A surprisingly well-thought out set of tracks that is perhaps the only ever time someone at RCA did a good job with a soul reissue! The filled-to-the brim compilation features 16 tracks from the legendary New Birth Inc. collective that also included the funky combo The Nite Liters and the vocal group Love, Peace, & Happiness – all of whom recorded together under the aegis of ex-Moonglow Harvey Fuqua during his production stint at RCA in the early 70s. The combination of different groups and styles makes for a very lively batch of 70's soul and funk tracks – and the set features both classics and overlooked obscure material, all nicely remastered, and packaged with a great set of notes. Titles include "Got To Get A Knutt", "K Jee", "Comin From All Ends", "Afro Strut", "Wild Flower", "Keep On Doin It", and "I Can Understand It". CD

Excellent work from the second half of Aaron Neville's career – when he was recording in a more modern style for the Sansu team of Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Funk fans will dig the classic "Hercules", as well as the dark ballad "Make Me Strong", which has a great piano/drum intro. Other titles include "Wild Flower", "Speak To Me", "She's On My Mind", "Mojo Hannah", "Been So Wrong", "The Greatest Love", "All These Things", and "Struttin On Sunday". There's a few cheesy spots, but with 18 tracks and a low price, there's more than enough nice bits! CD

Nothing super-intense, but a great solo moment from Lisa Fischer – a vocalist who'd previously worked with Luther Vandross and The Rolling Stones, and who steps out on her own in this classic early 90s set! The music's got a bouncy approach to soul that reflects Lisa's professional roots – and she gets plenty of help from Luther Vandross on the record, working here in a host of top-shelf studio talent that also includes Narada Michael Walden and Arif Mardin too! Fischer may be making a solo debut on the album, but she comes across with a great sense of class and professional poise throughout – on titles that include "How Can I Ease The Pain", "Wildflower", "Save Me", "Some Girls", "So Tender", "Get Back To Love", "Chain Of Broken Hearts", "Last Goodbye", and "So Intense". CD