Groovy crossover soul from The Hues Corporation – music that's perfectly tuned to come right out of the small speakers on an AM radio, yet still retain all the depth of the arrangements! The trio are hitting their best pre-disco stride here – as the album brings back the tune "Rock The Boat", which was a bit buried on their debut – and surrounds it with a number of equally grooving tunes arranged by Tom Sellers – numbers that don't yet have a straight disco approach, and which instead work through a mix of playful styles that bring the most out of the interplay between the vocals. In addition to "Rock The Boat", other titles include "I Got Caught Dancing Again", "No End In Sight", "Ease On Down The Road", "Love's There", "I'll Take A Melody", "Into My Music", and "Rockin Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever collection to focus on the work of this lost soulful genius – an artist whose name never made the history books, but who we can always trust when we see it on the label of a funky 45! This set brings together most of those great singles from the early 70s – a wicked run of sharp-edged, always-biting numbers that Chet Ivey recorded for the Sylvia label – run by old school tenor wailer Al Sears! Both Chet and Al had years of experience in music before these singles – but refocus their energy in a badass version of 70s funk – clearly inspired by the James Brown and blacksploitation styles of the time, but given a very special spin, thanks to Chet's personality and way of putting over a tune. The instrumentation is every bit as important here as Ivey's vocals – and titles include "Funky Chit Chat (parts 1 & 2)", "Recipe To Get Down (parts 1 & 2)", "Bad On Bad", "So Fine", "Movin", "When Love Comes Home", "Dose Of Soul", "Party People (parts 1 & 2)", "Get Down With The Geater (part 1)", "Been So Long", "He Say She Say", and "Don't Ever Change". CD

Pure brilliance from Babatunde Lea – an artist who sounds as deeply soulful in the 21st Century as he did on his first recordings from a few decades back! This time around, Lea's working with the wonderful Frank Lacy on trombone and trumpet – in a set of work that's all arranged by Lacy, with bold piano lines from Hilton Ruiz – whose playing here really takes us back to those early moments when we first discovered his genius – that unique blend of Latin and spiritual jazz roots that's perfect for a record like this. Things are plenty righteous, but very warm too – and the record stretches out magnificently without trying to hit anyone over the head – that beautiful balance you'd find in a rare Strata East record, maybe even more amazing here, given the contemporary date of the recording! Mario Rivera plays tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and titles include "Soul Pools", "Carolyn's Dance", "1055", "Round The World", "Ejercito Moreno", "Yerba Buena", and "Jackie & The Beanstalk". Also comes with a full bonus CD – Live At Rasselas – a quartet performance with Ernie Watts on tenor, Hilton Ruiz on piano, and Geoff Brennan on bass – on a 25 minute version of "Footprints". CD

A sweet set of sophisticated soul from the always-great Marlena Shaw! After cutting some jazzier sides at Cadet in the late 60s, and some super mellow fusion ones at Blue Note in the early 70s, Marlena moved to big fame at Columbia during the mid 70s – working in a righteous smooth soul approach that skated the line between warm romantic ballads and righteous statements of female pride and power. The ultimate example of this is her fantastic remake of "Go Away Little Boy", merged here with the tune "Yu Ma", into a 7 minute track that has a sublime monologue in the middle – one in which Marlena accuses her man of hiding behind his heritage to not get down to business at a day to day level! Other tracks show Marlena as one of the most expressive, most together women in soul during the 70s – and this 14 track package is a perfect introduction to her work at Columbia! Titles include "Sweet Beginnings", "Walk Softly", "No One Yet", "Love Dancin", "Pictures & Memories", "Touch Me In The Morning", "I Wonder", "Moonrise", "I Think I'll Tell Him", and "Rhythm Of Love". CD

A massive document of some of the most important years in the career of Nina Simone – her mid 60s recordings for Philips Records, done at a time when she was really breaking out into a new style! The Philips sides perfectly capture all of the turbulent energy of the times – as Nina, not content to simply be a jazz singer, uses bits of folk, soul, and other American styles to expand her sound tremendously. The work is incredibly righteous – extremely powerful material that forever changed not only the sound of jazz vocals, but also the role of the female singer in American music. This beautiful package features 7 full albums, all with original artwork – and is set in a great slipcase that really looks wonderful. The set contains 75 tracks in all – the entirety of the albums Nina Simone In Concert, Broadway Blues Ballads, I Put A Spell On You, Pastel Blues, Let It All Out, Four Women, and High Priestess Of Soul – with classics like "Sinnerman", "Four Women", "Break Down & Let It All Out", "Work Song", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", "Feeling Good", "I Loves You Porgy", "Mississippi Goddam", and "Be My Husband". LP, Vinyl record album

A smooth batch of modern soul from this great 70s vocal group! By this point in their career, Tavares have already had great fame on both the radio and dancefloor charts – moving effortlessly between sweet harmony tracks and more strident disco ones. This set has the group working in a mature mode that falls out equally well on both sides of the fence – with arrangements by Bobby Colomby, David Foster, and Benjamin Wright, and tracks that include "Bad Times", "I Don't Want You Anymore", "Paradise", "Why Can't We Fall In Love", and "I Can't Go On Living Without You". LP, Vinyl record album

Five classic Motown albums from The Temptations – packaged together here in tiny record-style sleeves! First up is The Temptations Sing Smokey – a set on which the group sing the work of Smokey Robinson – and they've even got Smokey along to help them out on production! Given the high Robinson quotient on the set – both on production and songwriting – you'd almost expect this one to be a copycat of The Miracles' music at the time. Yet The Temps really manage to bring plenty of their own greatness to play on the material – deepening some of the songs with wonderful harmonies, and creating a sound that's often a bit less sweet and a bit more soulful than Smokey's approach with his own group. Titles include "It's Growing", "Who's Loving You", "What's So Good About Goodbye", "Depend On Me", "Way Over There", and "What Love Has Joined Together". Temptin Temptations is a wonderful little record produced by Smokey Robinson with a sweet group finish! The harmonies are impeccable, and the sound is perfect Motown – tight and classy, but with enough rough edges to keep things soulful at the best parts – and there's a romping sort of groove to many tracks, almost making the album sort of a mini-Motown dance party of sorts! Titles include "Just Another Lonely Night", "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Don't Look Back", "Since I Lost My Baby", "Everybody Needs Love", "My Baby", "You've Got To Earn It", and "Born To Love You". On Gettin Ready, the group are at the height of their early powers – really finding their own groove, and standing out even more than some of their Motown contemporaries! Smokey Robinson's still at the overall helm on production, but Norman Whitfield contributes some key early work here – shaping The Temps' sound with that rougher, more bottom-heavy groove that would explode in full righteous energy a few years later. Whitfield produced the groovers "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", plus "Lonely Lonely Man Am I" – and other tracks include "You're Not An Ordinary Girl", "Not Now, I'll Tell You Later", "Say You", "Who You Gonna Run To", "Get Ready", and "Fading Away". On With A Lot O Soul, the group has a deeper, darker groove than ever before – the start of that fuzzy psychedelic soul style that made them one of the most inventive Motown acts of the late 60s! Deep basslines roll out strongly right from the start of the set – bringing a new richness to the grooves that's matched by those incredible harmonies that made The Temptations one of the most dynamic groups of the time – incredible harmonies that are often matched by a sense of lyrical intensity too! The set kicks off with the classic "I Know I'm Losing You" – a perfect illustration of this shift – and other titles include "Save My Love For A Rainy Day", "All I Need", "Two Sides To Love", "Don't Send Me Away", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "No More Water In The Well", and "You're My Everything". Last up is Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations – a record that might be easy to write this off as a mistake or inessential session – but thanks to some great arrangements by HB Barnum, Paul Riser, and Gene Page, plus great vocals by the groups, the record shines as much as any other Motown set from the time! The vocals are traded back and forth nicely between the groups – with the guys dominating some moments, the gals others, but never in a kitschy way. Includes a lot of Motown standards redone – like "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Try It Baby", "I Second That Emotion", and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" – but also includes a tasty version of "Funky Broadway", which has some great fuzzy guitar work! CD

