A fantastic blend of gospel and modern soul – and a set that definitely hangs more towards the latter, given the superb backings on the set! The great Horace Ott produced, after years in the secular soul world – and he definitely gives the tremendous voice of Shirley Finney the kind of soaring energy that really pushes her over the top – in a mix of modes that includes some great clubby numbers that have Shirley very much in the same territory as the Clark Sisters at the same time! Titles include "Give Your Best To The Master", "God Is Real", "Go On There's Something Telling Me To Go On", "Pray Again", "Lead Me Guide Me", and "Lovely Day Just A Little Talk With Jesus". (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful duo soul from the all-time great Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway – released right around the time of Donny's tragic passing! The set was co-produced by Eric Mercury and Flack – and it has a lot of great vocals from Roberta, with as masterfully paired with Donny as always – plus guest vocal appearances by Luther Vandross, Gwen Guthrie, and Eleanore Mills, and even Mercury, who sings a bit on one track! Titles include couple of nice Stevie Wonder tunes – "You Are My Heaven" and "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long" – plus "Stay With Me", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Only Heaven Can Wait", and "Disguises". CD

Beautiful duo soul from the all-time great Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway – released right around the time of Donny's tragic passing! The set was co-produced by Eric Mercury and Flack – and it has a lot of great vocals from Roberta, with as masterfully paired with Donny as always – plus guest vocal appearances by Luther Vandross, Gwen Guthrie, and Eleanore Mills, and even Mercury, who sings a bit on one track! Titles include couple of nice Stevie Wonder tunes – "You Are My Heaven" and "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long" – plus "Stay With Me", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Only Heaven Can Wait", and "Disguises". LP, Vinyl record album

A double album from Roberta & Peabo – with some nicely recorded tracks from a gig at The Holiday Star Theater in Merrillville, IN (not too far south of Chicago) in the dawn of the 80s – and some tight studio material, too! It's got a some terrific live versions of some of the biggest hits from both singers – plus their great duets. Titles include "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", a nice version of "Back Together Again" – which was originally done by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, "Killing Me Softly", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Feel The Fire", and "Only Heaven Can Wait/You Are My Heaven". 14 tracks on 2LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

Christmas sounds, and a bit more too – an interesting collection of material recorded by Aretha Franklin in the early 60s for Columbia, and in the late 80s for Arista! There's definitely a fair bit of Holiday tunes on the set, but they're also mixed in with a few standards too – but these are done in a warmly jazzy style from the 60s, so that they fit right in with the sentiment of the Christmas songs – and round things out with a nice sense of variety. Titles include "Winter Wonderland", "Over The Rainbow", "Kissin By The Mistletoe", "The Christmas Song", "Accentuate The Positive", "God Bless The Child", "The Lord's Prayer", "Oh Happy Day", and "Joy To The World". (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". This fantastic 50th Anniversary version features new mastering by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, an essay by Hanif Abdurraqib, and a full record of bonus material that includes "What's Going On (stripped)", "What's Going On (rhythm & strings inst)", "What's Going On (mix 1 with no strings or horns)", "Symphony (demo version)", and original mono single mixes of "What's Going On", "God Is Love", "Mercy Mercy Me", "Sad Tomorrows", "Inner City Blues", and "Wholy Holy". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". This expanded edition includes the B-side tracks "God Is Love" and "Sad Tomorrow". CD

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". CD also features the b-side bonus tracks "God Is Love", done in an alternate take, and "Sad Tomorrows"! CD

Al Green explores your mind – then moves onto your heart, your soul, and everything in between! The album's a classic in the best Hi Records tradition – and features Al moving into a style that's even more spiritual than before – serving up the sublime tracks "Take Me To The River" and "God Blessed Our Love", both of which seem to point strongly at the direction he would take in later years – but also managing to mix the secular with the spiritual, in a way that's as sexy as ever! Other tracks include the hit "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)", plus "One Nite Stand", "The City", "I'm Hooked On You", and "Stay With Me Forever". CD

Al Green explores your mind – then moves onto your heart, your soul, and everything in between! The album's a classic in the best Hi Records tradition – and features Al moving into a style that's even more spiritual than before – serving up the sublime tracks "Take Me To The River" and "God Blessed Our Love", both of which seem to point strongly at the direction he would take in later years – but also managing to mix the secular with the spiritual, in a way that's as sexy as ever! Other tracks include the hit "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)", plus "One Nite Stand", "The City", "I'm Hooked On You", and "Stay With Me Forever". CD

Al Green explores your mind – then moves onto your heart, your soul, and everything in between! The album's a classic in the best Hi Records tradition – and features Al moving into a style that's even more spiritual than before – serving up the sublime tracks "Take Me To The River" and "God Blessed Our Love", both of which seem to point strongly at the direction he would take in later years – but also managing to mix the secular with the spiritual, in a way that's as sexy as ever! Other tracks include the hit "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)", plus "One Nite Stand", "The City", "I'm Hooked On You", and "Stay With Me Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

Al Green explores your mind – then moves onto your heart, your soul, and everything in between! The album's a classic in the best Hi Records tradition – and features Al moving into a style that's even more spiritual than before – serving up the sublime tracks "Take Me To The River" and "God Blessed Our Love", both of which seem to point strongly at the direction he would take in later years – but also managing to mix the secular with the spiritual, in a way that's as sexy as ever! Other tracks include the hit "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)", plus "One Nite Stand", "The City", "I'm Hooked On You", and "Stay With Me Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunner! Al Green returns to the glorious, exuberant soul brilliance of the Hi Records years for his Blue Note debut – an amazing return to form that we could kick ourselves for not anticipating! Al Green asserted long, long ago that he had no intention of ever making another secular soul album – and God bless Rev. Green for turning around on that. Of course we wouldn't try to tell you that anything on I Can't Stop is as revelatory as "I'm Still In Love With You" or "Let's Stay Together", but a lot of it comes pretty damn close, believe or not. Al's voice has held up almost unbelievably well over the years, having picked up just enough rough edges to make Willie Mitchell's wonderfully tight, smooth and heavy Memphis soul arrangements that much more striking, but still hitting those knee-shaking high notes and that famous vibrato. And yes, you read the previous sentence correctly – the legendary Willie Mitchell's back in Al's corner for the set – and his horn-drenched Memphis sound is as big and beautiful as ever. If projects like this are going to characterize how Blue Note is going to spend all of that Norah Jones money, we should nominate that girl for president next time. Let's hope Al and Willie live up to the title and keep on going after this one. Another classic from one of the greatest artist/producer teams in the history of modern music! 12 tracks in all, including "I Can't Stop", "Play To Win", "Rainin' In My Heart", "You", "Not Tonight", "Million To One", "Too Many" and more. CD

Gwen Guthrie's first album for Island Records – a unique little soul set from the early 80s, recorded in Nassau with backing from Sly & Robbie – in a groove that's totally great! The rhythms here are really at the heart of the set – not in a way that eclipses Gwen's vocals, but which does plenty to make the record stand out from the pack at the time – in a groove that's partly clubby, mostly soulful, and which has some key elements from its Nassau connection! Other players on the date include Wally Badarou on keyboards and Sticky Thompson on percussion – and titles include "Peek A Boo", "Your Turn To Burn", "God Don't Like Ugly", "Dance Fever", "Getting Hot", "Your Turn To Burn", and "For You". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark bit of jazz funk – from one of the greatest backup groups of the 70s! Herbie Hancock first brought The Headhunters to light – working with the San Francisco-based combo that included Bennie Maupin, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers – using their sound to give his work the right dose of funk it needed to reach new audiences during the decade. This album's the first to feature the group on their own, without Herbie – and if we don't mind saying so, they sound even better without him! The whole thing's a wonderful mix of jazz funk grooves and very unusual rhythms – and the record contains the monster full length version of "God Make Me Funky", which is 9 minutes and 35 seconds of non stop funk, plus the cuts "If You've Got It, You'll Get It", "Magic", and "Here & Now". CD

