Music from The Baby Dolls, The Rubies, The Capers, The Honeytones, The Clickettes and more! 25 tracks total! CD

The lovely Aaliyah left our planet all too soon, and left behind a number of unissued tracks as well – material intended for a future album, and which was combined here with a few other tracks to make for a posthumous tribute to her too-short legacy in R&B! The practice is, unfortunately, a common one in the worlds of R&B and hip hop – and although the set's maybe not a standard album by Aaliyah, it's certainly a great addition to the lineup. Titles include "Miss You", "Come Over", "Rock The Boat", "Erica Kane", "We Need A Resolution", "Got To Give It Up (rmx)", "Back & Forth", "Are You That Somebody", "I Care 4 U", "One In A Million", "At Your Best", "Don't Know What To Tell Ya", "Try Again", and "All I Need". CD

The lovely and soulful Hadda Brooks was one of the great talents on the LA scene of the postwar years – a vocalist and pianist with a style that blended blues and jazz, in a manner that was like some of her male counterparts on the scene at the time, such as Nat King Cole or Charles Brown. Brooks' fame in the city was great, and even led to a few famous film appearances – but the sophistication of her work often kept it from cracking the charts as strongly as other R&B stars at the time. This excellent album is really the only one she ever issued – a strong set of tunes recorded for Crown/Modern in the 50s. Titles include "My Ideal", "Take Me", "The Thrill Is Gone", "How Do You Speak To An Angel", "My Romance", and "Dream". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A lovely album from the legendary Terry Callier – another spacious set of gorgeously composed soul for Mr. Bongo! Lookin' Out was largely recorded in the Chicago area, with players that sit in with Terry in his residences at the Green Mill, and the easy, jazzy feel reflects it. What really makes the album special, though, is the return to the mesmerizing, hypnotic style of songs that Terry pioneered in the mid-to-late sixties. Terry's voice and phrasings are as great as ever – and the backings are often acoustic and quite mellow, built around sweet guitar, bass, light strings, synth and horns. This record hearkens to his contemplative records for Cadet as well as, if not more, than his other recent efforts, and you really outta know by now that that's the Terry groove we love most! 17 tracks in all: "Jazz, My Rhythm & Blues", "Midnite Mile", "Africa Now", "Lookin' Out", "Stripper", "Blues For Billie Holiday", "What About Me", and "Faithful". CD

2 beautiful later albums from Deodato – back to back on one CD! Knights Of Fantasy is smoth and jazzy – done in an LA late 70s style that's kind of like work by Joe Sample or The Crusaders, but a bit more R&B oriented, and with a deeper soul style overall! You can definitely hear Deodato's growing taste for modern soul here – especially on the seminal club jammer "Whistle Bump", which is a tight keyboard-driven groove, with some sweeping strings underneath wah wah guitar. The cut's the real standout on the album – although there's a few other nice moments, like "Space Dust" and "Lovely Lady", which has a great mellow Bob James-ish sound. Night Cruiser is a key record in Deodato's move from funky jazz in the 70s to modern soul in the 80s – and one that showcases the best of his talents in both genres! The approach here is more tightly arranged and produced than that of his earlier CTI sides – but in a mode that's still plenty nice to our ears – as Deodato's uncanny sense of rhythm and timing is still very firmly in place, making the set way way more than just a smooth jazz album – and pushing it strongly into the realm of soulful spacey fusion! There's some really great tracks on the set – like the amazing "Skatin", a sweet keyboard number that's a perfect roller skating jam (in case you couldn't guess from the title) – plus "Love Magic", "Uncle Funk", "East Side Strut", and "Night Cruiser". 11 tracks in all! (Jazz, Soul) CD

Sparkling modern soul from the lovely Phyllis Hyman – and an album that has the singer picking up the wonderfully smooth groove that had become the Philly International sound of the mid 80s. This format works surprisingly well for Phyllis – quite possibly more so than it did even for longer-running artists on the label – as it gives her a great showcase for the more sophisticated and adult sort of themes that were really emerging in her music, the kind of classy soul that Hyman helped forge strongly at the time. Titles include the great numbers "Old Friend", "Ain't You Had Enough Love", "If You Want Me", "Living All Alone", and a nice version of "What You Won't Do For Love". CD

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that works as well as a 70s soul album as it does a hip action film score! The track list alone reads as a who's who of 70s funk – filled with gems that include "Pusherman", "Freddie's Dead", "Little Child Runnin' Wild", "Give Me Your Love", and "Superfly" – and the rest of the set is equally great, essential listening throughout! Plus, this set also features a whole bonus CD – one that brings together extra tracks, unreleased cuts, alternate versions, instrumental versions, and even some cool radio promotional spots! with the "Check Out Your Mind" instrumental studio jam, the full-length version of the instrumental "Junkie Chase", the demo version of "Ghetto Child", and lots more! Great stuff – and in a lovely fold-out package, with the same foldover die-cut cover of the original LP! CD

Amazingly baroque soul by this legendary crossover group from Chicago! Take 1 part hippy dippy rockers, 1 part young lovely soulful Minnie Riperton, and 1 part crazy wigged out Chess/Cadet soul studios – and you've only got the beginnings of one of the most unique soul bands to come out of the 60s. The group had a feeling that was like no other – and although they were ignored for years, their work is really getting attention again, thanks to legendary samples/remakes by the likes of Tribe Called Quest, Fugees, and NuYorican Soul. Titles on this debut LP include the great "Memory Band" (with the famous wiggy sitar sample), plus "Soul Man", "Lady Jane", "Amen", "Rotary Connection", and "Pink Noise". 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". CD

It's been 8 years since Sade's last album, but rest assured, she's still pretty much the same! Her vocals are as lovely as ever – with that indescribable floating quality that always sends us, no matter how many times we've heard her songs on the radio. The production is slightly different than before – with a spare, stripped-down, slightly dubby style that's hinted at by the Lover's Rock title. Nice and mellow – but that's the way we like her! Titles include "Flow", "King Of Sorrow", "By Your Side", "The Sweetest Gift", "Every Word", "All About Our Love", and "Slave Song". CD

Sade's second album, and while it's not totally sublime as the first, it's still a damn great set with a smooth jazzy vibe that will have you coming back again and again! Includes the lovely "The Sweetest Taboo", plus "Is It A Crime", "War Of The Hearts", "Mr Wrong", and "Never As Good As The First Time". CD

A sweet little double CD – one that had some folks saying that Stevie should have stayed away from the "2LP syndrome", but for us a real treasure with lots of hidden gems. Besides the hits "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke", which were more than enough to carry the set in the record shops, the album's got lots of other nice cuts, including many that have that complicated jazzy feel of Stevie's work on the Inner Visions album. Titles include "Ngiculela – Esa Una Historia", "Ordinary Pain", "Black Man", "Village Ghetto Land", and "Love's In Need Of Love Today". Plus, the CD features the 4 bonus tracks off the original 7" single that accompanied the 2LP set – "Saturn", "Ebony Eyes", "All Day Sucker", and "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)". CD