Kickin it is – as the album's way more than just the typical gospel you might expect – and is a perfect example of the way the Mighty Clouds Of Joy helped cross the bridge between secular and spiritual sounds in the 70s! The record has a groove that most other mainstream soul acts could ever hope for – served up by stellar southern producer David Crawford, and arrangements from Mike Terry – on an album that almost grooves enough for the clubs, and brings in lots of new energy to the male gospel quintet format! These guys are hardly your grandfather's gospel group – and instead get downright slinky and sexy with the way they approach the music – almost giving Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes a run for their money, on excellent cuts that include "Mighty High", "Leanin", "You Are So Beautiful", "I Got The Music In Me", "Millionaire", "Touch My Soul", and "Everything Is Love". CD features two bonus tracks – single mixes of "You Are So Beautiful" and "Mighty High". CD

An amazing document from Tomkins Square – and a set that goes even beyond the usual high level of some of the other releases from the label! The set's a beautiful archival project – one that seeks to resurrect the rare music of Arizona Dranes – a gospel pianist and vocalist who recorded briefly in the 20s – on an obscure set of 78rpm releases that were only captured through acoustic technology. Dranes has an incredible approach – both to the piano, which is more bluesy – or almost boogie-woogie at times – and to her vocals, which have an unbridled soul that really comes through, even with the lower level of recording. The set was put together by journalist Michael Corcoran – who spent years looking into Dranes life, and wrote the notes for the 44 pages that come in the book-style package, which also includes some rare photos. 78s were remastered brilliantly – and titles include "He Is My Story", "Just Look", "God's Got A Crown", "My Soul Is A Witness For The Lord", "Don't You Want To Go", and "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go". CD

If you never went to Skippy White's record store in Boston, you really missed a hell of a shop – a surprisingly great outlet for rare and underground soul, located way up in New England – and a place that was giving the world wonderful music over the course of many decades! Back in the early days of the store, Skippy really had his ear to the scene – and managed to capture all sorts of great artists who were working very underground on the Boston scene – mostly soul acts, but a bit of blues and gospel too – all featured here in the first-ever collection to look at White's work at this level. The package was put together by Eli Paperboy Reed, and has notes from Boston contemporaries Peter Guaralnick and Peter Wolf – yet it's far hipper than any of those references might imply – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Do The Thing" by Earl Lett, "I Love What I Found In You" by The Precisions, "I've Been Lifted Out Of Sin" by Sons Of David, "Evil Woman Blues" by Guitar Nubbit, "Treason" by The Precisions, "Holy Ghost & Fire" by The Lord's Messengers, "Skippy White (parts 1 & 2)" by Junior Washington, "I Was Standing" by Lynn Harmonizers, and "Now Is The Time" by Earl Lett. (Soul, Gospel) LP, Vinyl record album