... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A wicked bit of Japanese soul, and a rare album done by an American singer who was working on the scene at the time! Shoody sings in English throughout, with a soulful style that's wonderful – mixing her own great vocals with jazzy backings in a level that's a bit like some of the Japanese fusion of the late 70s that was recorded over in Cali when an American singer might drop in vocals on a track or two! Yet here, the vocals are throughout, and work wonderfully with the backings put together by Hiroyuki Namba, who plays keyboards throughout the record too. Shoody steps out on a few mellower cuts too – and titles include "Tokyo Melody", "AM Lonely", "Don't Say Hello Say Goodbye", "Melodies Of Love", "Chased The Blue", "Ecstasy", and "Tomorrow's Child". (Japanese, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last great pop records from Donna Summer – thanks to super huge radio and video play for the title cut – and to a huge amount of tuneful tracks put together by producer/arranger Michael Omartin! By this point, Summer isn't trying to fool anyone that she's a deeper soul artist – and has really relaxed into a reworking of her previous 70s disco mode – a catchier, more crossover-pointed style that kept Donna's fire going a lot stronger than most of her club diva contemporaries from the decade before. Titles include "She Works Hard For The Money", "Woman", "Stop Look & Listen", "Tokyo", "People People", and "I Do Believe". LP, Vinyl record album

The best work we've heard in years from Terry Callier – the legendary soul singer from Chicago who's finally getting his due! This album avoids many of the mistakes of Terry's recent comeback efforts – and has him working with the best of the London scene – extremely fitting, as London's always given Terry some of his biggest support, and were crucial in bringing him back from obscurity! Most of the tunes on the set are produced by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, of Incognito – and they go for a spacious sound that's a strong extension of Terry's classic work for Cadet – rough vocals and acoustic guitar mixed with warmer keyboards, tight rhythms, and touches of strings. The album also features guest appearances by Paul Weller, Marc Mac of 4 Hero, and a number of other important London forces – and tracks include "Brother To Brother", "Imagine A Nation", "Monuments Of Mars", "Darker Than A Shadow", "Running Around", and "Speak Your Piece". CD features 14 tracks in all – including "Turn This Mutha", "Caravan Of Love", "Sierra Leone", "Just My Imagination", and "Tokyo Moon". CD

Music from Del Shannon, Chris Kenner, the Shirelles, Gary Bonds, the Tokens, the Capris, the Marcels, Bobby Lewis, the Miracles, the Jive Five, Dion, Dee Clark, the Marvelettes & more. (Rock, Soul) CD

A sweet 80s groover throughout – the only album we've ever seen by this keyboard-heavy quintet, served up in a flurry of catchy catchy tunes! Keys on the set are handled by producer/arranger Michael Stokes – who's very clearly in charge of the voices of the group – giving them real focus on the album's mix of uptempo groovers and a few mellower cuts, sometimes even underscoring things with a groove that's verging on electro! Stokes also handles the keyboards, but Patrice Rushen is on the set on piano – warming things up nicely – and titles include the great midtempo stepper "Give Me Your Love", plus "Bottom Line", "Rise Up", "Keep On Rockin", "My Sunshine", "Coo Coo Kachu", and "I Never Thought I'd Love Again". CD also features a bonus extended mix of "Give Me Your Love". CD

The Brothers Johnson are hardly out of control on this mid 80s set – as the album's got a tight groove that shows the duo are still going strong long past their 70s fame! As before, there's a bit of bounce on the bottom – that bassy groove that the pair first crafted back in their Quincy Jones days, topped with some sweet keyboards too – and punched up a bit on the rhythms, in styles that are in keeping with the changes in soul at the time. There's a nice degree of warmth on some of the best numbers here – and titles include "Lovers Forever", "Do You", "Let's Try Love Again", "Out Of Control", "Save Me", "Tokyo", and "It's All Over Now". LP, Vinyl record album

A recent album from the legendary George Duke, and a great one too – put together with a sense of soul and sound that really recalls some of Duke's best work of the late 70s! The album's got a wonderful balance between electric and acoustic elements – especially at points when George puts the keyboards aside, and steps out on acoustic piano – creating lines that ring out proudly amidst the warm backdrops of the group. George also handles some Fender Rhodes on the record, with a very old school vibe – and in addition to his own lead vocals, the set also features backups from Eric Benet, Howard Hewett, Jim Gilstrap, and Rachelle Ferrell. Titles include a sweet remake of "Superwoman", plus "No One", "T-jam", "Sausalito", "Saturday Night", "Hybrids", "Homeland", and "Trust". DVD contains excerpts from the Live In Tokyo 1983 DVD. (Jazz, Soul) CD

