One of the great ones from Ian Dury – a record that goes way beyond simple quirky rock, and explodes with some wonderful jazzy touches! The sound here is totally great – very much in the sway of Chaz Jankel's musical direction, and filled with great bits on sax, keyboards, and guitar that have a fair bit more warmth and soul than Dury's original records. There's actually less standout hits here – but that's ok, because the record has a really unified feel overall – strongly in the funky arty dancefloor mode that you might expect from some of the Ze Records camp. Titles include "Dance Of The Screamers", "Inbetweenies", "Quiet", "Sink My Boats", "Don't Ask Me", "This Is What We Find", and "Uneasy Sunny Day Hotsy Totsy". (Rock, Soul) CD

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Classic Memphis soul! This nifty 22 track compilation brings to light some excellent material recorded for the legendary Hi label – most of which was not issued on albums, by far the most-reissued part of the label. The set combines material from some of the label's bigger stars, and some of it's lesser-known treasures. Titles include "Is it Over?" by David Duke, "It Was Jealousy" by Otis Clay, "Still Around" by James Fry, "I Can't Let You Go" by Ann Peebles, "She's My Woman" by Bobo Mr. Soul, "Hey Little Girl" by Norm West, and "What Made You Change" by Eddie McGhee. CD

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A cool collection of work done by Syl Johnson in his post-Chicago years, when he was hitting a mellower groove down in Memphis at Hi Records! The sound's not as raw and funky as in earlier days, but it's also got a smooth quality that shows that Syl was really stretching out as an artist – hitting notes that were some of his sweetest on record, and making him a perfect fit for the Hi sound of the 70s. The set features 15 tracks in all – and titles include "Back For A Taste Of Your Love", "Let Yourself Go", "I Let A Good Girl Go", "Wind Blow Her Back My Way", "I Hate I Walked Away", "Take Me To The River", "I want To Take You Home", "Feelin Frisky", "Don't Do It", "I'm Yours", "We Did It", "I Hear The Love Chimes Blow", and "Any Way The Wind Blows". CD

Titles include "This Is All", "Little Demon", "Just Don't Care", "You Made Me Love You", "Yellow Cat", "Frenzy", "Feast Of The Mau Mau", and "I Put A Spell On You" – 17 tracks total. CD

The third great album in the trilogy that includes Off The Wall and Thriller – and a set that still has Michael Jackson running strong at the height of his solo powers! Quincy Jones is still at the helm, and Michael more than proves that he can still come up with a pop tune without going too far over the top – catchy, compelling numbers that played well all over the world of pop – but which still hang onto just a little part of his soul roots too! That balance is a key factor to the success of this set – a record that helped re-ignite interest in Jackson's music, and introduce him to a whole new generation – while still keeping most of the older fans plenty pleased too. Titles include "Just Good Friends", "Smooth Criminal", "Bad", "Another Part Of Me", "Man In The Mirror", and "Speed Demon". CD

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Really mindblowing work from Fela – a seminal 70s set that may well open up even more than any other album from the time – as the leader and Africa 70 stretch out on a single track that takes up the entire record! "Confusion" is almost proggish at the start – with a long passage that just features drums from Tony Allen and some really offbeat electric piano from Fela – slowly building up a groove out of the darkness, then letting the rest of the group come into the mix – all at a level that definitely sets the tune on fire for the righteous politics of the lyrics! The whole thing's no sloppy, over-extended jam – and instead, the record's a great demonstration of the care and craft that Fela brought to his musical vision at the time. The Gentleman LP is represented here by 3 songs – "Gentleman", "Igbe (Shit)", and "Fe Fe Naa Efe" – all of which are brimming with angry energy, and a heavy brassy overdrive! Loads of African funk grooves, packed onto one superbly done CD! (Global Grooves, Soul) CD

A tremendous discovery in soul music – previously unreleased demos from the legendary Dan Penn – one of the key songwriters in the Fame Studios/Muscle Shoals scene of the 60s! Dan's tunes had an undeniable impact on southern soul for decades to come – yet Penn hardly issued any singles himself – just sang on these in-house recordings as a way of demonstrating the strength of his songs! Yet Penn's vocals are amazing – as raspy and soulful as any of the big names who recorded his work – and backed here by superb Fame support by the core combo of Spooner Oldham on piano and organ, Jimmy Johnson on guitar, and Roger Hawkins on drums. Oldham co-wrote most of the tunes with Penn, and really gives them a slow-burning, all-soul feel with his keyboard lines – and although demo recordings, the production here is every bit as great as commercially-released material from Fame – making the collection sparkle like the lost album (or albums!) that Dan Penn never had at the time. Titles include "Keep On Talking", "Feed The Flame", "Strangest Feeling", "I Do", "It Tears Me Up", "Uptight Good Woman", "Far From The Maddening Crowd", "The Puppet", "Long Ago", "Slippin Around With You", and "Do Something". CD

