An obscure album of southern funky soul from Chuck Armstrong – an artist we know from his earlier funky 45 work in Chicago, but who sounds quite different on this set! The album was produced by George Kerr in New Jersey, but it's got a rolling, vamping approach on most cuts – a sound that's somewhere between Muscle Shoals and the nascent Jackson style of the 70s – a bit smoother than 60s deep soul, but still with a mighty nice edge – and handled perfectly by Kerr! Chuck's vocals are well-suited to the set, and a few numbers bear traces of his earlier more northern sound – and the whole thing's the kind of rare soul killer that only turns up once in a blue moon. Titles include "Sweet Foxy Woman", "You Got To Deal With It", "Shackin Up", "Goodness Gracious", "I'm A Lonely Man", "She Had The Right", and "Nightmare". LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin's definitely in the groove on this set – cooking on all burners with a host of late 60s Motown hits – bad-stepping his way towards some of the more mature moments to come in the 70s! The album's probably best remembered for the cut "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" – easily one of Marvin's biggest moments of the 60s, and a track whose popularity led to the album's title change from In The Groove to later incarnations as Heard It Through The Grapevine! Other cuts are equally great, and show Gaye really stretching out with mature, masculine confidence – pushing the envelope nicely on cuts that include "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", "There Goes My Baby", "Change What You Can", "You're What's Happening", "Tear It Down", "You", and "Some Kind Of Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done look at a genre that kind of snuck in under the wire – music that carries some late traces of electro, touched with underground club styles, but also delivered in a way that's plenty darn catchy, with a great ear for a hook and a groovy sort of sing-song lyric! The music is heavy on beats, basslines, and keyboards – all bursting out with plenty of energy – maybe a brightened up take on street soul from the early 80s, but usually with a younger female singer, which helps the music bubble along in a really great way! The package is new territory for Ace Records, but they've done a great job of bringing together both key cuts and overlooked gems – all hand-picked by Bob Stanley, with a set list that includes "Two Of Hearts (12" version)" by Stacey Q, "Don't Be Shy (radio voc)" by Janelle, "Lover Girl" by Meg, "Let's Go (radio)" by Nocera, "Funky Little Beat" by Connie, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, "Together Forever (radio)" by Lisette Melendez, "Dreamin" by Will To Power, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Lil Suzy, "Thief Of Hearts" by Cynthia, "Fascinated (12" version)" by Company B, and "Baby Talk" by Alisha. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked record in the grand scheme – which is unforgivable in our book! This self-titled album is Prince's second album, and already his vision is becoming a little more focused, and you can really hear the seeds of his later efforts – a really remarkable, unique, and fascinating record that stands up with some of his best work, and bucks all late 70s trends and cliches in pop, soul and funk! In some ways this is one of our favorite Prince records, as it has a kind of intimacy that was lacking on later sets – or maybe because the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" has such a mad groove! "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" has the sly sound that would run throughout the rest of Prince's better work for years to come – and Chaka Khan would later cover "I Feel for You", and hit large with it in the 80s. Also includes "Sexy Dancer", "With You" and "When We're Dancing Close & Slow". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again and again over the years – but the whole record's wonderful, and handled with this new level of soul sophistication by arranger Riley Hampton – the great Chicago talent who'd reach similar heights in his charts for singers that include Lorez Alexandria and Walter Jackson. Hampton's dark use of strings brings out a whole new side of James' brilliance – a quality that raised Etta James up out of the R&B ghetto, and forever put her into the legions of legendary 60s soul stars! Titles include the perennial classic "At Last", plus "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Tough Mary", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Anything To Say You're Mine", and "Trust In Me". Includes 4 bonus tracks – "My Heart Cries", "Spoonful", "It's A Crying Shame", and "If I Can't Have You". LP, Vinyl record album