A seminal album from the great Patti Labelle – a set that allowed the singer to mature strongly and find her own voice away from the funky, rockish style of Labelle – this sophisticated style that marked a whole new level of the singer's career! The Philly International label turned out to be a perfect setting for Patti – as they too were also growing past some of their earlier styles – moving past the chart soul of the 70s, and some of their bigger disco hits – and finding just the right place to allow their artists to keep on growing strongly over the years. The album's an all-adult affair – no clunky commercial moments at all, and instead this great blend of jazzy currents and sophisticated soul – all handled with the excellent second generation Philly International approach! Titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Love Lives", "Love Need & Want You", "I'll Never Never Give You Up", "If Only You Knew", "Body Language", and "When Am I Gonna Find True Love". 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". CD

Patti's first solo album – recorded after splitting with the group Labelle, moving into a more sophisticated Diva soul mode that kept her strong for years to come! The album's pretty great, stepping out into the solo soul realm with terrific footing – and the best tunes have a smoothed out modern approach that's actually quite refreshing – and a bit better than some of the work by Labelle in the late years! 9 tracks on the original album: including "Dan Swit Me", "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", "I Think About You" and "Do I Stand A Chance", "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" and more. This Big Break UK remastered version includes the bonus track "Joy To Have Your Love (Single Version)". CD

A 2 CD set that brings together 3 of Patti's post-Labelle albums for Philly International! The albums show Patti moving into a smoother soul sound than her rawer work with Labelle – emerging as a sophisticated soul diva, with a sound that would earn her a wide new audience for years to come. The tracks are a mix of modern soul, smooth disco, and jazzy vocals – and titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Love Lives", "Boats Against The Current", "Over The Rainbow", "Love Symphony", "Living Double", "I Can't Forget You", "When Am I Gonna Find True Love", and "Body Language". 25 cuts in all – a whopping package! CD

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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

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

Music from Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, the O Jays, Marvin Gaye, Peaches & Herb, the Delfonics, Jeffrey Osborne, the Commodores, Al Green, Earth, Wind & Fire, Smokey Robinson, LTD, and more. CD

Cheesy packaging, to be sure – but a pretty decent collection of smooth soul cuts from the 70s and 80s! Titles on this volume include "I Had A Choice" by Sun, "At Your Best" by The Isley Brothers, "It's You I Need" by Enchantment, "Young Love" by Teena Marie, "Be My Girl" by The Dramatics, "Solid Love Affair" by Anthony Watson, "Gentle" by Frederick, "Make It Last" by Con Funk Shun, "If You Play Your Cards Right" by Alicia Myers, and "Love Need Want You" by Patti Labelle. CD

Music from the Dells, Patti LaBelle, After 7, U.S. Male, Bird & the Midnight Falcons, Flash & the Five Heartbeats, Eddy & Baby Doll, Flash & the Ebony Sparks, and the Five Heartbeats. CD

Miki Howard at the top of her game – just the sort of record that had her standing out as one of the best new vocalists in soul during the second half of the 80s – and one of the few who could draw on the classic styles of earlier divas like Patti Labelle or Phyllis Hyman! Like both of those two, Howard's got a great range, but never pushes things to far – just effortlessly taps into the right modes at the right moments – and opens up with a flow that's a lot more timeless than some of the other soul albums of the time. There's certainly a few crossover numbers that are a bit pop, but there's also lots of the mellower, more serious numbers that Miki does so well. Titles include a duet with Gerald Levert on "That's What Love Is", a nice reading of Earth Wind & Fire's "Reasons", an update of the standard "You've Changed", and the tracks "Baby Be Mine", "In Too Deep", "I Wanna Be There", and "Bitter Love". CD

Stunning soul from the 70s – all reworked here by dancefloor maestro Joey Negro – who gives all these grooves even more punch than before! Joey's own music has plenty of vintage styles – and his work with older cuts is even better – able to open them up, break them apart, and rework all the best elements at a level that rivals classic work by Tom Moulton or Larry Levan! And like both of them, Joey's most at home when the cuts have a lot of soul at the core – as is definitely the case with the numbers here – a really well-chosen array of tracks that includes 70s soul classics, disco numbers, and funky club cuts – all served up in special Joey Negro mixes of "Love Ballad" by George Benson, "Come Go With Me" by Pockets, "Can We Come Together" by The Trammps, "Open Your Mind" by Kleeer, "Every Kinda People" by Robert Palmer, "I'm Here Again" by Thelma Houston, "Music Is My Way Of Life" by Patti Labelle, "I Love Music" by The O'Jays, "Straight From The Heart" by Loose Change, "Time Waits For No One" by Jean Carn, "Stella" by Norman Connors, "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" by Willie Hutch, and "Here We Go Again" by People's Choice. Heck, Joey even does a great job with "Ride Like The Wind" by Christopher Cross! (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Ten tracks from Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Marvin Gaye, Rufus & Chaka Khan, War, Teddy Pendergrass, Average White Band, Patti LaBelle, and Kool & The Gang. CD