Snapping soulful grooves from Shalamar – one of the group's big early albums, and an important part of the Solar sound of LA! The trio groove nicely over a set of upbeat tracks that were clearly aimed at the clubs, but which also have more than enough straight soul to get them on the charts. Includes the classic "Take That To The Bank", plus the cuts "Lovely Lady", "Cindy Cindy", "Tossin Turnin & Swingin", "Shalamar Disco Gardens", and "Stay Close To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Fierce funky work from this late 80s UK duo – contemporaries of Soul II Soul, Loose Ends, and some of the other big British acts of the time – but a pair who never fully got their due! The "street soul" title here is really well-placed – as the grooves have a style that's an evolution of earlier electro modes – warmed up nicely, in the style that Jazzie B and his generation were bringing to the scene – but maybe still lean enough in construction to still appeal to fans of the previous generation! Two tracks here get a bit clubby, but in a good way, and the others are more in a midtempo groove, nicely bouncing along with the beats – on titles that include "R U Available", "Change/Love", "In & Out Of Love", "It's All Over", "Waiting 4 Your Love", and "The Way Love Is". Great package – with a bonus booklet with an interview by Jeff Chairman Mao! LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in the Def Jam shift from hip hop to bigger soul sounds – served up by mellow soul maestro Chuck Stanley! The record's got some great urban-styled production, which keeps the beats heavy – but the style's a lot more laidback and loving than most of Russell Simmons' hip hop projects – kind of a key precursor for the mix of hip hop rhythms and mainstream soul that would burst big in the decade to come! Titles include "Jammin To The Bells", "My All & All", "Real Soon", "When It All Falls Down", "Day By Day", "Love Toy", "Never Gonna Let You Go", and "Make You Mine Tonight", a duet with Alyson Williams. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorites ever cut by Tex-Mex soulsters Sunny & The Sunliners – largely because it's got some really nice funk tracks! The album features a set of all English language tracks – with Sunny Ozuna singing in his best sweet soul style on the ballad tracks, and hitting a raw raw groove on the harder-hitting numbers, really nailing the groove on both fronts. One of the highlights of the album is actually an instrumental reading of "Soul Power" – done with a nice chunky groove – and other great tracks include sweet harmony readings of "Together" and "Cross My Heart", plus the upbeat tunes "Boogaloo Down Broadway" and "Hip Huggin Minnie". (Latin, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked bit of 80s electro soul – one that's heavy on Yamaha keyboards and beats, but which was also recorded in Gabon – which gives the whole record a very different sound than New York material of the time! The rhythms are definitely in the funky soul side of the spectrum, but have different inflections and directions than big city beats from the street – maybe more complexity at points, but also a willingness to step back and allow some spots of bluesier inflections in the other instrumentation, which is mostly guitar – an instrument that has less of a rhythmic role here than on the usual soul album. Titles include "Butter Fly", "Ogoue", "We Gonna Have Some Fun", "Believe Me", "Back To LBV", and "Will Be The Only One". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums in a big 80s run from Tease – thanks to great production from Mtume! The album's got a balance of soul and style that really holds together throughout – as the group finds especially strong ways of coming across on the ballads and mellower numbers, which often still have some heavy beats at the bottom! In a way, the set's one of the first to showcase a new style of slower soul that would hit even more strongly in the 90s – laidback cuts that still have an urban punch, but at a slower bpm. Titles include a unique remake of "I Can't Stand The Rain" – plus "Kick", "Tingle", "Somewhere Somebody", "Let's Stop Pretending", "Bad Reputation", "Remember", and "A Love Of Your Own". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange name for a group that hardly stood the test of time – but a great record that's well worth discovering! Timeless Legend were a young soul group from Columbus Ohio in the mid 70s – and on this rare LP, they've got a sweet little style that's every bit as great as that of bigger acts of the time – sometimes as fragile as New Jersey male groups, other times as tight as the best from Philly! The group's really got their harmonies down well – shifting easily from sweet ballads to more upbeat numbers, working in a mellow 70s style that's made the album a lost treasure for soul collectors for years. Every cut's a winner – all original material handled with a professionalism and soulful care that makes for a very solid record overall! Titles include "Checking You Out", "Baby Don't Do This To Me", "You're The Best Thing", "Lonely Man", and "Ghost Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Motown nugget from the early 80s – the smoking debut of Gene Van Buren! Gene's a fully-formed artist right from the get-go – writing and producing the set with a rich, mature groove that's totally great – some of the upbeat funky soul tracks that were Motown's biggest asset in the early 80s, mixed with some even better mature moments that are especially wonderful – that sort of all-adult soul approach the label would take on more strongly later in the decade, showcased beautifully here by Van Buren's talents. The groovers have a bit of electro touches – usually some mini-moog keyboards – and the mellower ones have a warmer sound that really rounds things out nicely. Titles include "When Is My Turn", "Enjoy Yourself", "I Love You More", "Rock The House", "One", "I Give Good Love", "What's Your Pleasure", and "Action". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge moment for War – maybe the group's biggest album of the 70s, but a set that still has them holding onto everything that makes the great! Like Earth Wind & Fire at their best, War have this way of staying strong and righteous, while still able to hit a hook – jamming one minute, but finding sharp focus the next – and balancing it all out over the course of an album so that there's a sense of depth that really keeps on going once the familiar cuts draw you in. In this case, the familiar cuts are giants – the stunning Latin funk gem "Low Rider", which became an anthem for a generation, and the radio hit "Why Can't We Be Friends" – mixed with other nuggets like the jazzy "Don't No One Get You Down", the funky "Heartbeat", and the cuts "Lotus Blossom", "Smile Happy", "So", and "Leroy's Latin Lament". LP, Vinyl record album

The one and only album ever cut by The Winstons – an obscure mixed-race soul combo who had roots in Otis Redding's touring band, and who hit big with a soul Grammy in 1969 for the title track to this one, "Color Him Father". The cut's an amazing document of its time, a sweet little story-song about a boy who's lost his dad in the war (Vietnam?), and who grows to love the new guy that his mom is dating. Sounds sappy, but it's one of the most compelling soul singles of the 60s – and is always a treat to hear. The other big cut on the record is the classic breakbeat track "Amen Brother", which is an instrumental reading of the gospel standard, done in a fast-funk style that's been sampled for years – both by hip hoppers and by drum n bass producers! (Noteworthy, too, is the fact that this 33rpm album offers a bonus on the cut that the 45rpm single does not – you can play the album at 45rpm to speed up the break in the track, getting a great jungle effect!) The rest of the record is pretty good – but mostly features the group trying to cover work by other artists, on songs like "The Chokin Kind", "The Greatest Love", "Everyday People", and "Only The Strong Survive". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive batch of rare club tracks unearthed by Chicago's Past Due label, packaged together wonderfully as a document of a lost side of soul and disco! So far, Past Due's efforts have only surfaced as expensive 12" singles – so this collection is the first full length set to showcase the label's music – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the indie soul underground of the late 70s and early 80s! The music is to the far left of some of the better-known club work from the east coast of the time – including that of P&P Records – and most cuts here almost fall more in the upbeat funk mode than conventional disco grooves you'd find on bigger labels. Most numbers groove along in a wave of bumping bass, sweet keyboards, and other hip instrumental touches – and vocals are usually deep and soulful, much more so than in ordinary club. Titles include "Galaxy" by Visions Of Tomorrow, "Midnight Rhythm" by The Right Direction, "The Heat Is On" by Lonnie Givens, "Get Up Get Down & Let Your Body Pop" by Greyship Daviz, "Dance" by Destiny In Time Band, "Party" by Monofide, "Kiss You Everywhere" and "You Are Number One" by Devarne, "You Bring Out The Best In Me" by Destiny In Time, and "If You Like What We're Doing" by The Fabulous Kings. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent collection of rare soul tracks from the 60s – a set that's billed with a "Northern Soul" title – but which is pretty darn great for any fans of upbeat and very groovy soul! Many of the cuts here never broke big back in the day, but were discovered and brought back strongly by soul collectors in more recent decades – mixed together here with a few classics, all for a set list that's overflowing with gems from Motown, Chess, and other classic labels! Titles include "Wade In The Water" by Marlena Shaw, "Breakin Down The Walls Of Heartache" by Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon, "Time Will Pass You By" by Tobi Legend, "I Got A Feeling" by Barbara Randolph, "Blowin Up My Mind" by The Exciters, "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "There's A Ghost In My House" by R Dean Taylor, "Do I Love You" by Frank Wilson, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by The Elgins, "Tainted Love" by Gloria Jones, "He Who Picks A Rose" by Jimmy Ruffin, "This Love Starved Heart Of Mine" by Marvin Gaye, "Wear It On Our Face" by The Dells, "Ordinary Joe" by Terry Callier, "Why Am I Lovin You" by Debbie Dean, and "Love Love Love" by Bobby Hebb. LP, Vinyl record album