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A massive collection of work from Patti Labelle – one that features solo recordings, sides with Labelle, and famous duets – all in a 2CD, 30 track package that even features some previously unreleased cuts! The label-hopping effort offers up a true picture of Patti's greatness at all levels – and the bonus tracks make it well worth having, even if you've got some of these gems on other sources. Unreleased tracks include "Mean Ol Man's World", "Release The Tension (disco version)", and "Last Dance"; solo tracks include "Somebody Loves You Baby", "My Love Sweet Love", "Over The Rainbow", "Music Is My Way Of Life", "Joy To Have Your Love", "New Attitude", "If Only You Knew", and "The Spirit's In It"; Labelle tracks include "Moonshadow", "Last Dance", "Lady Marmalade", "You Turn Me On", "Messin With My Mind", and "What Can I Do For You". CD

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A late 70s gem from Patti Labelle! Although the album's recorded right in the height of the disco years, Patti's really shining on the mellower cuts – hitting a serious soulful side that shows that her move to a solo act really let her move into more sophisticated material. There are definitely some dance tracks like "Music Is My Life" but the real highlights are mellow tunes like "What'cha Doing To Me" and "You & Me". Other titles include "It's Alright With Me", "Love & Learn", "My Best Was Good Enough", and "Deliver The Funk". This remastered Big Break UK edition includes 3 bonus tracks: single versions of "It's Alright With Me" and "Music Is My Way Of Life", plus an instrumental version of the latter. CD

One of the greatest albums ever by Labelle – known especially for the massive funky title cut, which has been an in-demand groover for years! "Moonshadow" begins with a nice funky piano intro, then rolls into a 10 minute groove that's really tasty – filled with lots of jazzy riffing, tasty conga, and a weird monologue by Patti that runs through different parts of the body and why you should appreciate them! The cut was lost on American audiences of the 70s, but became a huge one in the European jazz dance scene of the late 80s, probably because most of them couldn't understand how silly Patti's vocals were! The cut's nice and funky, though – and there's some other nice ones on the record, too, including "Sunday News", "Touch Me All Over", and "Peace With Yourself". Much more interesting than most of their stuff, with a hip mixture of jazz, soul, and hard grooving! CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". CD

An early classic from LaBelle – wonderful vocals mixed with both heavy funk and laidback spacey soul touches! The group had really hit their stride by this point – as the trio of Nona Hendryx/Sarah Dash/Patti Labelle push way past their girl group roots – and even some of the slightly less-formed modes of their Warner Brothers years – finding a really badass sort of territory that would serve them well for the rest of the 70s! The shift really pays off – as there's a number of good funky numbers on the album – and some righteous political lyricism in the mix, too – but also some mellower moments that really round things out nicely. The trio riff on a version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", as led into by the cut "Something In The Air" – and other numbers include "Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning)", "Mr. Music Man", "Goin' On a Holiday", "Open Up Your Heart", "Let Me See You In The Light", and "Can I Speak to You Before You Go to Hollywood". CD

The oft-covered Bob Dylan songbook never sounds so soulful – classic interpretations of Dylan's canon from a great, far reaching roster of black artists – from the the ever-stirring Staple Singers, southern soul heroes Howard Tate and OV Wright, charismatic country soul from Brook Benton, great gender role perspective flipped versions by Nina Simone and Patti LaBelle, a funky tamborine take by Con Funk Shun and much more! It's another excellent entry in the Songwriter Series from Ace Records, extra excellent in that it takes an obvious hero of 60s Songwriter – and actually pulls together songs that'll take you by surprise for their depth – whether you treasure Dylan, deep 60s & 70s solo & group R&B, funk, folk soul...or all of the above! Includes "Blowin In The Wind" by OV Wright, "Girl From The North Country" by Howard Tate, "The Man In Me" by The Persuations, "Lay lady Lay" by The Isley Brothers, "Emotionally Yours" by The O'Jays, "All Along The Watchtower" by Bobby Womack, "Maggie's Farm" by Soloman Burke, "Mr. Tamborine Man" by Con Funk Shun and more. 20 tracks in all. CD

An all-Atlantic Records volume of this excellent series from Ace Records – one that features rare singles from the 60s that go way past the label's familiar hits – including a good blend of soul tracks, sweet harmonies, and rare rockers we never would have heard otherwise! The collection offers up the strong focus on mid 60s female work that you'll find in previous volumes – but there's also some harder edges here, given the Atlantic approach – and the tracks run the gamut from New York numbers to Motorcity sounds, and even some west coast gems! The package features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "In Paradise" by The Cookies, "Everybody Dance" by Lydia Marcelle, "The Beating Of My Heart" by The Dorelles, "Friday Kind Of Monday" by The Meantime, "Lovin Valentine" by April Stevens, "Rhapsody" by Tamiko, "A Groovy Kind Of Love" by Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" by Doris Troy, "Devil In The Dark" by The Goodnight Kisses, and "Wise Guys" by Shirley Matthews & The Big Town Girls. CD

Smooth Gladys from later years – working without The Pips, but showing the world that she's still got a heck of a lot to offer! Includes duets with Dionne Warwick, Patti Labelle, and David Peaston – and a track list that includes "Men", "Meet Me In The Middle", "Mr Love", "Waiting On You", "In This Life", "Good Woman", "Give Me A Chance", "Superwoman", and "Where Would I Be". CD

