A flawless batch of classics from Millie Jackson in the heart of her early years on Spring Records – maybe sounding better than ever here! Millie's raunchier style would come later on, but here she's working in styles that are a perfect mix of gritty and sweet – arrangements tailored perfectly to those characteristics in her sultry, smoky voice – and equally at home in sessions in Muscle Shoals, Philly or NYC. Covers the bases from moody southern soul, to tender ballads, to lightly soaring strings – and the mixes by Steve Levine really bring out the vibe of the original sessions, as closely as possible to the spirit and vision of the original recordings – a restoration as opposed to a revision. Includes "Sweet Music, Soft Lights & You" featuring Isaac Hayes, "House For Sale", "I'll Continue To Love You", "My Man, A Sweet Man", "I Cry", "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)" and "It Hurts So Good" – plus "Kiss You All Over", "Bad Risk", "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" and more. 12 tracks on the CD. CD

A surprisingly nice album of 70s soul – recorded by the actor who was best known to the world as Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on the TV show Welcome Back Kotter! Lawrence's voice is slightly less sprightly than his comedic work on the show, but thanks to some tight arrangements by Freddie Perren, the album's got a warm sparkling groove that seems to tie the whole thing together strongly enough that the vocals hardly matter at all! Titles include "Lock Me Up", "Turn The Music Up", "Love Shot", "Do What You Did", and "Kiss & Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

A full set of Louis Jordan's excellent work for Mercury Records in the mid 50s – material that often reworks his older songs, but with a lean, mean vibe that's got a lot more early rock and R&B touches! The instrumentation is razor-sharp – often with searing sax solos from the man himself, and a groove that has all the other players hitting hard on the rhythms – romping in a way that definitely lives up to the rock and roll of the title, but with a quality that reminds us that Jordan was one of the originators, and not just some older talent trying to cash in on the new scene! CD features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "Run Joe", "Salt Pork West Virginia", "Beware Brother Beware", "Knock Me A Kiss", "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", "The Jamp", "Ella Mae", "Saturday Night Fish Fry", and "Morning Light". CD

A standout classic from Fern Kinney – and a set that not only marked a big moment of evolution for southern soul, but also for the Mississippi scene as well! The set was recorded at the Malaco studios in Jackson, but has a vibe that's much closer to some of the TK Records material from Miami – that maturation of southern soul during the disco era – as warmer, more modern touches came into play with rootsier styles of vocals! Mike Lewis handled the string arrangements – giving the record the same disco vibe as some of his other work of the time, including Anita Ward's big debut – and Fern's vocals have this higher range than usual for a southern singer – almost more innately tuned towards clubby rhythms. Titles include a big hit remake of King Floyd's "Groove Me" – really marking the change from the original version – plus "Baby Let Me Kiss You", "Pillow Talk", "Sun Moon Rain", "Angel On The Ground", and "Under Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

A standout classic from Fern Kinney – and a set that not only marked a big moment of evolution for southern soul, but also for the Mississippi scene as well! The set was recorded at the Malaco studios in Jackson, but has a vibe that's much closer to some of the TK Records material from Miami – that maturation of southern soul during the disco era – as warmer, more modern touches came into play with rootsier styles of vocals! Mike Lewis handled the string arrangements – giving the record the same disco vibe as some of his other work of the time, including Anita Ward's big debut – and Fern's vocals have this higher range than usual for a southern singer – almost more innately tuned towards clubby rhythms. Titles include a big hit remake of King Floyd's "Groove Me" – really marking the change from the original version – plus "Baby Let Me Kiss You", "Pillow Talk", "Sun Moon Rain", "Angel On The Ground", and "Under Fire". CD

Two great chapters of work from this legendary soul group – one that started out in the late 50s with an R&B vibe, rose to great fame on Motown, then really hit their stride on the material featured on this set! Gladys was always a great singer, but she really seemed to move onto greatness in the 70s – especially on the Buddah Records material that begins this collection – music that has the group moving past familiar group soul modes, to a sophisticated territory that really let Knight become the sort of diva that nobody would have expected a few years before! There's a richness in her voice that's really wonderful – and that continues strongly on the second half, which collects material for Columbia Records – including some great mellow groovers, and even a few hits from later years too. Package features 37 tracks in all – and titles include "The Way We Were/Try To Remember", "On & On", "To Be Invisible", "The Need To Be", "Little Bit Of Love", "The Makings Of You", "Make Yours A Happy Home (alt mix)", "Come Back & Finish What You Started", "Midnight Train To Georgia", "I've Got To Use My Imagination", "Landlord", "Taste Of Bitter Love", "I Will Fight", "Bourgie Bourgie", "Save The Overtime", "Hero", "Kiss Away The Pain", "You're Number One", "Seconds", "Add It Up", "I Will Fight", and "Still Such A Thing". CD

A bit one for Patti Labelle in the 80s – a set that crossed over big at the time, but which still has the lady in very soulful territory! Patti seems to sparkle most here on the mellower cuts – the gentle groovers and laidback ballads that helped open her up to a whole new audience, and which really give her a different sound than her 70s Labelle years. Titles include the Bacharach/Carol Bayer Sager title "On My Own" – sung as a duet with Michael McDonald – plus "Oh People", "There's A Winner In You", "Finally We're Back Together", "Beat My Heart Like A Drum", "Kiss Away The Pain", "Something Special", and "You're Mine Tonight". LP, Vinyl record album

