The great Michael Henderson is a hell of a talent in 70s soul – an artist that some folks know for his more way-out work on bass with Miles Davis, or his early vocals with Norman Connors – but also a singer, arranger, and key creative talent – one who followed the same path as Connors, by moving from jazz to super-sophisticated soul! Henderson's music really took shape in the second half of the 70s – which is the territory covered by most of this collection – a great look at the artistic flowering of Henderson on the Buddah label, with a few key collaborations thrown in for good measure too. The 2CD set features 34 tracks in all – all with that wonderful sense of track selection that always makes these Soulmusic.com sets so great – and titles include early tracks recorded with Norman Connors – "You Are My Starship", "Valentine Love", and "We Both Need Each Other" – and duets, with Roberta Flack on "At The Concert", and a post-Connors performance with Phyllis Hyman on "Can't We Fall In Love Again". Other titles include "Time", "Make Me Feel Better", "In The Night Time", "Am I Special", "To Be Loved", "Do It All", "Be My Girl", "Solid", "Treat Me Like A Man", "Stay With Me This Summer", "Whip It", "Goin Places", "Let Me Love You", "Take Me I'm Yours", "Wide Receiver", "Playing On The Real Thing", "Riding", "Reach Out For Me", "Slingshot", "Fickle", "Come To Me", "Geek You Up", "Make Me Feel Like", and "Make It Easy On Yourself". CD

Michael Henderson definitely does it all here – mixing jazz and soul and funk with his own strong sense of personality – all at a level that's head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries! Henderson's that rare breed in soul music – part of an elite 70s lineup who were rooted in jazz, able to sing soul, and yet still keep all the depth of their roots in their grooves! At times, Henderson sings with the poise and class of a jazz vocalist – at others, he's got the sensual slink of a R&B giant – always amidst instrumentation that goes way past the obvious, and avoids any of the commercial cliches that were plaguing mainstream soul at the time. There's a really timeless feel to the record – the sort that's kept Henderson at the top of the hip soul stacks for years – and titles include "Wait Until The Rain", "In The Summertime", "Riding", "To Be Loved", "I Do It All", and "Playing On The Real Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