A nice little live set from Stuff – one that's recorded in Tokyo, with a groove that's a bit more open than their better-known New York live album from a few years later! The sound's somewhat rougher than the Stuff studio sessions, but in a good way – one that shows that the combo can really jam nicely, in a blend of funky rhythms, jazzy riffing, and a few soul-inspired moments. There's also a surprising Motown element to the music too – heard in the group's "Junior Walker Medley" – which fuses "Road Runner" and "Pucker Up Buttercup" – and in their long take on "Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours" – although both these tunes are quite far from Motown in their overall execution. Players include Cornell Dupree and Eric Gale on guitars, Richard Tee on keyboards, and Steve Gadd on drums – and other cuts include "Foots", "Need Somebody", and "Love Of Mine". CD

An incredible collection of rare Detroit soul – a good portion of which has never been issued before! As with other volumes in this series, the tunes here come from the vaults of Motor City producer Dave Hamilton – and they represent some tremendous work done in the shadow of Motown during the mid 60s! Like some of the best Detroit indie work of the time, the tracks here have a great mix of the rough and the smooth – vocals that are often earthy, set to backings that are tight, upbeat, and great for the dancefloor – especially if you've got an ear for Northern Soul! Hamilton's life, talents, and music are well explored in the notes – as are the lesser-known artists on the set – and the package features 24 tracks that include "Sweet It Out In The Shed" and "The Smile On Your Face" by Little Anne, "Until The End Of Time" by The Additions, "True True Love" by Tobi Lark, "It Takes A Lot Of Living" by The Future Kind, "I Love The Way You Do" by JT Rhythm, "Honest I Do" by The Tokays, "I Mean You Girl" by Richard Coombs, "Goodness" by OC Tolbert, "Side By Side" by The Ebonettes, and "The Bad Things You Said To Me" by The Barrino Brothers. CD

Funky soul from Detroit – the second foray into the uber-rare and unreleased funk treasures recorded at Dave Hamilton's Motor City studio – and an even deeper look at what's turning out to be one of the greatest long-buried funk catalogs to come to light in recent years! The collection includes some singles released on Hamilton's own TCB and other imprints, some that were licensed to other labels, plus a wealth of unreleased material. There's straight ahead funk vocals and instrumentals, and numbers that have more of a freewheeling, adventurous vibe – albeit with a raw funk backdrop! Includes numbers by The Deacons, Prophet & His Disciples, Chico & Buddy, Billy Garner, OC Tolbert, Little Ann, Dave Hamilton himself, The Webb People, The Pepper and more. 22 tracks in all: "A Drop In The Bucket" by The Deacons, "You Fool, You Fool Pt 1" by Prophet & His Disciples, "A Thing Called The Jones" by Chico & Buddy, "The Bad Things (You Said To Me)" by The Barrino Brothers, "Ghetto Stride" by Dave Hamilton, "Who" by Jackie Dee, "Love Bandit" by OC Tolbert, "Simon Says' by The Future Kind, "Clap Your Hands" by The Tokays, "I'm Sending Vibrations" by The Webb People and more. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Funky soul from Detroit – the second foray into the uber-rare and unreleased funk treasures recorded at Dave Hamilton's Motor City studio – and an even deeper look at what's turning out to be one of the greatest long-buried funk catalogs to come to light in recent years! The collection includes some singles released on Hamilton's own TCB and other imprints, some that were licensed to other labels, plus a wealth of unreleased material. There's straight ahead funk vocals and instrumentals, and numbers that have more of a freewheeling, adventurous vibe – albeit with a raw funk backdrop! Includes numbers by The Deacons, Prophet & His Disciples, Chico & Buddy, Billy Garner, OC Tolbert, Little Ann, Dave Hamilton himself, The Webb People, The Pepper and more. 22 tracks in all: "A Drop In The Bucket" by The Deacons, "You Fool, You Fool Pt 1" by Prophet & His Disciples, "A Thing Called The Jones" by Chico & Buddy, "The Bad Things (You Said To Me)" by The Barrino Brothers, "Ghetto Stride" by Dave Hamilton, "Who" by Jackie Dee, "Love Bandit" by OC Tolbert, "Simon Says' by The Future Kind, "Clap Your Hands" by The Tokays, "I'm Sending Vibrations" by The Webb People and more. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD