Maybe one of the best reggae collections the Soul Jazz label has ever given us – a really rich collection of tracks from the Studio One collection, all with female singers in the lead – a good number of which have never been reissued before! Soul Jazz has been covering the Studio One catalog for many years – but this time around, they seem to have dug even deeper than before – mixing in lots of rare nuggets alongside the few familiar tracks – all to showcase a wonderfully soulful blend of singers who cut some great work for the label! The music begins in the rocksteady years, and moves onward – presented by Soul Jazz with their great ear for a set list, usual detailed notes that really get at the history of the artists and music. Titles include "Feel So Good" by Denise Darlington, "My Man Is Gone" by Angela Prince, "Welcome You Back Home" by Jackie & Doreen, "Friends & Lovers" by Rita Marley, "You're No Good" by Marcia Griffiths, "Sleeping Tree" and "Barb Wire" by Nina Soul, "Turn Turn Turn" by Jennifer Lara, "New World" by Myrna Hague, "Melody Life" by Marcia Griffiths, "Can I Change My Mind" by Hortense Ellis, and "Buck Town Corner" by The Jay Tees. CD

Killer funky organ – and 100% Dynamite! Jackie Mittoo is one of the all-time great organists – as essential to Jamaica as Booker T was to Memphis, or Jimmy McGriff was to New York. He's legendary these days as the player who completely transformed the Hammond sound with his unique Jamaican instrumental style during his early years with the Skatalites, and on his later solo recordings for Studio One. This set's probably the first time Mittoo's work has been properly packaged and remastered – and the folks at Soul Jazz have done an amazing job of selecting just the right tracks for such a project. The whole thing wails along with a stone rocksteady groove – with plenty of nice drum parts and funky rhythm bits underneath Jackie's soulful organ. If you dug the label's 100% Dynamite series, you'll really dig this one – and the whole thing's very much in the same vein. Tracks include "Drum Song", "Reggae Rock", "Hot Tamale", "Killer Diller", "Black Organ", "Stereo Freeze", "Wall Street", "Darker Shade Of Black", "Juice Box", and "Killer Diller". LP, Vinyl record album

More burning instrumentals from Coxsone Dodd and his mighty crew at Studio One! Soul Jazz has already established Dodd and Studio One as a near household name in bad, bold island grooves, and this set of fiery instrumentals keeps up the pressure, with 16 burning numbers! All flavors of Jamaican soul get represented here, from spacey, mellow grooves at the hands of Jackie Mittoo, to mellow snapping clavinet numbers from Pablove Black, deep roots from Cedric Brooks or jaunty ska numbers from the Soul Vendors and the Skatalites. As usual, the packaging is in the deluxe vein that has graced previous chapters in the series, and this set includes "Gumbay Jump" by the Dub Specialist, "A Big Car" by Jackie Mittoo, "Joe Grazer" and "Sidewalk Doctor" by VinGordon, "Sound Almighty" by the Soul Defenders, "Black Wax" by Pablove Black, Dick Tracy" by the Skatalites, "Cousin Joe Pt 1" by Sugar Belly, and "Black Is Black" by Im & David, plus many more! LP, Vinyl record album

A definite breakout from Louisa Mark – a set of smooth-stepping rhythms with plenty of Jamaican elements in the mix – yet served up in a warm London vibe that's plenty soulful too! The mix of modes is great – and makes the record a lovers' rock classic right from the get-go – and a great evolution of 70s reggae into some soulful styles for the 80s! Producer Clem Bushay does a great job with the music – keeping things tight, yet never in a way that's commercial at all – just compressed enough to let Louisa's vocals really sparkle in the lead. There's a heartbreaking quality to most tunes – an element that really furthers the soul music aspect of the record – and titles include "Reunited", "People In Love", "6 Six Street", "Even Though You're Gone", "Baby Simone", and "He Used To Be My Man". Also features bonus tracks – "Gone Out" by Louisa Mark with Bushranger, "Step It Brother Clem" by Trinity, and "Natty Go Dey Voluntarily" by Jah Son. CD

