(Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The second and final chapter in the career of Cristina – the female singer who was a key link in the New York club scene between Grace Jones and Madonna! Like the former, Cristina was not a singer at heart – but rose into the mainstream with a quirky ear for a tune and model-like looks that helped carry off her act. And like the latter, she clearly marched to the beat of her own tune – and did so with enough charisma and self-assured star power to get that tune out into the clubs. This second album features Cristina working in a very different style than on her debut – teaming with Don Was in a set of Detroit recordings that also featured a fair bit of original lyrics by Cristina. The camp/retro mode of the first album is still present here, but in a more subtle way – and the disco grooves have been replaced by more of the Was Not Was proto-funk approach, which means heavier beats and noisier guitars overall. The core album features original tracks "What's A Girl To Do", "Ticket To The Tropics", "The Lie Of Love", "Quicksand Lovers", and "He Dines Out On Death" – plus covers of "Blue Money" and the Brech/Weil tune "Ballad Of Immoral Earnings". The CD adds in some bonus tracks – "Things Fall Apart" and "Disco Clone (7" mix)". CD

Mad homegrown soul from the enigmatic Darondo – a brief Bay Area star back in the 70s, and also host of TV comedy and children's shows! Darondo only ever saw release of 3 singles, but they're all pretty darn great – a weird mix of funk, soul, and sly slinky grooves – very unique in conception, and with a heady, tripped-out vision that makes us wish he'd recorded more. Luv N Haight have really done Darondo justice with this set – bringing together all 6 tracks from the singles, plus 3 more previously unissued numbers – all in a great package that features words from the man himself, plus some great images from his older TV shows. A near-lost soul figure, but one with enough charisma to fill the careers of other more famous acts! Titles include "How I Got Over", "Let My People Go", "Legs (part 1)", "True", "Didn't I", "I Want Your Love So Bad", "My Momma & My Poppa", "Sure Know How To Love Me", and "Listen To My Song". CD

Mad homegrown soul from the enigmatic Darondo – a brief Bay Area star back in the 70s, and also host of TV comedy and children's shows! Darondo only ever saw release of 3 singles, but they're all pretty darn great – a weird mix of funk, soul, and sly slinky grooves – very unique in conception, and with a heady, tripped-out vision that makes us wish he'd recorded more. Luv N Haight have really done Darondo justice with this set – bringing together all 6 tracks from the singles, plus 3 more previously unissued numbers – all in a great package that features words from the man himself, plus some great images from his older TV shows. A near-lost soul figure, but one with enough charisma to fill the careers of other more famous acts! Titles include "How I Got Over", "Let My People Go", "Legs (part 1)", "True", "Didn't I", "I Want Your Love So Bad", "My Momma & My Poppa", "Sure Know How To Love Me", and "Listen To My Song". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover image here really demonstrates the charisma of Fela at his height – dozens of topless women, kneeling around the maestro and spelling out the number 70 – but to us, the music is what really shows the man's power – a bold, progressive statement of the new energy bubbling up on the African scene – served up here on two amazing side-long tracks! Tony Allen is at the head of the Africa 70 – and his rhythms are already incredibly complex, but always right on the money – mixed with heavy tenor from Igo Chico, great electric piano lines, and a fiercely collaborative sense of energy that makes every move of the entire group come together as one. Titles include "Lady" and "Sakara Oloje" – both completely sublime! (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Al Jarreau is grooving in a pure modern pop soul mode on this mid 80s set – and it works really, really well – a not-so-surprising creative win even if it's not the jazzy Jarreau record longtime fans may have preferred at the time – one of our favorite mid-decade Nile Rodgers productions! Al's vocals are really excellent, bringing in all the cooing charisma he's capable of and Niles brings the clean, chart ready production – even though this one didn't hit as big as it should have. Titles include "Tell Me What I Gotta Do", "L Is For Lover", "Golden Girl", "Pleasure", "Real Tight", "Give A Little More Lovin" and more. CD

Great work from one of the undisputed UK maestros of lovers rock during the 80s – producer Neville King, who serves up this totally sweet batch of overlooked gems from the time! The groove is nice and mellow – that fantastic blend of contemporary soul and reggae rhythms that really took hold in London and other UK spots from the late 70s onward – perfect for slow-stepping in the more laidback hours of a party, or chilling out back home on your own! Singers on all these tracks are great – nicely understated, but plenty soulful – and titles include "What About Me" by Blood Sisters, "Lady Lady" by One Blood, "At The Dance" by Leroy Simmonds, "It's Love That Makes A Woman" by Karen Dixon, "They Don't Stay Long" by Unique, "Open Up The Door" by Charisma, "The Day Will Come" by The Sadonians, "Love Sweet Love" by Love & Emotion, and "Not My Baby" by The Sensations. CD features bonus tracks – "Hold Me Tight" by Natural Touch, and "Loving Kind" by Simplicity. (Reggae, Soul) CD

