A well-done look at a genre that kind of snuck in under the wire – music that carries some late traces of electro, touched with underground club styles, but also delivered in a way that's plenty darn catchy, with a great ear for a hook and a groovy sort of sing-song lyric! The music is heavy on beats, basslines, and keyboards – all bursting out with plenty of energy – maybe a brightened up take on street soul from the early 80s, but usually with a younger female singer, which helps the music bubble along in a really great way! The package is new territory for Ace Records, but they've done a great job of bringing together both key cuts and overlooked gems – all hand-picked by Bob Stanley, with a set list that includes "Two Of Hearts (12" version)" by Stacey Q, "Don't Be Shy (radio voc)" by Janelle, "Lover Girl" by Meg, "Let's Go (radio)" by Nocera, "Funky Little Beat" by Connie, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, "Together Forever (radio)" by Lisette Melendez, "Dreamin" by Will To Power, "Take Me In Your Arms" by Lil Suzy, "Thief Of Hearts" by Cynthia, "Fascinated (12" version)" by Company B, and "Baby Talk" by Alisha. (Funky Compilations, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing look at the early years of Sly Stone – a hip array of rare projects Sly recorded with other artists, plus a few pre-Columbia gems of his own! The package is beautifully put together, and the vibe here is definitely a great precursor to the famous sound of Sly with the Family Stone in the late 60s – a perfect illustration of his early ear for funky rhythms and some of the most righteous soul of his generation! And oddly, even artists who usually sound far from Stone come out definitely sounding a bit Sly-like here – and the package features the usual Ace great notes, to help you understand where all this great music's coming from. Titles include "Danse A La Musique" by The French Fries, "I'm Going Home (part 1)" and "Home Sweet Home (part 2)" by Joe Hicks, "You're The One (parts 1 & 2)" by Little Sister, "Life & Death In G & A" by Abaco Dream, "I'm Just Like You" by 61X, "Underdog" by The Beau Brummels, "Can't She Tell" by Billy Preston, "LSD" by Freddie & The Stone Souls, "Stanga" by Little Sister, "I Remember" by Sly & Billy Preston, "Superfunk" by Freddie & The Stone Souls, and the cuts "For Real (demo)", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Life Of Fortune & Fame", "You Really Got Me (demo)", and "I Ain't Got Nobody" by Sly Stone himself! CD

Stirring sounds from the start of the 60s – all pulled from that magical moment when soul was first coming into place – brought together out of different strands of grooves that were rumbling around in the 50s! The set mixes R&B, vocal group, and even a bit of pop – but all with a sound that's plenty soulful throughout – and really uncovers some lesser-known gems in the process! These Outta Sight collections are always great for Northern Soul – and this one shows the roots of the genre – and really illustrates the way that so many 21st Century collectors are turning back to the generation before Motown. Titles include "I Say Hello" by Jimmy Breedlove, "Darling I Know Now" by The Mystics, "Because Of You" by The Dreamers, "Boss Bossa Nova" by Bellino, "Summertime" by Barbara D'Orleans, "Hi Fi Baby" by Teddy McRae, "Humdinger" by Little Marie Allen, "Please Don't Go" by Johnny Acey, "Baby Oh Baby" by The Shells, "Oh What A Fool" by Big Jay McNeeley, and "I Walk On" by Little Tommy & The Elgins. CD

Even better than volume one – and a stellar collection of rare funky grooves! The compilation features a brilliant batch of tracks from the 70s – mostly underground soul, jazz, and funk tunes that have yet to appear on reissues, chosen by UK DJ Dean Rudland, with a feel that's as righteous and progressive as the title might imply. There's lots of gems on here that were only ever issued on 45s, or on the kinds of rare LPs that we'd be selling in the $100 range, if and when we could find them! Titles include "Sleep Talk" by King Errison, "Theme From The Men" by Joe Bataan, "Kissing My Love" by Spanky Wilson, "Fever" by Sharon Cash, "Where Will You Run" by Walter Hawkins & Selah, "Harambee" by Jambo, "Africa" by Preston Epps, "Mucho Macho" by Macho, "I Must Be Doing Something Right" by Irene Reed, "I Can't Stand It" by Brenda George, "Afro Texas" by Letta Mbulu, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Katie Love & The Four Shades Of Black, "Kicking Back" by Joe Houston, "Love Potion Cheeba Cheeba" by The Mighty Tom Cats & Ann Winley, and "Return Of The Prodigal Son" by Byrdie Green. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

