A massive 3CD look at the key early years of Elmore James – a package that's overflowing with great work by one of the greatest blues guitarists of the 50s! The set starts way back at James' roots in Mississippi, with some sweetly rough-edged recordings that still sparkle with incredible lines on electric guitar – then it moves deeper into Elmore's years in Chicago, recording with slightly greater clarity, and a sound that had an undeniable influence on the scene in that city at the time. The set's completed by recordings from Culver City, New Orleans, and Chicago again – presented in both master takes and alternates that offer up some equally compelling guitar solos. The set features 71 tracks in all, plus 40 full pages of notes – and titles that include "Dust My Broom", "Hand In Hand", "One More Drink", "I Believe", "Make My Dreams Come True", "Dark & Dreary", "Strange Kinda Feeling", "Early In The Morning", "Happy Home", "So Mean To Me", "Long Tall Woman", "Elmo's Shuffle", "Sho Nuff I Do", "Please Come Back To Me", "Wehre Can My Baby Be", "I May Be Wrong", "Kicking The Blues Around", and "Sinful Woman". CD

Foxy R&B, and a fair bit of soul as well – wonderful work from the previously-untapped Paso and Foxy record labels – headed up by legendary Chicago DJ Richard Stamz! Stamz was a key early force in African-American broadcasting in the Windy City – an important DJ not just in blues and soul, but also a TV figure as well – one who really helped get a heck of a lot of great music started in the early days of soul! This package features some real killers by artists who do a great job of skirting the rough line between blues and soul in Chicago in the 60s – some of whom would record more famously on other labels, like One-Der-Ful, but who really sound great here. The package was put together by the folks who've researched and recounted Stamz colorful life in print – and has a great array of rare music, plus stories of the DJ as well. Titles include "Say You Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "The Buzzard" by Freddie Robinson, "What's The Matter With You Sam" by The Ideals, "Just One More Time" by Loretta Branch, "You Gonna Cry" by Flora D, "I'm Trying" by Lee Shot Williams, "Gittin Along" by Willie Williams with the Howlin Wolf Band, "Goin Home" by Mary Johnson, "Please Love Me" by Harold Burrage, "Romeo Joe (part 1)" by Robert & The Rockin Ravens, and "Garlen's Mambo" by Ze Majestics. (Soul, Blues) CD

An incredible lost moment in the career of Screamin Jay Hawkins – material that was recorded in London in the mid 60s, and with a very different flavor than most of Hawkins' other material! There's a mod jazz approach to this set that's totally great – as Jay's raw vocals come into play with a sweet-grooving Hammond, in a combo that also features some sharp work on guitar, and some strong sax solos too! The upbeat, jazzy vibe is totally great – and gives Screamin Jay a whole new focus for his vocals – and for his songwriting, too – as most of the material here is original. And while Hawkins is always best remembered for his spooky, gimmicky cuts, this material is equally great in a totally different way – and, if it were pursued further, might have given the man a whole new direction in his career. Make no mistake, there's still plenty here to love if you're a longtime fan of Screamin Jay Hawkins – but you'll also really appreciate the mod grooves in the set as well! Titles include "I Wanna Know", "In My Dream", "Change Your Ways", "Serving Time", "Please Forgive Me", "Move Me", "My Marion", and "All Night". Plus, CD features a whopping 12 bonus tracks – a few alternate takes, and other versions of album songs – plus the titles "I'm Lonely" and "Stone Crazy". (Soul, Blues) CD

Some of the best work ever cut by ZZ Hill – a deep soul singer with roots in Texas, but who really got the chance to shine on these 60s recordings in California! Hill is completely hard-burning here – even more so than on his later, bigger-label material in the 70s – with an intensity that we'd rank right up there with top-shelf standards like early Bobby Blue Bland on Duke Records, or Otis Redding on Stax! Yet ZZ's work is much more obscure than both of those artists, partly because the Kent label never got these tracks out that much back in the day – especially in parts of the country that were maybe even more suited to Hill's style than Cali. Production is wonderful – totally on the money, with arrangements that even surpass the usual greatness of Kent – and as with Bland, there's often a lot of jazz and blues inflections that really help round out the soulful style of the songs. 2CD set features the full album A Whole Lot Of Soul, plus all the Kent Records singles, and even unissued tracks too – a massive 49 titles that include "You Don't Love Me", "Greatest Love", "Have Mercy Someone", "Hey Little Girl", "If I Could Do It All Over", "Steal Away", "What Am I Living For", "You Just Cheat & Lie", "Greatest Love", "Nothing Can Change The Love I Have For You", "Nothing Takes The Place Of You", "You Won't Hurt Me No More", "My Girl Has Gone Away", "Please Take Me Back", "I'm Gonna Love You", and "You Can't Hide A Heartache". (Soul, Blues) CD