Sure, their name marks them as part of that big world of prepackaged soul groups, and yes, their costumes on the cover may look a bit goofy – but over the years, this debut's got maybe a bit more staying power than some of their contemporaries! There's plenty of hip hop production in the mix – mostly handled by Dallas Austin, and with those kind of elements that you might find showing up in remixes of main cuts more than the album cuts themselves – but that also keeps things popping and hopping, and definitely does plenty to offset the youth in the vocals, which might not sound nearly as good on their own. So maybe think of the album as much as Austin's as it is the work of the group, and you'll get the vibe – with titles that include "Spyderman", "Mental Interlude", "Playground", "Little Soldiers", "Jealous Girl", "ABC", "That's My Girl", and "My World". CD

Sure, their name marks them as part of that big world of prepackaged soul groups, and yes, their costumes on the cover may look a bit goofy – but over the years, this debut's got maybe a bit more staying power than some of their contemporaries! There's plenty of hip hop production in the mix – mostly handled by Dallas Austin, and with those kind of elements that you might find showing up in remixes of main cuts more than the album cuts themselves – but that also keeps things popping and hopping, and definitely does plenty to offset the youth in the vocals, which might not sound nearly as good on their own. So maybe think of the album as much as Austin's as it is the work of the group, and you'll get the vibe – with titles that include "Spyderman", "Mental Interlude", "Playground", "Little Soldiers", "Jealous Girl", "ABC", "That's My Girl", and "My World". (Cassettes, Soul) Cassette

Sweet jazzy soul from Gary Bartz – proof that he always sounds great, no matter what the setting! Production is by the team of Mtume and Reggie Lucas – in a style that has all the jazzy sophistication of their own work – a nice extension of Gary's work at Capitol with Larry Mizell, and in a slightly similar mode overall – but also a bit more soul-based at times, with a great midtempo groove in some of the best moments! Some tracks have vocals, buried somewhat in the mix, but sliding out soulfully next to Gary's alto – and titles include "One Eyed Jack", "After The Love Has Gone", "Need Your Love", "Music", "After Glow", and "Keep Goin' On". (Jazz, Soul) CD

A breakout solo moment from the great Edwin Birdsong – an artist who participated in some of Roy Ayers great albums of the 70s, and who cut some great underground records of his own – but who finally got the chance to step into the limelight on this set for Philadelphia International! Birdsong's always been his own man – one of the quirkiest funk artists you'll ever find – and the set's got a very different vibe than anything else from the Gamble & Huff house of hits – mostly because Edwin produced and arranged the whole thing on his own. There's a few slight Roy Ayers touches at times – we sometimes think of Edwin as the Bootsy to Roy's George Clinton – and the rhythms have a nicely romping groove that's more Bohannon than the usual disco tracks. There's also some mellower numbers – like the great "Autumn Eyes" and "Lollipop (Slow)", both of which have a mellow Ayers steppin' groove – and other more upbeat titles include"Cola Bottle Baby", "Phiss Phizz", "Kunta Dance", "Goldmine", and "Freaky Deaky Sities". CD features lots of 12" single bonus tracks – "Phiss Phizz (12" disco)", "Lollipop (12" disco)", "Goldmine (12" disco)", "Freaky Deaky Sities (12" disco)", and "Kunta Dance (part 1)". CD

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! (Jazz, Soul) CD

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A great Japanese-only collection – rare Atlantic Records material by Ruth Brown – way past the hits! Titles include "RB Blues", "Jack O Diamonds", "Love Me Baby", "Shine On", "I Can Dream", "Why Me", "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin", "Please Don't Freeze", "Tears Keep Tumbling Down", and "Somebody Touched Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet soul classic from the young Gene Chandler! The record is built around Gene's hit "Duke Of Earl" – and it features Gene in a ridiculous looking "Duke" costume on the cover – but the record's a great one overall, and features some excellent late-night soul material in a sweet tenor-voiced harmony style! Bill Bunky Sheppard produced the record, and it's got a sophisticated approach that offers a number of different modes for Gene to shine – heartbreaking ballads, rousing uptempo numbers, and some cool exotic tunes. Titles include "Nite Owl", "So Many Ways", "Lonely Island", "Kissin In The Kitchen", "I Wake Up Crying", "Turn On Your Love Light", and "Daddy's Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky fusion classic from the 70s – totally great work from Chocolate Jam Company, a hip little group headed up by percussionist Leon Ndugu Chancler! The core sound is soul, but there's plenty of fusion touches as well – thanks to a great lineup of players that includes Oscar Brashear on trumpet, George Duke on keyboards, David T Walker on guitar, and even Dorothy Ashby on harp! Chancler sings lead vocals on most cuts – but he's also joined by Virginia Ayers and Leo Mille on some cuts too – making for a really well-rounded sound that's easily one of the best jazz-into-soul sessions like this from the 70s – almost topping the more famous work from folks like Lenny White or Mtume! Titles include "Don't Leave Me Now Stay With Me", "Feeling", "This Time", "Looking Glass", and the extended "Suite Chocolate". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn great work from Albert Collins – one of those hard-edged gems from the early days that's a lot more funk than his later blues! Sure, there's still plenty of blues here – but the rhythms are pretty funky too, and the album's got some great raw production from Bill Hall – free from any of the blues cliches that were creeping into other artists work from mainstream attention – and still cooked up with a really gritty edge overall! Titles include the funky monsters "Doin My Thing" and "Do The Sissy" – plus "Collins Mix", "Trunin On", "Stump Poker", "Let's Get It Together Again", and "Left Overs". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great album from DeBarge – proof that the group really had something great at the start! Much as we'd like to dismiss DeBarge for their dated costumes and silly covers, the group still stands as one of the strongest pop acts from early 80s Motown – and have an undeniably catchy groove that still has appeal after all these years! Of course, part of the strength of this one is actually the mellower numbers – sung in a wonderfully sweet harmony mode that was instantly timeless. The best of these is "Stay With Me", sampled to great effect, and a tune elevates this album above all the rest – but there's plenty of other tasty numbers too, including "Time Will Reveal", "Need Somebody", "Be My Lady", "Love Me In A Special Way" and "Queen Of My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the silly cowboy costume on the front cover – because this is a heck of a great album! Bo might have gotten saddled (no pun intended!) with a silly gimmick for the title and image of the set – but the album's one of his best from the early Chess years, and features a rip-roaring batch of tracks that really cut it up in his classic scratchy guitar mode of the time! Lyrics are great – nearly all originals by Bo himself, with that hip swinging, and hard-wailing approach that was always a lot of fun – and cuts include "Gunslinger", "Diddling", "Cheyenne", "Cadillac", and "Doing The Craw-Daddy". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Despite the fame of their big hits – like "Reach Out I'll Be There", "I Can't Help Myself", "Baby I Need Your Loving", and "It's The Same Old Song", all of which are on this set, and which have been heard ad infinitum – the Four Tops are actually a heck of a great vocal group, with harmonies that blew away many of their contemporaries, and which keep their work shining long past the hits. This set's got some nice cuts that fall into that category – like "Bernadette", and "Ask The Lonely" – and the package is about as solid as you'd expect. LP, Vinyl record album