The world of girl groups might seem cliched to some – but if you know where to look, you'll find a host of really amazing material – and that's definitely the case in this well-chosen set, a superb Ace Records package that's overflowing with material that goes way past the obvious! At some level, Ace are approaching the style in the reverse way of more mainstream collections – not starting with hits, then trickling down to obscurities – and instead pulling together unusual bits from a variety of indie labels that might have gotten otherwise overlooked, including a few cuts that were never issued at the time, mixed here with rock and soul gems from singles on labels like Keetch, Challenge, Bang, Mira, and Etiquette. As with their CD-length dips into the music, the quality here is superb – with 14 titles that include "Chu Sen Ling" by The Bermudas, "My Little Baby" by The Witches, "Tossin A Ice Cube" by The Hollywood Chicks, "Chico" by Linda Laurie, "A Dumb Song" by The Delicates, "Baby That's Me" by The Carolines, "Don't Worry About Me Baby" by Mayalta Page, "You May Be Holding My Baby" by The Pussycats, "I Wanna Know Right Now" by Carol Slade, "Sweet Kind Of Loneliness" by The Darlettes, and "My Baby Looks But He Don't Touch" by Carol Connors. LP, Vinyl record album

Really great work from the Kent/Modern family of labels on the LA scene of the 60s – a company that initially broke big during the postwar years of R&B, but continued to record a huge amount of wonderful artists as the years went on! Because of their ties to R&B in the previous decade, Kent also had a great ear for the deeper side of soul music – so there's plenty of tracks on this set that may well have come from Memphis, Muscle Shoals, or other points south – mixed in with others that have a cool Cali vibe, including a few great early funk tracks, and some crossover gospel gems! The collection is the sort that Ace does the best – and is filled with rare singles, unreleased tracks, and other gems – all supported by very detailed notes. Titles include "At Last" by Jimmy bee, "Where She Att" by ZZ Hill, "Like I Do" by Bobby John, "Don't Believe Him" by Stacy Johnson, "Mighty Clouds Of Joy" by BPS Revolution, "Nobody But Me" by The Other Brothers, "Ghetto Child" by Johnny Copeland & His Soul Agents, "What Is This World Coming To" by Charles Taylor, "Jodine" by Earl Foster, "It's Getting Late" by Al King, "Whole World Down On You" by Larry Davis, "The Good Side Of My Girl" by Clay Hammond, "I'll Be Standing By" by Chuck Walker & The VIPs, "You're Still My Baby" by Venetta Fields, and "Rock Me Baby" by Millie Foster. CD

A really well-done collection – filled with enough funky gems to grab the ears of any sample-conscious listener, but also packing plenty of unusual numbers too – including a few Latin tracks that fit in perfectly with the spirit of the sound! A number of these cuts have definitely been sampled over the years – but as is always the case, the fuller tracks are often a lot more interesting than the riff or drum part that was taken from them – and together, the titles here show that there's always plenty to dig when you know how to dig deep – as you'll hear on titles that include "Home" by Gloria Barnes, "I'm Moving On" by Chyvonne Scott, "Natural Beauty" by LJ Waiters, "Afro Funky" by Manteca, "Something Bad" by The Chosen Few, "What Happened To Yesterday" by Al Scott, "Los Feligreses" by Luis Santi, "Every Boy & Girl" by Lee Moses, "Man Of Value" by Tyrone Barkley, "I'm Sorry I Hurt You" by Nat Phillips, and "Cookie Crumbs" by Ray & His Court. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

