The first album by Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie group – and a cooker of a set that follows strongly from Gregg's previous Hot Butterfly gem! Luther Vandross isn't on board this time around, but the overall groove is still totally great – upbeat, soaring, and put together with a jazzy undercurrent that really keeps things interesting – far more so than most other mainstream disco sets of the time! Brad Baker – of B Baker Chocolate Company – handled the arrangements – and the grooves spin out nicely from Diamond's keyboards, and a tight mix of strings and jazzy horns. Vocals are from the soulful trio of Gwen Guthrie, Ullanda McCullough, and Zachary Sanders – and titles include "Dance Little Dreamer", "Risky Changes", "Boogie Boo", "We Must Believe In Music", "Feel Like Dancing", and "Don't Lose The Number". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the biggest records ever from Deele – thanks to the presence of LA and Babyface – who were a key part of the group at the time! The heavier funk styles of previous records are left behind – and the group have realized that they really shine best in mellower modes – the kind of ballads and love songs that still had a nice punch at the bottom, thanks to the LA/Babyface style – but which also really made the best use of Dee's sweet vocal approach! The shift tuned out to be a great one for the group – the start of bigger soul trends to come – and titles include "Two Occasions", "Shoot Em Up Movies", "Eyes Of A Stranger", "Can U Dance", "She Wanted", "So Many Thangs", and "Hip Chic". CD

A nicely evolved groove from Lee Dorsey – still working with tremendous production from Allen Toussaint, the man who brought him into stardom in the 60s – but with a warmer sound that's more 70s modern overall! The shift here is almost like that of Lamont Dozier's in the 70s – as Lee moves into a fuller, richer sound – one that shows that he's got a lot of different aspects to his music that hadn't showed up on previous albums, and which nicely brings him out of the Crescent City soul ghetto. There's till some nice Nola rhythms going down on the set, and all the tracks are originals by Toussaint – but honestly, the smoothest cuts are almost the best – and offer a great chance to hear Dorsey's great vocals in a whole new mode. Tracks include "Soul Mine", "Night People", "Can I Be The One", "Say It Again", and "Keep On Doing It To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A great second adventure from Dynasty – the kind of set that shows why the group went on to become one of the strongest things going in the second chapter of the Solar Records soul empire from LA! The album begins with a rock-solid punch, then continues strongly throughout – basslines, guitar riffs, and funky drums all right on the money – used in a way that's somehow fresher than most of the larger funk groups of the time – and with a nice balance between mellower moments that still seem to have a gentle kind of groove. The energy is wonderful throughout – and titles include "Give It Up For Love", "Love In The Fast Lane", "Revenge", "Here I Am", "A Man In Love", and "You're My Angel". LP, Vinyl record album

A great second adventure from Dynasty – the kind of set that shows why the group went on to become one of the strongest things going in the second chapter of the Solar Records soul empire from LA! The album begins with a rock-solid punch, then continues strongly throughout – basslines, guitar riffs, and funky drums all right on the money – used in a way that's somehow fresher than most of the larger funk groups of the time – and with a nice balance between mellower moments that still seem to have a gentle kind of groove. The energy is wonderful throughout – and titles include "Give It Up For Love", "Love In The Fast Lane", "Revenge", "Here I Am", "A Man In Love", and "You're My Angel". CD features bonus tracks – the previously unreleased "Mustang Movin On", plus single versions of "Here I Am" and "Love In The Fast Lane". CD

Larry Graham and crew are definitely going for a fuller sound on this set – starting off the record with a funky marching band, in Tusk-like fashion – then rolling into some bass-heavy funk that tops even their previous records for tightness! The groove is a key element in the growth of west coast funk in the 70s – bass in the lead, but keyboards percolating in all over the place, in a style that's almost got touches of jazz – and which sets the stage for many of the Zapp-sounding projects of the future! A surprisingly great little record – and one we like almost better than the first few! Titles include "Love", "Mirror", "Entrow", "Do Yah", "Save Me", and "I Got A Reason". CD

Larry Graham and crew are definitely going for a fuller sound on this set – starting off the record with a funky marching band, in Tusk-like fashion – then rolling into some bass-heavy funk that tops even their previous records for tightness! The groove is a key element in the growth of west coast funk in the 70s – bass in the lead, but keyboards percolating in all over the place, in a style that's almost got touches of jazz – and which sets the stage for many of the Zapp-sounding projects of the future. Titles include "Love", "Mirror", "Entrow", "Do Yah", "Save Me", and "I Got A Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

