A huge amount of 12" singles, stuffed into one mighty nice 4CD set – maybe not the greatest of all time, but still pretty darn wonderful overall! The set does an especially great job of looking at a late 70s moment when some of the hipper soul artists were able to get the extra space of a 12" single to really open up their sound – grooves that move past the shorter space of a 7", and really do plenty in the process – often in ways that are much more interesting than some of the overplayed disco of the time. There's 43 long grooves on the set – all 12" singles – and titles include "Space Age" by Jimmy Castor, "You Are A Star" by Aquarian Dream, "Flashlight" by Parliament, "Good Times" by Chic, "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, "I Should've Loved Ya" by Narada Michael Walden, "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside, "You're My Occupation (ext)" by Chaz Jankel, "Expansions" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "And The Beat Goes On" by the Whispers, "You Got The Floor" by Arthur Adams, "Do It Any Way You Wanna (Tom Moulton mix)" by People's Choice, "Do What You Wanna Do" by T-Connection, "Twilight (inst)" by Maze, "You + Me + Love" by Undisputed Truth, "More Bounce To The Ounce (parts 1 & 2)" by Zapp, "Now That We Found Love (disco mix)" by Third World, "Hi Tension" by Hi Tension, "Dancing In Outer Space" by Atmosfear, "Money's Too Tight To Mention" by Valentine Brothers, "Searching" by Change, and "Running Away" by Roy Ayers. CD

DJ Deep does it again – and takes us on a magical journey across decades and cities – bringing back some lost house music gems from Chicago, Detroit, and New York – most of which are from the late 80s and early 90s independent years of the scene! There's a nicely simple sound to most of the tracks here – a style that takes house music back to the core elements of its roots without getting trapped in cliche or overplayed tracks – just simple beats, keys, and maybe a dash of vocals – plus usually a core element that develops as the track rolls on, changing slightly through the minimalist progression of the tune. 2CD set features a both mixed and unmixed disc – with titles that include "The Numbers" by Rodney Baker, "Bring U Up" by Romanthony, "Drum Drum" by Jovonn, "Let Your Body Talk" by Ace & The Sandman, "I'll Never Let You Go" by William S, "I'm So Deep" by Vincent Floyd, "Pump That Body (deep house mix)" by Mr Lee, "Motivation Song" by G Strings, "Whispers" by Ron Allen, "Rain Forest" by Lowkey, and "Feel The Fire/Urban Culture" by Naomi Danielle. CD

A really great little set – with a very unique take on soul music! As the title indicates, the package documents the African-American response to the Vietnam War that emerged in soul singles during the late 60s and early 70s. The feel here is quite different than the raw, ragged protest of American rock at the time – and has a more helpless, disenfranchised feel that really gets at the true spirit of what most of America was going through in dealing with the war. The range of material is really great – and includes soul from the south, Chicago, LA, New York, and Philly – with a number of tunes that you may know, but have never identified strongly as anti-war, plus other great ones that you've most likely not heard! Titles include "While I'm Away" by Eddy G Giles, "POW MIA" by The Whispers, "Mail Call Time" by Mel & Tim, "Let's Face Facts" by James Carr, "Going To Viet Nam" by Big Amos, "Lonely Soldier" by Mike Williams, "He'll Be Back" by The Players, "Greetings" by The Monitors, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Johnny & Jon, "There's Someone Waiting Back Home" by The O'Jays, and "I Can't Write Left Handed" by Bill Withers. CD

A great entry in one of our favorite series for rare soul tracks these days – a really special sort of collection that brings together tracks with a vibe that's very much all its own! The set definitely serves up the "real side" that it promises in the title – tunes that aren't showy or full of fuss – and instead, these easygoing soul tracks that hit their mark, right from the start – then go long with tremendous staying power, and a sense of warmth that has us returning to the set again and again for repeated listenings! The choice of cuts is sublime – a few familiar numbers mixed with overlooked tracks from artists we know, but haven't heard from in this way before – served up on 20 tracks that include "Never Set Me Free" by Continental Showstoppers, "I'm Coming Home" by Gerald Taylor, "I Can Remember" by The Whispers, "I'd Believe Him" by Deniece Chandler, "What Does It Take" by The Electrifying Cashmeres, "If You Decide" by Bull & The Matadors, "Try Something New" by Eddie Billups, "When" by Joe Simon, "Lover Come Back" by Jackey Beavers, "Nobody But You" by Willie Hightower, "I Hate Hate" by Razzy Bailey, "Why Don't You Write" by Lee Bates, "Grooving With My Thing" by The DeVons, and "Smooth Sailing" by Three Shades Of Soul. CD

There have been lots of Lowrider soul compilations on the market over the years – documenting the great of of mellow cuts on the LA scene of the 60s – particularly the kind that could move slow, but with a heavy groove at the bottom – perfect for chilling out in the back of a car on an endless summer night! Yet few have ever done the job as well as this collection – because in the hands of Ace/Kent Records, the music finally gets proper historical context – moved past the jargon of the East LA in crowd, and presented with great sound, and the kind of detailed notes that really get at the special qualities that made the west coast soul scene so different than the east in the 60s! The set list is superb – fantastic mellow soul tracks that are perfect, even if you don't care about this history – and titles include "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell with The Casanovas, "I Really Love You" by The Ambassadors, "As I Sit Here" by The Whispers, "One More Chance" by The Four Tees, "Take A Step" by Aesop's Fables, "Why'd You Put Me On" by Bobbi Row & The Englishmen, "I Wanna Chance" by The Vows, "Second Hand Happiness" by Jimmy Conwell, "Be Kind To Love" by The Interpreters, "As Long As I've Got You" by The Charmels, "Don't Forget About Me Baby" by Jeff Dale, "I'm A Lonely Man" by Bobby Burn, "Crying All By Myself" by William Bell, "I'm Just Passing Time" by Melvin Hicks & The Versatiles, "When You're Poor" by The Lovers, "It's So Hard To Break A Habit" by The Webs, "Find Me" by The Attractions, "Never Gonna Let Him Know" by Debbie Taylor, and "Pretending Dear" by The Lovelles. (Soul, Funky Compilations) CD