A great little set of rare soul music – served up by the Cairo imprint of Mississippi Records – and done with a very similar approach to their other reissues of folk, blues, and world music! The set focuses in on rootsier sounds, especially from the 60s – with lots of deep soul gems from both big names and some more obscure artists – all packaged with a detailed booklet of notes, in the best Mississippi style! The style is almost as if Folkway Records put together their own soul collection, but with work from other labels – and titles include "In My Heart" by Barbara & The Browns, "Tired Of Being Your Fool" by Nelson Sanders, "It's Not That Easy" by Reuben Bell & The Casanovas, "Since You've Been Gone" by The Falcons, "Can't Stay Away (parts 1 & 2)" by Slim & Ann, "Don't Ever Leave Me" by Bob & Earl, "Go Now" by Bessie Banks, "I Keep Forgetting You Don't Love Me No More" by The Thornton Sisters, "Don't Mistreat Me" by The Queenettes, "Let Me Down Easy" by Betta LaVette, "Life Is Too Short" by Benny Spellman, "Lament" by Mamie Perry, "I'm Missing You" by Loretta Williams, and "Everybody Knows" by OV Wright. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest entries in this long-running series – and like some of the other recent volumes, a package that goes way farther than some of the earlier compilations! The music here is not straight disco or funk – and instead, captures that really hip blend of modes that came into play when mainstream attention wasn't focused on the clubs, and artists were able to really get creative with their sound – using other soul styles and boogie modes to turn out the kind of overlooked gems you'll find within! We're not sure we've ever seen most of these tracks on CD before – and titles include "Love COD" by David Sea, "Sea Of Love" by Rosetta Jefferson, "Pretty Baby" by Mark Mitchell, "Nothing You Can Do About Love (ext version)" by The Blackstones, "If You Want My Love" by The Chequers, "Fool For You" by Tammi Holt, "You Are The Future" by Ben E King with Cassandra, "Change (long version)" by Tanya Love, "Incredible (dance mix)" by Scherrie Payne & Philip Ingram, and "Groove With Me" by Larry Bailey. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Deep deep work from an under-tapped reservoir of soul – the legendary Sounds Of Memphis label – a key contemporary of Stax Records, but one with a huge amount of material that never got issued at the time! This excellent set corrects that fact, by bringing forth a batch of material that's almost all fresh here for the first time ever – and mixed with just a few rare SOM singles that were issued in the early 70s – all cuts that really show the righteous power of this tiny little label! There's a fair bit of artists here who touched the scene with work in other ways, and others we're really hearing for the first time ever in their company – an amazing picture into the mighty Memphis scene at the time, in a treasure trove of southern soul, deep ballads, and even a few funky numbers too. 22 tracks in all – and titles include "You're Using Me" by Rudolph Taylor, "You Don't Love Me" by Tommy Raye, "A Great Big Thing" by Carroll Lloyd, "Tempted" by Marjorie Ingram, "Hold On Hold Out" by George Jackson, "That's Why I Keep Her" by William Bollinger, "Since My Baby Left Me" by Dan Greer, and "Lost In A Dream" by Vision. CD

An absolute treasure trove of rare soul singles from Pied Piper Productions – a mid 60s Detroit soul operation that features Funk Brothers Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, and Mike Terry – laying down sounds that rival the best Motown groovers of the period! The work is amazing throughout – soul cuts heavily focused on the groove and amazing lead vocals – recorded in ways that are similar to the best of Detroit at the time, but with some rawer aspects too – which makes for a massive package of Northern Soul gems! The package features both solo singers and great groups too – artists who include Lorraine Chandler, The Hesitations, September Jones, The Cavaliers, Willie Kendrick, Nancy Wilcox, and – heard here on rare singles and LP tracks that were originally released on labels like Karate, Kapp, Ruby and Giant – plus a number of recently unearthed titles that are seeing release for the first time ever! The set features 24 tracks in all, and the usual superb Kent notes and packaging – with titles that include "I Can't Hold On" by Lorraine Chandler, "Stuttering Sam" by September Jones, "Gambler's Blues" by Nancy Wilcox, "This Heart Is Lonely" by Rose Batiste, "Just Can't Leave You" by Tony Hesher, "Could It Be" by Micki Farrow, "I Fell In Love (Can't Help It)" by Freddy Butler, "He'll Be Leaving You" by The Pied Piper Players, "If Only You Knew" by Mike & Ray, "Time Changes Things" by Willie Kendrick, and "Lonely Too Long" by The Sandpipers. CD

The title says "soul standards", but the music here is anything but – not familiar hits or well-worn classics, but instead a great array of lesser-known gems from the TK Records powerhouse of Florida soul! The music here really spans the spectrum of the excellent work that TK was doing at the time – and moves between southern soul, a bit of funk, and some of the more modern elements that TK was hitting at the time – bringing a new sort of sophistication to the southern scene. There's a few familiar cuts here, mixed with a lot more rare gems – and titles include "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas, "Gettin With My Baby" by Leon Debouse, "You Made Me Want To Dance" by Irene Reid, "Love The Way You Love Me" by Eddie Horan, "How Long" by Brandye, "Caught In The Act" by Facts Of Life, "Puttin It Down To You" by Jackie Moore, "You Can't See For Lookin" by Betty Wright, "Living For Today" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers "Rock" by The JBs, "Best Part Of A Man" by Wilson Pickett, and "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Santa's got a brand new bag here – and it's filled with a whole host of obscure and unusual soul-based Christmas tunes! There's a few numbers here you'll know as classics, but they're mixed with plenty other gems too – in a smashing set list of 27 tracks that includes "Christmas Time Again" by Reuben Anderson, "The Christmas Spirit" by Nelson Pigfoot & The Motivations, "Santa's Got A Brand New Bag" by Gary Walker, "Merry Christmas To You" by The Salem Travelers, "Blue Christmas Blue" by The King Tones, "Christmas Song" by Lee Jackson & The Cadillac Baby Specials, "My Letter To Santa" by The Marshans, "You Won't Have To Wait Til Christmas" by Lee Rogers, "Call Me For Christmas" by Gary US Bonds, "The Christmas Song (live)" by Marvin Gaye, "Silent Night" by Sister Lucille Pop & The Pearly Gates, "Christmas In The Ghetto" by Big Daddy Ervin Rucker, "A Funky Xmas To You" by J Hines & The Boys, and "Christmas In Vietnam" by The Soul Searchers. (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

An excellent collection of rare female soul from the 60s – a set that not only features overlooked 45rpm singles from Warner Brothers at the time – but also some great gems from their famous Loma Records imprint too! If you think you know this territory, think again – as there's a huge amount of tracks here that are completely fresh to our ears – the kind of material that a label as big as Warner was able to cut with their ample staff and studio time, then never did a think to promote the singles at all – leaving a space of decades before all these 7" gems were finally able to get exposure on a set like this! The package moves between catchy group soul and deeper-burning solo material – and the whole thing's done with the usual high quality we love from Ace, from the sound quality right down to the notes in the book. Titles include "There He Goes" by The Royalettes, "We Can Find That Love" by Vickie Baines, "He's Good" by Barbara Jackson, "Contact" by Three Degrees, "Wounded" by The Cookies, "My Soul Concerto" by The Apollas, "I Taught Him (part 1)" by Gloria Scott & The Tonettes, "All Because I Love Somebody" by Barbara English, "Don't Come A Knockin" by Mary Lee Whitney, "Here I Come" by Joyce Alexander, "Jive Jimmy" by The Socialites, "The Reason Why" by The Dolls, "Bright Lights" by Delilah Kennebreuw, and "Oh Eddy My Baby" by Brenda Hall. CD

A really great collection of unusual female soul and pop from the 60s – a package that features rare singles, unreleased tracks, and other gems we never would have heard otherwise! Few folks know 60s music as well as the folks at Ace/Kent Records in the UK – which means that you can really trust them to serve up the best when it comes to a collection of girl group music – the sort of tracks that go way past the obvious, and really get at the fantastic range of sounds that were transforming the female side of the spectrum in the US! The package features 16 tracks in all, and spans a nice mix of artists and styles – with titles that include "Too bad He's Bad" by Beverly Williams, "Cupid's Got A Hold On Me" by The Belles, "Whirlwind" by The Rev-Lons, "First Love Baby" by Lena Calhoun & The Emotions, "So In Luv" by Othello Robertson, "You Are My First Love" by Pat Hunt, "I Need A Guy" by The Lovettes, "He's All Right With Me" by The Mirettes, "Mr Everything" by Little Eva Harris, "Sing Me A Love Song" by Felice Taylor, "Sir Galahad" by The Elites, "I Say Yeah" by The Pets, "Summertime Is Surfin Time" by The Surf Bunnies, and "It's Better To Live Or Die" by Mary Saxton. LP, Vinyl record album

The roots of British mod, served up here in a fantastic package that's overflowing with soulful, jazzy, and groovy gems that we might never have heard otherwise! The big British Invasion love of American sounds is no secret to anyone – but the cuts here are all from a moment before on the London scene, and represent some really wonderful experiments in ways of mixing together elements of jazz, soul, and blues – and coming up with something really fresh and unique! Tracks are a great mix of instrumental and vocal modes – and as usual with Ace, they're supported by detailed notes that really open up our understanding of both the music, and this point in time. Titles include "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "A New Kind Of Lovin" by Eden Kane, "Christine" by Miss X, "Sugar Baby (parts 1 & 2)" by Jimmy Powell, "When You Walked Out" by Alex Murray, "Chicago Calling" by Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All Stars, "King Of Kings" by Jimmy Cliff, "It Ain't Necessarily So" by Duffy Power, "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Moanin" by Lynn Cornell, "I'm Just A Baby" by Louis Cordet, "Orange Street" by The Blue Flames, "Strawberry Fair" by Anthony Newley, "Sounds Like Locomotion" by Sounds Inc, and "Air Travel" by Chris Farlowe. (Rock, Soul) CD