The Levert bloodline runs mighty strong – with roots in the harmony sound of the O'Jays, reworked here to a beautiful new mode for the 80s – in a style that helped the group really revive vocal soul for the decade! At a time when so many other groups were just letting the beats and keyboards guide their vocals, Levert returned to the best sort of older soul modes – bringing back that classic east coast care with the lyrics to sit alongside backings that still have plenty of 80s electro soul elements. The blend is great, and clearly an inspiration for a generation of copycat acts to come in the 90s – but never handled by any of them this well. The upbeat tracks are catchy, but the mellow moments are our favorites – and titles include "Fascination", "Pop Goes My Mind", "Kiss & Make Up", "Grip", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Looking For Love", and "I Start You Up You Turn Me On". LP, Vinyl record album

A Philly soul classic from The Manhattans – one of their best 70s albums, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Philly soul classics from The Manhattans – the mid 70s self-titled gem and After Midnight from the dawn of the 80s! The Manhattans album is one of their best of the 70s, and a record that showed that they were firmly out of the indie ghetto, and totally on top of their game! The record features arrangements and production by Bobby Martin and Bert DeCoteaux – bubbling along in that soaring style that you'd recognize best from Philly International albums of the time, but which also has some nice traces of the mellower ballad work that first put the group on the map. Every tune is perfect – the kind of sublime soul that easily explains why a record like this could be found in every single record collection of every single soul listener of the time – and titles include "La La La Wish Upon A Star", "We'll Have Forever To Love", "Take It Or Leave It", "Reasons", "Wonderful World Of Love", "Searching For Love", and the incredible "Kiss & Say Goodbye". Several bonus tracks, too! After Midnight is stellar Manhattans from the start of the 80s – and proof that the group could still hold strong, even at a point when soul music was really changing up around them! The sound is somewhat smoother than before, but never in a throwaway style – and as you might guess from the title, the record's a mostly-mellow affair that really hones in on the great ballad style that the group had perfected during their time at Columbia! The vocals are superb – not nearly as fragile as in the early days, but really still filled with a great sense of warmth and humanity – the group really maturing into a special space of their own. Arrangements are by James Mack, Benjamin Wright, Bert DeCoteux, and others – and titles include the hit "Shining Star", plus "It's Not The Same", "Just As Long As I Have You", "If My Heart Could Speak", "One Life To Life", "The Closer You Are", and "Girl Of My Dream". CD

An unlikely meeting of talents, but a great one – as Buddy Miles' rougher groove comes into contact with the sublime 70s production talents of Johnny Bristol – who makes the whole album groove beautifully! Buddy's sound is a lot warmer than before, but that's A-OK with us, as by the mid 70s, his funky rock groove was beginning to wear a bit thin – so we really applaud his making the move into some super stone mellow soul with Bristol! And if that's not enough, HB Barnum is also handling the arrangements here – setting Buddy up with some slightly funky backings that share some traces of Barnum's blacksploitation soundtrack work of the period – and which make for a record that's far more super-dope than you might expect! A real treasure throughout – the kind of musical surprise that helps us get up out of bed in the morning! Titles include "Pull Yourself Together", "We Got Love", "All The Faces", "I'm Just A Kiss Away", "Got To Find Ms Right", "Wants & Needs", and "Pain". LP, Vinyl record album

Prince in a grand groove – really hitting a new level of funk with a razor-sharp edge – and even blowing away some of his work on previous records! The record's a soundtrack for a film – Under The Cherry Moon – and although that movie never had the success of Purple Rain, we actually think it left behind an even stronger musical legacy – one that has Prince finding even more of a funky voice than before, with so many wonderfully freaky twists and turns! The music never got the showcase it might have deserved, because of the failure of the film – but it's one of our favorite Prince albums ever, and includes the massively funky "Kiss", the closest Prince ever got to James Brown, The whole album's got some great sweeping, pop psyche orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer – and titles include "Christopher Tracey's Parade", "I Wonder U", "Under The Cherry Moon", "Girls & Boys", and "Anotherloverholenyohead". LP, Vinyl record album

Prince in a grand groove – really hitting a new level of funk with a razor-sharp edge – and even blowing away some of his work on previous records! The record's a soundtrack for a film – Under The Cherry Moon – and although that movie never had the success of Purple Rain, we actually think it left behind an even stronger musical legacy – one that has Prince finding even more of a funky voice than before, with so many wonderfully freaky twists and turns! The music never got the showcase it might have deserved, because of the failure of the film – but it's one of our favorite Prince albums ever, and includes the massively funky "Kiss", the closest Prince ever got to James Brown, The whole album's got some great sweeping, pop psyche orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer – and titles include "Christopher Tracey's Parade", "I Wonder U", "Under The Cherry Moon", "Girls & Boys", and "Anotherloverholenyohead". CD