A wide-ranging look at the talents of August Darnell – an artist who's probably best known to the world as Kid Creole, but who also had a hand in a number of other dancefloor acts of the late 70s and early 80s! All tracks here have that trademark August Darnell groove – a good ear for jazzy, playful rhythms – often with styles borrowed from previous decades in the 20th century, retooled with hipper, leaner styles for the time! Darnell was one of the first to actively reach back into the past for ideas to use on the dancefloor – and although the practice is quite common now, the tracks here have a sound that few contemporary artists could ever hope to match. And when he wanted to, Darnell could also hit a club groove as great as any other artists on the New York scene of the late 70s – a pulsing, hypnotic approach to rhythm that was probably best know from his side projects on Ze Records. The tunes go way beyond familiar Kid Creole hits – and titles include "Goin To A Showdown" and "I'm An Indian Too (12" mix)" by Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band, "Is That All There Is" by Cristina, "Paradise" and "Emile (Night Rate)" by Aural Exciters, "There But For The Grace Of God Go I (12" version)" by Machine, "Don't Play With My Emotions" by Ron Rogers, "On A Day Like Today" by Gichy Dan's Beachwood #9, "Pharoah (Can't Take It To The Grave" by Coati Mundi, "Sunshower" by Dr Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, and the Kid Creole tracks "He's Not Such A Bad Guy After All (12" version)", "Double On Back", "Off The Coast Of Me", and "Going Places (Zemix version)". CD

One of the Last Poets greatest albums – and one of their most sophisticated as well! Gone are the rough-hewn rhymes of the group's first album, and in their place are better arranged, more thought-out tracks that mix in a wealth of musical influences – and which expand the group's verbal expression past simple protests, and into the realm of Jazzoetry that became their trademark during the mid 70s. Tracks include "Related to What", "Black Is", "White Man's Got a God Complex", "Black People What Y'All Gonna Do", and "This is Madness" – and a number of tracks are preceded by strong and forceful chants before the lyrics kick in! 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 overlooked album of blue-eyed soul from Essra Mohawk – a singer who seemed to get better as the 70s moved on, and who works here with some nice jazzy touches in the backings! The album's got some great arrangements from Sonny Burke, who also plays keyboards – and the overall presentation of the album is more soul than you might expect, right down to some of the clubbier rhythms at the bottom, which are the more familiar approach of the Private Stock label at the time! Essra's vocals are great throughout – very distinct, in ways that make the album a surprising treasure – on titles that include "Summersong", "I Wanna Feel Ya", "God Help It", "Appointment With A Dream", and "Holy Trinity". (Rock, Soul) CD

A crossover classic from the late 70s – a record that was born in the clubs, but bred in the mainstream – and the start of a very good relationship between Odyssey and RCA! The album will forever be known for its classic cut "Native New Yorker" – a seminal groover that balances disco rhythms with mainstream 70s soul – but overall, the record's got even more to offer than that gem – including some surprisingly well-done mellower cuts that really make great use of the vocals of Lillian and Louise Lopez. Production is by Sandy Linzer and Charles Calello – the latter of whom is clearly right at home with the groovers – and in addition to "Native New Yorker", other cuts include "Ever Lovin Sam", "You Keep Me Dancin", "Thank You God For One More Day", "Weekend Lover", "Easy Come Easy Go", and "Golden Hands". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work by one of the biggest gospel crossover stars of the 80s – the mighty mighty David Peaston, a man with a truly god-like voice! Production on the album occasionally has too much of that 80s slickness, but even so, David's voice cuts through the whole thing with a spiritual warmth and majesty that's simply wonderful. Titles include "Take Me Now", "Tonight", "Two Wrongs", "In This Together", "Can I?", and "Eyes Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of tracks that Esther recorded for Atlantic between the years 1964 and 1970, many of which continue the feeling of the Country Side album. Titles include "Hello Walls", "Double Crossing Blues", "I'm In Love", "Catch Me I'm Fallin", "All God Has Is Us", "Woman Will Do No Wrong", and "Crazy Love". CD

A long-overdue audio presentation of the famous performance that was captured in 1985, and used in the concert film of the same name – brought together here as an audio release that stands as a tremendous document to the strength of Prince and his famous group of the time! This is the fantastic lineup that features Wendy & Lisa, who helped Prince hit a whole new level of grooviness – a blend of funk, soul, and rock touches that takes the Purple Rain sound to a much richer dimension in the setting of the arena! The performance was recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on March 30, 1985 – and the core set features 20 tracks that include "Let's Go Crazy", "1999", "God", "Computer Blue", "Darling Nikki", "International Lover", "Possessed", "Do Me Baby", "Irresistible Bitch", "Little Red Corvette", "I Would Die 4 U", and "Delirious" – plus extended jams that include an 11 minute version of "Baby I'm A Star", a 9 minute version of "When Doves Cry", and a 19 minute version of "Purple Rain"! CD

One of the greatest crossover albums of the 80s – and the record that catapulted Prince very firmly into the mainstream! There's a tightness here that surpasses even that of Prince's early classics for Warner Brothers – an unabashed love of a pop hook that makes for some incredibly catchy tunes that are still delivered with a nice funky undercurrent. The whole Prince family is at the top of their game at this point – and titles include "Darling Nikki", "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "When Doves Cry", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". This fantastic 3CD/DVD version features a completely new 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the album, done by Prince – plus a full CD that features unreleased songs and tracks from the vaults – with titles that include "Katrina's Paper Dolls", "We Can F**k", "Father's Song", "Possessed", "Computer Blue (hallway speech version)", "Love & Sex", "The Dance Electric", "Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden", "Wonderful Ass", "Velvet Kitty Cat", and "Electric Intercourse (studio version)". CD3 features lots of rare single edits and non-LP b-sides – with tracks that include "Erotic City", "Let's Go Crazy (special dance mix)", "17 Days (edit)", "Baby I'm A Star (edit)", "I Would Die 4 U (extended)", "Another Lonely Christmas (extended)", "Take Me With U (edit)", "God (edit)", "When Doves Cry (7" edit)", and "God (inst)". DVD features a never-issued concert performance, recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in March of 1985 – with 19 songs in all! CD

The title track to Diana Ross' classic album with Ashford & Simpson. The single's backed by a track produced by Hal Davis, lifted from the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack. 12-inch, Vinyl record

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 35 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". CD

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 35 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". CD

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 34 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". LP, Vinyl record album

An insane array of Christmas disco classics – all wrapped up in a single package! The set features both the original 1976 mix and 1992 Tom Moulton mix of the legendary Christmas Jollies set by the Salsoul Orchestra – one of the Salsoul label's biggest-selling albums – originally recorded in 1976, and pressed again and again over the years – and eventually remixed even stronger in the early 90s. Vince Montana is at the head of the whole project – pushing the group with that great full sound he had at the time – a blend of strings and soul that could be kitschy, but comes off great! The sound is kind of a disco-Christmas one, with driving uptempo versions of tunes like "Merry Christmas All", "Sleigh Ride", "Christmas Time", and "Silent Night" – plus the original tune "There's Someone Who's Knocking". In addition to this, the album also features 2 extended medleys of holiday tunes – one based around Christmas, the other around New Years! The package also features Christmas Jollies 2 from the legendary Salsoul Orchestra – working here with Patrick Adams this time around, in a groove that occasionally bears echoes of his own music on P&P Records! The vibe's nicely different from the first Jollies set – a different inflection of the Christmas disco mode, yet one that's still more than proud enough to bear the Salsoul name – thanks to sharp instrumentation throughout, and a way of laying down the grooves that's often as funky as it is clubby! The whole thing's great, and titles include "Joyful Spirit", "Deck The Halls", "Joy To The World", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" plus "You're All I Want For Christmas" and the 8 minute long "Salsoul Christmas Suite". In addition to Christmas Jollies 1 in the 1976 mix and 1992 Tom Moulton mix, and Christmas Jollies 2 – the set also features 11 bonus tracks, including 7" and 12" single mixes, plus "Christmas Medley (parts 1 & 2)', and "Little Drummer Boy (Dank rmx)". (Holiday Music, Soul) 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 record that begins with a question, and follows through with a sublime mix of social politics and spiritual energy! Pops Staples asserts himself a bit more than before with his songwriting here – including the title classic "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)", which went onto become one of THE anthems of the Civil Rights era! That energy follows in more original songs by Pops, and in his great reworkings of older traditional numbers – on a set that also has the group working with producer Billy Sherrill, who seems to give them even more power than before, but without commercializing their music at all. Titles include "Why", "I've Been Scorned", "I'm Gonna Tell God", "Move Along Train", "Step Aside", "King Of Kings", "What Are They Doing", and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant debut from Sylvester – quite different than his later disco and club work – although still pretty upbeat and groovy overall! The album's a really unique sort of effort – one that's unabashedly gender-bending, but also wonderfully solid from a musical perspective – funky at points, rootsy at others – with an odd blend of 70s soul and older R&B elements, all filtered through the genre-bending sound of the Bay Area scene of the time! Arrangements are by Sylvester and The Hot Band, but Ben Sidran produced, and we're sure that the record's offbeat qualities are partly due to his own great style of the time – that weird, slightly messed-up groove you'd find on Ben's Blue Thumb album. The set features wild covers of "Southern Man" and "My Country Tis Of Thee" – plus "Whiter Shade Of Pale", "Gimme A Pigfoot", "God Bless The Child", "I'm A Steam Roller", "That Is Rock n Roll", and "Come Back Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost harmony soul classic from the east coast scene of the 70s – a set that was recorded in the shadow of work by bigger groups, like the Moments or Stylistics, and which has a similarly sort of sublime sound! There's a nice edge to the album – like some of the George Kerr productions on Stang/All-Platinum – as producer Bruce M Clarke really lets the vocals shine through on most tracks – just updating a 60s sweet soul mode with the right sort of hip 70s elements, but all while never getting in the way of the harmonies! With that approach, we'd maybe rank this one right up there with the classic album by Soul Generation – especially given the badass sort of vibe on the funky numbers. Titles include "At Last It's Over", "Giving Up", "God & You", "All Good Things Can't Last", "Booking Up", "Moving Down The Line", "Gotta Get You Back", and "Your Love Comes Slower Than Never". Bonus tracks include "What Is Love" and "Am I Ever Gonna See My Baby Again" by Marion Butler, "Another Man's Woman" and "Nothing In The World" by The Electras, "God & You" by Loreli, and "Everybody's Got A Good Thing" by Loreli with Empress Kilpatrick. CD

Doris Troy was one of the great female soul singers of the 60s – known for a famous single for Atlantic Records, and other great work too – reemerging here in a whole host of tracks from the late 70s, which have Doris singing with a style that's more mature than before! Most of the material here was recorded for the mostly-disco Midland label – a company who often had great grooves but weaker singers – a mistake that's nicely corrected here, as Troy's all-soul vocals really help the tunes soar over the top, pushing the uptempo grooves with a deeper current that's mighty nice! Titles include "Lyin Eyes (short version)", "You Got Me Baby (1979 disco version)", "Can't Hold On", "Another Look", "Give God Glory", "It's All In The Game (1979 disco version)", "Whatcha Gonna Do About It (1980 version)", "Smilin/Let Me Make Love To You", and "Another Look (12" version)". CD

Warm, wonderful harmony work from The Tymes – a set that features lots of familiar tunes, but redone in really great ways by the group! The harmonies are the key here – as the group's vocals are totally sublime – cascading magnificently amidst some fuller arrangements that might have been aimed at a crossover market, but which hardly ever dampen their soul at all. Jimmy Wisner handled production, and brings in a gentle swing to some of the tunes – a groove that's certainly made one track, their title version of "People", a big fave down in the Carolinas over the years. Other tracks include "City", "For Love Of Ivy", "Look Of Love", "God Bless The Child", "Make Someone Happy", "The Love That You're Looking For", and "The Way Of The Crowd". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly heavy bit of funky jazz, especially given the goofy cover image – a set recorded live at a small club in Washington state during the mid 70s – served up by reedman Danny Ward and a tight little combo of musicians! The tracks include cuts by 70s soul giants like Aretha Franklin, The Headhunters, and Mandrill – and the group turn them in with very tight combo riffing on bass, electric piano, drums, and percussion – all topped with plenty of saxophone solos from Danny, and vocals from some of the members of the group! The mix of instrumental and vocal passages is nicely balanced – and titles include long takes on "Affirmation", "Funky On My Back", and "Masquerade" – plus versions of "God Make Me Funky", "Get It All", and "Rock Steady". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing evolution in sound – a set that brings together the shifting styles of Deniece Williams during her Columbia years – a stretch when she started out as a righteous-voiced singer with an almost Minnie Riperton-like sound, then moved into much more chart-topping territory for the early 80s! Throughout it all, though, Williams' vocals remained top-shelf – trained not only through years of gospel singing, but also through an early music career that had her recording indie singles in Chicago, and working as a backup singer for Stevie Wonder. The package does a good job of bringing together most of Williams' significant cuts from the Columbia years – 16 tracks that include "Free", "I Found Love", "Cause You Love Me Baby", "That's What Friends Are For", "God Is Amazing", "Baby Baby My Love's All For You", "When Love Comes Calling", "If You Don't Believe", "Silly", "It's Gonna Take A Miracle", "Waiting", "Do What You Feel", "Black Butterfly", "Too Much Too Little Too Late", and "Let's Hear It For The Boy". CD