A totally great little collection – one that doesn't just focus on the big crossover hits from the legendary Brunswick Records, but also includes some obscure funk and soul gems from the label's later years too! The package is very nicely done – ten 7" singles, all packaged in a nice heavy box – and the track selection is great, and includes a number of cuts that were never issued on funky 45s back in the day, and make their debut here in the format! Titles include "The Lovemaniacs" by Boobie Knight & The Universal Lady, "Bounce Rock Skate Roll (parts 1 & 2)" by Vaughan Mason & Crew, "Break Your Back" and "Soulful Football" by Willie Henderson, "Waiting On Your Love" and "I Like What You're Doing To Me" by Young & Company, "Purple Haze" by Johnny Jones & The Casuals, "Fly" and "I Love You Love You Completely" by Exit 9, "Talking The Teenage Language" and "Sly Slick & Wicked" by Lost Generation, "How Can You Say Goodbye" by Sidney Joe Qualls, "Are You My Woman" by The Chi-Lites, "I Can't Do My Thing" by Barbara Acklin, and "Light My Fire" by Young Holt Unlimited. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Call it what you want – Nu Soul, Neo Soul, or just plain ol' contemporary soul – the sound of R&B has changed a lot in the past decade or two, as you'll hear in this wonderful batch of tracks! The collection is heavy on work from the Sony and RCA catalogs – and includes a fair bit of the best acts to break big from the underground, then find a huge audience in the mainstream – and there's some especially great tracks from the 90s, back when this movement first got going, but before anyone thought to give it a label. 3CD set features 32 tracks in all – and titles include "Heavenly Daughter (soul inside mix)" by Kwesi, "Is It Possible" by Raheem DeVaughn, "Stick Up Kid" by Lyfe Jennings, "I Won't" by Alica Keys, "Hopeless" by Dionne Farris, "Just What It Takes (human rhythm rmx)" by Kenny Lattimore, "She Don't Have To Know" by John Legend, "Still Believe In Love" by Jacksoul, "I Am Your Woman (summertime rmx radio)" by Syleena Johnson, "Get Up" by Amel Larrieux, "So Good" by Davina feat Raekwon, "If I Had You" by Frankie, "You Will Rise" by Sweetback, "Oh Girl" by Raphael Saadiq, "Finer Things" by Jon B feat Nas, "Charlene" by Anthony Hamilton, "Matrimony Maybe You" by Maxwell, "Inside My Love" by Trina Broussard, "Don't You Forget It" by Glenn Lewis, "Nature Of A Man" by Heather Headley, "I Can't Help It" by Davina, "Need You" by 7 Sons Of Soul, and "Guess Who Loves You More" by Raheem DeVaughn. CD

A treasure trove of harmony soul gems – and a package that's overflowing with great numbers from a time when small group soul really sparkled in the funky 45 underground! Most of the cuts here have never appeared on CD before, and a handful are previously unreleased – and together, the set really showcases the sublime style of singing that emerged in the second half of the 60s – a new approach to harmonizing that was different from jazz, gospel, or doo wop groups in previous years – with tremendous interplay between the lead and backup parts of the group, in charts that were continually inventive and richly expressive at a level that still sounds completely great all these many years later! If you only know Motown male groups, or bigger names like The Impressions or Stylistics, you'll find plenty here to discover – a really rich tapestry of tunes that includes "Strange Voice" by The Imaginations, "Baby" by The Joneses, "Boom A Rang" by Dynamic Soul Machine, "By Your Side" by Moon & Mars, "Can't Get You Off My Mind" by Brothers Of Soul, "Waiting For Your Love" by The Love Experience, "Linda" by Salt & Pepper, "Need Someone To Love" by The Symphonies, "Take Your Time" by The Festivals, "That Day When She Needed Me" by The Performers, "We Can Make It Baby" by The Reputations, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" by The Four Sonics, and "I'll Be Waiting" by The Lovettes. CD

An all-classic volume of this wonderful series – one that offers up way more rare 70s tracks than on some of their previous editions – including a lot of cuts that we'd never heard before! Lots of this work is in a really unique spot – not funk, not mainstream soul, but also not disco or club either – and instead in a territory that's a bit pre-modern soul, when artists were turning towards upbeat modes, both in sound and spirit – but still mostly keeping things at a warmly personal level! Some of these tunes remind us of some of our favorite Chicago soul – like work from the Brunswick/Dakar label – but others have more of an east coast vibe, and the tunes flow together wonderfully in that way that really makes us know when we've stepped into something special. Titles include "Something New About You" by Silent Majority, "Funny How We've Changed Places" by Debra Anderson, "Thanks But No Thanks" by General Crook, "Woman" by The Nicky Newarkers, "You Got To Know Better" by Touch Of Class, "When A Boy Falls In Love" by Willie Hutch, "I Love You" by Weldon Irvine, "Soul Travelin (part 1)" by Gary Byrd, "Mr Magic Man" by Wilson Pickett, "I Need Your Love" by Clydene Jackson, "Open Up Your Heart" by Wood Brass & Steel, "I Trust You" by Billy Paul, "Now That You're Gone" by Sonny Turner & Sound Limited, "I Only Hurt Myself" by Lonnie Youngblood, and "Better Late That Never" by Diane Ducane. CD

A very well-titled set – given that the Colemine Records label has given us some mighty soulful slabs of wax in recent years! Although a small label, in the hinterland of Ohio, Colemine is fast rising to be one of the coolest funk labels in the world – right up there on a par with older classics like Desco and Soul Fire, and almost able to challenge the supremacy of the Daptone sound! Yet Colemine is also a bit more wide-ranging than some of those other labels, too – as you'll hear in the rich array of sounds within – all pulled from previous funky 45s on the label, many of which are out of print – and presented here in a fantastic full length set. Titles include "Don't Get Caught" by The Droptones, "Yo Todo T Yo" by The Rugged Nuggets, "Street Sweeper" by The Grease Traps, "Like Yesterday" by The Monophonics, "Pacified" by Soul Scratch, "Remember When" by Leroi Conroy, "Jesse's Jing" by In Motion Collective, "Next To You" by Gene Washington & The Ironsides, and "Suction" by On The Spot Trio. LP, Vinyl record album

It's been almost 60 years since the Stax Records label forever changed the face of American soul music – and we can think of no better way to celebrate than by dipping into this well-chosen batch of 60 classic tracks from the label's glory days! The whole Stax groove is here – from the early roots of Memphis soul, to the label's breakout crossover moment in the 60s, to their new sense of pride and power in the post-1968 years – all wrapped up in a super-tight 3CD set, without any filler at all! The set moves in roughly chronological order – and covers both the ballads and the groovers, the funky moments and more sophisticated sounds – on titles that include "Jody's Got Your Girl & Gone" by Johnnie Taylor, "Fool In Love" by The Veltones, "Big Bird" by Eddie Floyd, "Private Number" by Judy Clay & William Bell, "I Got A Sure Thing" by Ollie & The Nightingales, "Hey You Get Off My Mountain" by The Dramatics, "Starting All Over Again" by Mel & Tim, "Hearsay" by Soul Children, "Dedicated To The One I Love" by The Temprees, "After Laughter" by Wendy Rene, "Walking The Dog" by Rufus Thomas, "You Don't Miss Your Water" by William Bell, "Tramp" by Otis & Carla, "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes, "Just Keep On Loving Me" by Johnnie Taylor & Carla Thomas, "What A Man" by Linda Lynell, and "Your Good Thing Is About To End" by Mable John. CD