Essential peak solo material from Diana – her aptly self-titled set from 1976, showing Ms. Ross stretching out stylistically with incredible style and with beautiful vocals! Diana '76 is among her best work of the 70s – and that's saying something! It opens with the gorgeous "Theme From Mahogany" – and given that this album's release was timed well with the movie, you could be forgiven to think it could be a quickie product to ride the film's commercial coattails. Not at all! In fact, this album is a major creative triumph – songs ranging from elegant balladry, to jazzy soul, to sultry disco. It's one of those rare few cases in which a great artists covers miles of stylistic territory and reins it all into a consistent whole. We always loved this album, but re-approaching after all these years, we think it's a real masterpiece! Titles include "Theme From Mahogany", "You're Good My Child", "Love Hangover", "Kiss Me Now", "After You", "Smile", "One Love In My Lifetime", and "I Thought It Took A Little Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Has there ever been anyone as lovely as Sade? We think not – and from the time she first hit our ears in the 80s, it was the start of an instant love affair that's continued for decades! Sade really brought something new to music at the time – a return to older styles of acoustic and jazz-based instrumentation, at a time when so many soul singers were mostly working with beats, keyboards, and samples – and a breathy voice that was instantly unique, and which kept on captivating us for years of recordings. This best of collection dates from the mid 90s – and provides an excellent sampling of tracks from Sade's albums Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, and Love Deluxe – titles that include "No Ordinary Love", "Like A Tattoo", "Cherish The Day", "Kiss Of Life", "Your Love Is King", "Hang Onto Your Love", "Sweetest Taboo", "Is It A Crime", and "Nothing Can Come Between Us". CD

Has there ever been anyone as lovely as Sade? We think not – and from the time she first hit our ears in the 80s, it was the start of an instant love affair that's continued for decades! Sade really brought something new to music at the time – a return to older styles of acoustic and jazz-based instrumentation, at a time when so many soul singers were mostly working with beats, keyboards, and samples – and a breathy voice that was instantly unique, and which kept on captivating us for years of recordings. This best of collection dates from the mid 90s – and provides an excellent sampling of tracks from Sade's albums Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, and Love Deluxe – titles that include "No Ordinary Love", "Like A Tattoo", "Cherish The Day", "Kiss Of Life", "Your Love Is King", "Hang Onto Your Love", "Sweetest Taboo", "Is It A Crime", and "Nothing Can Come Between Us". LP, Vinyl record album

Live magic from Sade – an artist who only seems to captivate us more as the years go on! This recent performance is a great illustration of Sade's continuing strength in soul music – as she's already great enough on the CD included in the package, but really shines brightly on the visual component as well – a DVD performance that's even longer than the CD – and both are filled with great live interpretations of Sade gems from years back. The film is beautifully shot, and the music is very well-recorded – and titles include "In Another Time", "Love Is Found", "Skin", "Kiss Of Life", "All About Our Love", "The Moon & The Sky", "Pearls", "No Ordinary Love", "Cherish The Day", "Soldier Of Love", "Smooth Operator", "Paradise/Nothing Can Come Between Us", and "The Sweetest Taboo". DVD features bonus features too! CD

Live magic from Sade – an artist who only seems to captivate us more as the years go on! This recent performance is a great illustration of Sade's continuing strength in soul music – as she's already great enough on the CD included in the package, but really shines brightly on the visual component as well – a DVD performance that's even longer than the CD – and both are filled with great live interpretations of Sade gems from years back. The film is beautifully shot, and the music is very well-recorded – and titles include "In Another Time", "Love Is Found", "Skin", "Kiss Of Life", "All About Our Love", "The Moon & The Sky", "Pearls", "No Ordinary Love", "Cherish The Day", "Soldier Of Love", "Smooth Operator", "Paradise/Nothing Can Come Between Us", and "The Sweetest Taboo". DVD features bonus features too! CD

Sade's last LP from the early 90s before she went into her brief recording and performing hiatus. Like the preceding records, the approach is heavy on the jazz side of things, with a crisp, spare touch on the production and a wonderfully soulful feel to the songwriting. At this point she no longer had to work to break into the charts, but that didn't stop her and her band from coming up with a great batch of material that managed to be easily accessible without losing any of the sublime grace that set her apart. Includes "No Ordinary Love", "Cherish The Day", "Feel No Pain", "I Couldn't Love You More", "Like A Tattoo", "Kiss Of Life", "Pearls", "Bullet Proof Soul" and "Mermaid". CD

Sade's last LP from the early 90s before she went into her brief recording and performing hiatus. Like the preceding records, the approach is heavy on the jazz side of things, with a crisp, spare touch on the production and a wonderfully soulful feel to the songwriting. At this point she no longer had to work to break into the charts, but that didn't stop her and her band from coming up with a great batch of material that managed to be easily accessible without losing any of the sublime grace that set her apart. Includes "No Ordinary Love", "Cherish The Day", "Feel No Pain", "I Couldn't Love You More", "Like A Tattoo", "Kiss Of Life", "Pearls", "Bullet Proof Soul" and "Mermaid". LP, Vinyl record album