The title on this one says it all – Mojo Rocksteady Beat! The Brentford Road big timers come correct on this explosive Soul Jazz revisitation of their 100% Studio One dynamite tracks! The names of the heavies that rotated through this bunch are already well known: Jackie Mittoo, Vin Gordon aka Don D Junior, Deadly Headly Bennet, Ernest Ranglin, Leroy Sibbles, and more, and the jams here are no less well known, whether it is on their own, or as the mad, soulful rhythm foundation for any of Coxsone's top numbers. 18 earth shaking blasts of Jamaican soul, including "Rockfort Rock", "Funky", 'Real Rock", "Reggae Time", "Mojo Rock Steady", "Drum Song", "Ironside", "Heavy Rock", "In Cold Blood", "Jamaica Underground", "Reggae Time", "Great Mu Ga Ru Ga", and of course, "Mojo Rock Steady". LP, Vinyl record album

American grooves go Kingston – as the set features a wonderful assortment of funk and soul classics, all delivered here in reggae-styled versions! The approach is similar to the material featured in the older Reggae Disco collection from Soul Jazz – but the mix of modes here is much more expansive – so that you'll get some cuts that are very heavy in a New York clubby groove, while others are much more Jamaican in approach – and have an American soul tune bending down towards more reggae-oriented territory. As always with Soul Jazz, the choice of cuts is wonderful – and includes "Move On Up" by Devon Russell, "Caught You In A Lie" by Derrick Harriott, "Young Hearts Run Free" by Hortense Ellis, "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" by Ed Watson & Brass Circle, "For The Love Of You" by Bill Campbell, "Flight To Jamaica" by Crashers, "Fool's Paradise" by Valerie Harrison, "Reasons" by Seventh Extension, "Don't Let Love Get You Down" by Pete Campbell & The Sunshine Girls, "In The Rain" by Webby Jay, and "Just A Groove" by Glen Adams Affair. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's way more than just another dip into the legendary catalog of the Studio One label – as there's a well-chosen selection of cuts here that go well past the hits, and really live up to the kind of "classics" promised in the title! It's no secret that Studio One was one of the first and most important studios and labels to rise up on the Kingston scene at the end of the 60s – pioneering impeccable production, tight musicianship, and the kind of soul-drenched vocals that helped Jamaican music rich a much larger global audience – music that's given a fantastic showcase here on titles that include "No Man Is An Island" by Dennis Brown, "Simmer Down" by The Wailers, "I'm Just A Guy" by Alton Ellis, "Rocking Time" by Burning Spear, "Confucious" by Don Drummond, "Rub A Dub Style" by Michigan & Smiley, "Fever" by Horace Andy, "School" by Prince Jazzbo, "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & The Shoes, "Rockfort Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Pretty Looks Isn't All" by The Heptones, and "El Pussycat Ska" by The Skatalites. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of Clement "Coxone" Dodd. Much of this material has been floating around over the years, but we'd be hard pressed to think of a better collection of it – especially when considering the excellent fidelity of the set, which is way better than an of Dodd's own reissues of the material. Plus, the folks at Soul Jazz have gone out of their way to put together the tracks as an extremely well-thought out introduction to the music, not just a scattered batch of tunes that happened to be available. The set also includes a recent interview with Clement Dodd, plus loads of great rocksteady and early reggae tracks. Titles include "Surfin" by Ernest Ranglin, "Real Rock" by Sound Dimension, "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths, "Greedy G" by Brentford All Stars, "Village Soul" by Lennie Hibbert, "Ethiopia" by Cedric Brooks, "Crabwalking" by Prince Jazzbo, "Hot Milk" by Jackie Mittoo, "Badder Dan Dem" by Lone Ranger, and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddy McGregor. CD

Forget everything you know about ska music from recent years – no Mighty Mighty cliches, no retro-styled clunkers, no two-toned sounds at all – just the real deal, the roots of the style, served up here in classic recordings that go right to the source! These are the cuts that started it all – and which still sound way better to our ears than any of the countless imitations that have been crafted over the years – played with a freshness and a sharp edge that recent recordings can never hope to touch! The music here is the roots of reggae crafted in the soil of Kingston – recorded by the legendary Studio One Records, with all the soulful undercurrents you'd find in the rocksteady generation as well. It's been a few years since Soul Jazz have served up a set of Jamaican grooves this tight – but it's been well worth the wait, given the track selection and always-stellar level of presentation from the label. Titles include "Live Good" by The Ethiopians, "Mr Talkative" by The Wailers, "There's A Reward" by Joe Higgs & Roy Wilson, "Ska La Parisienne" by The Skatalites, "Don't Try To Reach Me" by The Gaylads, "Gumma" by Lee Perry, "Freedom Sounds" by Soul Brothers, "You Won't See Me" by The Clarendonians, and "Old Rocking Chair" by Jakie Opel. LP, Vinyl record album