A soaring classic from Angie Bofil – a record that stands as one of the most perfect demonstrations of her upbeat, positive approach to soul! There's a style here that seems to be a bit in the legacy of Minnie Riperton – especially the way that Narada Michael Waldon brings in some deeper currents to the arrangements – and, a bit like Riperton, Angie's got an approach here that's as timeless all these years later as it was catchy at the time! Angie's taking things to a sophisticated soul level with this one – stepping out on a few ballads with a proud and emotive style, but still sounding best on the mellow grooving tunes, which seem to be the best fit for her voice. Titles include "On & On", "Something About You", "Stop Look Listen", "Time To Say Goodbye", "Holdin Out For Love", and "Only Love". CD

A stone classic from Brother James – a wonderful 60s album that not only includes the incredible title track – one of James' best groovers from the time – but a set that also showcases his talents in so many other styles too! There's a few wonderful ballads – but completely recast by James into songs of pride and power – and some older R&B-styled numbers that hearken back to his earliest years at King – all of which makes for a really rich demonstration of that unique James Brown energy that nobody else in the 60s could ever hope to touch! The Godfather's vocals burst out nicely with some wonderfully soulful overtones, no matter what the tune – and titles include "Fever", "Good Rockin Tonight", "Back Stabbin", "Mona Lisa", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Nature Boy" and "I Want To Be Around" – as well as "Cold Sweat (parts 1 & 2)". CD

A fantastic early demonstration of the solo powers of Diana Ross – a live date from Vegas, and one that has her commanding the stage not just as a singer of soul music, but as a female star ready to rival the talents of any of her contemporaries in the mainstream! Ross shines here with a brilliant brightness right from the start – working with a large ensemble that echoes all her best Motown roots, but which also pushes things out in fuller, more vibrant modes too – as Diana runs through tracks that include old soul favorites, jazz standards, and even some surprising choices from the charts – at a level that's filled with poise, class, and soul throughout. Titles include a great "Supremes Medley", plus "Don't Rain On My Parade", "Corner Of The Sky", "I Love You Porgy", "My Man", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and a "Lady Sings The Blues Medley" with titles from the Billie Holiday songbook. CD

A treasure trove of funk and soul from one heck of a great little label – Columbus, Ohio's short-lived Capsoul imprint – only around for 5 years in the 70s, but home to a great flurry of indie singles! We first caught onto the label's brilliance with their funky classics "Hot Grits" by Elijah & The Ebonies and "Sock It To Em Soul Brother" by Bill Moss – but as this set wonderfully demonstrates, the label's got a heck of a lot more to offer – and all of it great! The label's brilliance has been masterfully unearthed by the crate-digging team at Numero Records – who've brought together 19 of the best Capsoul singles in a beautiful package that really tells the story of the tiny imprint, getting at the details and struggles that faced independent soul in the marketplace of the 70s. Way more than just a set of old singles, the set's a rich document of indie soul in one of the near-forgotten corners of the Midwest – filled with great tunes that may well have you booking the next flight you can find to Columbus! Titles include "Sock It To Em Soul Brother" by Bill Moss, "Pure Soul" by Elijah & The Ebonies, "Without Love" by Ronnie Taylor, "You're All I Need To Make It" by Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum, & Durr, "Hot Grits" by Elijah & The Ebonies, "Too Far Gone" by Four Mints, "I Want To Be Ready" by Kook Blues, "Go On Fool" by Marion Black, and "Number One" by Bill Moss. Updated version features new mastering and additional notes – plus the bonus track "All I Need To Make It" by The Capsoul Group. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

A pretty amazing batch of soul, R&B, and funk from the Nashville scene – from an astonishing range of years, too! Of course the memorabilia industry that is "Music City USA" is dominated by country music and pop, and this long, long, LONG overdue collection of singles from 1945-1970 demonstrates how much more was going on in East Tennessee beyond Chet Atkins and the Opry! The tunes range from jump blues & soul of the late 40s and 50s, and on through the harmony soul of the 60s and the pre-funk late 60s. 38 tracks on two CDs: "Nashville Jumps" by Cecil Gant, "Just Walkin' In The Rain" by The Prisonaires, "Baby Let's Play House" by Arthur Gunter, "Christene" by Little Hank Crawford, "You Can Make It If You Try" by Gene Allison, "Somebody, Somewhere" by Larry Birdsong, "Monkey Doin' Woman" by Shy Guy Douglas, "What'd I Say" by Etta James, "Snap Your Fingers" by Joe Henderson, "I Want To" by Joe Tex, "The Chokin'" Kind" by Joe Simon, "Rediscover Me" by Johnny Adams and tons more! CD