Sade's last LP from the early 90s before she went into her brief recording and performing hiatus. Like the preceding records, the approach is heavy on the jazz side of things, with a crisp, spare touch on the production and a wonderfully soulful feel to the songwriting. At this point she no longer had to work to break into the charts, but that didn't stop her and her band from coming up with a great batch of material that managed to be easily accessible without losing any of the sublime grace that set her apart. Includes "No Ordinary Love", "Cherish The Day", "Feel No Pain", "I Couldn't Love You More", "Like A Tattoo", "Kiss Of Life", "Pearls", "Bullet Proof Soul" and "Mermaid". LP, Vinyl record album

About as classic as you can get for the early Supremes – a set that has the group really hitting hard on all levels, thanks to production from the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, plus a bit of help from Smokey Robinson – all of whom really help push the Supremes out of simple girl group soul – into the realm of Motown genius they would nearly rule for years to come! Tunes are by HDH, Norman Whitfield, and Smokey – top-shelf songwriting that further enforces the strength of the set – with that mix of poise and class, yet soul and feeling that always graced the group at their best. Titles include the sublime "When The Love Light Starts Shining Through His Eyes", plus the classics "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Baby Love", and the tracks "Come See About Me", "I'm Giving You Your Freedom", "Your Kiss Of Fire", "Ask Any Girl", and "A Breath Taking Guy". LP, Vinyl record album

A label-spanning collection that definitely offers up the best of this wonderful soul singer – plus loads of lesser-known gems as well! Bettye Swann may never have truly hit the big time in the late 60s – at least not in comparison to a contemporary like Aretha Franklin – but she was a hell of a deep soul singer who always gave her best, and who got set up with an excellent range of sessions on labels that include Fame, Atlantic, Capitol, and Money Records – all of which are featured here! Swann's got this badass way of putting over a lyric when she wants to – the deep soul grit that came from her time in the indie market – but she also grew to a new level of sophistication in the 70s, and moved past any of the southern soul cliches that so many artists were still clinging to – to emerge with a righteous power that's summed up in the cool cover image here! The set features a few new mixes of tracks from Bettye's Money label sessions – plus lots more tracks too – a total of 24 that include "Traces", "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Make Me Yours", "Our Love", "Don't Wait Too Long", "When The Game Is Played On You", "Kiss My Love Goodbye", "Time To Say Goodbye", "I'm Just Living A Lie", "Tell It Like It Is", "All The Way In Our All The Way Out", "Closed For The Season", and "I Think I'm Falling In Love". CD

Allen Toussaint's complete recordings for Warner – a trio of classic albums from one of the greatest forces in Crescent City soul, plus rare live tracks – in a perfect 2CD set! Includes the complete Life Love & Faith, Southern Nights and Motion albums – from a creatively fruitful 70s period when Toussaint was mixing a bit of funk into the heavy soul mix, and even some mellow LA soul touches – coming up with a blend of styles without ever betraying his New Orleans roots! New Orleans legends like Leo Nocentelli, Zig Modeliste, Art Neville and George Porter Jr factor in to the Life Love & Faith and Southern Nights sessions, along with LA sessions all stars like Richard Tee, Victor Feldman, Paulinho Da Costa, Larry Carlton and producer Jerry Wexler on the Motion sessions – this this excellent Rhino CD anthology also include 10 previously unreleased live records! Titles include Soul Sister", "Victims Of The Darkness", "Am I Expecting Too Much", "Out Of The City", "Goin Down", "Electricity", "Fingers & Toes", Southern Nights", "Basic Lady", "Last Train", "Worldwide", "You Will Not Lose", "When The Party's Over", Motion", "Night People", "Just A Kiss Away", "Declaration Of Love", "Viva La Money" and more from the studio recordings, plus "Touch Of Love", "Brickyard Blues", "What Is Success", "Shoo-Ra", "Last Train" and more live tracks! CD

A bit of a change for Allen Toussaint – the kind of an album that makes good use of all the connections he was making during the early 70s, when he was becoming the darling of the Warner Brothers scene in LA. Overall, Allen's getting pretty smooth by this point – so smooth that even some rootsy production by Jerry Wexler still makes it hard to remember that he got his start in the raw New Orleans soul scene – but at its heart, the album's still got a good talent for the kind of rolling groove that Toussaint brought to his own work, and that of so many other artists, in earlier years. This album features lots of LA studio backing, with players like Richard Tee, Victor Feldman, Paulinho Da Costa, Larry Carlton, and others of that ilk. Titles include "Motion", "Night People", "Just A Kiss Away", "Declaration Of Love", and "Viva La Money". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost bit of Cali soul from the 80s – the first album from Twilight, not really a group, but more of a solo studio project from Lawrence Ross! Ross was a shift worker at General Mills, but had some free time to conceive his dream soul album during the twilight hours of the day – hence the name of the "group" –and after slaving away on his off hours to put the whole thing together, he recorded most of this set within the space of a week playing most of the instruments himself! A few other guest artists came in to round out the sound, but there's definitely a personal quality to the record that belies Ross' close association with the whole thing – carefully written tunes that could have challenged the mainstream, had they gotten bigger production, but which have a great deal of charm since they're done here in a more stripped-down, indie-styled way. Twilight has all the best aspects of soul acts of the time – some tight groovers that mix up boogie rhythms with some warmer Cali soul – and a few mellower cuts that benefit from some cool spacey keyboards. Titles include "Play My Game", "Scorpittiarus", "We'll Be Special", "Love's High", "You Know It's Me", "Love's The Way", "Straight To My Heart", and "Just A Kiss Away". CD