To say this one's been a long time coming would be an understatement! This awesome set features a 4 hour (!) DVD, loaded with rare footage of the Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin, plus in-depth interviews with Dodd and a whole host of artists that had worked their way through the Studio One stable throughout the years. Then there's the 16 track CD – a fitting complement to the film and next worthy installment in the fine series of compilations of Studio One material that Soul Jazz has undertaken, this time spanning all the genres that Studio One would cover, including ska, rocksteady, roots and dancehall, including Theo Beckford "Easy Snapping", The Skatalites "Guns Of Navarone", Delroy Wilson "Dancing Mood", The Heptones "Baby", Alton Ellis "I'm Still In Love With You", Tommy McCook "Tunnel One", Sugar Minott "Jah Jah Children", The Dub Specialist "Banana Walk", Dennis Alcapone "Run Run", The Lone Ranger "Love Bump" and Jackie Mittoo "Freak Out". And if that weren't enough, there's the 100 page booklet, loaded with photos and a complete history of the label, making this choice set one of the nicest packages we've come across in a long, long time! CD

One of the hippest sets ever issued during the roots reggae wave of the 70s – and one of the most spiritual, too! The album's got a very special acoustic vibe at the core – earthy drumming that goes back to a pan-African tradition, these beautiful acoustic basslines that link the music strongly with underground jazz, and even some wicked sax and reed passages that make that link even stronger – especially when tied to the more message-oriented lyrics of the vocals! The album's hardly a straight roots album – and instead goes deep into the more spiritual side of Rastafari, with a personal, acoustic style that's instantly captivating – and which also has strong appeal to fans of other global sounds, and 70s spiritual jazz as well. A stunning classic – with tracks that include "Lock Stock & Barrel", "Selam Nna Wadada", "Tales Of Mozambique", "Let Freedom Reign", "Nigerian Reggae" and "Run One Mile". Features two bonus tracks too – "Rasta Reggae" and "Samia". CD

An amazing record, and one of the most spiritual, righteous sets to ever come from Jamaica in the 70s – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given that scene at the time! The vibe here is really rootsy, and almost more spiritual jazz than reggae – with lots of spare percussion from Count Ossie and crew, under spoken passages by Brother Samuel Clayton and Ras Jose – all set to these spare but powerful arrangements from Cedric Im Brooks, who plays some great tenor and flute on the record too! Brooks' performance gives some jazzy currents to the music, and ties it to American underground work of the time – but the message in the vocals is very Jamaican overall, exactly what you'd expect from the "mystic revelation of Rastafari"! Titles include "Bongo Man", "Mabrat", "Four Hundred Years", "Groundation", "Oh Carolina", "Ethiopian Serenade", and "Way Back Home". LP, Vinyl record album

American grooves go Kingston – as the set features a wonderful assortment of funk and soul classics, all delivered here in reggae-styled versions! The approach is similar to the material featured in the older Reggae Disco collection from Soul Jazz – but the mix of modes here is much more expansive – so that you'll get some cuts that are very heavy in a New York clubby groove, while others are much more Jamaican in approach – and have an American soul tune bending down towards more reggae-oriented territory. As always with Soul Jazz, the choice of cuts is wonderful – and includes "Move On Up" by Devon Russell, "Caught You In A Lie" by Derrick Harriott, "Young Hearts Run Free" by Hortense Ellis, "Wanna Be Startin Somethin" by Ed Watson & Brass Circle, "For The Love Of You" by Bill Campbell, "Flight To Jamaica" by Crashers, "Fool's Paradise" by Valerie Harrison, "Reasons" by Seventh Extension, "Don't Let Love Get You Down" by Pete Campbell & The Sunshine Girls, "In The Rain" by Webby Jay, and "Just A Groove" by Glen Adams Affair. CD

