A really great return to form for the Free Soul series – one that mixed together key tracks from a variety of hip 70s soul and jazz labels – including Flying Dutchman, Brunswick, and TK – all with an assortment of grooves that really work well together! As with the classic Free Soul sets, all the titles here were chosen by Toru Hashimoto – a man who's taught us plenty about music over the decades – and the long package runs for over 80 minutes, with a sublime assortment of cuts that include "Girl Overboard" by Dorothy Moore, "Misdemeanor" by Foster Sylvers, "Am I The Same Girl" by Barbara Acklin, "What Am I Going To Do" by Reid Inc, "My Baby's Got ESP" by Four Below Zero, "You Light Up My Life" by Judy Roberts, "You Got To Be The One" by Marilyn Farra & Satin Soul, "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone, "Love Land" by The Lost Generation, "Jolie" by Latimore, "I Think I'll Call It Morning" by Gil Scott Heron, "We've Only Just Begun" by Lynn Marion with Frank Cunimundo Trio, "Don't You Care" by Alice Clarke, "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me" by Jewel Bass, "Changin" by Sharon Ridley, and "Love Each Other" by Leon Thomas. CD

A sweet overview of the Van McCoy songbook from the early 60s to early 70s – and a stellar compilation from Ace Records – a label that's gone above and beyond in its efforts to shine a light on the songwriters and producers behind some of most moving songs of the era! The breadth ofMcCoy's talent is pretty amazing, all the more so given his huge disco era hit "The Hustle", a world away from the soaringly emotional soul songs he penned for top shelf singers like Betty Everett, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Nancy Wilson, Donny Hathaway, Erma Franklin, Jerry Butler and more – many of the best of which are compiled here! 24 tracks in all: "I Got The Sweetest Feeling" by Erma Franklin, "Getting Mighty Crowded" by Betty Everett, "Baby I'm Yours" by Barbara Lewis, "Sotp And Get A Hold Of Myself" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "So Soon" by Aretha Franklin, "Giving Up" by Donny Hathaway, "Nothing Worse Than Being Alone" by The Ad Libs, "I've Lost You" by Jackie Wilson and many more. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A great look at the huge influence on 60s soul from Burt Bacharach – a rich legacy that goes way beyond the big hits from Dionne Warwick, to include a wealth of work from artists you might not expect! Back in the early days, Burt was the tall white guy running around the Brill Building – where he made key connections to a range of different artists, and was able to already hit the ground running – with a huge legacy that would go onto inform soul singers for years to come! In fact, we'd almost say that Bacharach's music sounds even better in the hands of these singers than in more mainstream pop artists – and although a few of these cuts are well-known hits, you'll find plenty more great ones here to discover. Titles include "Alfie" by The Delfonics, "Reach Out For Me" by Willie Tee, "Message To Martha" by Jerry Butler, "Long After Tonight Is All Over" by Irma Thomas, "Another Tear Falls" by Marv Johnson, "Walk On By" by Gloria Gaynor, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by The Orlons, "The Look Of Love" by Nina Simone, "Forgotten Man" by Gene McDaniels, "A House is Not A Home" by Mavis Staples, "Don't Make Me Over" by Brenda & The Tabulations, "This Empty Place" by Cissy Houston, and "My Little Red Book" by Tony Middleton with Bacharach himself! (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD

A very groovy idea! This sparkling set takes older vocal jazz tunes from the Verve catalog, and uses the songs as the basis for new tracks by some of the better producers in the global groove underground. The mix of styles and eras is quite compelling – as torchy vocals drift over the top of cutting edge beats – creating a sound that's bound to get you digging through the crates for some of these singers, and reevaluating work from the past like never before! Titles include "Who Needs Forever" by Astrud Gilberto remixed by Thievery Corporation, "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday remixed by Tricky, "Hare Krishna" by Tony Scott remixed by King Britt, "See Line Woman" by Nina Simone remixed by Masters At Work, "Return To Paradise" by Shirley Horn remixed by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "Feelin Good" by Nina Simone remixed by Joe Claussell, "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" by Dinah Washington remixed by Rae & Christian, and "How Long Has This Been Going On" by Carmen McCrae remixed by MJ Cole. And don't miss the super-low priced Verve Unmixed CD! CD