Seminal 60s work from the Tymes – a group who could work with the energy of a doo wop group at one level, but who also had the class of a more sophisticated vocal act! On these recordings, The Tymes wonderfully bring together the worlds of streetcorner harmony and classier pop – singing material of the latter realm with the personal, effortless ease of the former – in a mode that helped them crossover strongly in their early years! Part of the strength of the group's work on these tunes comes from the uncluttered production and arranging skills of Billy Jackson and Roy Straigis – who bring up the vocals beautifully, and use other elements sparingly, but just enough to class up the sound nicely. There's a strong precursor here to New York uptown soul – as you'll hear on the set's 22 tracks that include "View From My Window", "Chances Are", "My Summer Love", "The Lamp Is Low", "One Little Kiss", "Address Unknown", "Anymore", "Here She Comes", "Come With Me To The Sea", "So Much In Love", "Wonderful Wonderful", and "Words Written On Water". CD

A massive treasure from the P-Funk empire – an unreleased George Clinton project during his glory days on Westbound Records! The group features Gary Shider in the lead on vocals – with support from other US Music members, and a fair bit of the current Funkadelic lineup too – musicians who played on the legendary America Eats Its Young sessions, recorded at the same time as this one! The sound is incredibly sinister – even more tripped-out, fuzzy, and psychedelic than most regular Funkadelic work – with lots of dark moments, and basslines that are sure to blast out your speakers – courtesy of Cordell Mosson. Other group members chime in with Shider, too – in the best Clinton-directed style of the time – and the whole thing has a massive ensemble feel that's wonderful, and right up there with the well known Westbound P-Funk recordings of the time. Why this one wasn't released is a real mystery to us – but we're mighty thankful to finally have it out! Titles include "This Broken Heart", "Baby I Owe You Something Good", "Be What You Is", "I Miss My Baby", and "Rat Kiss The Cat On The Naval". LP, Vinyl record album

Adam Wade is fantastic here – a singer with a sound that could easily rival Nat King Cole or Johnny Mathis, but who also gets a slightly deeper current of soul! Arrangements are full and rich – often with a bit of vocals behind Wade's lead – but the sophisticated charts never get in the way of the more personal touches, which really help the tunes sparkle with a nice sort of imagination, and occasional touches of jazz. Titles include "Gloria's Theme", "We Kiss In A Shadow", "My Reverie", "I Have Dreamed", "For You", and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Go For It", "First Timothy Six", "I Miss Your Kiss", "Do The Guitar", "Planet Funk", and "You Sexy Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with short tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad mad funk, and the fantastic second LP by the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – the group that proved to everyone that LA could be just as funky as any other city in the 60s! The record draws strongly from the group's indie roots in the funky 45 scene – and the album's filled with short tracks that bump along in jagged rhythms, offbeat arrangements, and some slight touches of sweeter soul. Charles Wright is leading the group on vocals, and taking a stronger presence on these soul-based cuts – but as before, it's the strength of the overall group that really makes the album great – especially the bass work of Melvin Dunlap and the funky drums of James Gadson! Titles include some killer original tracks by the band – like "Do Your Thing", "Giggin' Down 103rd", "Phuncky Bill", "65 Bars & A Taste Of Soul", and "A Dance, A Kiss, & A Song" – plus great covers of "Something You Got", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", and "Knock On Wood". CD features 8 more bonus tracks too – including mono single takes on "65 Bars", "Do Your Thing", and "A Dance A Kiss & A Song" – and the previously unreleased tracks "Poverty Stricken Chicken", "Happy Feet", and "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" – plus "Bottomless" and the long version of "Do Your Thing". CD

One of the greatest Nancy Wilson albums of the 60s – a small combo jazz date, done with a style that's different than some of Wilson's larger sessions of the time! The group has a relaxed, easygoing feel – and Wilson slides in with a style that's a lot more laidback and subtle than on other Capitol dates – almost the mellow feel of a late 50s Dakota Staton date, but still song with all the careful class that Nancy brings to her vocals! The group's a quartet, led by pianist Hank Jones – and featuring Gene Bertoncini on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – on titles that include "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "Do it Again", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Supper Time", and "I Thought About You". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Nancy Wilson albums of the 60s – a small combo jazz date, done with a style that's different than some of Wilson's larger sessions of the time! The group has a relaxed, easygoing feel – and Wilson slides in with a style that's a lot more laidback and subtle than on other Capitol dates – almost the mellow feel of a late 50s Dakota Staton date, but still song with all the careful class that Nancy brings to her vocals! The group's a quartet, led by pianist Hank Jones – and featuring Gene Bertoncini on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – on titles that include "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe", "Do it Again", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Supper Time", and "I Thought About You". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

Nancy Wilson remakes American classics of the 20th century – taking a host of tunes from Gershwin, Ellington, Arlen, Porter, and Berlin – and remaking them in her sophisti-soul style of the 60s! She's got plenty of great help on the sessions – with arrangers that include Gerald Wilson, Jimmy Jones, and Billy May – plus accompaniment from players that include Cannonball Adderley, Hank Jones, and George Shearing. The collection features a total of 44 tracks in all – and titles include "Supper Time", "Sleepin Bee", "Secret Love", "My Ship", "Dearly Beloved", "Sophisticated Lady", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "All Of You", "Bewitched", "The More I See You", "Never Will I Marry", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "By Myself". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

An amazing return to form for this legendary collection – filled with never-heard numbers, pulled from the 60s and 70s vaults of Motown Records! Even if you think you've got plenty of Motown in your collection already, you'll find plenty more here to love – totally fresh tracks by some of the label's biggest artists, plus some other gems by lesser-known stars – all of which have all the punch, power, and sparkle of classic Motown at its best! The 2CD set is brimming over with greatness – and we're honestly stunned that they can still come up with so many unreleased gems, even after three previous volumes in the collection. Titles include "Kidnapped" by The Blackberries, "Keep On Tryin" by The Fantastic Four, "My Baby Moves Me" by Brenda Holloway, "Your Kiss Kiss" by Marvin Gaye & Oma Heard, "Miss Lonely Heart" by The Vandellas, "You Gave Me Love To Live For" by Debbie Dean, "Head Over Heels In Love With You Baby" by The Spinners, "I'd Cry" by Chuck Jackson, "Twin Brother" by Eddie Holland, "Daddy Cool" by Oma Heard, "Three Time Loser" by Marvin Gaye, "The Girl I've Chosen To Be My Bride" by Joe Stubbs, "A Bird In The Hand" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Somebody's Waiting For Me" by The Contours, "Only A Lonely Man Would Know" by Ivy Joe Hunter, "The House That Jack Built" by JJ Barnes, "The Philly Dog" by Earl Van Dyke, and "Why Don't You Come Home" by Stevie Wonder. 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

With selections by Van McCoy, Blackbyrds, Gwen McCrae, Sugarloaf, Styx, Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes, Stylistics, Hot Chocolate, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Gloria Gaynor, Carol Douglas, Kool & The Gang, Billy Preston, George McCrae, Jim Gilstrap, Hues Corporation, Kiss, and BT Express. LP, Vinyl record album

Fab Philadelphia soul on 4 CDs – a massive package of work that really serves up the best from the legendary empire of Gamble & Huff, plus a host of other great Philly numbers too! The package is a great look at the full spectrum of sound in Philly during the 70s – not just the key tracks on the Philadelphia International label, but also cuts that Gamble & Huff had produced for other artists at the end of the 60s, key Sigma Sound sessions for other labels, and some of the classic club tracks that crossed over big and inspired countless imitations! The set is immense – 4CDs, 71 songs, and a 64 page booklet of rare photos and new essays – all priced nicely enough to appeal to both Philly newcomers and longtime collectors. Plus, since Sony BMG's handling Philly International now, there's a good range of titles from a variety of labels – and titles include "Love Is Here" by The Futures, "Slow Motion (part 1)" by Johnny Williams, "Sunshine" by The O'Jays, "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" by Wilson Pickett, "Expressway To Your Heart" by Soul Survivors, "I'm Stone In Love With You" by The Stylistics, "Be Thankful For What You Got (part 1)" by William DeVaughan, "Dirty Ol Man" by Three Degrees, "It's Forever" by The Ebonys, "Enjoy Yourself" by The Jacksons, "Free Love" by Jean Carn, "Kiss & Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans, "Let's Groove" by Archie Bell, "Billy's Back Home" by Billy Paul, "Picture Us" by Bunny Sigler, "Then Came You" by The Spinners, "Close The Door" by Teddy Pendergrass, "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" by Deniece Williams, and "See You When I Get There" by Lou Rawls. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Classy soul and killer grooves – a great helping of rare New York sides from the late 60s – all of which show a great evolution of the Uptown style from a few years before! Things are polished, but never too smooth or commercial at all – and instead, the music's got this quality of coming right from the heart of the music scene of the time – the cream of the crop, right from the top – and that includes singers, songwriters, and session help too! Vocals are mighty deep throughout – and the tracks all have a strong indie pedigree, as they're pulled from the labels Wand, Scepter, and Musicor – all imprints we always check out when digging for rare singles. As usual, Kent's gone way beyond expectations – not just with the track selection, but with full notes too – for a total of 24 tracks that include "Runaway Slave" by Joe Perkins, "That Girl" by Porgy & The Monarchs, "Kiss & Make Up" by The Inspirations, "I Don't Want Nobody To Lead Me On" by The Masqueraders, "Horsin Around" by Benny Gordon & The Soul Brothers, "Lonely Weatherman" by The Premiers, "A Man A Woman" by Chris Bartley, "I Just Gotta Have You" by Nella Dodds, "Knick Knack Patty Wack" by Lou Lawton, "No Jealous Lover" by Lois Lane, and "I'm Gonna Have A Party" by Ed Bruce. CD

