of Your Love (part 2)" by Iron Knowledge, "Wonderful To Be Loved" by Ice Cold Love, "Should I Believe You" by The Snapshots, and the cuts "True Love Is Hard To Find", "Angel's Theme", "Nightmare Strut", "He's Got To Go", and "Dance Party (part 1)" by JC & The Soul Angels. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer soul from a tiny label on a tiny scene – the small Tammy Records imprint, not to be confused with Motown partner Tamla – a really great indie from the Youngstown scene in east Ohio, and a company who cut some killer soul in the 60s and 70s! The label seem to have an especially great ear for group soul – both the 60s variety and the 70s mellow soul approach – and the album's filled with cresting harmonies that really blow us away, and which are definitely a new discovery to our ears – as we'd never heard any of this material before! If you dig east coast soul of the New Jersey/Philly style from the 60s and 70s, you'll find plenty to love here – on a nicely unified set, as much of the work comes from a small band of artists. Titles include "I Finally Found True Love" and "Hesitate One Time For Me" by Lynn Minor & His Band, "Shakin It Down (part 1)" by Steel City Band, "Oh Love" and "Give Me A Little Taste Of Your Love (part 2)" by Iron Knowledge, "Wonderful To Be Loved" by Ice Cold Love, "Should I Believe You" by The Snapshots, and the cuts "True Love Is Hard To Find", "Angel's Theme", "Nightmare Strut", "He's Got To Go", and "Dance Party (part 1)" by JC & The Soul Angels. LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from a label that was way out in the Cleveland scene of the 60s – but which bristles with some of the best energy of Detroit and Chicago at the time! The tiny imprint never cracked the big time, but not for lack of quality – as the cuts here have a sharp blend of deep soul vocals and tight arrangements – of the sort that we've always loved in the best smaller Chicago indies of the late 60s – particularly the kind of labels that were operating in the shadows of Chess and Brunswick. A core group of artists recorded most of this music – and make for a very unified feel throughout – especially given that even some of the numbers with solo singers still really maintain a group soul sort of vibe. And the overall quality of the package takes us back to the earliest days of projects like this from the Numero Group – right down to the very detailed story of the label's unique place in 60s soul music. Titles include "There's No You" by The Occasions, "Demanding Man" and "Two Can Make It" by The Sensations, "She Didn't Know" by Sammy Jones, "Ain't That A Heartache" and "Baby Don't Go" by Norman Scott, "You're Not Loving A Beginner" by Jesse Fisher, "How long Will It Last" by The Soul Notes, "Why" by The Springers, and "Party At Lester's" by Lou Ragland & His Bandmasters. 2CD set – with 40 tracks and a great booklet! CD

A collection that's maybe unlike anything we've heard before – music that's acoustic, but groovy – easygoing, yet funky – served up by a really wide range of artists, but presented with a style that's a really unified whole! Just about every artist here is completely obscure, but together they represent this amazing underground that's dedicated to crafting work that goes far beyond the obvious, and way past any sort of cliches you might expect! The vibe is almost as if a bunch of folk and acoustic musicians were hipped to spiritual jazz of the post-Coltrane generation – then set out to make music from their new inspirations – on titles that include "Let Me Ride" by Peter Campbell, "The Ballad Of Ho Chi Minh" by Mike Glick, "Morning Brings The Light" by Grand Union, "Wild Canada" by Dan Donahue, "Song Of Creation" by Chris Rawlings, "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Summer Rain, "Prospect Of Wealth" by Henry Parker, and "Change Is Me Change Is You" by Harris & Crane Band. LP, Vinyl record album

A second amazing collection of rare funk tracks from the Mid East – work that didn't exist in the same "scene"-styled world as American funk, but which instead comes from a disparate group of recordings that surprisingly, amazingly, turned out to be pretty darn funky! Musical modes differ throughout the tracks in a really nice way – but most of the tunes are unified through strong use of electric bass and heavy percussion – mixed up from number to number, in a way that opens the door to a stunning world of musical exploration we never would have experienced otherwise! We've really grown to love the Habibi Funk label in recent years – and although other records have been great, this set may well be their crowning achievement. Titles include "Sultan Qaboos Song" by Sal Davis, "Ahlo Jedba" by Fadou, "Music De Carneval" by Magdy El Hussainy, "Badala Zamana" by Zohra, "Casba" by Ahmed Male, "El Fen" by Ait Meslayene, "Haditouni" by Douaa, "Tendme" by Ibrahim Hesnawi, and "Reet" by Hamid El Shaeri. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from the years before reggae became the international sound of Jamaica – music from the island nation's jazz scene, which was at the crossroads of so many different styles of music – jazz from the north, Latin rhythms from Cuba and Puerto Rico, and a fair bit of other Caribbean sounds too – all of which filter through the wonderful collection of music on the set! The title breaks down the different genres featured – but there's often a surprisingly unified feel to the whole record too – one that stands partly as a testament to the musical strengths of all the performers involved! In the days before Trojan and Studio One, Federal Records was an important Jamaican label – and did an especially great job of capturing some of the sounds that were part of that nation's club culture and resorts in the 60s. Titles include "Angelima" and "Like Falling In Love" by Ernest Ranglin, "Profile Cha Cha" and "Rhumbina" by Cecil Lloyd & The Starline Troubadors, "Estrellita" and "I Love Paris" by The Lennie Hibbert Combo, "Tis Wonderful" by Eric Grant, "Linstead Market" by Baba Motta & Ernest Ranglin, "Wheel & Turn Me" by Bertie King, "Go Fife Go" by Count Owen, "Mango Walk" by Bertie King & Ernest Ranglin, "String Of Pearls" by Auldey Williams & His Orchestra, "Solas Market" by Baba Motta, and "Monday Monday" by Winston Turner Quintet. LP, Vinyl record album

It's been a decade since the last entry in this really wonderful series – and it's clear that there's been plenty going on in the Detroit scene as well – a continuation of that old school underground that has the spirit of classic soul alive and well in the Motor City! These cuts are contemporary, but they recall the heyday of indie label 45s that were issued in the shadow of Motown – really top-shelf work that soars with a spirit that shows that in Detroit, classic soul is alive and well – even after decades of other sounds from the city! Some cuts here have a 70s vibe, some a bit of an 80s soul touch, but they're all unified through a sense of personal care and commitment to old school modes – on titles that include "Anytime You Need Love" and "So Close" by Jose Hamilton, "Singing That Song Once Again" by The Carmichael Movement, "Portuguese Love" by Ping Spells, "I Won't Let You Go" by Faschone, "More Than A Notion" by Jammie Nelson, "Sweet Summer Evenings" and "This Time Love's For Real" by JazShop, and the cuts "He's Mine", "I Get Emotional", "Give It What Cha Got", and "Bring On The Night" by The Funk Factor. CD

A sweet little double-length set from British jazz rock genius Neil Ardley – one that has him working off the vibe explored on the Greek Variations album, but hitting a sound that's a fair bit funkier overall! As with other efforts, Ardley draws here on some really top-shelf talents for his ideas – soloists who include Ian Carr on trumpet, Ken Shaw on guitar, and Tony Coe, Barbara Thompson, and Brian Smith on saxes! The tracks are all quite longish, and unfold in a really organic way – building over an immediate rhythm at some points, or letting the soloists set the main vibe at others. There's nothing overly-obtuse about the record at all, and Ardley never lets anyone dominate too much – making the album a strong group effort with a really unified vision – but one with plenty of space for the feeling of the individual players. Titles include "Rainbow One", "Rainbow Two", "Rainbow Three", and so on. LP, Vinyl record album