4 of the best tracks from the sublime Earth Wind & Fire remix project from Sony Japan – 4 classic numbers, all reworked by some of the best talents in modern clubland. The Phil Asher and Blaze mixes are especially nice – as you might expect! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Great work from Little Bob – aka Lil Bob, aka Camille Bob – a New Orleans soul singer with a nicely funky edge! The album's almost got more of a mid 60s James Brown inspiration than some of Bob's southern contemporaries – with backing from the super-tight Lollipops, who really know how to make all the instruments come down on the groove – but also still leave room for one of the horn players to step out with a smoking solo from time to time! Bob's got a mellow, heartbreaking vibe on some of the more laidback tracks – but then can really soar on the more upbeat numbers – showing an emotional range that's really wonderful, and which makes the album as much a deep soul treasure as it is incredibly rare. Titles include "I Got Loaded", "The Way It's Got To Be", "Nobody But You", "My Heart's On Fire", "Are You Ever Coming Home", "So In Need", "With These Hands", and "Look Out Mr Heartache". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic session of pounding percussion – quite possibly the most successful entry into this earthy genre that hit the recording scene at the end of the 50s! Babatunde Olatunji is joined here by a great assemblage of players – including Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, who further flesh out the rumbling, rhythmic groove at the bottom. There's also a group of vocalists on the record, soaring over the top of the percussion with a nicely righteous feel – and the record's a key crossover moment that heralds later African expressions in the American mainstream. Titles include "Odun De Odun De", "Oya", "Jin Go Lo Ba", "Baba Jinde", and "Shango". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A classic session of pounding percussion – quite possibly the most successful entry into this earthy genre that hit the recording scene at the end of the 50s! Babatunde Olatunji is joined here by a great assemblage of players – including Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, who further flesh out the rumbling, rhythmic groove at the bottom. There's also a group of vocalists on the record, soaring over the top of the percussion with a nicely righteous feel – and the record's a key crossover moment that heralds later African expressions in the American mainstream. Titles include "Odun De Odun De", "Oya", "Jin Go Lo Ba", "Baba Jinde", and "Shango". (Global Grooves, Soul) CD

An amazing package – two full albums of work from Olatunji, plus bonus tracks, notes, and vintage photos! The original Drums Of Passion is a classic session of pounding percussion – quite possibly the most successful entry into this earthy genre that hit the recording scene at the end of the 50s! Babatuned Olatunji is joined here by a great assemblage of players – including Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, who further flesh out the rumbling, rhythmic groove at the bottom. There's also a group of vocalists on the record, soaring over the top of the percussion with a nicely righteous feel – and the record's a key crossover moment that heralds later African expressions in the American mainstream. Titles include "Odun De Odun De", "Oya", "Jin Go Lo Ba", "Baba Jinde", and "Shango". Bonus cuts include "Eyo She She", "Menu Diyeh (remake)", "Jolly Mensah (new version)", and "Menu Di Ye Jewe". On More Drums Of Passion, Babatunde Olatunji goes even more drum-crazy than before – working here with no less than nine percussionists, plus a host of singers as well! The tunes have a very rootsy groove throughout – instrumentation that only comes from the rhythm instruments, some of which are pointed towards melody – and a setting that features none of the added strings or horns you might get from a jazz or exotica-styled session of this nature – just drums and voices, presented by Columbia Records in a really groundbreaking blend! Titles include "Wasalu", "Ayinde", "Frekoba", "Alose", and "Omo Pup". Bonus tracks include "African Waltz", "Hail The King", and "Saturday Night Limbo". 2CD set also comes with a huge booklet of notes and vintage photos! (Global Grooves, Soul) CD

A classic session of pounding percussion – quite possibly the most successful entry into this earthy genre that hit the recording scene at the end of the 50s! Babatuned Olatunji is joined here by a great assemblage of players – including Montego Joe and Baba Hawthorne Bey on percussion, who further flesh out the rumbling, rhythmic groove at the bottom. There's also a group of vocalists on the record, soaring over the top of the percussion with a nicely righteous feel – and the record's a key crossover moment that heralds later African expressions in the American mainstream. Titles include "Odun De Odun De", "Oya", "Jin Go Lo Ba", "Baba Jinde", and "Shango". CD features a bonus track – "Menu Di Ye Jewe". (Global Grooves, Soul) CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Smoking early work from the legendary Freddie King – most of it recorded during years he had a strong connection to the Chicago electric blues scene, where he really honed his craft to perfection! The work here is definitely blues, but King's vocals bring a soulful inflection to the songs that's undeniable – and although his hard-riffing style would later be copped by countless imitators on later cheesy blues albums, the presentation here is still breathtaking – really raw, and recorded by King with this clear, sharp sound on the guitar that seems to knock out all other elements when Freddie takes a solo! The package is one of the first to really dig deep into these crucial years for King – and brings together 54 tracks all recorded as singles for King Records – complete with full notes, and even information on the original releases too. Titles include "In The Open", "Texas Oil", "Come On", "Just Pickin", "I Hear Jingle Bells", "Hideaway", "Look Ma I'm Cryin", "King A Ling", "Driving Sideways", "Meet Me At The Station", "Monkey Donkey", "Surf Monkey", "The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist", and "Manhole". (Blues, Soul) CD