Classic jazz for the 21st century – a treasure trove of tunes from Verve Records, all remixed for the modern dancefloor! The set's the second in Verve's Remixed series – and unlike the first, which focused mostly on vocal numbers, this one throws in some instrumental killers that are among some of our favorite in the catalog! The overall groove is much more expanded from the first session – way past the standard of floating vocals, keys, and beats – into a realm of abstract jazz that really gets at the heart of the project! 14 tracks in all – with "Manteca" by Dizzy Gillespie remixed by Funky Lowlives, "Here's That Rainy Day" by Astrud Gilberto remixed by Koop, "Naima's Love Song" by Betty Carter remixed by DJ Spinna, "Fried Neckbones & Some Home Fries" by Willie Bobo remixed by Dan The Automator, "Soul Sauce" by Cal Tjader remixed by Fila Brasillia, "Do What You Wanna" by Ramsey Lewis remixed by Mr Scruff, "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" by Nina Simone remixed by Jaffa, "Mama" by Hugh Masekela remixed by Metro Area, "Whatever Lola Wants" by Sarah Vaughan remixed by Gotan Project, "Blues For Brother George Jackson" by Archie Shepp remixed by Mondo Grosso, and "Brother Where Are You" by Oscar Brown Jr remixed by Matthew Herbert. CD

A great set of older tracks – at a really nice price! The package features 12 older jazz and vocal tunes that formed the basis for the slick new set Verve Remixed – the original versions of tracks on that set, offered here without any remixing, so that you can put the classics back to back with the new ones, for comparison! And even if you haven't heard Verve Remixed, the package is still a wonderfully priced set of tunes – with a wealth of great vocal jazz performances that are a treat to listen to, no matter what the setting. Titles include "Who Needs Forever" by Astrud Gilberto, "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday, "Hare Krishna" by Tony Scott, "See Line Woman" by Nina Simone, "Return To Paradise" by Shirley Horn, "Feelin Good" by Nina Simone, "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" by Dinah Washington, and "How Long Has This Been Going On" by Carmen McCrae. CD

The blueprint for a great set of future jazz – 14 original tunes that all got redone in the Verve Remixed 2 set! Verve has done a great job with the set – pulling together some excellent grooves from the 50s and 60s, served up at a price that's almost as cheap as a fancy cup of coffee! The set's stuffed with groovy vocal, Latin, and soul jazz numbers – with titles that include "Mama" by Hugh Masekela, "Manteca" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone, "Do What You Wanna" by Ramsey Lewis, "Brother Where Are You" by Oscar Brown Jr, "Here's That Rainy Day" by Astrud Gilberto, "Naima's Love Song" by Betty Carter, "Fried Neck Bones & Some Home Fries" by Willie Bobo, "Blues For Brother George Jackson" by Archie Shepp, "Soul Sauce" by Cal Tjader, and "Slap That Bass" by Ella Fitzgerald. CD

Easily our favorite volume in this legendary series – a mindblowing batch of grooves put together by the godlike talents of Patrick Forge! Forge's work in many genres is well known – and the set's a mix of older funk, soul, jazz, and club numbers – plus a newer tracks that really maintain the classic vibe! There's plenty of treasures here that still haven't been reissued over the years – and titles include "Nothing's Changed" by Ten City, "Summer Bummer" by Crazy Penis, "Send In The Clowns" by Lorez Alexandria, "Motivation" by Atmosfear, "The Way We Live" by Raw Soul Express, "Berimbau De Ossanha" by Easydelics, "Guiro Electro" by Bobby Matos, "Spring Again" by Kevin Yost, "In Good Faith" by Norman Harris, "Straight Ahead" by Brooklyn Express, and "African Mailman" by Nina Simone. CD