Nona Hendryx at the height of her 80s glory – looking mighty fierce in a fencing costume on the cover! As with her previous set, this one's done with heavy help from Material – who bring in a beat heavy sound that's kind of a mainstream variation on the underground New York groove they'd had a few years before. Francois K helps a bit on the mixing, and you can definitely hear some of his playful touches – the sorts of sounds that helped a record like this build a bridge between the clubs and the streets, from Danceteria to the mainstream! Musicians include Bernie Worrell on keyboards and Bill Laswell on bass and tapes – and titles include "To The Bone", "Electricity", "I Sweat", "Soft Targets", "I Want You", "Ghost Love", and "The Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Nona Hendryx at the height of her 80s glory – looking mighty fierce in a fencing costume on the cover! As with her previous set, this one's done with heavy help from Material – who bring in a beat heavy sound that's kind of a mainstream variation on the underground New York groove they'd had a few years before. Francois K helps a bit on the mixing, and you can definitely hear some of his playful touches – the sorts of sounds that helped a record like this build a bridge between the clubs and the streets, from Danceteria to the mainstream! Musicians include Bernie Worrell on keyboards and Bill Laswell on bass and tapes – and titles include "To The Bone", "Electricity", "I Sweat", "Soft Targets", "I Want You", "Ghost Love", and "The Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set from the early years of the UK funk scene – the smoking debut from Hi Tension, and a set that's filled with sharp numbers throughout! There's a strong jazzy undercurrent to the music – a bit like some of the sounds you might hear from the Fantasy Records scene – no surprise, since those records were always huge on the British scene – and quite possibly had an influence on the direction of Hi Tension here – with tight rhythms on the bottom, complicated jazzy changes on the instrumentation, and some tight horn parts that really soar along strongly with the vocals! Lyrics are mostly presented in an ensemble mode – produced warmly, with almost an Earth Wind & Fire mode – and the album was put together by Kofi Ayivor of Osibisa, with a slight touch of Afro funk in the mix. Tracks include the classics "Hi Tension" and "British Hustle" – plus "Autumn Love", "You're My Girl", "Power & Lightning", "Peace On Earth", and "Unspoken". LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic early albums by Al Hudson – working here with his initial group, The Soul Partners! First up is Especially For You – a record that's kind of a first chapter to all the excellent work by One Way to come – even though Al's not using that group name at this time! The record's got this cool, classy vibe – an update of an earlier Detroit soul mode, and one that maybe followed that city's shift a few years later than 70s soul changes in Philly during the decade – and handled with a similar blend of groovers and mellow cuts! The vibe is similar to the great shift The Dramatics were making on ABC Records at the time – and Al and the group work here with production by Al Perkins and arrangements by Jimmy Roach. Titles include "Baby Let Me Love You", "I Got A Notion You Got The Motion", "Real Love", "You're So Wonderful", and "Trying To Prove My Love". Cherish is a funky soul classic from Al Hudson and the Soul Partners – a second full length set, and one that really has Hudson finding his groove! The rhythms are funkier than before – thanks to strong work on bass from Kevin McCord, who also joins Al a bit on vocals – in a mode that still continues the group's strong work on midtempo numbers, but also maybe answers a 70s disco wave with more of a Detroit funk overall! Great work from the group that would later turn into One Way – with titles that include "Tripped, Slipped, Stumbled, & Fell", "If You Get Caught", "If You Feel Like Dancing", and "I Like Everything About You". CD also features bonus tracks – "Feelings (7" version)" and "If You Feel Like Dancin (12" version)". CD

The Isley Brothers in prime 70s mode here – hitting a warm and wonderful blend of soul and funk throughout – always delivered with that sweet talent for smooth understatement that makes them so great! The costumes on the front cover may be freaky, but the grooves are nicely restrained – and by this point in the decade, the brothers have definitely learned that their strongest suit is often their mellow one – tracks that groove, but often in more subtle ways! Titles include the massive slow jam track "Groove With You", plus "Take Me To The Next Phase (parts 1 & 2)", "Love Fever (parts 1 & 2)", "Fun & Games", "Ain't Givin Up No Love", and "Coolin Me Out (parts 1 & 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earliest of bassist Alphonso Johnson's funky fusion albums for Epic! Moonshadows is a nice little set of choppy grooves that recalls the best Herbie Hancock moments of the early 70s, plus some of the side projects of the Headhunters. Warmly funky, but with a nice edge – with a more jazz funk rooted sound than the later, slightly heavier Spellbound! The great group of players includes Patrice Rushen is on keyboards, Benny Maupin on reeds, Lee Ritenour on guitars, Airto Moriera on percussion, Gary Bartz on sax, plus Narada Michael Walden and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Tracks include "Stump", "Cosmoba Place", "Involuntary Bliss", "On The Case", "Amarteifio", "Pandora's Box" and the breezy "Up From The Cellar", which features vocals by Flora Purim! (Jazz, Soul) CD

A classic set from singer Gloria Lynne – mature vocals that bridge the worlds of soul and jazz – all set to some beautiful modern arrangements by Melba Liston! The set's got a depth that goes a bit past some of Gloria's other records from the time – less of the pop-styled approach, and more of a sound that presents the album as a really cohesive, unified set. Titles include "We Never Kissed", "Blue & Sentimental", "Am I Blue", "For All We Know", "In Other Words", "Tis Autumn", and "Man Of Mine". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album