A recent set by Marlena Shaw – still going strong in her fourth decade as a singer! The album's got a slightly stiffer feel than some of Shaw's best-known recordings of the 60s or 70s – but it's still quite nice overall, with jazz-tinged backings that are often cut with a bit of added keyboards to charge things up. The core group features David Hazeltine on piano, plus some guest tenor from Stanley Turrentine on a few tracks. There's a slightly bluesy quality to a few numbers, but the focus is still mostly jazzy soul overall – and tracks include "Your Mind Is On Vacation", "Where Do You Start", "Why Oh Why", "Brothers", "Once Again We've Begun To Love", "I'm Alone Again", and "Paint Your Pretty Picture". CD

One of the richest albums from the Kudu years of Grover Washington – a double-length set that shows the full range of his soul and imagination! The album was done in collaboration with Bob James – who arranged and conducted all tracks, and also plays keyboards on the date – and the style is kind of an added extension of other Washington work on Kudu, with added string and chorus bits to round out the sound! Things are still wonderfully soulful – thanks to James' sense of space and timing on the charts – and if anything, the added voices and orchestrations bring an almost soundtrack-like quality to the record – but one that still leaves plenty of room for Washington's solos on tenor, alto, and soprano sax! Most tracks are quite long – really stretching out with lots of room for fresh ideas – and titles include a 15 minute version of "Trouble Man", plus "Taurian Matador", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Masterpiece", "Aubrey", and "Don't Explain". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary collection of rare Jamaican grooves – the first-ever reggae compilation from Soul Jazz Records – and a mighty dip into the huge catalog of Studio One! The collection's over a dozen years old, but it's still incredibly crucial – and this re-presentation gets new mastering, which ups the sound even more – and continues to focus on the kind of unusual tracks that went onto make the whole Dynamite series so great! The package gets way past the overdone roots reggae material that smoked up so many American dorm rooms in the 70s and 80s – and instead focuses on harder, more soulful tracks from the formative years of reggae – all the kind of brilliant productions handled by the legendary Clement Dodd. Great cuts include "Armageddon Time" by Willie Williams, "Stereo Freeze" by Jackie Mittoo, "Granny Scratch Scratch" by Sound Dimension, "Popcorn" by The Upsetters, "I Love The Way You Love" by Bunny Brown, "Give Rasta Glory" by Cedric Brooks, and lots more – and there's also some great Jamaican covers of American funky soul classics – like The Marvels' version of "Rock Steady", and Phyllis Dillon's great remake of Marlena Shaw's "Woman of the Ghetto". Lots more goodies, and the usual Soul Jazz high standard – which is 100% Dynamite! Features 5 more tracks than the original version, too. LP, Vinyl record album

A very well-titled set – given that the Colemine Records label has given us some mighty soulful slabs of wax in recent years! Although a small label, in the hinterland of Ohio, Colemine is fast rising to be one of the coolest funk labels in the world – right up there on a par with older classics like Desco and Soul Fire, and almost able to challenge the supremacy of the Daptone sound! Yet Colemine is also a bit more wide-ranging than some of those other labels, too – as you'll hear in the rich array of sounds within – all pulled from previous funky 45s on the label, many of which are out of print – and presented here in a fantastic full length set. Titles include "Don't Get Caught" by The Droptones, "Yo Todo Tu Yo" by The Rugged Nuggets, "Street Sweeper" by The Grease Traps, "Like Yesterday" by The Monophonics, "Pacified" by Soul Scratch, "Remember When" by Leroi Conroy, "Jesse's Jing" by In Motion Collective, "Next To You" by Gene Washington & The Ironsides, and "Suction" by On The Spot Trio. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic batch of grooves – and a much-needed document of the rich array of funky sounds that were coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s! The country's best known as the homeland of Fela Kuti – an artist who forever changed the face of global funk – but what's not as well known is that there were a number of other artists operating in Fela's shadow, crafting their own interpretation of American soul and African funk during the same generation. This overstuffed package offers a great look (and listen) into that scene – and compiles tracks by a few artists you might already recognize, plus others that are presented here for the first time in such a set. As with other compilations on the Strut label, the notes are very well done, with loads of information and details on the recordings – but even more importantly, the music is fantastic, with a rich array of grooves that blows away most mainstream compilations of Afro Funk from the 70s! Titles include "Enjoy Yourself" by Sahara All Stars Band, "Shango" by Peter King, "Dancing Time" by The Funkees, "Ikon Allah" by Bala Miller & The Great Music Pirameeds Of Afrika, "Tire Loma Da Nigbehin" by Monomono, "Kita Kita" by Gasper Lawal, "Agboju Logun" by Shina Williams & His African Percussionists, "Akayan Ekassa" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maesstroes, "Ja Fun Mi (inst)" by Sunny Ade, "Alla Wakbarr" by Ofo The Black Company, "Ifa" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Jenu Ko Ku" by Fela & Africa 70, "La La La" by Segun Bucknor, and "Orere Elejigbo" by Lijadu Sisters. 22 tracks in all – almost everything from the previous 3CD version that's been out of print for years. CD

One of the coolest labels on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s – part of the larger One-Der-Ful family of imprints, and equally important as the flagship company! Mar-V-Lus cut some of the hippest work in the Windy City at the time – deeply soulful singles that were really at the cusp of the scene, and which also had a fair bit of funk in the mix as well – the grittier side of Chicago soul that really represented the true sound of the underground! And although some of the Mar-V-Lus label material has been reissued over the years, this package uncovers 10 never-issued tracks, and mixes them with 15 more gems that only ever came out as rare indie singles – making for over two dozen Chicago soul treasures, packaged here with a very detailed set of notes. The package is another great step in this six-volume series – and completely essential listening, even to long-trained Chicago soul ears like ours! Unreleased tracks include "For You My Love" by Josephine Taylor, "Sad Souvenirs" by The Ulti-mations, "I Feel Good All Over" by Baby Miracles, "I Want A Man" by Josephine Taylor, "If You Need Me" by The Du-Ettes, "Sweatin" by Alvin Cash, "Stop Call The Cop" by The Du-Ettes, and "Your Love Picks Me Up" by Josephine Taylor – and other titles include "Love Is A Good Thing Goin" by The Blenders, "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" by Johnny Sayles, "I Still Can't Get You" by Joseph Moore, "Joey" by The Young Folk, "Philly Freeze" by Alvin Cash, "You're Gonna Be Sorry" by Cicero Blake, "Would I Do It Over" by The Ulti-mations, "Lonely Girl" by Miss Madeline, and "Whole Lot Of Lovin" by Johnny Sayles. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent overview of the ways in which the Japanese scene has really changed in recent years – moving past the straighter soul, house, and club jazz of a decade ago – into a range of creative styles that are completely their own! There's definitely a current of jazz that runs through most of this work, but the presentation is very unique overall – groups that change up rhythms in interesting ways, shift the instrumentation and production modes into very groundbreaking territory, and keep pushing the boundaries in the process! There's only one name here we'd heard before – Takuya Kuroda, who gave us records here in the US – but all other artists are new to our ears. Titles include "Porter" by Daiki Tsuneta Millennium Parade, "Spur" by Les Komatis, "Milestones" by Racha Fola, "Bring Me To Having A Curry Rice" by Banda Choro Eletrico, "WTRDR Suite 2 SDOKS" by Osawa Birdwatcherz, "Spank A Lee Jam" by Naked Voice, "The Source" by Satoshi Yoshida, "Green Dolphin Street" by Maya Hatch, and "Waiting In Fain" by Takumi Moriya. CD

