The second anniversary of Gladys Knight & The Pips on Buddah Records – an album that really shows the new level of depth the group were able to hit at the label! A key factor on the album is work by Eugene McDaniels – who produced the record, and wrote a good number of tracks too – really pushing Gladys and the group into righteous territory they wouldn't have touched a few years before – a deeper groove that really matches some of their best soundtrack material of the mid 70s! Gladys really stretches out wonderfully with her leads – and the Pips provide just the right sort of warm backdrop to hold things together. Titles include "Street Brothers", "At Every End There's A Beginning", "Summer Sun", "Feel Like Making Love", and "Money". After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". CD

After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". LP, Vinyl record album

The long-overdue return of Bettye Lavette to Muscle Shoals – the scene of her ill-fated album for Atlantic Records from the early 70s – hence the title of this album! The style here is certainly classic, and very old school – with backings provided by The Drive-By Truckers, whose member Patterson Hood has family ties back to the older Muscle Shoals scene of the 60s and 70s – and classic southern soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham joins the group wonderfully on electric piano for most of the record, bringing a sweetly warm style to the backings that sounds great next to the time-sharpened edges of Bettye's vocals. As with other Anti label efforts of this type, the sound is respectfully classic – no attempt made to update Lavette's style at all, and none of the cheesier bluesy material that Bettye might have been forced to sing, were she working with a lesser label. Titles include "Choices", "Jealousy", "You Don't Know Me At All", "I Still Want To Be your Baby", "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces", "Talking Old Soldiers", "Before The Money Came", and "I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That Now". CD

A great example of why Little Milton was always one of the few Chicago blues artists who could also break strongly in the soul camp at the time – and a beautifully balanced set that perfectly shows both sides of the Chicago scene of the time! Production is by old Vee Jay maestro Calvin Carter, and arrangements by Gene Barge, who manages to slide effortlessly between blues and soul on the set – almost pushing Milton into Tyrone Davis territory, but keeping things a bit more rougher and down home on some of the other numbers. The sound is wonderful – very deep and rich, and with a sound that's head and shoulders above most other albums of this type in the late 60s. Titles include "Baby I Love You", "If Walls Could Talk", "Things That I Used to Do", "Let's Get Together", "I Play Dirty", "Blues Get Off My Shoulder", "I Don't Know", and "Poor Man". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The great first album from The Mary Jane Girls – easily their best, and an 80s pop soul delight all the way through! Rick James is firmly at the helm of the quartet for this release – and although the sound has elements of James' own crossover funk of the time, there's also an approach that's sweeter and more female – balanced in a surprisingly nice way, and not nearly as cloying as other efforts of its type! Backings are lean and stripped down – often in a nice clubby 80s groove mode – and titles include "All Night Long", "Candy Man", "Boys", "Jealousy", "On The Inside", "Musical Love", "Prove It", and "You Are My Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of rare feelings going on here – of the best sort of funky 70s type, with a groove that's totally great all the way through! Rick Mason and group bring plenty of jazz instrumentation to the record – some especially nice Fender Rhodes, trumpet, and guitar – but the vibe is more funky soul overall, even though the instruments often take the lead – in a tight, sharp mode that's maybe inspired by the best early material from Kool & The Gang, yet there's a grittier indie vibe too – one that comes across especially well in the unusual way the group can change up the rhythms and spirit of a song within a single tune! Rick Mason himself handles the lead vocals and bass, and also arranged the set – and titles include "Dope", "Metamorphosis Funk", "Song To God", "Funk Ain't Being Funky", "Rare Feelings", and "I Dream Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of rare feelings going on here – of the best sort of funky 70s type, with a groove that's totally great all the way through! Rick Mason and group bring plenty of jazz instrumentation to the record – some especially nice Fender Rhodes, trumpet, and guitar – but the vibe is more funky soul overall, even though the instruments often take the lead – in a tight, sharp mode that's maybe inspired by the best early material from Kool & The Gang, yet there's a grittier indie vibe too – one that comes across especially well in the unusual way the group can change up the rhythms and spirit of a song within a single tune! Rick Mason himself handles the lead vocals and bass, and also arranged the set – and titles include "Dope", "Metamorphosis Funk", "Song To God", "Funk Ain't Being Funky", "Rare Feelings", and "I Dream Of Love". CD