A 70s soul treasure chest! This excellent CD sorts through some incredible lost sides on the Atlantic catalog of the 70s – and it features an amazing selection of work by artists who only ever cut singles or one-off LPs for the label and its subsidiaries. The overall groove is sweet, mellow, and very soulful – and titles include "Just My Way Of Loving You" by Garland Green, "Let Me Show You" by Larry Wu, "I'm So Happy" by Prince Phillip Mitchell, "Come On, Let Me Love You" by Moses Smith, "Save Your Love For Me" by Vivian Reed, "Kiss My Love Goodbye" by Bettye Swann, "The Rising Cost Of Love" by Darrow Fletcher, "Baby Don't Hold Your Love Back" by Bridge, "You're Too Hot To Hold" by Barbara Lynn, "You Got The Best Of Me" by Ronn Matlock, "Love Bandit" by Patti & The Lovelites, and "Got To Get You Back" by Sons Of Robin Stone. 24 cuts in all – with loads of rare stuff! CD

Where the girls are is right here – served up in a beautiful blend of rare tracks from the mid 60s – almost all of them in a female group mode, at a time when that style was really hitting new heights in American popular music! The work here is a mixture of rock and soul, and almost all of it features female harmonies set to sublime pop production – modes that range from west coast dreamy to Brill Building groovy – all laid out in an extended track list that also includes a few never-issued tracks as well! This series has been running for quite some time, but it's always a great one – and we're amazed at how the folks at Ace keep turning up nuggets we never would have heard otherwise – all presented with wonderful sound, and full notes to support the whole collection – a lot more than you can say for dodgier sets on the market. Titles include "Billy Sunshine" by Evie Sands, "With A Kiss" by The Bluezettes, "Don't Forget" by The Murmaids, "That's The Way It Is" by The Sweet Three, "Moon Walking" by The Blossoms, "More Than A Friend" by The Wooden Nickels, "On A Rainy Night" by The Flowers, "What Did You Do Last Night" by The Drake Sisters, "I Can Tell I'm Losing Your Love" by Lena Calhoun & The Emotions, "You Better Stop It" by The Lovelites, "Ballyhoo" by Ramona King, "Bad Boy" by Christine Cooper, and "Baby I Miss You" by The Popsicles. CD

Brilliantly funky! This is the greatest album they cut for Warner Brothers – and it's one of the few that ever really approaches the genius of their early work for Josie. The record features the incredible breakbeat cut "Just Kissed My Baby" – worth the price of the album alone – plus other nice ones like "Jungle Man", "Africa", "What'cha Say", and the perennial New Orleans favorite "Hey Pocky A Way". Also features the incredible funk jam "It Ain't No Use" – a monster track that's nearly 12 minutes long! Plus, the CD features 2 bonus tracks, single versions of "Hey Pocky A-Way" and "People Say"! CD

Includes the songs "Cissy Strut", "Live Wire", "Sophisticated Cissy", "Look-Ka Py Py", "Pungee", "Tippi-Toes", "Soul Island", "Cabbage Alley", "People Say", "Hey Pocky A-Way", "Just Kissed My Baby", "Jungle Man", "Out In The Country", "Fire On The Bayou", "They All Ask'd For You", and "Trick Bag". CD