The roots of British mod, served up here in a fantastic package that's overflowing with soulful, jazzy, and groovy gems that we might never have heard otherwise! The big British Invasion love of American sounds is no secret to anyone – but the cuts here are all from a moment before on the London scene, and represent some really wonderful experiments in ways of mixing together elements of jazz, soul, and blues – and coming up with something really fresh and unique! Tracks are a great mix of instrumental and vocal modes – and as usual with Ace, they're supported by detailed notes that really open up our understanding of both the music, and this point in time. Titles include "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "A New Kind Of Lovin" by Eden Kane, "Christine" by Miss X, "Sugar Baby (parts 1 & 2)" by Jimmy Powell, "When You Walked Out" by Alex Murray, "Chicago Calling" by Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All Stars, "King Of Kings" by Jimmy Cliff, "It Ain't Necessarily So" by Duffy Power, "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Moanin" by Lynn Cornell, "I'm Just A Baby" by Louis Cordet, "Orange Street" by The Blue Flames, "Strawberry Fair" by Anthony Newley, "Sounds Like Locomotion" by Sounds Inc, and "Air Travel" by Chris Farlowe. (Rock, Soul) CD

A great assortment of rare grooves from the 70s – most of them cuts that fall nicely in the space between early disco and uptempo soul – working together here in a batch of tracks that includes a fair bit of selections from the TK Records family of labels, plus some other 70s indies as well! Soul is every bit as important as the groove on most of these cuts – and you'll recognize some older singers making the 70s scene, amidst some others who only cut a few records during the decade – in a lineup that features 18 tracks in all, with titles that include "Try To Hold On" by Bobby Moore, "We Got Love On Our Side" by Silver Blue, "I Got It (part 1)" by New York Port Authority, "Discomania" by The Lovers, "Bumpin Bus Stop" by Thunder & Lightnin, "Be Real" by Tomorrow's Edition, "Love Chant (part 1)" by Eli's Second Coming, "Disco Man" by Three Ounces Of Love, "Back From The Dead" by Bobby Byrd, "I Don't Know If I Can Make It (part 1)" by Dawson Smith, and "Baia" by Alice Street Gang. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Classic vocal group material from the 70s – a great little set that serves up the music in many different ways – mixing funky cuts with mellow moments, and interspersing some catchy numbers in between! The range of tracks here is fantastic – way more than a standard selection of this nature – as the work is from a number of different labels and a number of different scenes – a well-chosen array that really fits well together! Titles include "It's You Girl" by Universal Love, "That's Why" by Natural High, "Dancing To Your Music" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "Something New About You" by Silent Majority, "Just Realized" by Reflection, "Oops It Just Slipped Out" by The Courtship, "Satisfactorize Your Mind" by Africano, "I'm No Better Than You" by The Fiestas, "She Calls Me Baby" by J Kelly & The Premiers, "You Only Get Out Of Love" by The Lost Generation, "Hey Pearl" by Prime Cut, "I'm A Scorpio" by Imported Moods, "Let Me In Your Heart" by Rising Sun, and "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Not just soul music lovers – as the set's got plenty to offer for fans of funk and jazz too – a wonderful assortment of cuts from the golden years of the music, all put together here with a really great ear for a groove! The cuts are sourced from a number of different labels – including Groove Merchant, De-Lite, Sussex, and Brunswick – and because of that, they come together with a great sense of variety – not a confused approach to a compilation, but one that really knows how to play different cuts off one another – introducing you to rare gems, and making you love familiar cuts all over again in a different way! There's a total of 23 tracks and almost 80 minutes of music – and titles include "Mr Hot Stuff" by Clarence Reid, "Ashley's Roachclip" by The Soul Searchers, "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators, "The Fly" by The Kinfolks, "Funky Belly" by Warren Lee, "Come Back To Me" by Cheyenne Fowler, "I Won't Be Around" by Jeanette Holloway, "Chick A Boom" by The Pazant Brothers, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Gold Smoke" by Everyday People, "There Was A Time" by Dee Felice Trio, "April" by Bobby Knight, and "No Trouble On The Mountain" by Richard Groove Holmes. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD