The final album in the too-short legacy left behind by the legendary Aaliyah – a singer who was taken from us all too soon! As with Sade, there was always a bit of a gap between Aaliyah's albums – and that space really shows just how much she'd grown musically in just a few short years – here really stepping past her teenaged debut, and maturing into the sort of female force that would have dominated R&B for years to come! That maturity really comes through in some of the album's more neo soul-styled moments – part of that growing generation that the singer helped foster – and in addition to production from Timbaland, the set's got even deeper work from Seats and Rapture, and Bud'da. The confidence within must have been a great message to R Kelly that strong people can grow past his influence easily – expressed on tunes that include "What If", "Try Again", "Read Between The Line", "U Got Nerve", "I Refuse", "It's Whatever", "We Need A Resolution", "Never No More", and "More Than A Woman". CD

The pinnacle of classy crossover soul at the end of the 80s – and a landmark album that's probably still helping Anita pay her bills! The feel is mellow and laidback without being too cheesy or too adult contemporary – drawing from mellow soul traditions of the 70s, and filtering it through production styles of the 80s without losing too much of the warmth. Titles include "Talk To Me", "Fairy Tales", "Lonely", "No One To Blame", "More Than You Know", and "Whatever It Takes". CD

A great lost bit of funk – and a pretty mysterious record, too! The record came out hot on the heels of Manu Dibango's big original version of "Soul Makossa" – and while it's got a groove that definitely leans towards Afro Funk, it's also got plenty of Caribbean touches too – a wicked blend of funk and island styles that's almost like The Beginning Of The End at some of the best moments – but with a touch of New York underground as well! We've never been entirely sure if the group wasn't just a Winley Records studio project – maybe The Rimshots under another name – but whatever the case, the record's a damn funky classic – filled with lots of original-sounding grooves that make the whole thing well worth tracking down. Titles include a version of "Soul Makossa", with a groove that's harder than the original – plus "Skin N Soul", "Good Groove", "Mozambique", "Finger In It", "Dance Girl", and the extended "Bahamas Melody". CD

Nina sings Ellington – but as always, she makes whatever she sings all her own! The album's a bit straighter than later efforts – with large backings by Stu Phillips that also feature vocals by the Malcolm Dodds Singers – but Nina also conceived the whole thing herself, as an effort to bring a new level of spiritualism to Ellington's work. The result is a masterpiece – proof that even in her early years, Nina could completely transform anything she laid her hands on – and unlock a soulful depth that even the original recordings might have missed. Titles include "I Got It Bad", "Solitude", "The Gal From Joe's", "It Don't Mean A Thing", and "I Like The Sunrise". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A double length collection of Sly's classic work for Epic – featuring the best of the old days, when he was really into a groove! 20 titles: "Dance To The Music", "Everyday People", "Sing A Simple Song", "Don't Call Me N!gger, Whitey", "Stand!", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", "Babies Makin Babies", "Family Affair", "Everybody Is A Star", "M'Lady", "Life", "Fun", "You Can Make It If You Try", "Hot Fun In the Summertime", "Runnin' Away", "(You Caught Me) Smilin'", "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa", "If You Want Me To Stay" and "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)". CD

A real breakthrough in female soul for the 70s – the initial album from Labelle – a set that's very different material than the group were doing on their girl group singles in the 60s! The trio here is legendary – Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash – three tremendous singers all working together at a level that really sets the standard for bad-rapping female soul in the 70s! We're not sure what happened with Patti and the group between their 60s material and this set – but whatever it was, it was something great – a turn towards a style that would keep them in the record racks for years! Titles include "Too Many Days", "Running Out Of Fools", "When The Sun Comes Shining Through", "Heart Be Still", and a nice version of "Time & Love". CD

A seminal set from Vicki Sue Robinson – arguably her biggest album ever, thanks to the leadoff hit "Turn The Beat Around"! That groove really sets the tone for the rest of the record – a tight blend of disco rhythms and crossover soul – all delivered by Vicki with a focused, no-nonsense quality that's helped the record stay strong over the years! The instrumentation's kind of a New York summation of Philly modes – a bit of soaring strings, organic percussion, wah wah guitar, and whatever else a great groove might need – mostly arranged by Warren Schatz, but with some help from George Andrews and Bhen Lanzaroni too. Revelation sing a bit of background vocals on the record – and titles include "When You're Lovin Me", "Act Of Mercy", "Wonderland Of Love", "Lack Of Respect", and "Never Gonna Let You Go". CD features bonus tracks – "Turn The Beat Around (7" edit)" and "Turn The Beat Around (radio edit)". CD

