Wonderful live work from Prince – the only official concert album ever issued by the man during his life, and a great testament to the way that his genius kept on burning bright on stage – even when he wasn't always knocking it out of the park in the studio! There's a fair bit of material here from later years, but also some classics mixed into the set – and the work often emphasizes the jazzier side of Prince's style – partly through his evolved musicianship, but also in the way the tunes come together with an even more sophisticated vibe than the early years. Titles include "Rainbow Children", "Muse 2 The Pharoah", "Extraordinary", "One Nite Alone", "Wanna B Ur Lover", "Do Me Baby", "Diamonds & Pearls", "When U Were Mine", "Mellow", "1+1+1 Is 3", "Nothing Compares 2 U", and "Sometimes It Snows In April". CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". CD