Think you know Stax Records? Guess again – as this mindblowing collection offers up a whole new side of Stax we've never heard before. Forget the hits, forget the overplayed oldies – this set's brimming full of deep soul gems from the legendary Memphis label – including a fair bit of heartbreaking tracks that go way beyond any southern soul cliches! The music is amazing – proof that Ace still really knows how to put together a compilation – and in addition to some real rarities, there's also some killers appearing here for the first time ever – making the whole thing essential to any fan of Stax – or southern soul in general. A massive amount of music, all of it great – and titles include "Stay Baby Stay" by Johnny Daye, "I've Done It Again" by The Charmells, "Move Over" by Soul Children, "Hold On This Time" by Chuck Brooks, "Groovin' On My Baby's Love" by Freddie Waters, "Make A Joyful Noise" by Bettye Crutcher, "The Fault Is Not In Me" by Sylvia & The Blue Jays, "A Love Affair Theat Bears No Pain" by Shack, "Two Fools" by Willie Singleton, "Let Em Down Baby" by Jimmy Hughes, "Love Changes" by Charlene & The Soul Serenaders, and "Woman Across The River" by Little Milton. CD

An interesting little record from Geraldine DeHaas – a Chicago-based jazz vocalist who's probably best known to Dusty Groove customers as Geraldine Bey, which was her name when she was part of the legendary Andy & The Bey Sisters! This record bears few traces of her earlier work, and is more in kind of a "classy jazzy soul" mode, ala 70s work by Marlena Shaw. The arrangements are by Tom Washington, who did a bunch of Chicago soul work for Brunswick, and Bob Perna. The set list leans heavily to Paul Anka numbers, but Geraldine actually makes them sound pretty decent. Titles include "Keep On Walkin", "Wheels Of Life", "Everything's Been Changed", "We Made It Happen", and "Your Love". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Very unique work from Dr Buzzard's Savannah Band – a set that bears all the unmistakeable touches of group leader August Darnell! The set's definitely got the older aesthetic that Darnell brought to his work at the time – possibly even more so than the group's first album – and it's also got a wonderfully acoustic approach to the music, one that uses older jazz inflections mixed with rootsier percussion – almost a late 70s club update of older swing and Latin modes! The tunes are beautifully penned too – most often starting out with a real sort of 30s or 40s style, then sweeping nicely into more of a 70s groove – but always without any sense of gimmick or trickery. Vocals are by the lovely Cory Daye, with a bit of help from Darnell – and titles include "Transistor Madness", "Organ Grinder's Tale", "Mister Love", "The Gigolo & I", "Nocturnal Interludes", and "I'll Always Have A Smile For You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure albums by Albert King – and a surprisingly great little set! Given that the concept – hinted at in the title – has Albert performing songs made famous by Elvis Presley, you might think that the record is a bit of a sell-out, or somewhat gimmicky. But given that a good number of these tracks have roots in rougher R&B, King's almost returning these tunes to their forebears with his performance on the set. There's a nicely gritty undercurrent to the grooves – almost a bit of Stax funk at times – and titles include "Hound Dog", "All Shook Up", "That's All Right", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "One Night", and "Love Me Tender". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of cuts, and one that looks at one of the coolest musical hybrids of the postwar years – work that's very strongly R&B at the core, but which also bears a surprising influence from Latin music in the rhythms – all of which makes for a very unusual groove! There's been other collections of this nature, but this one not only stacks the deck with a huge number of tracks – 62 in all – but also includes material that you might not normally associate with this mode, but which fits into the track list surprisingly well! Titles include "The Crawl" by Guitar Junior, "Got Love If You Want It" by Slim Harpo, "Mary Ann" by Texas Ray, "Girl That Radiates Charm" by Arthur Alexander, "Where's My Money" by Willie Jones, "Hurricane" by Dave Cortez, "Shoo Doo" by Andre Williams, "Night Train To Memphis" by Bobby Hebb, "Only Sixteen" by Tal Miller, "Voodoo Woman" by Curtis Knight, "Yours Truly" by Ford Eaglin, "Tell Me Pretty Baby" by Screamin Joe Neal, "Pig Tails & Ribbons" by Leonard Carbo, and "Wicked Old Fever" by Charles Sheffield. CD

An insane array of Christmas disco classics – all wrapped up in a single package! The set features both the original 1976 mix and 1992 Tom Moulton mix of the legendary Christmas Jollies set by the Salsoul Orchestra – one of the Salsoul label's biggest-selling albums – originally recorded in 1976, and pressed again and again over the years – and eventually remixed even stronger in the early 90s. Vince Montana is at the head of the whole project – pushing the group with that great full sound he had at the time – a blend of strings and soul that could be kitschy, but comes off great! The sound is kind of a disco-Christmas one, with driving uptempo versions of tunes like "Merry Christmas All", "Sleigh Ride", "Christmas Time", and "Silent Night" – plus the original tune "There's Someone Who's Knocking". In addition to this, the album also features 2 extended medleys of holiday tunes – one based around Christmas, the other around New Years! The package also features Christmas Jollies 2 from the legendary Salsoul Orchestra – working here with Patrick Adams this time around, in a groove that occasionally bears echoes of his own music on P&P Records! The vibe's nicely different from the first Jollies set – a different inflection of the Christmas disco mode, yet one that's still more than proud enough to bear the Salsoul name – thanks to sharp instrumentation throughout, and a way of laying down the grooves that's often as funky as it is clubby! The whole thing's great, and titles include "Joyful Spirit", "Deck The Halls", "Joy To The World", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" plus "You're All I Want For Christmas" and the 8 minute long "Salsoul Christmas Suite". In addition to Christmas Jollies 1 in the 1976 mix and 1992 Tom Moulton mix, and Christmas Jollies 2 – the set also features 11 bonus tracks, including 7" and 12" single mixes, plus "Christmas Medley (parts 1 & 2)', and "Little Drummer Boy (Dank rmx)". (Holiday Music, Soul) CD