A great run of music from Grover Washington Jr – five full albums, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Paradise – one of those records you see so much it's easy to forget how great it is! Grover's a real genius with the sax on this record – taking a "less is more" cue from Stanley Turrentine's 70s work, and toning down his playing to an even tighter style than on the Kudu albums of earlier years, to a level of ultimate economy that really leaves us breathless. Grover hits a rarified level here that we'd only reserve for a small few – like Steely Dan or The Crusaders, both groups who teeter on the same brink, and make it work perfectly. Titles include "Asia's Theme", "Tell Me About It Now", "Feel It Comin", "Icey", and "The Answer In Your Eyes". Winelight is a smooth smooth classic from Grover Washington Jr – a set that has a classy image on the cover, and a classic groove within – a completely sublime blend of jazz, soul, and funk, all given the sort of masterful finish that you might have found on the best records by The Crusaders at the time! The difference, though, is that Washington's the lead soloist throughout – crafting some especially nice lines on his trademark soprano sax – which he used in ways that made him one of the most important mainstream jazz artists of his time – and one of the few to really open the doors of the music to folks who might not have been listening otherwise. Grover's sense of space and timing is wonderful throughout – and titles include the classic debut with Bill Withers on "Just The Two Of Us" –plus "Winelight", "Let It Flow", "In The Name Of Love", "Take Me There", and "Make Me A Memory (Sad Samba)". On Come Morning, Grover Washington blows over some great arrangements from William Eaton – full, but lean too – and with the same sort of slinky groove that always worked best for Grover back at Kudu Records! The sound is tight, but never too slick – that magically soulful approach that always made Grover a real standout from his contemporaries – one of the few cats who could smooth out jazz without ever losing its soul – thanks to lots of well-crafted lead lines on soprano sax! Titles include "East River Drive", "Jamming", "Little Black Samba", "Be Mine", and "Reaching Out". Best Is Yet To Come is a set that strongly continues the special spirit that Grover Washington brought to his music during the Elektra Records years – as one of the few artists who really found a way to move forward from the style of 70s jazz funk, but not fall into some of the smoother jazz cliches that were about to envelop his contemporaries! Part of the strength of the record lies in Grover's strongly soul-based sense of timing – allowing for just the right amount of space between the notes to remind you that you're listening to a jazz soloist first and foremost, even when a guest like Patti Labelle might step in for a bit of vocals. Titles include "Brazilian Memories", "Mixty Motions", "Can You Dig It", "I'll Be With You", "Things Are Getting Better", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". Inside Moves has Washington soaring to the skies on soprano sax – as expressive a voice on the record as any soul singer might be – and maybe even more so on the few spots that do include vocals. Jon Lucien sings a bit on the record – and if you read these pages, you know how much we love him – but Grover's still the giant here, with a sense of timing and phrasing that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match in a setting like this. Titles include "Jet Stream", "Sassy Stew", "Dawn Song", "Inside Moves", "Watching You Watching Me", and "Secret Stew". 5CD set features 19 more bonus tracks – all the single edits of songs from the albums! (Jazz, Soul) CD

One of the biggest sides of the Chicago Steppers scene is its particular fascination with rare and obscure remixes of tracks that might be known better in other formats. The DJs and dancers on the scene are often paying top dollar in the city's stores for import 12" singles, promotional copies, and other sources of hard to find versions of bigger songs. This set in the DJ Jams series brings together 13 tracks that illustrate that trend, most of them from the 80s and 90s, and encompassing the range of modern soul that permates the ever-growing Steppers scene. Titles include "Can't Get Over You (rmx)" by Maze, "Head Over Heels (rmx)" by T. Terry, "Please Say You'll Be Mine" by The Dramatics, "You Bring Me Up (rmx)" by KCI & Jojo, "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up (rmx)" by Lisa Stansfield, "Stars In Your Eyes" by Herbie Hancock, "Brown Sugar (rmx)" by D'Angelo, and "When You Talk About Love (rmx)" by Patti Labelle. CD

A dozen songs from Con Funk Shun, Dynamic Superiors, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Originals, L.T.D., Barry White, Lenny Williams, Atlantic Starr, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Lionel Richie. CD

59 tracks of classic soul – in a sweet velvet-covered case! Music from MFSB, James Brown, BB King, Al Green, the Staple Singers, the O Jays, the Pointer Sisters, Aretha Franklin, LTD, Teddy Pendergrass, Kool & the Gang, Stephanie Mills, Patti Labelle, Kool Moe Dee, MC Hammer, Naughty By Nature and more. CD

An all-Atlantic Records volume of this excellent series from Ace Records – one that features rare singles from the 60s that go way past the label's familiar hits – including a good blend of soul tracks, sweet harmonies, and rare rockers we never would have heard otherwise! The collection offers up the strong focus on mid 60s female work that you'll find in previous volumes – but there's also some harder edges here, given the Atlantic approach – and the tracks run the gamut from New York numbers to Motorcity sounds, and even some west coast gems! The package features 26 tracks in all – and titles include "In Paradise" by The Cookies, "Everybody Dance" by Lydia Marcelle, "The Beating Of My Heart" by The Dorelles, "Friday Kind Of Monday" by The Meantime, "Lovin Valentine" by April Stevens, "Rhapsody" by Tamiko, "A Groovy Kind Of Love" by Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" by Doris Troy, "Devil In The Dark" by The Goodnight Kisses, and "Wise Guys" by Shirley Matthews & The Big Town Girls. CD