One of Airto's greatest records ever – a really hard hitting batch of tracks that mix sharp-edged fusion lines with some earthier Brazilian percussion touches – all in a way that nicely steps off of Airto's first few American releases, and warms the groove up with a nice dose of California soul! Flora Purim joins in here on both vocals and percussion – and the rest of the group features Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica, Jorgte Fattoruso on drums, and David Amaro on both electric and acoustic guitars – shifting nicely between both instruments in a way that further underscores the blended vibe of the record! Most of these tracks are Airto classics – like "Tombo in 7/4", "San Francisco River", "Romance Of Death", "Ringers", and "Wind Chant" – and the record has a very sweet CTI production style, but is still rough enough around the edges to keep things nice and real! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album of funky jazz – arranged and conducted by British organ and sax player Johnny Arnold – but also featuring some incredible work from an assortment of west coast soul jazz players that include Charles Kynard, Curtis Amy, Hadley Caliman, and Vi Redd! As the title kind of implies, the groove's in a swinging soundtrack sort of mode – almost a Lalo Schifrin 60s style, and one that blends together the organ lines with some totally sweet work on vibes, flute, and tenor sax. There's a wonderful Verve-like feel going down here – although in some way, the album's even hipper than anything on Verve from the time! Titles include "Agadir Sunset", "It's The Water", "Hot Rod", "Slipping Easy", and "Funkville U.S.A.". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild & beautiful! This album's impossible to describe accurately, and it's the only record we've ever seen by the enigmatic Latin-tinged duo Alzo & Udine! The groove has a tight jangly feel, with nice lows, very catchy hooks, and amazing vocals from Alzo & Udine that kind of feel like Mel & Tim mixed with Joe Bataan mixed with The Young Rascals mixed with Jose Feliciano – if you need a comparison! The vocals are laid over spare arrangements that feature bass, guitar, and conga – vamping away in sort of a folk/soul groove – and although the overall approach is quite spare, the quality of the music is heavenly. At some level, the album had to have been a mistake – as it's got a whimsey and honesty that would never have gotten it on the charts – but that's exactly why we love it so much. Titles include "Something's Going", "C'Mon & Join Us", "This Room", "Want Your Love", "Hey Hey Hey, She's OK", and "Define". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of classy vocals – one that helped set a whole new tone in 80s soul music! Anita had already gained a bit of experience on the soul scene before this set, but with this record she emerged as a full-formed diva who could effortlessly blend jazz and soul into a magnificent new sound. The production has a few touches that date the record a bit, but there's a timelessness to the set that was apparent to listeners the moment it was released. Titles include "Mystery", "No One In The World", "Sweet Love", "You Bring Me Joy", and "Caught Up In The Rapture". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Gato Barbieri's later recordings – but don't hold that against it! The set's a smoother effort than most of Gato's earlier work, but it's also still pretty darn soulful – done in a way that allows plenty of space for his raspy reed work on tenor to flow over the top of larger arrangements that have a nice electric touch. Players include Eric Gale and Joe Beck on guitars, Don Grolnick on keyboards, and Mtume and Ralph MacDonald on percussion – both of whom give the tunes a nice earthy undercurrent when needed. And while we might be put off by the larger, more heavily-arranged sound – Gato himself is still in charge of the charts, and keeps things nicely focused in a soulfully expressive way! Titles include "Firelies", "Fiesta", "Europa", "Don't Cry Rochelle", "Behind The Rain", "Los Desperados", and "I Want You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rarest funky records of all time – the hard-to-find second album by Beginning Of The End! This West Indian combo hit it big with their first album on Alston, but this second set, for some strange reason, never really got distributed – which is a damn shame, because it's every bit as funky as their first! The uniquely choppy rhythms of the group's first album are every bit as great here as on the first set – and if anything, the band's instrumentation is even better, especially on the guitar, which is wickedly tight, and played with a super-dope flanged-out approach on the solos. Vocals are great too, maybe even more soulful than before, especially on the album's few midtempo cuts – and the album's a must-have for any fan of the group's funky sound! Titles include "That's What I Get", "Super Woman", "Bluestrain", "Jump In The Water", "Falling Apart At The Seams", and "Trip To Nowhere". LP, Vinyl record album

Four albums from the second chapter in the career of Jorge Ben – packaged here in a single set, with a few bonus tracks too! First up is A Banda Do Ze Preinho – a record that's funky, soulful, and totally wonderful – a wicked late 70s live set from Jorge Ben – and one of his few post-Philips albums that really holds onto the best energy from earlier years! The date's a live one, and the group grooves in a style that's got plenty of Africa Brasil touches – mixed with some other soulful and funky modes too – always great for Jorge's wonderful vocals, especially on some of the earthier tracks. The production is nice and lean – with a core focus on Jorge's great voice, and the funky instrumentation of the band – which really lets the fantastic sound of the record come through strongly, without some of the heavier elements on some of Jorge's 80s records. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Troca Troca", "Bom Dia, Boa Tarde Boa Noite Amor", "A Banda Do Ze Pretinho", "Denize Rei", "Berenice", "Amante Amado", and "Era Uma Vez Treze". Salve Simpatia is late 70s funky soul from Jorge Ben – a record that tightens up the sound a bit from his earlier years on Philips – but still keeps in all the core elements we love so much! The tracks bounce along with a tight samba soul approach that's built very much on Jorge's earlier experiments – handled with a bit more modern soul on the arrangements, but in a way that only makes the grooves come across more directly – in a style that's akin to some other Brazilian artists who were shifting more soul towards soul from other styles at the time – such as Marcos Valle and some of his contemporaries. Titles include "Salve Simpatia", "Ive Brussel", "Waldomiro Pena", "Adelita", "Occulatus Abis", and "Menina Crioula". Alo Alo Como Vai has Jorge working in a smoother vein than on his Philips sides, with the same sort of modern soul approach that Marcos Valle and other older Brazilian singers were using at the time. But since Jorge's always been a soulster from the start, the style works perfectly for his warm vocals and his keen talent for putting over a groove. Arrangements have kind of a brassy funky samba groove – and titles include "Ma Ma Ma Ma Mae", "Solitario Surfista", "Olha A Pipa", "Cae Cae Caetano", "Alo Alo, Como Vai?", and "A Cegohna Me Deixou Em Mardureira". Bem Vinda Amizade is an 80s groover with a sound that's a bit of a change from his 70s classics! The backings show Ben picking up some modern soul elements from the US scene of the time – but these are also mixed with some rougher, rhythmic styles that are definitely Brazilian – which makes for a really compelling blend – quite similar to the samba and soul mix of Jorge's 70s records, but tuned towards the ears of a different generation overall. Bits of boogie mix in to the groove nicely – and titles include "Katarina Katarina", "Para Que Digladiar", "Santa Clara Clareou", "O Diam Em Que O Sol Declarou O Seu Amor Pela Terra", "Lorraine", and "Luiz Wagner Guitarreiro". CD set features 3 bonus tracks – "Natal Brasileiro", "Waimea 55,000", and "Saci Perere". CD