After working for years in the Crusaders, then honing his production skills with excellent work for Fantasy and Mercury, Wayne Henderson put out this album of his own, which drew on a lot of the work he'd been doing during the mid 70s. The album's a showcase for his At Home productions team, and it features work by Bobby Lyle, Roland Bautista, Ronnie Laws, and others. Henderson plays trombone, but he also gets in the way a bit with some hipster vocalizing that doesn't quite work. Titles include "Lady Bug", "Foot Stompin Music", "I'm Staying Forever", and a version of the great stepper "Keep On Keepin On". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty nice later work from Grace! Although we prefer the percolating disco meets reggae records Grace Jones cut with Sly & Robbie to this later effort – but there's no denying that on a couple of numbers she really clicks with producer Trevor Horn's slick sheen. With "Ladies & Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones", "Jones The Rhythm", "The Fashion Show", "The Frog & The Princess" and "Slave To The Rhythm". CD

Pretty nice later work from Grace! Although we prefer the percolating disco meets reggae records Grace Jones cut with Sly & Robbie to this later effort – but there's no denying that on a couple of numbers she really clicks with producer Trevor Horn's slick sheen. With "Ladies & Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones", "Jones The Rhythm", "The Fashion Show", "The Frog & The Princess" and "Slave To The Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

The gangster image on the cover might be a tipoff to the sound here – as Lakeside help forge the roots of g-funk with their classic bass-heavy sound on the album! The record's great – every bit as funky as previous Lakeside work in all the right parts, but also showing a greater development of the group past their funk roots – able to mix mellower moments with groovers, at that sublime level that Fatback hit when the 80s began! There's plenty of greatness here for everyone – and titles include "Real Love", "Untouchable", "So Let's Love", "Turn The Music Up", and "Raid". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet beats and plenty of grooves – an 80s funk classic from Midnight Star, and one that seems to have the group picking up a bit of energy from the hip hop scene as well! The album's still got the electro soul vibe of previous records, but maybe is even beat-heavier overall – almost showcasing a style that would later emerge as new jack in the hands of some younger artists within the next few years – but still perfect for the kind of playful interplay that made the Midnight groove so great! Titles include "Midas Touch", "Stay Here By My Side", "Close To Midnight", "Searching For Love", "Close Encounter", "Dead End", "Get Dressed", "Engine No 9", and "Headlines". CD

A big one for Billy Ocean – a set that's got some catchy beats on the bottom and plenty of sweetly crafted vocals over the top! The style's smooth, but never too much so – thanks to a nicely percolated sense of rhythm on most of the numbers – and in a way, the record represents a nice transition for Billy – a set that pushes him even further past his Caribbean roots into the mainstream of American soul. There's a bit of a quiet storm vibe on here, but one that's never too heavy or forced – and titles include "Love Zone", "Without You", "There'll Be Sad Songs", "Bitter Sweet", "It's Never Too Late To Try", "Showdown", "Promise Me", and "Love Is Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set of music – two rare albums from Ohio funk legend Lou Ragland, plus bonus tracks, and a whole set of unreleased sessions too – a huge amount of new music, even if you've got some of the previous reissues! First up is the legendary Hot Chocolate album – one of the greatest lost funk records of all time! The group is not the British pop band, but an Ohio funk group led by the great guitarist Lou Ragland. The album's originally from Canada, which makes it super rare – and these guys are funky funky funky, and kick some major booty with a heavy guitar sound that's just great! Some of the cuts are instrumental, and some of them have some excellent soul vocals that are produced with a nice deep sound that's brought out nicely by the excellent quality of the reissue. The record's got a bit of Sly Stone, a bit of Grant Green, and a bit of Mike James Kirkland – with a tasty raw indie soul vibe – and the original album was only pressed up at 500 copies. Titles include "So Dam Funky", "Ain't That A Groove", "Sexy Moods Of Your Mind", "Messin With Sly", and "What You Want To Do" – plus 8 more tracks from the same vintage – "Good For The Gander" by Hot Chocolate, "I Travel Alone" and Big Wheel" by Lou Ragland, "Red Robin" and "I've Got Something Going On" by Volcanic Eruption, and "I Can't Take It" and "What The Doctor Prescribed" by Lou Ragland & Hot Chocolate. Next is The Conveyor – the second album from Lou Ragland, stepping out here in a great set of mellow soul tracks! The album's quite different from the heavy funk of the Hot Chocolate album – more of a message-oriented approach to soul, in the vein of similar 70s indie work by Mike James Kirkland. The arrangements are also bigger – not smooth, but ambitious, in a style that perfectly matches the higher vision Lou's going for in tracks like "Understand Each Other", "What Should I Do?", "The Next World", and "It's Got To Change". Conveyor also comes with bonus tracks too – "Tend To Your Business" by Wildfire, plus "Since You Said You'd Be Mine" and "I Didn't Mean To Leave You" by Lou Ragland. And last up is an incredible batch of unreleased material – maybe the biggest and best so far from Ragland – tracks that have this really ambitious quality that mixes soul, funk, and larger orchestrations – especially some light strings, which really expand the sound, and push the music into this righteous territory that reminds us a lot of the creative experiments in Chicago during the Cadet/Concept years! Lou's vocals are great, and the message is totally righteous – and even though the tape quality is slightly aged, the soulful vibe really comes through – on cuts that include "Understand Each Other", "It Ain't My Fault", "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love", "Spend My Life Loving You", "Until I Met You", and "Brother Louie". Lovingly packaged by Numero – with a huge booklet of photos and history – and cool mini-LP sleeves too! CD