An early Christmas gem from Jackie Wilson – a record that really shows his versatility as a singer, as he takes on a number of different Holiday tunes in a variety of moods! Jackie's a soul singer first and foremost, but he can also sparkle with jazzier and more traditional material – which he touches on here in the company of arrangers Nat Tarnopol, Dick Jacobs, and Alan Lorber. The sound is socking soul on the best numbers – but also gets ambitious and somber on some of the others – making for a nice well-rounded Holiday set, on titles that include "Joy To The World", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Silent Night", "White Christmas", "The First Noel", and "Silver Bells". (Holiday Music, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway – best heard on the sublime track "Golden Lady", which gets our clear vote for one of the best songs ever! Just about every track is great, though – and the album features the big hits "Living For The City", "All In Love Is Fair", "Higher Ground", and "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" – plus "He's Misstra Know It All", "Jesus Children Of America", and "Too High". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway – best heard on the sublime track "Golden Lady", which gets our clear vote for one of the best songs ever! Just about every track is great, though – and the album features the big hits "Living For The City", "All In Love Is Fair", "Higher Ground", and "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" – plus "He's Misstra Know It All", "Jesus Children Of America", and "Too High". CD

A stunning overview of work from the small D-Vine Spirituals label in Memphis – a really homegrown imprint who were as important to the sound of the city's spiritual music as Stax Records was to soul in the 60s! In fact, the vibe here is often more 60s than 70s – maybe a testament to the finances of D-Vine when it came to recording this music – but also an indication of the way the company was able to go to the roots of what makes these tracks great – which is usually just a great lead voice or tight harmonies, and an important message in the music! This wonderful collection brings together rare 45rpm tracks issued by the label – and titles on this first volume include "God's Going To Blow Out The Sun" by Elder Ward & The Gospel Four, "I Feel Like Flying Away" by The Joy Of Memphis, "When I Looked" by The Traveling Stars, "The Reason I Love Him" by The Kingdom Airs, "Where You Gonna Run" by The D-Vine Spiritualettes, "One River To Cross" by The Seven Brothers, "Look At Your Life" by Evelyn Taylor, and "I'm A Soldier In God's Army" by The Southern Sons. (Gospel, Soul) CD