Not the first ever Best Of Big Star compilation, but perhaps the best of we've seen – put together with the partipation of drummer Jody Stephens – featuring most of the very best tracks from all three Big Star LPs, recordings that have hardly aged a day since the early 70s! The carefully chosen tracklist touches on all the bands most rewarding facets, and short of being all of the classic original LPs, we'd be hard pressed to recommend a better entry point the band's classic ouvre. Includes the single versions of "In The Street", "Don't Lie To Me", "September Gurls", "Jesus Christ" "Watch The Sunrise" and "O, My Soul", plus "Thirteen", "I'm In Love With A Girl", "Feel", "When My Baby's Beside Me", "Take Care", "Life Is White", "The Ballad Of El Goodo", "Nightime", "Back Of A Car" and "Thank You Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet mellow soul meets the burgeoning east coast club soul sound – and the results are incredible! Leroy Burgess arranged the rhythms and Patrick Adams arranged the strings and horns – both masterfully – but it's this warm, emotionally resonant and supremely soulful Black Ivory vocal arrangements that shoot this one so high into the stratosphere. Feel It was the first album in a few years from the group, marking a bit of transition in styles from the earlier, more ballad-heavy approach, but it carries that genuinely emotional vibe really, really well. An album we've always dug, but love even more after revisiting it – we think you'll love it, too! Includes the vocal and instrumental versions of "Daily News", plus the cuts "Warm Inside", "Feel It", "Will We Ever Come Together", "You're What's Been Missing From My Life", "Love, Won't You Stay" and "All In A Day's Love". CD

Sweet mellow soul meets the burgeoning east coast club soul sound – and the results are incredible! Leroy Burgess arranged the rhythms and Patrick Adams arranged the strings and horns – both masterfully – but it's this warm, emotionally resonant and supremely soulful Black Ivory vocal arrangements that shoot this one so high into the stratosphere. Feel It was the first album in a few years from the group, marking a bit of transition in styles from the earlier, more ballad-heavy approach, but it carries that genuinely emotional vibe really, really well. An album we've always dug, but love even more after revisiting it – we think you'll love it, too! Includes the vocal and instrumental versions of "Daily News", plus the cuts "Warm Inside", "Feel It", "Will We Ever Come Together", "You're What's Been Missing From My Life", "Love, Won't You Stay" and "All In A Day's Love". CD

A strange bit of soul from the later years of CTI – and one of the few albums we've ever seen from the enigmatic John Blair! Blair is an artist with a bit of a cosmic vibe – kind of a spacey sense of soul that maybe fits his appearance on the cover – and which is couched here in kind of a flanged-out rock style that's a bit different than some of the other CTI sessions of the time! D avid Matthews handled the arrangements – mixing in a bit of his funk with some fuzzier currents – and the great Googie Coppola joins John on vocals on a number of cuts, using a spacey soul style that's mighty nice. Titles include "Feather Lite & Honey Smooth", "I'm A Wizard", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Moonlight Serenade", "We Belong Together", and "Don't Feel That Way No More". CD

Incredible work by Willie Bobo – a slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums! The record's a killer all the way through – a mixture of Latin and deep 70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully all the way through the set. We've always liked Willie a lot, but honestly, we don't know how he managed to make a record this funky – but we're also not arguing, just enjoying the grooves with tremendous delight and surprise. Great all the way through, and includes the break cuts "Do What You Want to Do", "Broasted or Fried", and "Soul Foo Young" – plus a version of "Dindi", which, for some reason, Willie seemed to record every chance he got! Other titles include "Shut Up & Pay Attention", "Come Together", and "Never You Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work by Willie Bobo – a slamming record of hard funky instrumentals, one that sounds different than any of his other albums! The record's a killer all the way through – a mixture of Latin and deep 70s funk, one of the few perfect fusions of the styles, held up beautifully all the way through the set. We've always liked Willie a lot, but honestly, we don't know how he managed to make a record this funky – but we're also not arguing, just enjoying the grooves with tremendous delight and surprise. Great all the way through, and includes the break cuts "Do What You Want to Do", "Broasted or Fried", and "Soul Foo Young" – plus a version of "Dindi", which, for some reason, Willie seemed to record every chance he got! Other titles include "Shut Up & Pay Attention", "Come Together", and "Never You Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best 80s albums from this always-solid Brazilian artist! Joao's not only in fine form vocally, but he has some top-shelf help from Adair Blanc, who co-wrote most of the songs with Joao, and from Cesar Camargo Mariano, who produced and arranged the whole album. Mariano's talent is the real key here, as he adds a lot of smooth jazzy touches that recall some of his later work with Elis Regina, or the instrumental musings that he was laying down on his own albums of the same time. The best numbers mix a complicated fusion backing with Bosco's warm acoustic guitar playing and soulful vocals. Titles include "Coisa Feita", "Na Venda", "Querido Diario", "Comissao De Frente", and "Nacao". CD

A brilliant soul album! That's right, we said SOUL album! Bowie was at the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame when this one was recorded – a drastic left-turn in styles, forged during a point in his American tour when he could take a break, head to Philly, plug in at the Sigma Sound Studios, and come up with some fantastic little soul tunes, thanks to help from Luther Vandross! The album sparkles with the best sound of Luther's early work – and you'll hear more than a bit of Luther's work on his own, and his tunes with Gregg Diamond on the set. Features the sublime tracks "Win", "Fascination", "Right", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "Can You Hear Me" – as well as the hits "Young Americans" and "Fame". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant soul album! That's right, we said SOUL album! Bowie was at the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame when this one was recorded – a drastic left-turn in styles, forged during a point in his American tour when he could take a break, head to Philly, plug in at the Sigma Sound Studios, and come up with some fantastic little soul tunes, thanks to help from Luther Vandross! The album sparkles with the best sound of Luther's early work – and you'll hear more than a bit of Luther's work on his own, and his tunes with Gregg Diamond on the set. Features the sublime tracks "Win", "Fascination", "Right", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", and "Can You Hear Me" – as well as the hits "Young Americans" and "Fame". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jacques Brel's best albums from the 60s – and a beautiful batch of songs that showed how much he'd matured as a songwriter by the end of the decade! The album's filled with loads of tracks that haven't been over-done in English versions (as have some of his earlier ones) – all arranged to perfection by the great Francois Rauber, still very much in line with Brel's mood and vision on all of the work. Titles include "La Biere", "Un Enfant", "L'Eclusier", "Je Suis Un Soir D'Ete", "Vesoul", and "Regarde Bien Petit". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo album from Johnny Bristol – a genius soul talent who did a bunch of great work for Motown as a writer and arranger, breaking out here on his own! Like so many other behind-the-scenes talents from the late 60s, Johnny turned out to be an excellent soul artist in his own right – even though he only got to cut a rare few albums during the 70s – and this debut album already has him emerging straight away as a fully-formed talent! The vibe is a great mix of Detroit and California Motown – arranged by HB Barnum, and produced with a style that's tight, but still open and fluid too. Backings mix soulful strings with sweet harmonies – and lots of the tunes have a great 70s mellow soul groove. Titles include "Woman Woman", "I Got Your Number", "You & I", "It Don't Hurt No More", and the anthemic "Hang On In There Baby". CD