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks, and maybe Van's best record of the 70s! The record shows Van sitting at the piano in an intimate setting – ala Barry White – and it's got a similar Love Unlimited Orchestra approach, with much large backing behind Van's voice, and a very full instrumental sound. Van sings lead vocals, which aren't always that great – but he more than makes up for it with some great piano and keyboard work, and some wonderful soul songwriting and arranging that recall his best uptown moments of the late 60s. The record has a few uptempo hustle-type tracks, but they're all pretty darn great soul songs, and there's loads of great mellow soul moments woven in to make the record a nice album of ballads and groovers. Titles include "Before & After", "Wings Of Love", "My Favorite Fantasy", "That's The Story Of My Life", and "You're So Right For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

This is the kind of funky rock record we can get behind! Although Melting Pot are ostensibly one of the many drum-heavy rock groups of their generation, the band manages to kick it very well with a strong commitment to funk – a commitment that outweighs their rock-based lyrics much more than other bands of the type. The core of the group is a nice drum/organ/guitar groove – but there's other added instrumentation, including some tight horns. The record's got a nice funky instrumental version of the track "Kool & The Gang", by the group of the same name – plus vocal tracks that include "Tell Me The Truth", "Feeling Alright", "Await The Coming Day", "Welcome To The Party", and "Sunday Tree". (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet Cali set from The Meters – one that loses a bit of their rougher roots, yet still holds onto plenty of funk at the same time! By the mid 70s, the New Orleans soul sound had broken out of the underground, was residing happily in mainstream LA. Allen Toussaint already produced a bucketful of albums for Warner Brothers, and The Meters themselves are working in a crossover territory that has them touring with the Rolling Stones and hitting a whole new range of college-type audiences. The group's smoothed things out considerably, but still manages to funk nicely at the best moments – in a warmer way than during the Josie Records years, but still with a groove that's much deeper than most of their contemporaries. Titles are a much a "trick bag" as the title – with a cover of Earl King's "Trick Bag" that features guest vocals by Earl, a remake of "(Doodle Loop) The World is a Little Bit Under the Weather", one of their best from the Josie days, a cover of "Honky Tonk Woman", which we can only assume was played on tour with The Stones – plus the original cuts "Chug A Lug", "Mister Moon", and "Find Yourself". Includes the bonus tracks "Love The One You're With", "What More Can I Do?", "Down By The River", "Come Together" & "Big Chief". CD

Excellent work by this sweeeeeet Miami funk ensemble – one of the tightest combos to ever grace the Sunshine State! This is the first of the group's two albums for the Drive/TK label – and it's got a great sound that mixes rougher funky 45 type playing, with some of the smoother production of the Miami scene – handled in this case by Willie Clarke & Clarence "Blow Fly" Reid! The whole thing's great, with a hard-ripping sound that's well worth all the praise the group have gotten over the years. Titles include the breakbeat cut "Chicken Yellow", plus their great 2 part single "Party Freaks", which has a cool Shaft-like groove to it – as well as the tracks "Same Ol Beat", "Funk It Up", and "Freak On Down My Way". CD