There was plenty of influence from soul bubbling under in the world of rock during the 70s – but given that Rare Earth were one of the first to do such a blend so well, they're clearly ahead of the pack on a record like this! The style's a bit of a shift from their previous efforts with Norman Whitfield, but they still retain that sense of fullness that really makes the group sound so great – a mode that, early on, they could convey through rock instrumentation tilted towards soulful expression – and which here comes across with some well-done fuller arrangements that manage to avoid both the too-familiar modes of the disco and AOR material of the time. Titles include "Maybe The Magic", "Mota Molata", "Dreamer", "Love Do Me Right", "Warm Ride", "Love Music", and "Love Is What You Get". (Rock, Soul) CD

There's enough chest hair on the cover of this one to carpet the inside of any custom van – but the record's a fair bit better than you might guess from its image! The set's an outing as a leader by disco maestro Paul Sabu – one that features plenty of the riffing guitar he brought to other disco sessions of the late 70s – spun out over some relatively extended tracks that step along in a very clubby mode! Other instrumentation includes keyboards, bass, and lots of the percussion that made Sabu productions great for other artists – and even though Paul sings a bit, his vocals are mostly compressed down into the rhythms pretty strongly. Titles include "You're Mine Forever", "Loose Lucy Is On The Loose", "I Wanna Feel It In My Heart", "We're Gonna Rock", and "Rocking Rolling Disco King". And note: this isn't the same guy as Sabu Martinez, the conga player! CD

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous acoustic moments are replaced with more electric instrumentation overall, but never in a way that seeks to dampen Gil's message, nor push him into easy commercial territory. Instead, the tighter rhythms seem to really hammer home some of the lyrics – most famously in "Angel Dust", which almost touched a wider audience than the drug itself – and equally nicely on cuts that include "Cane", "Angola Louisiana", "Show Bizness", "Better Days Ahead", and "Madison Avenue". CD

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron – still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here – bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks – and the previous acoustic moments are replaced with more electric instrumentation overall, but never in a way that seeks to dampen Gil's message, nor push him into easy commercial territory. Instead, the tighter rhythms seem to really hammer home some of the lyrics – most famously in "Angel Dust", which almost touched a wider audience than the drug itself – and equally nicely on cuts that include "Cane", "Angola Louisiana", "Show Bizness", "Better Days Ahead", and "Madison Avenue". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet percolated soul from Suave – a singer who makes plenty of use of the new beats that were bubbling up in contemporary R&B – all to give his music a nicely crackling edge! The record's a great step forward from some of the clunkier 80s efforts of its style – in part because hip hop production had shifted into more sophisticated territory, which was also having an effect on mainstream soul – maybe not in a De La or Tribe sort of way, but certainly tying American work like this to some of the hipper currents of British soul. Titles include "Perfect", "Foolin Around", "Dog Me Out", "Got Me Goin", "Special Lady", "Shadows Of Time", "One & Only Lover", "Rocked Your Boots", and "Forever & A Day". CD

Love for Love, but still a pretty groove-heavy set too – one that continues the mix of "dancin and romancin" The Whispers served up on their previous album! Side one is heavy on "dancin" – and features some bass-heavy tunes that are very much in the best mainstream LA soul modes of the time – production by the group and Leon Sylvers, all in a sound that's heavy on basslines and keyboards, but which still has harmonies that are way ahead of most of the group's younger contemporaries! These harmonies come into play even more strongly on the "romancin" side of the record – a batch of ballads that have The Whispers in the mellower territory that first got them started – updated slightly here with an early 80s soul vibe, but sung with proof that the quintet were still at the top of the harmony game. Titles include "Tonight", "Keep On Lovin Me", "This Time", "Had It Not Been For You", "Try It Again", "Lay It On Me", and "Keep Your Love Around". LP, Vinyl record album