A landmark album that forever changed the face of live recordings – and soul music too! As has been told and retold often, King records not only had the genius idea of bringing recording equipment into the Apollo Theater to catch James in a smoking live setting – the sort of show that really set his fans on fire – but they also went out of their way to record and re-record the audience, creating a wonderful interplay on the record between James and the crowd. The result is the stuff of legend – and the record's filled with loads of nice tracks like "I'll Go Crazy", "Try Me", "I Don't Mind", "Lost Someone", "Think", "Night Train", and the massive medley featuring "Please Please Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me/I Want You So Bad/I Love You Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen". CD

A landmark album that forever changed the face of live recordings – and soul music too! As has been told and retold often, King records not only had the genius idea of bringing recording equipment into the Apollo Theater to catch James in a smoking live setting – the sort of show that really set his fans on fire – but they also went out of their way to record and re-record the audience, creating a wonderful interplay on the record between James and the crowd. The result is the stuff of legend – and the record's filled with loads of nice tracks like "I'll Go Crazy", "Try Me", "I Don't Mind", "Lost Someone", "Think", "Night Train", and the massive medley featuring "Please Please Please/You've Got The Power/I Found Someone/Why Do You Do Me/I Want You So Bad/I Love You Yes I Do/Strange Things Happen". This newly remastered edition features five bonus tracks/single mixes of original LP tracks! CD

An incredible early album from James Brown – featuring 16 raw R&B tracks culled from his early years at King – and virtually the blueprint for so many other great things to follow! "Please Please Please" was James' first big hit – and as you probably already know, it's got a sheer raw unbridled screaming sound that forever changed the face of soul music. The rest of the album's in a similar mode – and has plenty of great numbers that evoke a similar sound, including the obvious follow-up "No, No, No, No", plus "That's When I Lost My Heart", "Chonnie On Chon", "Hold My Baby's Hand", and "Tell Me What I Did Wrong". CD

A very unusual setting for the legendary Ruth Brown – the singer who first rose to fame singing raw-edged R&B tracks for Atlantic Records in the 50s – but who works here in a much jazzier mode overall! The set features backings from Peter Matz – who often accompanied the classier singers of the time – and Ruth really does a great job of mixing her bold vocals with his jazzy charts – soaring to new heights in a way that swings nicely, and makes for much deeper soul than most of Matz's other projects. Musicians include Hank Jones on piano, Clark Terry on trumpet, Barry Galbraith on guitar, Urbie Green on trombone, and Richard Davis on bass – and there also seem to be some female backup singers in a few spots too. Titles include two from Nellie Lutcher "Hurry On Down" and "He's A Real Gone Guy" and Dick Hyman's "Watch It", "Whispering Grass", "I Know Why", "Here's That Rainy Day", and a very interesting interpretation of "On The Good Ship Lollipop" – which almost makes the whole tune sound like a sad ballad. LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of jazzy tracks that features the hard left-hand piano of Ray Bryant over sweet soul arrangements by Richard Evans, in the same style that Cadet used for some of Ramsey Lewis' best work from the time! Ray also arranged a few of the cuts, in a mode that's just like Evans' – and the album features a dozen soul jazz groovers that stand with some of Ray's best work of the time. Titles include "Ode To Billie Joe", "Ramblin", "Natural Woman", "Pata Pata", "Poochie", "Paper Cup", and "Doing My Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jerry Butler's funkiest moments of the 70s – served up in a fantastic soundtrack co-penned and arranged by the great Jerry Peters! Peters is best known for his hip work with a variety of soul acts in the studio, but he really steps out here for the score to Melinda – a lesser-known blacksploitation film from the early 70s, but one that boasts a heck of a great soundtrack! Peters approach here is a bit more baroque than some of his contemporaries – and he uses stepping strings equally alongside funky rhythms – creating a groove that's complicated, yet still plenty darn funky – and a sound that's as soulful on the mellower tunes as it is on the standout uptempo ones. Jerry Butler sings vocals on "Speak Truth To The People", "Tank's Theme", "Love is", and "Melinda Reprise" – but the instrumental tracks are even better, and inlcude the clavinet groover "Part III", the sitar-styled "Melinda Latino", and the cuts "Music For Tank's Boat", "The Blues (Dope Pusher's Theme)", and "I Can't Let You Go". CD

One of Jerry Butler's funkiest moments of the 70s – served up in a fantastic soundtrack co-penned and arranged by the great Jerry Peters! Peters is best known for his hip work with a variety of soul acts in the studio, but he really steps out here for the score to Melinda – a lesser-known blacksploitation film from the early 70s, but one that boasts a heck of a great soundtrack! Peters approach here is a bit more baroque than some of his contemporaries – and he uses stepping strings equally alongside funky rhythms – creating a groove that's complicated, yet still plenty darn funky – and a sound that's as soulful on the mellower tunes as it is on the standout uptempo ones. Jerry Butler sings vocals on "Speak Truth To The People", "Tank's Theme", "Love is", and "Melinda Reprise" – but the instrumental tracks are even better, and inlcude the clavinet groover "Part III", the sitar-styled "Melinda Latino", and the cuts "Music For Tank's Boat", "The Blues (Dope Pusher's Theme)", and "I Can't Let You Go". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure record with a silly title – but a seminal batch of southern soul instrumentals, recorded at the height of the Muscle Shoals scene! The record's a really odd one in the Chess catalog – because it's got the feel of a record that should have come out on Atlantic or Capitol, or more appropriately Fame – as Rick Hall arranged and produced the record, and it features instrumentation by all his best Fame Studios session players, including Charlie Chalmers and Andrew Love on tenor, Gene Miller and Wayne Jackson on trumpet, Jimmy Johnson guitar, Spooner Oldham on piano, Carl Banks on organ, and Roger Hawkins on drums. Chalmers handles the main solo lines on tenor – cutting nice King Curtis-y lines over some well crafted southern soul grooves with a strong funky 45 feel. There's some particularly great cuts on the album – and titles include "Night Rumble", "Velvet Soul", "Groovin", "Soulin", "Two In The Morning", and "Poppin". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the darkest tracks we've ever heard from Gene Chandler – or any other singer, for that matter! "Suicide" is an immensely compelling tune that tells the tale of a sad lonely fellow on the way home from work, contemplating suicide by jumping off a building – and thinking about how the tragedy will read the next day in the paper! Gene is heartbreaking, and the complex arrangements take the track to the next level. "This Bitter Earth" is a more familier soul standard, but Gene does it proud – with a sweet sophisticated style that works perfectly. 7-inch, Vinyl record

Strong sounds from the young Clifton Chenier – one of the first great voices in zydeco grooves in the postwar years! Yet the music here isn't the pandered-out zydeco of later years – when it was almost to the Louisiana scene what Chicago blues had become to the tourists in the Windy City – as the music here was an initial burst of accordion-fueled blues, which had to compete with the other modes in the postwar blues scene – a place where Clifton surprised many with his harmonica-like command of a once-clunky instrument! In a way, you could almost think of many of these cuts as harp blues-styled numbers – especially when Chenier soars out with some rough-edged vocals – and there's a swampy, gritty sound that really makes the whole thing great. CD features 24 tracks in all – with titles that include "Rockin Hop", "Clifton's Blues", "The Cat's Dreamin", "The Big Wheel", "My Soul", "Bayou Drive", "All Night Long", "Boppin The Rock", and "The Things I Did For You". CD

Maybe the best of their mid 70s records for RCA, in a similar style tp a lot of other East Coast groups from the time who had bigger hits and more mainstream popularity, even if few of their peers were truly as wonderful as the mighty Choice Four! On Top Of Clear is a close to perfect mix of uptempo cuts and ballads, with some of the sweetest lead and harmony vocals of the 70s! Van McCoy arranged and produced, and titles includes their single "Hey, What's That Dance You're Doing (Tom Moulton Mix)", "Two Different Worlds", "Mysterious Lady (Tom Moulton Mix)", "Beautiful Glow", "Come Down To Earth", and "Everybody's Got A Story". 4 bonus tracks on the FTG Soul & Funk Classics edition – "A Time For Celebration" (short version and long version), plus the great, longer 12" versions of "Two Different Worlds" and "Come Down To Earth". CD

A classic from Merry Clayton – and a record whose title follows from her big fame of singing on the original version of "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones! The sound here is a lot more soul-based, as you'd guess – arranged beautifully by Gene Page, with a really righteous feel that's perfect for Merry's deeply soulful vocal approach – and produced to perfection by Lou Adler, with some surprising help from Curtis Amy – one of our favorite saxophonists ever. Music is by a hip cast of top-shelf talents from the coast – including Billy Preston on organ, Joe Sample on piano, David T Walker on guitar, and Paul Humphrey on drums – all nice and tight, but totally right in the pocket with their grooves. Titles include Merry's classic version of "Gimme Shelter", plus "Tell All The People", "I've Got Life", "Here Come Those Heartaches Again", and "Good Girls". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing too mad here, but a wonderful record that really shows the genius of Richie Cole in the 70s! Cole on Muse is a wonderful combination – sharp-edged alto sax, rooted in tradition – but let loose on some freer soul jazz modes as well, really showing the strong jazz underground that was bubbling strongly at the time. Cole's alto is set up beautifully with rhythm from Harold Mabern on piano, Rick Laird or Steve Gilmore on bass, and Eddie Gladden on drums – and the record also features percussion from Ray Mantill and guitar from Vic Juris – both players who shape the sound of the record differently than you might expect. As on other Cole records of the time, Eddie Jefferson makes a great guest appearance – singing wonderfully on "Moody's Mood 78" and "The Common Touch" – the latter of which is a great lost bit of Jefferson from the 70s. Other cuts include "Cole's Nocturne", "The Price Is Right", "Remember Your Day Off", and "Last Tango In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic – not just from Sam Cooke, but in the genre of "best of" records too! The set's overflowing with classic singles from the legendary soul singers – almost the perfect record to start with if you've ever wanted to sample Sam's genius – that amazing voice, intimate sense of presentation, and undeniably mature, masculine sound that forever changed the face of soul music! Every track's a winner – and titles include "Only Sixteen", "You Send Me", "Cupid", "Chain Gang", "Having A Party", "Twistin The Night Away", "Wonderful World", "Summertime", "Everybody Loves To Cha Cha", "For Sentimental Reasons", "Sad Mood", and "Bring It On Home To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime jazzy soul from Creative Source – a group who managed to step way way past their early hits with a sound that's even more sophisticated on later albums! The groove is wonderfully produced by Brad Shapiro, who brings in just a bit of deeper soul to the proceedings, but also manages to work some real magic with the sweet harmonies of the group – in a way that just plain great! Includes the cuts "Singin Funky Music Turns Me On", "Under Your Spell", "There's No Substitute", "Troubled Lady", "Magic", and "I'd Find You Anywhere". LP, Vinyl record album

Creedence Clearwater Revival may not have actually been born on the bayou – they were long-timers in the San Francisco scene of the 60s – but they do a hell of a job of reinventing swamp rock on this second stunning album! The quartet are a masterpiece of spare, unbridled power – the tremendous guitar and vocals of John Fogerty, strong rhythm guitar support of brother Tom, driving drums of Doug Clifford, and rolling bass of Stu Cook – all forged into a sound that's maybe more perfectly a summation of the blend of blues, funk, rock, and soul than some of the groups of the south were turning out at the time. Tracks include the huge hits "Born On The Bayou" and "Proud Mary" – sitting nicely alongside even more compelling numbers like "Bootleg", "Graveyard Train", "Penthouse Pauper", and "Keep On Chooglin". LP, Vinyl record album

Two later albums from Sonny Criss – back to back in a single set! Joy Of Sax is a sweet batch of soulful fusion from alto saxophonist Criss – quite different than the small group acoustic sessions that made up most of his career – but a shining light in his later revival, and an album that really got him in touch with a wider range of listeners! The style here is full and soulful – arranged by Wade Marcus with a mix of larger jazz ensemble playing, and a bit of strings – similar to styles used a the time for Lou Donaldson, Willis Jackson, and other 60s reedmen. Criss is right out front on alto, and other players include Blue Mitchell on trumpet and Patrice Rushen on keyboards – working nicely here in a style that's almost Kudo or CTI. Titles include "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", "Turn Me Loose", "Stolen Moments", and "Midnight Mellow". Warm & Sonny is nice nice late work from Sonny Criss – a record that has him moving into a whole new direction – given that the set features larger electric backings, arranged by Wade Marcus! And although Sonny's great in a small combo setting, he's also wonderful here, too – a really expressive player who gets into the groove nicely – blowing with the same depth of soul that Stanley Turrentine might bring to such a record. There's a nice stepper's groove backing up the version of "That's The Way Of The World" and "Bumpin" is nice, laidback mellow groover. Other cuts include "Blues For Willie", "Cool Struttin", and "Sweet Summer Breeze". CD

It's past the disco years, and Crown Heights Affair have emerged nicely – with a sweet modern soul style that's got a bit of 80s groove, and which shows a lot more soul than some of their earlier work! The band's singing in a sweet harmony style that works very well with the music – and we might be tempted to compare this one to some of the great early 80s Philly International work by The Stylistics and The Futures! Titles include "Heart Upside Down", "Somebody Tell Me What To Do", "Let Me Ride On The Wave Of Your Love", and "I Got Somethin For Ya". LP, Vinyl record album

It's past the disco years, and Crown Heights Affair have emerged nicely – with a sweet modern soul style that's got a bit of 80s groove, and which shows a lot more soul than some of their earlier work! The band's singing in a sweet harmony style that works very well with the music – and we might be tempted to compare this one to some of the great early 80s Philly International work by The Stylistics and The Futures! Titles include "Heart Upside Down", "Somebody Tell Me What To Do", "Let Me Ride On The Wave Of Your Love", and "I Got Somethin For Ya". CD features three bonus tracks – "Let Me Ride On The Waves Of Your Love (orig 12" version)", "Somebody Tell Me What To Do (single version)", and "Wine & Dine You (single version)". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from The Crusaders – a set that really sums up all the tightness they'd forged in the 70s, while still showing a new sense of soul and funk as well – expertly balanced with flawless LA production! The album may well be the group's equivalent of a Steely Dan album – no surprise, given the work they'd done on sessions for that group – and the title cut is the massive extended version of "Street Life", with killer vocals from Randy Crawford – and other titles include "My Lady", "Night Faces", "The Hustler", and "Rodeo Drive". LP, Vinyl record album