Excellent work by this sweeeeeet Miami funk ensemble – one of the tightest combos to ever grace the Sunshine State! This is the first of the group's two albums for the Drive/TK label – and it's got a great sound that mixes rougher funky 45 type playing, with some of the smoother production of the Miami scene – handled in this case by Willie Clarke & Clarence "Blow Fly" Reid! The whole thing's great, with a hard-ripping sound that's well worth all the praise the group have gotten over the years. Titles include the breakbeat cut "Chicken Yellow", plus their great 2 part single "Party Freaks", which has a cool Shaft-like groove to it – as well as the tracks "Same Ol Beat", "Funk It Up", and "Freak On Down My Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice lost soundtrack that accompanied this film about a Patty Hearst-type character from the mid 70s! The Stang/All Platinum label was in charge of the music, and the soundtrack features a bunch of exclusive cuts by Rhetta Hughes, The Moments, The Rimshots, and Chuck Jackson. Best of these are the Rimshots instrumentals, especially "Takin It" and "Do What You Feel". Also includes a version of "Sexy Mama", the Moments' big hit! Other tracks include "Look At Me" by Rhetta Young, "Patty" by The Moments, and "Gotta Get A Gun" by Chuck Jackson. (Soundtracks, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". LP, Vinyl record album

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". CD features amazing sound and a whopping 7 bonus tracks – including "Ruffell Foot", "What It Is", "Rooster Poot", "Gone Forever", "Dimensions In Time", and "Introducing The Players". CD

A true pleasure indeed – easily one of the greatest records ever by the Ohio Players, and a perfect summation of all things great in their groove! The album's a landmark effort – even for the heady days of the early 70s – as the Players manage to bring together a fair bit of jazz with their famous guitar-driven funk – all in a blend that's a lot more sophisticated than most other funk combos of the time, from the rhythms at the bottom to the instrumentation on the top! There's a darkness here that's undeniable – but the album's also not just a head trip into the fuzziest reaches of the studio – as the jazzier inflections help illuminate the farthest corners, and really bring the whole album back to focus with a wonderfully redemptive groove! Psychedelic elements are still all over the place, but also used sparingly enough to be most effective – a brilliant balance that few groups of this type were ever able to muster. Titles include the classic "Funky Worm", with the wild moogy bit that's been sampled loads of times over the years by a gazillion hip hoppers – plus loads of other nice ones, like the slow bonking funker "Pride & Vanity", the wild "Walt's First Trip", and the groovy "Laid It" – as well as "Pleasure", "Paint Me", "Our Love Has Died", and "Walked Away From You". CD features amazing sound and a whopping 7 bonus tracks – including "Ruffell Foot", "What It Is", "Rooster Poot", "Gone Forever", "Dimensions In Time", and "Introducing The Players". CD

One of the greatest records ever cut by The Originals – a shift from Detroit group soul to a smoother California mode, one that really works great for their harmonies! The record was produced by Freddie Gorman and the group – and it's got some great smooth tracks that really sparkle, with hooks and a flourish that we would never have guessed, given the group's earlier work! The backings are great too – so great too that the best cut on the album might well be the instrumental opener "Fantasy Interlude", which has a crackling smooth Leon Ware type sound. Other tracks include "Temporarily Out Of Order", "Don't Put Me On", "Ladies We Need You", and "Take This Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The Mothership goes under water – as George Clinton and crew groove away nicely on this water-themed set of tracks designed to raise Atlantis from the deep! The overall sound is perhaps not as totally perfect as some of the earlier records, but the P-Funk machine is still in full effect – cranking away nice and hard on tracks like "Liquid Sunshine", "Motor Booty Affair", "Deep", "Rumpofsteelskin", and "(Your'e A Fish And I'm A) Water Sign". Plus, the album more than makes up for a lack of standout tracks with a nicely-united theme – almost a "concept album" of the funky type! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Prince's biggest tunes ever – and a track that still sounds surprisingly great to our ears these days – funky, chunky, and completely catchy – with a hook that shouldn't go over so well, but really sends the tune home time and time again! "17 Days" is great too – a deeper, almost story-type cut that points the way towards some of Prince's music on albums to come – but still with all the fantastic groove of the Purple Rain era! If you ever needed the kind of cut to show you what Prince did that was so special, "17 Days" might be the one. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. (Jazz, Soul) CD

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. (Jazz, Soul) CD

One of the few US singles by this British soul group – one of England's best soul acts in the mid 70s! "You To Me" is a great tune – grooving with almost a Barry White-type production, chugging with tight drums under strings, really great on the hook, which is produced with a bit of flange in the vocals! 12-inch, Vinyl record

An excellent groover from the legendary Vince Montana! Vince arranged, produced, conducted, and wrote just about all of this second album by hard-grooving Salsoul Orchestra – and the album's a no-nonsense batch of disco instrumentals that's way better than many of the fake albums of the type that sprung up in the group's wake. The players include the cream of the Sigma Studios team – including the Baker/Harris/Young triad – and the tracks have a wonderfully soulful sound, with loads of great instrumentation on guitar, bass, percussion, and Montana's jazzy vibes! Titles include "It's Good For The Soul", "Nightcrawler", "Nice N Naasty", "Salsoul 3001", "Ritzy Mambo", and "It Don't Have To Be Funky (To Be A Groove)". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a different record than Gil Scott-Heron's previous "New Here" set for XL – and an album that goes much more back towards the roots of the XL label – with plenty of electronics from Jamie XX mixed in alongside Gil's heartfelt vocals and key spoken bits! There's still plenty of that Scott-Heron essence to keep our ears on the music – but the overall presentation is far less in the "authentic" mode that XL used on the previous record – a style that might, if you were the type to get a bit touchy about things, seem to discredit Gil's voice as just another sonic element in the mix. Titles include "The Crutch", "UR Soul & Mine", "I'll Take Care Of U", "Jazz", "I'm New Here", "Home", and "My Cloud". CD

One of the most righteous albums ever issued by Stax Records – from the title of the record, to the cover, to the grooves laid down by the group! The album was originally issued on Truth – the gospel subsidiary of Stax – and while it does have a bit of a spiritual component, the group's also plenty darn funky too – and the record has a feel that's far more secular than most other gospel records of the time! In fact, the whole thing may well stand as one of the best mainstream examples of the funky gospel genre of the 70s – one of the few records of this type issued on a slightly bigger label, even though the set still is something of a rarity! There's plenty of fuzzy guitar and electric piano in the mix – and the religion in the song lyrics is fairly buried in most cuts, and the overall approach is more one of general spiritualism and humanity, than it is preachy and churchy. Tracks include "The Ghetto", "Son Of The Deacon", "Give It Up", "God Bless The Children", and "He's All We Need". CD

A funky funky bit of wax – one of the first releases on the Luv N Haight label, a long out of print reissue of these two funky sides by the Soul Toronadoes! Both cuts bristle with a JBs type groove – nice and tasty, and even louder on this 12" single than they'd be on a 45! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The Staple Singers are cooking on all burners at this point – and it's hard to stop them with that much power – a soaring, searing sort of energy that definitely earns them a place in the sky! The set's a totally strong batch of gospelly soul tracks – produced by Al Bell with that great early 70s Stax deep soul sound – at a point that's still without the sort of cliche that might hold back material of this type in later years. Instrumentation is by Clayton Ivey on Hammond, Barry Beckett on keyboards, and Jimmy Johnson and Eddie Hinton on guitar – and titles include "Getting Too Big For Your Britches", "Today Was Tomorrow Yesterday", "Something Ain't Right", "My Main Man", "Blood Pressure", "Who Made The Man", "Back Road Into Town", and "If It Ain't One Thing It's Another". CD features 4 bonus tracks – "Oh La De Da", "I Like The Things About You", "Respect Yourself", and "I'll Take You There". CD

A bit tighter and more conventional soul than earlier work by Starpoint, but still pretty darn great too – and great proof that the group were more on top of their bag than other funky combos of the type! Renee Diggs is strongly out front on vocals throughout – lending her sweet sound to the flurry of electro keys and beats that make up most of the instrumentation here. The instrumentation's almost got some echoes of the Minneapolis funky soul scene at the times, but echoes the group's older sound at other points – and although a few tracks are quite hook heavy, they're never too poppish or cloying. Titles include "Behind Your Back", "Don't Be So Serious", "Put Your Love On Me", "It's So Delicious", "Let Go", and "I Got The Love". CD