The very first album from Michael Henderson – but a set that already finds him very much at the top of his game – thanks to previous work with Miles Davis and Norman Connors! Both artists gave Henderson a chance to do different things with his music, and by the time of this record, Michael's got both an ear for a funky bassline and a way of laying down a mellow vocal, too – a great blend of techniques that really helps give the record a lot more depth than some of Henderson's contemporaries! Unlike other bassists-turned-singers of the period, Michael never lets his core instrument take off too much and get in the way of the vocals – and instead, he shows a great sense of restraint for compressing down all the best elements into one mighty sweet groove. Titles include a version of "Valentine Love" that is different from the one recorded with Connors – plus the great original "Treat Me Like a Man", which is a nice nice sample cut from years back! Other gems include "Make Me Feel Better", "Let Love Enter", "Solid", "You Haven't Made It To The Top", and "Stay With Me This Summer". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of mellow soul and jazzy grooves from the groundbreaking Norman Connors – an album that sails to the stars on a sweet blend of mellow moments and more upbeat tracks too! The record features some crucial vocal talents from Michael Henderson and Phyllis Hyman – both relative newcomers here, and making a great transition from jazz to soul with Connors help – hitting this amazing territory that would inform countless other artists in years to come – but never be done again this well! The instrumentation is wonderful, too – schooled in the jazz roots of Connors' music – and featuring Gary Bartz on alto, and both Hubert Eaves and Onaje Allen Gumbs on keyboards. Titles include the seminal title cut "You Are My Starship" – one of the best late night slowjams ever – plus remakes of "The Creator Has a Master Plan" and "Betcha By Golly Wow" – and the cuts "So Much Love", "Just Imagine", and "We Both Need Each Other". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn great work from The Dramatics – a group who never seemed to miss at all during their massive 70s run – and one who really knew how to hold onto an edge in their vocals, and most of their grooves as well! The main maestro here is Don Davis – one of the few late 70s producers who could still balance things this well – really keeping all the strengths of the group's work for Stax/Volt, and avoiding any of the then-current tendencies to go for easy chart or dancefloor play – a mode that results in a rock-solid album that's a joy to behold with each new track! Michael Henderson helps out the group on a few cuts – and Tony Hester wrote a few tracks as well – really giving Ron Banks, LJ Reynolds, and crew some great material to work with – just the right tunes that mix sublime harmonies with a great balance of funky numbers and mellow moments. Tracks include "She's A Rainmaker", "Things Are Changing", "Treat Me Like A Man", "You're Fooling You", "Just Shopping", and "Come Out Of Your Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth soulful jazz from Harvey Mason – one of his strong 70s winners for the Arista album, and a record that really brings a new level of class to his sound! There's less of the grit in the grooves than you might expect from the down-home reference of the title – and in a way, the record's a similar shift to well-produced R&B as Michael Henderson or Norman Connor's work from the same time – a soaring, fluid groove that's still supported by solid jazz instrumentation, but which also has a nice dose of soul in the mix! Players here are a real all-star lineup – with talents that include Dorothy Ashby, George Benson, Ronnie Foster, Bob James, and Phil Upchurch – and most cuts have vocals, by The Waters and others. But possibly best of all is the production – which is by Harvey, and really wonderful – sophisticated and smooth, but never slick – a really careful balance that really puts him right up there with Norman Connors or Roy Ayers! Titles include "Pack Up Your Bags", "Till You Take My Love", "Funk In A Mason Jar", "What's Going On", "Set It Free", "Space Cadets" and "Freedom Either Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Jeannie Reynolds – and her lasting contribution to underground soul! Jeannie's vocals are nice and deep – with hints of southern diva phrasing, filtered through some of the tighter soul styles coming out of Chicago and other points north at the time! Detroit talents LJ Reynolds, Tony Hester, and Don Davis produce – save for one song by Michael Henderson – and the big highlight is the slow groover "The Fruit Song", a sly seductive stepper of a track, with rolling congas, sweeping strings, and a very catchy hook from Jeannie. That number runs for about 7 minutes long – and the album also includes a number of nice shorter cuts, like "I've Still Got My Pride", "The Feelin' Ain't There", and "You Want To Get Your Hands On A Woman" – all wonderful numbers that will have you loving Jeannie as one of your favorite new discoveries in 70s soul! LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of 70s soul tracks – sweet, mellow, laidback, and including loads of numbers that have been buried for years! The focus here is not on obscure groups, but on lesser-known album tracks by bigger names – including many chillout numbers that have a sweet jazzy feel, and which might have gotten eclipsed by some of the artists' bigger hits. ?uestlove of the Roots put the set together, and the whole set's got the deep soulfulness of his own work with that group – track after track of mellow 70s soul, jazzy riffs, spacey instrumentation, and warm vocals effortlessly sliding together! Titles include "Star Of The Story" by Heatwave, "Be My Girl" by Michael Henderson, "Clover" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Before The Dawn" by Patrice Rushen, "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers, "That's What Friends Are For" by Deniece Williams, "Next To Nature" by Jean Claude Toran, "Glowin" by The Rationals, "Magic In Your Eyes" by Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Sensuality (parts 1 & 2)" by The Isley Brothers, "Sienna" by Stanley Cowell, "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson, "Wheels Of Life" by Gino Vannelli, and "Gotta Find A Lover" by Roy Ayers. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Some great tracks from the jazzy soulful genius of Norman Connors! Connors is one of the best crossover soul jazz artists of the 70s – with a masterful blend of styles that's matched by only a few other artists, like Roy Ayers or Leroy Hutson. This set includes tracks from his Buddah and Arista recordings – and the sound is classic all the way through! Titles include "You Are My Starship", "This Is Your Life", "Betcha By Golly Wow", "Valentine Love", "Dindi", "Romantic Journey, "We Both Need Each Other", "Love From The Sun", and "Once I've Been There". The "friends" are all vocalists – including Michael Henderson, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carn, Phillip Mitchell, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. CD

A great set from Rebbie Jackson – a batch of 80s groovers that's way different than work from siblings Michael or Janet – and done with a percolating sort of vibe that's quite different from some of the core projects of the rest of the Jacksons universe! Wayne Henderson handled most of the production for the set, and brings in a nice sense of class that pushes the work far from too-commercial soul – that strong balance that always makes his name on a record one key reason to check it out! There's still a bit of Jackson influence on the vocals – as Rebbie gets help from Michael, Tito, and Randy Jackson – alongside additional guest vocals from Gary Glenn, Patryce Banks, Maxie Anderson, and The Weather Girls. Titles include "Centipede", "Play Me", "Open Up To My Love", "Hey Boy", "Come Alive It's Saturday Night", "Ready for Love", and "A Fork In The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Jeannie Reynolds – and her lasting contribution to underground soul! Jeannie's vocals are nice and deep – with hints of southern diva phrasing, filtered through some of the tighter soul styles coming out of Chicago and other points north at the time! Detroit talents LJ Reynolds, Tony Hester, and Don Davis produce – save for one song by Michael Henderson – and the big highlight is the slow groover "The Fruit Song", a sly seductive stepper of a track, with rolling congas, sweeping strings, and a very catchy hook from Jeannie. That number runs for about 7 minutes long – and the album also includes a number of nice shorter cuts, like "I've Still Got My Pride", "The Feelin' Ain't There", and "You Want To Get Your Hands On A Woman" – all wonderful numbers that will have you loving Jeannie as one of your favorite new discoveries in 70s soul! CD also features 4 non-LP bonus cuts – "Phone's Been Jumping All Day", "Unwanted Company", "Lay Some Lovin On Me", and "Love Don't Come Easy For Me". CD