A very cool take on the sound of Studio One – a package of late 60s themes from James Bond films and other soundtrack sources! The mix is maybe not that surprising, given the use of Jamaican music early on in the series – as part of the Dr No soundtrack – and maybe that global moment of understanding helped the groups back home in Kingston to reach for the skies with material like this! The whole thing is a fascinating document of two strands of Brit culture in these post-colonial years – with titles that include "James Bond Danger Man" by The Soul Brothers, "Pussy Galore" by Lee Perry & The Wailers, "Mr Flint" by The Soul Brothers, "Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" by The Soul Brothers, "Hang Em High" by Jackie Mittoo, "From Russia With Love" by Roland Alphonso & The Studio One Orchestra, "Ball Of Fire" by The Skatalites, and "James Bond Girl" by The Soul Brothers. LP, Vinyl record album

Funky nuggets from one of the greatest reggae labels of all time – a really wonderful collection that gets at some of the more hard-hitting material from Kingston powerhouse Studio One Records! Given the way that Studio One helped bridge the worlds of soul during the years of Jamaican ska and rocksteady, the funk is no surprise – and the package features both remakes of American funky numbers and plenty of homegrown cuts, all served up by some of the giants from the scene at the time. Titles include "Sidewalk Doctor" by Pablove Black, "007" by Soul Brothers, "Love Jah" by Sound Dimension, "Do Your Thing" by Leroy Sibbles, "Idleberg" by Cedric Im Brooks, "African Descendants" by Alton Ellis, "Reggae Feet" by Lloyd Williams, "Hang Em High" by Jackie Mittoo, "Beat Down Babylon" by Prince Frances, "Funky Broadway" by Delroy Wilson, "It's A Shame" by Alton Ellis, "Melting Pot" by Underground Vegetables, "Music Answer" by The Sharks, and a surprising remake of "Shaft" by the unlikely Cedric Im Brooks. LP, Vinyl record album

A really classic look at the legendary catalog of Studio One Records – one that not only offers up a special focus on the female artists who recorded for the label, but also really shows the wide span of sounds that Studio One created over the years! There's work here from the early rocksteady years on up to the birth of the digital age – and most of the cuts have a deeply soulful vibe throughout, with a nice balance between larger message and more personal hopes and dreams on the Kingston scene. Titles include "A Deh Pon Dem" and "King Street" by The Soulettes – an early group with a young Rita Marley – plus "I'm Just A Girl" by Hortense Ellis, "Dream Land" by Della Humprhey, "Give Love Another Try" by Claudette McLean, "I'll Give It To You" by The Tonettes, "You A Fool Boy" by Angela Prince, "War No Right" by Denise Darlington, "Tell Me Now" by Marcia Griffiths, and "Come To Me" by The Jay Tees. CD

Soul Jazz gets the royal treatment, or should we say gives us the royal treatment! The royal court is in session with a fine, fine batch of today's sound today, another regal dip into the Studio One vaults, showcasing the top male vocal stars in Coxsone Dodd's stable! The set includes both classic cuts and some well chosen lesser known nuggets, and as you now know (or are about to find out) the Soul Jazz selectors pull together a compilation fit for a king! 17 numbers in all, including "I've Got To Make It" by Larry Marshall, "Every Tongue Shall Tell" by Horace Andy, "Well Run Dry" by Alton Ellis, 'Water More Than Flour" by Johnny Osbourne, "I Am The Ruler" by Anthony Rocky Ellis, "Pretty Looks Isn't All" by Cornell Campbell, "Please Be True" by Alexander Henry, "Them A Come" by Burning Spear, "Change Of Plan" by Joe Higgs, "Roots Natty" by Devon Russell, "Be Yourself" by Ken Boothe, "I Shall Be Released" by Freddie McGregor, "Father Will Cut You Off" by Freddie McKay, "Locust" by the Ethiopian, "One, One" by George Philip, "I Don't Want To See You Cry" by John Holt and "Won't You Come Home" by Delroy Wilson. LP, Vinyl record album