Dancer and pop soul sensation Jermaine Stewart's bright, thumping and 80s dancefoor R&B that busted out huge on the pop charts for a moment! Jermaine was a dancer on Soul Train and background singer before busting out with some catchy R&B hits and the massive pop smash "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off". It's a fun record, and it's interesting to listen to the very 80s sound all these later, after its time in the dark outdated pop shadows, before it became a celebrated influence of the hippest post millennium DJs. Cultural chin-scratching aside, it's a straight up catchy, appealing album from a very talented Jermaine Stewart. Titles include the huge 80s emblem "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" plus "Dance Floor", "Jody", "Versatile", "Frantic Romantic", "Don't Ever Leave Me", "Out To Punish", "Give Your Love To Me" and "The Word Is Out". This UK CD on Cherry Pop has 5 bonus tracks: "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off (Special Extended Version)", "Brilliance", "The Word Is Out (West Mix – Extended Mix)", "Jody (Dance Version)" and "Dance Floor (Extended Version)". CD

A really wonderful collection – an important re-investigation of the unusual mix of sounds and styles on the New York scene in the years after disco – a time when funk, punk, hip hop, and art were all colliding at once – providing a really fresh antidote to the staid sounds of Studio 54! The "disco" in the title should be taken lightly – as these cuts didn't play at the slick uptown dance spots – but were instead the soundtrack for the cool spots happening downtown, as the previous loft culture morphed into clubs, in this very special blend of the energy of CBGB and the underground soulful dancefloors. The set list is filled with classics from this time – and titles include "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, "Tell You Today (voc)" by Loose Joints, "Walking On Thin Ice (re-edit)" by Yoko Ono, "Over & Over" by Material, "Spasticus Autisticus (version)" by Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players, "Kiss Me Again (original edit)" by Dinosaur, "Move" by Nicky Siano, "School Bell/Tree House" by Indian Ocean, "I Walk" by Don Cherry, "Voices Inside My Head" by Common Sense, and "Wheel Me Out" by Was Not Was. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Both rock and soul – and features tracks by The Counts, George Washington & The Cherry Bombs, Liberty Party, The Dynamics, City Limits, Don & The Goodtimers, The Bandits, Sonics, and Mr Lucky & The Gamblers! (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

ennCymande hit some well-deserved heights on this massive third album – working with a complicated groove that's even more compelling than their earlier albums – in a righteous blend of heavy bass and tripped-out guitars that's unlike anything else we've ever heard! The music's a unique blend of roots from Guyana coming into play with the changes of the 70s London scene – and the group have a way of reaching out past borders, past familiar styles, and making a whole new world of their own! Things are funky, but pretty darn dubby too – and the whole thing's got a sly sound that others have tried to copy over the years – but never done this well at all. Titles include the monster funk cut "Brothers On the Slide", a jaunty sample-laden groover – plus "Pon De Dungle", "Changes", "Sheshamani", and "Leavert". CD features bonus tracks – "Friends", "Our Love Will Really Get Going", and "Mighty Heavy Load". CD

A pair of 70s soul classics from arranger Gene Page – back to back on a single CD! First up is Hot City – an excellent album of Barry White-styled instrumentals – put together by Barry's right hand man Gene Page, and produced by Barry himself! The record's one of the best that Gene Page ever cut – apart from his seminal blacksploitation soundtracks – and it's very much in the mode of White's Love Unlimited Orchestra albums from the same time, although perhaps with less of a string section – and more of an emphasis on funky drums at the bottom. Players are an all-star cast of LA studio groovers that includes David T Walker and Ray Parker on guitar, Ernie Watts and Wilton Felder on saxes, and Clarence McDonald on keyboards – and tracks are mostly originals by Page and White. Titles include "Jungle Eyes", "She's My Main Squeeze", "I Am Living In A World Of Gloom", "Satin Soul", and "To The Bone". Lovelock features Gene Page at the height of his 70s powers – using all the talents he forged as a background artist for other soul talents, and all the majesty he added to his soundtrack work – all focused nicely into a sweet set of warmly soulful grooves! The style's a bit clubby, but also has some wider depth too – maybe an undercurrent of fusion that comes from players like Lee Ritenour and David T Walker on guitar, Joe Sample and Sonny Burke on keyboards, and Oscar Brasher on trumpet – who find a way to work wonderfully alongside the albums vocals from singers Merry Clayton, Edna Wright, and Jim Gilstrap – all with a style that's not unlike some of the best Quincy Jones material of the time! As with Quincy, there's a sense of care and confidence that really holds the album together – on titles that include "Higher My Love", "Organ Grinder", "Into My Thing", "Wild Cherry", "Fantasy Woman", "Straw In the Wind", and "Together Whatever". CD

Classic cuts, made even better by the magic hands of Al Kent – a mixing talent we've trusted for years, and one with an uncanny knack for making the same kind of special sounds you'd hear on a rare club edit from back in the day! These tracks aren't remixed, or bogged down with new musical touches – they're just pulled apart and reconstructed in ways that make the initial grooves even better, and which often extends the tunes to great new lengths – but never in a way that gets too overdone or predictable! Al Kent's got ears that feel like they've never left the 70s, and he really keeps things right throughout – on a list of tracks that includes "I Wanna Love" by Jo Bisso, "Doin Your Own Thing" by Tangerue, "You Never Loved Me" by Ava Cherry, "Givin Back The Feeling" by George McCrae, "Fire Keep On Burning" by King Sporty, "San Salvador" by Grupo Macho, "You Like It We Love It" by Southroad Connection, "Wonder Woman" by JD Hall, and "Keep On Moving" by Phillip & Lloyd. Plus, CD version features a bonus disc of a continuous mix of all the tracks! (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Magical music from the days when radio really mattered – an assortment of raw and raunchy singles all popularized by Pittsburgh DJ Mad Mike Metrovich in the 60s! Mad Mike had an ear that was unlike anyone else – a way of seeking out unusual tunes with a gritty edge – cuts that fell far from the charts, and included a rich array of garage, instrumental, and R&B-influenced styles! Even at the height of his popularity, Mike was dedicated to digging up little-heard singles – and would often work towards keeping them obscure by covering up the labels – a practice that was still yet to come in hip hop or Northern soul scenes. This amazing series does a great job of making Mike's music live again – combining rare singles with a few radio spots too – and packaging the whole thing will full notes on Mike, the Pittsburgh scene, and the rich array of record stores and radio stations that allowed music this great to exist! Titles on this third volume include "Firewater" by Premieres, "Strollie Bun" by Blonde Bomber, "Malanese" by Avalons, "Monkey Man" by Baby Huey & The Babysitters, "The Birds" by Motivations, "Oo Ma Liddi" by JJ Jackson & The Jackals, "Cotton" by Duvals, "Come On Back" by Big Syl Barnes, "Zebra" by Youngsters, "Done Done The Slop" by Ervin Rucker, "Cherry Juice" by Marino Choice, "The Hunch" by Mad Mike & The Maniacs, and "Uncle John" by Wild Child Gipson. (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album