The one and only album we've ever seen from The 13th Floor – a hip little combo from St Louis, produced here by Oliver Sain in a great blend of jazz, soul, and funk! There's a depth here that goes way beyond the average outing of this type – as the group clearly have some sort of an ear for more spiritual jazz, yet are also comfortable working in a more focused, groove-based mode too! Saxophonist Lionel Greene is at the head of the group, and also sings a bit – but our favorite tracks are the instrumental ones, played by the combo in a sweet, tight blend of guitar, bass, drums, and sax. There's a nicely compressed groove here that almost hits some spacious Roy Ayers styles at times – but the overall sound is much more varied, and even hits some harder funk moments from time to time too, letting the guitar and bass step out more than the sax. Titles include "Rise", "Get Up", "Sweet Lovely Girl", "Time & Place", "Sweet Thang", "Hang Loose", "Steppin Out", and "Teffany". CD

War did the music for this funky soundtrack to an early Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs film, and although most of the stuff on here is just typical War stuff, there's one track called "Flying Machine" that's a long funky chase scene-type track that's worth the price of the album alone! Other tracks include "The Kingsmen Sign", "Junk Yard", "Superdude", and "Youngblood". One of the best War LPs! LP, Vinyl record album

The complete Monument recordings of southern soul-tinged swamp rock trailblazer Tony Joe White – in a wonderful box set from the deep catalog explorers at Rhino Handmade! Swamp Rock contains everything from the Black & White, Continued and Tony Joe LPs – with dozens of previously unreleased work from the era. Unlike the most famous dude we can think of who wears the swamp rock genre tag, Tony Joe White really was reared in the swamp country of Louisiana – and genuineness shows on these fine recordings! His vocals here have a bit of that laconic storyteller vibe of a Bobby Bare type character – but the production and arrangements have a real feel for the Stax and Muscle Shoals sounds. It's a blend of styles that's quite unique – and well worth rediscovery! Includes all the tracks from Tony Joe's 3 LPs for Monument plus a swampful of great bonus numbers from those sessions and more – a whopping 81 tracks on four CDs! Disc one includes the Black & White LP and much more: "Willie And Laura Mae Jones", "Soul Francisco", "Whompt Out On You", "Wichita Lineman" and more. Disc 2 features the Continued LP and more: "Elements And Things", "Woodpecker", "Old Man Willis", "Woman With Soul" and much more. Disc 3 includes the Tony Joe LP tracks and more: "Stud-Spider", "Widow Wimberly", "Save Your Sugar For Me", "Hard To Handle" and more. Disc 4 includes a slew of previously unreleased material cut at Barclay Studios in Paris, plus live work from Tony Joe at the Isle Of Wight: titles include "Mississippi Delta", "Chain Of Blues", "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" and more from the Barclay sessions, plus "Boom Boom", "I Want You", "Groupy Girl" and more from Isle Of Wight. (Rock, Soul) CD

A funky soul double-header – one that features live material both by Osaka Monaurail and the legendary Marva Whitney! The set starts out with a few tracks by OM – playing in that razor-sharp, James Brown-inspired groove that we love so much – easily the greatest contemporary JB-driven funk we can think of! Singer Ryo Nakata throws in a bit of vocals over the group's instrumental grooves – but then steps aside so that Marva Whitney can take center stage for the remaining three-fourths of the album – singing with the same raw fury as on her recent studio set with Osaka Monaurail! The sound here is incredible – easily some of the best funk-revival work we can think of, and the sort of record that should make Marva plenty proud after all these years. Titles include "New New Type Thing", "Evil", "I Made A Mistake", "It's My Thing", "Your Love Was Good For Me", "Things Got To Get Better", "What Do I Have To Do", and "Daddy Don't Know About Sugar Bear". CD

2 Nancy Wilson Capitol sets from 1966 – back to back on one CD! From Broadway With Love is Broadway material – but given the Nancy Wilson twist – and sung in a mode that's a lot more soulful than other records of its type! Nancy's at her strong early Capitol best here – working with arranger Sid Feller in a set of tunes that get some nice syncopation and jazzy inflections from Sid – pushing them past their showier roots, and into leaner territory that really matches the class of the Nancy Wilson voice! And although they all came from musicals, most titles have had their own life as standards and pop songs – making the record less of a dip into Broadway than just a continuation of modes that Wilson was already exploring at Capitol in the 60s. Titles include "I've Got Your Number", "He Loves Me", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Hey There", "Makin Whoopee", and "Young & Foolish". Tender Loving Care has Nancy singing with arranger Billy May – who comes across here with a bit more sensitivity than usual for his Capitol work, especially given the 60s time of the recording! Sometimes, May is using full strings as a broad pillow of sound for Nancy's vocals – but other times, he strips things down and goes for a livelier, jazzier approach that's even better – one that helps give the familiar tunes a new lease on life in the hip Wilson style of the 60s. Titles include "As You Desire Me", "Like Someone In Love", "Don't Go To Strangers", "Tender Loving Care", "Love-Wise", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "Close Your Eyes". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A killer collection of east coast soul from the 70s – work that originally appeared on a handful of different labels, but which was all put together by Robert Hosea Williams – an unsung producer working out of a small studio in Silver Springs – with an incredible ear for up-and-coming talent! The music here is totally deep and righteous throughout – the hippest of the indie label scene on the east coast – and work that really lives up to the progressive, righteous reference you'd get from the Red, Black, & Green in the title! There's plenty of group soul here – of a type that mixes older harmony modes with hipper 70s references – creating a really badass approach to soul music that's simply mindblowing – and way different than the mainstream variants that were hitting the charts at the time. The whole thing's great – one of the best Numero comps in years – and titles include "Phoney People" and "I Really Really Love You" by Father's Children, "Sleepwalking" and "Let's Do It Over" by The Summits, "Don't Worry About The Joneses" and "We're Two Fools In Love" by Dysons Faces, "Day By Day" and "It Must Be Love" by The Exceptions Featuring Mark Greene, "Town Called Nowhere" and "I Need Your Love" by Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, and "Summer In The Parks" and "Generation" by East Coast Connection. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

Stormin soul – and a killer set of upbeat 60s numbers! The package was put together for the UK mod scene, but it's a great batch of American tracks from the classic years of soul – not really Northern, not really southern – but kind of a hard-swinging approach to the music that makes for a really lively package overall! The set's got 20 tracks in all, all thumpin, bumpin, and gruntin-type numbers – with titles that include "Do The Whoo Pee" by Sugar Pie Desanto, "Lay This Burden Down" by Mary Love, "Make Me Yours" by Bettye Swann, "I Keep Forgetting" by Chuck Jackson, "I've Got Papers On You Baby" by BB King, "Hole in The Wall" by George Stone, "Have Love Will Travel" by Richard Berry & The Pharoahs, "Keep My Woman Home" by Danny White, "Mama Julie" by Terry & Jerry, and "I Got A Woman" by Billy Hawks. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

R&B, gritty blues, and some killer tenor talents – a wicked collection of vintage masters from legendary indie United Records! Musically, the package is very much on a par with Ace/Kent collections of this type – the sort that might feature material from King or Modern/RPM Records from the same vintage – and our hat's off to Delmark for doing such a great job of bringing back these crucially overlooked sounds from Chicago! Titles include "Cool Leo" by Leo Parker", "Cut That Out (alt)" by Junior Wells, "Organ Grinder" by Jimmy Coe, "Walking Home" by JT Brown, "Let's Get High" by Morris Pejoe, "Crazy Walk" by Tab Smith, "In The Dark" by Grant Jones, "Nona" by Paul Bascomb, "Goodbye" by The Pastels, "Tiny's Boogie" by Tiny Grimes, "Sophisticated Lady (alt)" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Come In The Room" by Robert Anderson. CD