Ahh, the dancefloor soul perfection of the beautiful Donna Summer – and classic late 70s production by Giorgio Morodor and Pete Bellotte – songs that are played often, even to this day, but will never be played out! Was this the one that coined the phrase "shipped gold, returned platinum?" We can't remember, but whatever the case, it's one of those sets that used to be ubiquitous, but which now we can hardly ever find in good shape! Includes shorter mixes of "Love To Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love" – plus the hits for the album "On The Radio" and "Enough Is Enough". Other cuts include "Last Dance", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and a shortened version of "MacArthur Park". CD

A massive double-header – one that features the first two Sylvester albums for Fantasy Records! First up is the self-titled Sylvester – a reworking of his older groove into one that we love more than any other that he ever used – a smooth modern soul style, not really disco, but with a driving approach that would certainly have worked well in the clubs! You gotta give Syl credit here – as it would have been easy for him to turn up the camp a lot in the 1977 disco days – but instead he's sticking strong to his soul impulses, and has come up with a wonderful album of tracks that's like the first Luther album – one that you can enjoy whatever your take on the man, without any introduction to his person or persona. Of course, a big part of the credit also goes to Harvey Fuqua – who's reemerged here from his years at RCA to produce the record – showing his always strong ability to seek out new talent, and bring out the best in them. Titles include "I Tried To Forget You", "Tipsong", "I Been Down", "Loving Grows Up Slow", "Never Too Late", and "Over & Over". Step II is probably Sylvester's biggest album for Fantasy – and for good reason too! The set pushes onto the dancefloor a bit more than before – often with some slight keyboard touches that hint at the Patrick Cowley years, but with none of the coldness of those records at all. The great Harvey Fuqua's producing here with Syl, and the sound is rich and bold – an even more prideful statement than Sylvester's first album on Fantasy. Two Tons Of Fun deliver some great backup vocals, and Cowley lays down a bit of keyboards – and titles include the all-time disco classic "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real", plus "Dance (Disco Heat)", "Just You & Me Forever", "Grateful", and "I Took My Strength From You". CD

Well, it turned out that the man himself wasn't invincible – but his music has had surprising durability over the years – to a point where even later material like this sounds pretty darn great over the passing of time! The rhythms and production are more contemporary than some of Jackson's classics, but that also maybe gives the whole thing a crackle that keeps it interesting too – partly because so many of these songs were a bit under-discovered when the set was released. The song titles themselves give some idea of where Jackson's headspace was at during the creation of the album – and tracks include "Invincible", "Break Of Dawn", "Butterflies", "Threatened", "Heaven Can Wait", "2000 Watts", "Cry", "The Lost Children", "Unbreakable", "Heartbreaker", "Whatever Happens", "Privacy", and "Don't Walk Away". CD

The record that proved to the world that Vanessa Williams wasn't going to be let down after an unfortunate detour in the press – one that she answered with this classic album of crossover soul! Williams' isn't out to make anyone believe she's the next Aretha Franklin, but she's right at home in the upbeat arrangements of these tunes – stepping along with a bright and bouncy feel that more than matches the backings – and the feel of late 80s mainstream soul of the time. Titles include "The Right Stuff", "He's Got The Look", "Dreamin", "I'll Be The One", "Am I Too Much", "Be A Man", "Whatever Happens", and "Security". CD

Nina sings Ellington – but as always, she makes whatever she sings all her own! The album's a bit straighter than later efforts – with large backings by Stu Phillips that also feature vocals by the Malcolm Dodds Singers – but Nina also conceived the whole thing herself, as an effort to bring a new level of spiritualism to Ellington's work. The result is a masterpiece – proof that even in her early years, Nina could completely transform anything she laid her hands on – and unlock a soulful depth that even the original recordings might have missed. Titles include "I Got It Bad", "Solitude", "The Gal From Joe's", "It Don't Mean A Thing", and "I Like The Sunrise". (Vocalists, Soul) CD