With Jadakiss and Eve. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Wonderfully romping grooves from one of Motown's first great groups – a stunning set of tracks that really put The Vandellas on the map! The title cut's one of those stormers that played for years on both sides of the Atlantic – and was a key inspiration to the UK soul scene too – but the whole album's mighty nice too, and has this mix of full soul backings and clearly classy vocals that never lets up for a minute. The trio can really take on a great range of material – from Detroit floorfillers to some more uptown cuts, but still done with a nice Holland-Dozier Motown punch. In addition to "Heat Wave", other cuts include "Mocking Bird", "My Boyfriend's Back", "Just One Look", "Hello Stranger", "Hey There Lonely Boy", and "Then He Kissed Me". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums that Rufus and Chaka Khan ever recorded together – and one of the best, as well! The set's a surprisingly great blend of live material and studio cuts – concert material taking up three sides of the 2LP set, and studio tracks on the last side – working together to pack a super-powerful punch! The concert cuts are from a wonderful appearance at the Savoy – and feature Rufus really stepping back to their classic funk mode, filled with that sense of jazzy tightness that's always made them great – and Chaka really soaring over the top, with that pride and power that marked her initial years as a solo act. The live songs include "You Got Love", "Dance Wit Me", "Sweet Thing", "Pack'd My Bags", "Tell Me Something Good", "Ain't That Peculiar", and "Do You Love What You Feel". Then, studio cuts really come in to send the whole thing home – all handled by Russ Titelman with great care, and including the classic "Ain't Nobody", one of the group's last great hits – plus "One Million Kisses", "Try A Little Understanding", and "Don't Go To Strangers". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's a great bridge between the fuller sound of Nina Simone's late 60s material and some of smaller jazz combo work – as the album mostly features Nina working with a smaller group, but already at a level that hints at the righteous rising power in her music! The core combo features Rudy Stevenson on guitar and flute, Bobby Hamilton on drums, and Lisle Atkinson on bass – and one track, "For Myself", features arrangements by Horace Ott – and another, "Images", was recorded live – but overall, the album's got a warmly intimate feel that's really great, and which has Nina singing in that perfect sharp-edged mode of the time. Titles include "Chauffeur", "The Other Woman", "This Year's Kisses", "Nearer Blessed Lord", "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and "Don't Explain". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's a great bridge between the fuller sound of Nina Simone's late 60s material and some of smaller jazz combo work – as the album mostly features Nina working with a smaller group, but already at a level that hints at the righteous rising power in her music! The core combo features Rudy Stevenson on guitar and flute, Bobby Hamilton on drums, and Lisle Atkinson on bass – and one track, "For Myself", features arrangements by Horace Ott – and another, "Images", was recorded live – but overall, the album's got a warmly intimate feel that's really great, and which has Nina singing in that perfect sharp-edged mode of the time. Titles include "Chauffeur", "The Other Woman", "This Year's Kisses", "Nearer Blessed Lord", "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and "Don't Explain". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A great collection that Charly put together of 16 of the Spaniels' best and most well known songs. Tracks include "Tina", "House Cleaning", "Play It Cool", "Crazee Baby", "Baby It's You", "I Need Your Kisses", and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set from Carroll Thompson, one that easily slides back and forth between easy rocking lover's numbers on the reggae front, and polished 80s commercial soul. The set was originally issued on the SG imprint, and fell unfairly into obscurity almost immediately, perhaps because Carroll didn't neatly fit into either the then-burgeoning UK soul scene or London's reggae happenings, which leaned more towards the rootsier side of the spectrum. But whatever vein she was mining, her sophisticated approach shines brightly in both her own production and arrangements, and her sweetly grooving vocals. A young Cleveland Watkiss makes a supporting appearance, as does heavyweight Kingston key-man Jackie Mittoo, but it's Thompson that's the real star here! There's 9 numbers on the original album, including "Word Of Love", "A Happy Song", "Change", "Stay With Me Tonight", "Music (It Will Never Die)", "Just A Little Bit", "Hoping On Love", "Dreams Of You" and "Your Love". 8 bonus tracks, too – including single mixes of Make It With You", "Honis I Do", "People Of The World", "Earth Man" and more. (Reggae, Soul) CD

A Bad Boy classic from the 90s – the tight debut of Total, a trio who were one of the strongest proponents of hip hop-influenced soul at the time! There's plenty of production talents on hand to keep the sharp edges in the music running strong – including Sean Puffy Combs, Raphael Saadiq, Chucky Thompson, and Pharrell – and the strong mix of funky samples, beats, and cut-up arrangements really help kick a lot of life into the grooves – as do some key guest appearances from Notorious BIG and Da Brat! Titles include "No One Else", "Kissin You", "Do You Know", "Someone Like You", "Can't You See", "Do You Think About Us", "Tell Me", Don't Ever Change", "Love Is All We Need", "Tell Me", "When Boy Meets Girl", and "Spend Some Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Usher comes home strong on his first album in nearly a decade –with his ageless voice, overall presence, and almost unrivaled way of fitting right in while also slyly transcending the reigning sounds of pop, soul and R&B of any given day! It's a 20 track set that's surprisingly strong throughout, giving him plenty of space to do just about everything he does so well – tight collaborations, tender balladry, dancefloor ready jams and all. He's still a king! Includes "Keep On Dancin'", "Good Good" with Summer Walker & 21 Savage, "Kissing Strangers", Risk It All" with with HER, "Big", "On The Side", "I Am The Party", "Luckiest Man", "I Love U", "Please U", "Room In A Room", "Bop", "Stone Kold Freak", "Coming Home" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Usher comes home strong on his first album in nearly a decade –with his ageless voice, overall presence, and almost unrivaled way of fitting right in while also slyly transcending the reigning sounds of pop, soul and R&B of any given day! It's a 20 track set that's surprisingly strong throughout, giving him plenty of space to do just about everything he does so well – tight collaborations, tender balladry, dancefloor ready jams and all. He's still a king! Includes "Keep On Dancin'", "Good Good" with Summer Walker & 21 Savage, "Kissing Strangers", Risk It All" with with HER, "Big", "On The Side", "I Am The Party", "Luckiest Man", "I Love U", "Please U", "Room In A Room", "Bop", "Stone Kold Freak", "Coming Home" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of soul, a bit of jazz, and some nice funky touches at the bottom – a killer little set from the great Spanky Wilson! Wilson's got a really unique place in music – at one level a soul singer with enough sophistication to rival the sound of Marlena Shaw or Nancy Wilson – but at another level, an artist capable of really letting loose – hitting heavier, funkier modes that neither of those singers could ever touch! This set may well be Wilson's masterpiece – put together with excellent production and arrangements from the great HB Barnum – here coming off a great run of work for other artists in the 60s, and focusing all that experience on making Spanky sound great. Titles include "Kissing My Love", "If I Could", "You", "Don't Mess With Bill", "Light My Fire", "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Hurtin", and "The Love That A Woman Should Give To A Man". LP, Vinyl record album