One of the greatest of all Dusty Springfield albums – a gem of a record that mixes British pop, soul, and some very groovy orchestrations! The whole session has that kind of soaring, soulful bounce that Dusty had on her best records – but which was possibly never done nearly as well as on this one! Backings are conducted by Alan Tew, Peter Night, Arthur Greenslade, and Wally Stott – Brit Easy giants all of them – and tracks include sublime gems like "Bring Him Back", "Don't Let Me Lost This Dream", "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face", "Sunny", "Welcome Home", and "Broken Blossoms". LP, Vinyl record album

Al Stewart, right before his big hit years to come – sounding wonderful here on both his tremendous vocals, and the range of tunes that seem to flow effortlessly from his pen! Production is by Alan Parsons, whose ability to compress elements to perfection is a perfect foil for Al's voice – a style that's tight, but never too smooth – not overly commercial, yet very nicely focused on the kind of hooks that can make Stewart's best songs so wonderful. There's still key traces of Al's folksy roots – but the shift in presentation here marks a real achievement, one that none of his other contemporaries were ever able to hit this well. Titles include "Not The One", "Apple Cider Re-Constitution", "Carole", "Sirens Of Titan", "Modern Times", and "Dark & Rolling Sea". LP, Vinyl record album

An enduring classic from James Brown – quite possibly the strongest of his late 70s albums, and a record that nicely balances the harder funk of the early part of the decade with a more sophisticated style that almost gets slightly jazzy at times! The vocals are planted strongly at the top of most tunes – really calling out the shots and directing the rhythms – even though they seem tight enough to keep snapping along on their own – and also noteworthy are some of the mellower numbers on the set, which are almost more compelling than some of the groovers! Titles include "Bodyheat", "What The World Needs Now", "Don't Tell It", "Kiss In 77", "Woman", "Wake Up And Give", and "I'm Satisfied". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Dave Brubeck albums from later years – and one of the hippest! The record is noteworthy for its pairing of Anthony Braxton and Lee Konitz – the former a rising star at the time, influenced strongly by the latter in his roots – showcased here in some rare moments of Braxton straight-aheadness! Brubeck's contribution is heard most strongly on the album's extended trio "Jimmy Van Huesen Medley" – played by Dave with Jack Six on bass and Alan Dawson on drums. But we're most partial to the saxophone tunes – Konitz playing a spare duet with Brubeck on "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", soloing with the group on "Like Someone In Love", duetting with Braxton on "All The Things You Are" – and stepping back to let Anthony play with Dave on a version of "In Your Own Sweet Way". Really great stuff throughout – and a unique Brubeck moment! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the boldest of Arthur Blythe's albums for Columbia Records – as the set bristles with newly creative energy right from the start, and provides a great showcase for some of the criss-crossings of styles and rhythms that were taking place on the New York scene at the time! The lineup alone announces something special – a cool combination of James Blood Ulmer on guitar, John Hicks on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, Abdul Wadud on cello, Bob Stewart on tuba, and Steve McCall on drums – working together in some slight variations at times, often with these angular edges that are perfectly sharpened by Arthur's amazing work on alto sax. The music's never too free, but quite outside for a major label at the time – balanced out so that it's never overindulgent at all. Titles include "Bush Baby", "Miss Nancy", "My Son Ra", and "Carespin With Mamie". LP, Vinyl record album