Raw vintage soul from Lonnie Lester! Lonnie's smooth, honey sweet voice is such a fantastic foil for the often stripped-down, but driving sounds of these rare singles, it's hard to believe he's not a more celebrated figure. Well, it's never too late the start celebrating him – and this first-ever compilation of these 60s rarities is a solid place to start! It's a fantastic set of soul and funk – fairly raw for the most part, but there's some slightly fuller arrangements, too – and it's solid on both fronts. Lonnie has charisma to spare and his songs are top notch. Well worth digging in! Includes ""You Can't Go", "So This Is Love", "The Meanest Man In Town", "You Choose", "Git Down", "Ain't The A Shame", "Power Structure (Part 1 & 2)", "Can't Let You Go (Part 1 & 2)" and more. CD has 3 bonus tracks: "I Know (Nu-Tone version)", "I Know (B&G version)" and "I Have Never Been Blue". CD

Massively solid boogie work from Jeffrey Osborne and LTD – still grooving beautifully at the end of the 70s, and working here with top-shelf production from Bobby Martin! The set's got that buoyant LTD groove that was a perfect foil for Osborne's soaring vocals – a sound that never fell into the cliches of some of Osborne's later solo work, and which was a perfect match between ensemble funk, dancefloor rhythms, and the charisma of a strong lead singer. There's a few smoother ballads on the set that point the way towards later years, but the bulk of the set is very much in the group's best boogie mode – and titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Lovers Everywhere", "Don'tcha Know", "Shine On", "Where Did We Go Wrong", "Getaway" and "Lady Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Pockets – a group who started out more in a jazzy mode, but who here have emerged as a fully-formed, soaringly soulful group that's a perfect fit for the Kalmiba Productions style of the late 70s! As you probably know, Kalimba's the production arm of the Earth Wind & Fire empire – and Pockets fit here right in tight with their groove – a nice little sidebar, definitely with their own spirit – but filled with that sense of perfection that wraps together funk, soul, and jazz with equal emphasis on all three styles! There's some great harmony vocals in the mix too – crafted with the care of contemporaneous groups like Side Effect or Creative Source – and titles include "Your Heart's In Trouble", "Bye Bye", "Catch Me", "So Delicious", "How Do You Think It Feels?", "Charisma", and "Baby Are You Coming Home With Me". CD

The legendary unreleased Motown recordings by The Contours – material that should have been issued as a full length LP in 1964 – but all but a couple tunes have languished in the vaults until now! The group simply kills on on these dancefloor ready stormers, with raucous, charismatic lead vocals and tight harmony backup – on a set of numbers that were no doubt ready and set to slay live audiences. We're sure The Contours were unbeatable live, but these recordings really should have made it out at the time. Better late than never, to say the very least! Includes the 60s singles "Can You Do It" and "Can You Jerk Like Me", plus the unreleased "Do The See Saw", "Foot Stomping Time", "Party Groove", "Okey Dokey", "Love Is Uncertain", "Wanted", "Boy Meets Girl", "You Hurt Me So", "Throw You Out Of My Mind", "Giant Steps", "Let's Do The Uncle Willie", "Tonight", "Nobody Fine As Dinah", "Somebody's Daughter Outta", "Let's Do The Uncle Willie" and more. 26 tracks in all! CD

The fourth album from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – solidifying what we learned pretty early on from the indomitable soul spirit that is Sharon and her impeccable combo the Dap-Kings – it's that this is not some retro soul revival novelty act, what they are is the greatest active embodiment of a true soul sound that will never go away! We've always loved that Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings recognize the studio and the stage as different worlds. On stage, Sharon is the possibly the most energetic, charismatic presence you'll ever see and the band brings heft and heat. In the studio, they stretch out and diversify wonderfully, bringing both raw, unpolished funky soul realness to some more stripped down numbers and a full on Stax or Hi level heaviness to the bigger ones. The songs are better and more memorable than ever on this record – with "The Game Gets Old" and "I Learned The Hard Way" (an astoundingly strong one/two punch for the opening minutes) plus "Better Things", "Give It Back", "Money". "The Reason", "Window Shopping", "I'll Still Be True", "Without A Heart", "If You Call" and "Mama Don't Like My Man". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

Completely killer work from Frankie Beverly & Maze – captured here at the height of their power, with that amazing blend of Frankie's lead vocals and the group's tight instrumentation – all at a level that so many others tried to copy, but never got this right! The sense of unity in the title really comes through in the music – a proud, progressive approach to contemporary R&B that always made Maze one of the more positive acts of their time – even if the message was played in a more subtle way than earlier groups in the 70s. At some level, Maze are picking up the torch that Earth Wind & Fire were dropping a bit by this point – but with an even more charismatic singer in the lead – and just the right blend of acoustic and electric elements in the instrumentation. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "I Wanna Thank You", "Love Is The Key", "We Are One", "Right On Time", "Never Let You Down", and "Metropolis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those bright, charismatic Billy Ocean records from a couple years before his massive pop soul crossover – just a sublime 80s club groover that pumps along at a nice mid tempo clip – a real favorite around these parts! This was Billy's debut for Epic and there's plenty of signposts here of his potential to bust out in a big way commercially – it's hooky and insistent, but still plenty soulful, less steeped in pop gloss and with fewer ballads – lean, danceable soul that holds up very, very well. Also includes "Stay The Night", "Are You Ready", "Whatever Turns You On", "Don't Say Stop", "Another Day Won't Matter", and "Taking Chances". LP, Vinyl record album