A stunning overview of work from the small D-Vine Spirituals label in Memphis – a really homegrown imprint who were as important to the sound of the city's spiritual music as Stax Records was to soul in the 60s! In fact, the vibe here is often more 60s than 70s – maybe a testament to the finances of D-Vine when it came to recording this music – but also an indication of the way the company was able to go to the roots of what makes these tracks great – which is usually just a great lead voice or tight harmonies, and an important message in the music! This wonderful collection brings together rare 45rpm tracks issued by the label – and titles on this first volume include "God's Going To Blow Out The Sun" by Elder Ward & The Gospel Four, "I Feel Like Flying Away" by The Joy Of Memphis, "When I Looked" by The Traveling Stars, "The Reason I Love Him" by The Kingdom Airs, "Where You Gonna Run" by The D-Vine Spiritualettes, "One River To Cross" by The Seven Brothers, "Look At Your Life" by Evelyn Taylor, and "I'm A Soldier In God's Army" by The Southern Sons. (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A nice compilation on the Cotillion subsidiary of Atlantic collecting spiritual soul tracks and gospel numbers performed by R&B artists from the late 60s. 11 numbers in all: "Let It Be" by Aretha Franklin, "Steal Away" and "Lord Pity Us All" by Wilson Pickett, "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)" by Solomon Burke, "I Told Jesus" by Roberta Flack, "Down By The River Side" and "Without A Doubt" by the Sweet Inspirations, "Heaven Help Us All" by Brook Benton, "God Gave Me A Song" by Myrna Summers & The Interdenominational Singers, and "Milky White Way" and "People Got To Be Free" by Marion Williams. LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of rare and unusual gospel recordings from the Memphis scene – work done for the tiny JCR imprint of the also-tiny D-Vine Records label – a real wellspring of under-discovered talent from the south! JCR was kind of the bush league for D-Vine – a custom label that let gospel acts press their own records, some of which were then pulled up to record for the main imprint – some of whom never fully got their due – a great assortment of soulful groups collected here for the first time ever! There's some really wonderful material here – and the set really shows that embrace of deeper soul styles that the gospel world was making in the late 60s on labels like Chess or Peacock, carried over strongly here with a very special Memphis sort of vibe. Titles include "Rock My Soul" by The Masonic Travelers, "Too Late Too Late" by The Chosen Wonders, "You Can't Hurry God" by The QCs, "In The Last Day" by The Hewlett Sisters, "Keep On Pushing" by The Calvary Nightingales, "Call On Him" by The Silver Wings, "Someone Who Cares" by The Dixie Wonders, "I Want To Move A Little Higher" by The Seven Souls, "Sinner Man" by The Bible Tones, "Every Knee Must Bow" by The Southern Nightingales, and "Just Over The Hill" by The Spiritual Harmonizers. (Gospel, Soul) CD

A treasure trove of rare and unusual gospel recordings from the Memphis scene – work done for the tiny JCR imprint of the also-tiny D-Vine Records label – a real wellspring of under-discovered talent from the south! JCR was kind of the bush league for D-Vine – a custom label that let gospel acts press their own records, some of which were then pulled up to record for the main imprint – some of whom never fully got their due – a great assortment of soulful groups collected here for the first time ever! There's some really wonderful material here – and the set really shows that embrace of deeper soul styles that the gospel world was making in the late 60s on labels like Chess or Peacock, carried over strongly here with a very special Memphis sort of vibe. Titles include "Rock My Soul" by The Masonic Travelers, "Too Late Too Late" by The Chosen Wonders, "You Can't Hurry God" by The QCs, "In The Last Day" by The Hewlett Sisters, "Keep On Pushing" by The Calvary Nightingales, "Call On Him" by The Silver Wings, "Someone Who Cares" by The Dixie Wonders, "I Want To Move A Little Higher" by The Seven Souls, "Sinner Man" by The Bible Tones, "Every Knee Must Bow" by The Southern Nightingales, and "Just Over The Hill" by The Spiritual Harmonizers. (Gospel, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An expanded version of this classic set of Motown Christmas tunes – one that features some of the best cuts from the individual artists' Holiday albums cut for the label, plus some harder to find tracks from singles! The set's got 24 tracks in all, with titles that include "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town" and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by The Jackson 5, "What Christmas Means To Me" and "One Little Christmas Tree" by Stevie Wonder, "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy" by The Temptations, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Jingle Bells" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and "Children's Christmas Song" and "White Christmas" by Diana Ross & The Supremes. (Holiday Music, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of R&B Christmas collections on the market, but this is one of the best – a really well-done collection that goes way past the over-played hits, and features some really rare treasures in the genre! Although a holiday set, this one's put together with the same depth and care of Ace Records' usual rare soul collections – and features a well-chosen batch of obscure singles, mostly from the west coast and Memphis scenes of the 50s – all supported by great notes, top-shelf packaging, and a really overstuffed set list! CD features 20 tracks in all – including "White Christmas" by Hadda Brooks, "Christmas Celebration" by BB King, "Christmas Time" by The Debonaires, "I Wanna Spend Christmas With You (parts 1 & 2)" by Lowell Fulsom, "My Christmas Baby" by Smokey Hogg, "White/Hot Christmas" by The Elves, "Santa Claus Boogie" by The Voices, "I Want You With Me Xmas" by Jesse Belvin, "God Gave Us Christmas" by Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers, and "Christmas Bells" by Bobby Nunn. (Holiday Music, Soul) CD

A great little follow-up to one of our favorite compilations ever from Kent Records – a motherlode of under-discovered soul from 70s powerhouse Spring Records! Spring is best known for its big hits with Joe Simon during the decade – but at the same time, the label also issued countless great singles by lesser-known artists – great little gems that run the gamut from southern soul to heavy funk, harmony soul, and disco – all with a quality level that matches or beats most of the other indies of the time! This wonderful set brings together some of the best from those years – and includes work issued not only on Spring, but also on the related Event and Posse labels – served up here as a whopping 24-track package that's supported by great notes on all the music. Titles include "It's So Good To Know" by Mayberry Movement, "I'm A Lover" by Vernon Brown, "You & I Go Good Together" by Garland Green, "Turn Yourself Around" by Clare Bathe, "Walk All Over God's Heaven" by Jackie Verdell, "Baby There's Nothing You Can Do" by The Joneses, "I'm On My Way" by Winfield Parker, "Ain't It Amazing" by Prince Harold, "Dry Bones In The Valley" by The Internationals, "Mr Everything" by Little Eva Harris, "It Takes Both Of Us" by Act One, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Sherry Washington" by Ray Godfrey, and "Just Can't Say Hello" by Ronnie Walker. CD

An incredibly cool collection – one that offers up all sorts of weird and wonderful soul music covers of mainstream mellow 70s hits – new versions of the famous tunes that pull them strongly over to the world of R&B, often with results that are better than the original versions! The set is both a great demonstration of how much soul there was lurking in the original AOR productions of the mid 70s, and how strongly those currents could be unlocked even more in the right hands – as you'll hear in these sublime takes on tunes by Hall & Oates, Toto, Seals & Crofts, The Doobie Brothers, and other 70s pop giants. Titles include "Dirty Work" by Pointer Sisters, "Minute By Minute" by Peabo Bryson, "Georgie Porgy" by Side Effect, "He's Gone" by Dee Dee Bridgewater, "Summer Breeze" by Main Ingredient, "Lazy Nina" by Greg Phillinganes, "In The Way" by Brothers Johnson, "This Is It" by Millie Jackson, "Takin It To The Streets" by Quincy Jones, "I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me" by Tavares, "God Only Knows" by Betty Lavette, "Let Em In" by Billy Paul, and "A Love Of Your Own" by The Ebonys. (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD

An incredible collection of Stevie Wonder cover versions – different versions of familiar tunes, but ones that really manage to sparkle with all the righteous soul of the Stevie himself! It's been over a decade since DJ Spinna brought us the last version of his Wonder Of Stevie series – and during that time, he's managed to come up with a huge amount of great tracks that make the whole thing go way way deeper than before – not just cuts that copy the Wonder mode, but which seem to draw strong inspiration from its genius, and really soar to the skies! Much of the music here resonates with a charm that's located around the years of albums like Music Of My Mind and Innervisions, with all the jazzy currents that might imply – and some cuts are 70s vintage, others are more contemporary. Titles include "Bird Of Beauty" by US Atlantic First Navy Show Band, "It's My Pleasure" by Billy Preston, "Love's In Need Of Love Today" by John Minnis Big Bone Band, "As" by Tony Sherman, "Buttercup" by Jackson 5, "Have A Talk With God" by East St Louis Gospelettes, "Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me" by Quincy Jones, "Golden Lady" by Reel People with Tony Momrelle, "If You Don't Love Me" by GC Cameron, "If She Breaks Your Heart Again" by Foreign Exchange, "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" by Black Sugar, "Go Home" by Jrod Indigo, and "Make My Water Boil" by David Ruffin. 2CDs – one of the cuts unmixed, one with the tracks in a continuous mix by Spinna! (Funky Compilations, Soul) CD