A killer collection of work from a group who are very near and dear to our hearts – a soulful combo who emerged from the UK scene at the end of the 80s, and really helped bring back a classic sort of warmth to soul music! Brand New Heavies were a funk combo at the core, but they were also graced with two great female singers – initially Jay Ella Ruth, then the mighty N'Dea Davenport, the singer who really helped the group soar over here on the US scene! These days, well-crafted, non-programmed soul music is a common thing – but were it not for BNH, and their contemporaries Incognito, the style might have fallen out of favor altogether – especially during that early 90s era when R&B was still pretty heavy on keyboards, samples, and beats! This double-length set is filled with classics from the group – titles that include "Spend Some Time", "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", "Saturday Nite", "People Get Ready", "You Are The Universe", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Mind Trips", "You Can Do It", "Brother Sister", and their great take on "Apparently Nothin" – and their hip hop cut "Bonafied Funk" with Main Source and Large Professor. 2CD set comes with a full bonus disc of remixes including "Stay This Way (Bob Sinclar rmx)", "Dream Come True (Heavies mix)", "Back To Love (GP club mix)", "Close To You (Masters At Work rmx)", "Saturday Nite (full intention club)", "You Are The Universe (Tuff Jam's 2 in 1 rmx)", and "Sometimes (Monsieur D's underground behavior mix)". (Neo Soul, Soul) CD

A killer collection of work from a group who are very near and dear to our hearts – a soulful combo who emerged from the UK scene at the end of the 80s, and really helped bring back a classic sort of warmth to soul music! Brand New Heavies were a funk combo at the core, but they were also graced with two great female singers – initially Jay Ella Ruth, then the mighty N'Dea Davenport, the singer who really helped the group soar over here on the US scene! These days, well-crafted, non-programmed soul music is a common thing – but were it not for BNH, and their contemporaries Incognito, the style might have fallen out of favor altogether – especially during that early 90s era when R&B was still pretty heavy on keyboards, samples, and beats! This double-length set is filled with classics from the group – titles that include "Spend Some Time", "Don't Let It Go To Your Head", "Never Stop", "Dream Come True", "Saturday Nite", "People Get Ready", "You Are The Universe", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Mind Trips", "You Can Do It", "Brother Sister", and their great take on "Apparently Nothin" – and their hip hop cut "Bonafied Funk" with Main Source and Large Professor. (Neo Soul, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice set from the recent comeback years of Solomon Burke – a record that has him taking on tunes from Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Van Morrison – plus other bits from more soul-based sources! The material's recorded with a heavy emphasis on roots, but produced with a partly mainstream finish by Don Was – a sound that's very respectful of Solomon's vocals, which are great, but which has a bit of a crossover approach at times too. Titles include "What Good Am I", "At The Crossroads", "I Got The Blues", "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul", "Make Do With What You Got", "After All These Years", and "Fading Footsteps". CD

Masters At Work have always had a talent for making wonderful club numbers that maintain the flavor of the source, like this batucada derived groover, with some nice percolating MAW touches and a rich, bouncy vocal melody. The other 2 numbers, Otto's "Bob" and Tenoria Junior's "Nebulosa" provide a wonderful counterpoint to the heavier club groove with their breezy vibe. (New Grooves, Soul) CD

Surprisingly great post-Philly International work from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – recorded at a time when the group had actually let a female singer into their ranks! Sharon Paige is the lady here – and she creates a nice sense of interplay with the male singers in the group – that sort of back and forth that you might find in some of Al Hudson's work with One Way, or in a variety of other funky club acts who were rising in the mainstream at the time. Harold Melvin produced, and there's some definite late Philly moments in the tracks "Prayin" and "Baby I'm Back" – but the greatest charm of the album possibly comes from tracks that change things up a bit, including "I Should Be Your Lover", "Tonight's The Night", and "Your Love Is Taking Me On A Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of instrumentals either recorded for Motown by groups like the San Remo Golden Strings, the Crusaders or Junior Walker, or the instrumental backing tracks used by their vocalists, released here on their short lived Natural Resources subsidiary. 9 tracks in all: "Hungry For Love" and "Festival time" by the San Remo Golden Strings, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Cleo's Back" by Junior Walker, 'Rapid Fire" by the Commodores, "Papa Was A rolling Stone" by the Temptations, "Way Back Home" by the Crusaders, "Erucu" by Jermaine Jackson and "Get Ready" by Rare Earth. LP, Vinyl record album