A great second volume of pivotal episodes of The Johnny Otis Show from Ace Records and a compilation that represents two eras of Johnny Otis! On With The Show starts out by continuing the story of his late 50s and early 60s R&B years – then segues hard into his grittier funk-honed style of the late 60s and early 70s. The first half starts out right where Vol 1 left off – tracing his good-natured, rollicking R&B. Fittingly, this half of the set effectively ends with '61's "Hand Jive One More Time" and the next track, '67's "Keep The Faith", shows a remarkable transition in style to groove heavy soul and funk. It's all great – be it his charismatic riffs on the Bo Diddley beat that so characterized the "Hand Jive" era, to the ribald funk of "Signifying Monkey" and beyond. 24 tracks in all and featuring a great set of notes. Titles include "Good Golly", "The Jelly Roll", "The New Bo Diddley", "Let's Love It Up", "Banana Peels", "The Watts Breakaway", "Cold Shot", "Country Girl", "I Got The Walkin' Blues", "Cuttin' Up", "Jaws", "Bye Bye Baby (Until We Meet Again)" and more. CD

Heavy, soul-baring lyricism delivered with spiritual resonance and wise authority by Gil Scott-Heron – his first album shot in far too many years, and a direct hit – essential listening for longtime listeners and neophytes alike and a well worthy entry in a legendary career! Scott-Heron is documenting his world as profoundly and poetically as ever here, and the production is built with spare, haunting beats and atmospheric bits of strings, guitar, keys, loose atmospherics and hazy electronics – loosely framing his voice and giving it all the room in needs to carry the mood. Gil sings and speaks with equal authority throughout, and you can hear the years in his voice like never before, giving him the worn edges of the old soul he always evoked. This is a record we're proud to put among his treasured recordings of the 70s and early 80s. Titles include "On Coming From A Broken Home" (Parts 1 & 2), "Your Soul And Mine", "I'll Take Care Of You", "Where Did The Night Go", "Running", "The Crutch" and more, including several interludes that are pretty amazing – captures of conversation that show Gil nearly as charismatic and poetic in "off" moments as he is recording a song. Also includes 2 covers, "Me And The Devil" (the Robert Johnson song) and the title track, Smog/Bill Callahan's "I'm New Here", given a whole new life. Expanded anniversary version also features some great material recorded at the same time – the titles "Handsome Johnny", "My Cloud", "Piano Player", "King Henry IV", "Jazz", and 2010 live studio takes of "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "Is That Jazz", and "Winter In America". CD

The first album from Stevie Woods, and one of just a few records ever by the early 80s soul groover as a headliner! It's made up of sweet mid tempo cuts, slightly spacier keys & percussion flavored numbers, slow jams with string accents and more – really nice stuff all around! Stevie's a charismatic singer, and this is well tailored, nicely produced and easygoing work. We're surprised Stevie didn't have more years in the limelight! Includes "Fly Away", "Just Can't Win 'Em All", "Take Me To Your Heaven", "Steal The Night", "Through The Years", "Wanna Be Close To You", "Read Between The Lines", "Throw A Little Bit Of Love My Way" and "Gotcha". LP, Vinyl record album

A winning batch of modern soul from Yarbrough & Peoples – synthy duet soul, bits of funk, and some sweety sultry groovers, too! Y&P do their thing in a number of modes, and that fairly expansive approach to the 80s R&B sound really sets them apart from many of their peers. On one level, the synths and period production touches are kind of slick, but there's enough of a bubbling funky underbelly to give it some grit. Alisa Peoples can deliver a sultry coo or powerhouse lead with equal success, and Calvin Yarbrough is a charismatic partner. "Don't Waste Your Time", "I'm Ready To Jam", "I'll Be There", "I Only Love You", "Be A Winner", "The Power", "Who Said That", "I Gave My All (To You)" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The oft-covered Bob Dylan songbook never sounds so soulful – classic interpretations of Dylan's canon from a great, far reaching roster of black artists – from the the ever-stirring Staple Singers, southern soul heroes Howard Tate and OV Wright, charismatic country soul from Brook Benton, great gender role perspective flipped versions by Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle, a funky tamborine take by Con Funk Shun and much more! It's another excellent entry in the Songwriter Series from Ace Records, extra excellent in that it takes an obvious hero of 60s Songwriter – and actually pulls together songs that'll take you by surprise for their depth – whether you treasure Dylan, deep 60s & 70s solo & group R&B, funk, folk soul...or all of the above! Includes "Blowin In The Wind" by OV Wright, "Girl From The North Country" by Howard Tate, "The Man In Me" by The Persuations, "Lay lady Lay" by The Isley Brothers, "Emotionally Yours" by The O'Jays, "All Along The Watchtower" by Bobby Womack, "Maggie's Farm" by Soloman Burke, "Mr. Tamborine Man" by Con Funk Shun and more. 20 tracks in all. CD