A sweet collection of grooves from the legendary Salsoul label – easily one of the hippest imprints on the New York scene of the 70s! Salsoul's grooves go way beyond the usual disco – crafted with roots that go back to soul and salsa of the earlier part of the decade – and often mixed to perfection with a sound that holds up strongly, even on a crowded dancefloor! This package features ten of the best-remembered gems from the label – most in long mixes that echo their strong popularity as 12" single – titles that include "Doctor Love" by First Choice, "Runaway" by The Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway, "Jingo" by Candido, "Dreamin" by Loleatta Holloway, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Love Is You" by Carol Williams, "Dance A Little Bit Closer" by Charo, "I Love New York" by Metropolis, and "Rio De Janeiro" by Gary Criss. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

An excellent album of party grooves from The Hombres – a bit sunshine pop, a bit folk rock, but with some nice earthy touches that almost bring in a bit of a beat group feel to the set! The group's got a nice Hammond organ undercurrent – spinning out in the style that you'd hear underneath work by Zoot Money or Georgie Fame from the time – although The Hombres' vocal approach is often a bit sweeter at times, with a really nice jingle-jangle feel! The album's worth it alone for the stellar title cut "Let It Out", which is a fantastic bit of blue-eyed funk that never gets old – but the whole thing's pretty great, and other tracks include "Am I High", "So Sad", "Little 2 + 2", "It's A Gas",a nd "Hey Little Girl". (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

It's a smooth smooth Christmas from The Platters – heard here in their wonderful 1963 Christmas album! The set follows in the style of the group's late 50s hits – but with a sound that's a bit more tuned to the season, and not as much in the late nite smoochy mode of some of their more famous ballads. The harmonies on the set are great – and the album's a real precursor to the smoother group soul Holiday albums of the 70s and 80s. Titles include "Jingle Bells Jingle", "Blue Christmas", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Silent Night", "Come Home For Christmas", and "Winter Wonderland". (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

The first album from guitarist John Tropea – an ace 70s session musician, who played on countless records for other folks – and a surprisingly great leader and arranger in his own right too! Tropea's working here in a vibe that's clearly influenced by the CTI sound – smooth but funky fusion – laid down in prime studio conditions, but still nicely soulful throughout, and without any of the BS that crept into other overly-jamming or too-slick records from the time. Guitar's the lead solo instrument on the set, but the album has a lot of other strong work by players that Deodato, Steve Gadd, Rick Marotta, and Rubens Bassini – making for a very tight set that's stood up wonderfully through the years. Titles include "The Bratt", "Tambourine", "7th Heaven", "The Jingle", "Just Blue", "Muff", and "Dreams". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A doo wop Christmas party, but one that doesn't mind moving past the usual run of bigger groups from the 50s – as the set also brings together some pop and harmony work in other styles too – so that the package goes way past some of the over-collected doo wop hits from groups like The Drifters! The set features 30 tracks in all, and while the harmonies rule the scene, the real charms lie in the choice of material – as there's a cool blend here of unusual tunes and reworked Holiday hits – definitely keeping things fresh, especially if you look for unusual Christmas tunes! Titles include "Santa Santa" by The Rocky Fellers, "Christmas Time For Everybody But Me" by The Midnighters, "My First Christmas Without You" by The Eligibles, "Silver Bells" by The Four Aces, "White Christmas" by The Precisions, "Stompin Around The Christmas Tree" by The Stompers, "Merry Christmas One & All" by The Rhythm Kings, "A Very Special Birthday" by The Cashmeres, "Christmas In The Congo" by The Marquees, "Rockin Santa Claus" by The Martels, "Winter Wonderland" by The Ames Brothers, "I'll Stay Home" by The Creators, "A Merry Christmas" by The Unknowns, "Jingle Bell Twist USA" by Johnny Mendell, "Early Christmas" by The Classic Four, and "Santa Twist" by Tommy Regan. (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

An expanded version of this classic set of Motown Christmas tunes – one that features some of the best cuts from the individual artists' Holiday albums cut for the label, plus some harder to find tracks from singles! The set's got 24 tracks in all, with titles that include "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town" and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by The Jackson 5, "What Christmas Means To Me" and "One Little Christmas Tree" by Stevie Wonder, "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy" by The Temptations, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Jingle Bells" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and "Children's Christmas Song" and "White Christmas" by Diana Ross & The Supremes. (Holiday Music, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album