Instantly timeless work from Martinho Da Vila – a set that's every bit as powerful as his classic albums from the 70s – and done with an even more personal sound! Martinho first rose to fame at a time when there was a big wave of new samba recordings in Brazil – a mode that still held onto the roots, but also pushed the music with a fullness in terms of production – never too commercial, yet still quite different than the approach used here – which is very intimate, and maybe makes the album one of the singer's most impressive ever! The passage of years has only made Martinho's vocals better, and amidst the spare percussion and stringed instrumentation, he really carries the sound of the record beautifully – making us feel as if we've stumbled upon to his genius all over again, but at an even more powerful level. Titles include "Samba Sem Letra", "Amanha E Sabado", "Danadinho Danado", "Choro Chorao", "Soul Brasileiro", "Muita Luz", "Sarava Sarava", and "Daqui De La E De Acola". CD

The biggest-label release ever cut by 70s funk legend Betty Davis – but a set that's every bit as hard and heavy as the indie dates that preceded it! Davis is at the top of her form here – bad-stepping amidst the heavy drums and freaked-out guitars that easily made her one of the funkiest folks working in the 70s – an artist who was definitely very much into her own bag, and who's only finally getting her due all these many years later! In a way, the groove is even leaner than before – especially the drums, which are turbocharged with energy, and set a badass vibe for the record throughout – mixing up equal parts of rock, funk, and soul – almost with the genre-busting modes that wouldn't really show up on the New York scene until a number of years later. The whole thing kicks ass – and titles include "Nasty Gal", "Talkin' Trash", "Dedicated To The Press", "FUNK", "Getting Kicked Off Havin Fun", "Shut Off The Light", "This Is It", "The Lone Ranger", and "Feelins". Great new pressing of the classic – with a 32 page booklet that includes liner notes, lyrics, and lots of cool photos! CD

Great work from Tyrone Davis' under-recognized years at Columbia Records – a wonderful set of mature modern soul numbers that really let the singer find a whole new groove! The whole thing's nicely free of any sort of commercial overtones – and instead, the album has Davis really spinning out this rich, warm groove – arranged throughout by James Mack, who brings in a perfect Chicago balance of soul and sophistication – elements that many of Tyrone's contemporaries cooked up in the past, but hardly did this well at the time! And Davis' vocals somehow seem better than ever – more expressive in more ways, but never overtone – really illustrating that path that deep soul took to the Windy City, while changing up its sound in the process. Titles include a remake of "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", plus "Just My Luck", "I Won't Let Go", "You're Heaven Sent", "You Made Me Beautiful", and "Let's Be Closer Together". CD

Great work from Tyrone Davis' under-recognized years at Columbia Records – a wonderful set of mature modern soul numbers that really let the singer find a whole new groove! The whole thing's nicely free of any sort of commercial overtones – and instead, the album has Davis really spinning out this rich, warm groove – arranged throughout by James Mack, who brings in a perfect Chicago balance of soul and sophistication – elements that many of Tyrone's contemporaries cooked up in the past, but hardly did this well at the time! And Davis' vocals somehow seem better than ever – more expressive in more ways, but never overtone – really illustrating that path that deep soul took to the Windy City, while changing up its sound in the process. Titles include a remake of "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", plus "Just My Luck", "I Won't Let Go", "You're Heaven Sent", "You Made Me Beautiful", and "Let's Be Closer Together". CD features a bonus 7" mix of "Just My Love". CD

An early album from drummer Jack DeJohnette – and one of the first records to really show the full range of his talents! The players on the record are all a wonderful batch of well-matched up-and-comers from the soul jazz scene of the time – and include Stanley Cowell on piano and electric piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, Bennie Maupin on tenor and flute, and Eddie Gomez on bass. DeJohnette's on drums, as you'd guess - but also plays melodica on a few tracks on the album, giving it a weird, eerie quality that really stands out. One of the best of these moments is the album's version of Cowell's "Equipoise" – done fantastically as a jagged little mellow groover, and worth the price of the record alone! Other tracks verge between more out jamming, introspective soul jazz, and Miles-style flowing electric work – and titles include "Brown Warm & Wintry", "Requiem No 1", "Miles' Mode", and "Papa Daddy & Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A key record in Deodato's move from funky jazz in the 70s to modern soul in the 80s – and one that showcases the best of his talents in both genres! The approach here is more tightly arranged and produced than that of his earlier CTI sides – but in a mode that's still plenty nice to our ears – as Deodato's uncanny sense of rhythm and timing is still very firmly in place, making the set way way more than just a smooth jazz album – and pushing it strongly into the realm of soulful spacey fusion! There's some really great tracks on the set – like the amazing "Skatin", a sweet keyboard number that's a perfect roller skating jam (in case you couldn't guess from the title) – plus "Love Magic", "Uncle Funk", "East Side Strut", and "Night Cruiser". LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest female soul from the southern scene at the start of the 70s – two monumental albums from singer Doris Duke, both produced by Swamp Dogg and packaged here with some rare bonus cuts too! Doris' work has always been some of our favorite from the deep soul scene – honest, personal, and earthy – with a quality that goes way beyond the cliches of other female soul singers from the south – an aspect that's even more surprising, given that Swamp Dogg was in on the mix! Doris has a way of putting over a tune that's really incredible – that kind of intimate, one-on-one mode that brings to mind the kind of chills we first felt when hearing Otis Redding on Stax – and which somehow manages to hold on strong over all the tracks on the set. At 26 numbers in all, the package is a tremendous rare soul treasure – and features the full tracks from the album I'm A Loser and A Legend In Her Own Time – plus some rare singles cut by Doris under the name Doris Willingham. Titles include "He's Gone", "Feet Start Walking", "Ghost Of Myself", "I Wish I Could Sleep", "It Sure Was Fun", "I'd Do It All Over You", "If She's Your Wife", "Bad Water", "To The Other Woman (I'm The Other Woman)", "Too Much To Bear", "Your Best Friend", and "Divorce Decree". CD

Magnificent! Charles Earland may well be our favorite-ever jazz organist – and after you hear this set, he'll probably be yours too! Charles really didn't emerge as a name until the beginning of the 70s – and although that decade did some nasty stuff to some of the 60s best organ players, Earland managed to really get a heck of a lot out of the decade, twisting and turning his style with all the changes in arrangements and instrumentation, yet always keeping it real, laying down killer solos and funky grooves that rank with some of the best organ work of his generation! This 2CD set is the first to really pay tribute to Earland's genius – and it's a massive batch of tracks the spans his early years at Prestige Records, and moves into his work for labels like Mercury, Columbia, and Muse. Disc 1 features "funky organ grooves" – 10 tracks from Prestige and Muse with a straight heavy soul jazz funk groove, cut with monster players like Melvin Sparks, Idris Muhammad, Gary Chandler, and Virgil Jones. Tracks on the set include "Murilley", "Spinky", "Betty's Dilemma", "Sing A Simple Song", "Morgan", "My Favorite Things", and "Sing A Simple Song" – and the grooves are hard and funky all the way through! Disc 2 features "jazz funk and beyond" – beginning with Earland's spacier jam cuts on the Leaving This Planet session for Prestige, then moving into his jams on Arp and Electric Piano for Mercury, and some of his later R&B funk cuts for Columbia. Most of this work's never been on CD before – and the wealth of Earland's talent here will take you way past his early Black Talk years. Titles include "Phire", "Coming To You Live", "Red Clay", "Intergalactic Love Song", "Cosmic Fever", "Betty Boop", "Let The Music Play", and "Over & Over". CD

Earth, Wind & Fire's first album – recorded at a time when the group recently had ties to the Chicago soul and jazz scenes, and a range of experience that ran the gamut from work with Sun Ra, the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Pharoahs, Ramsey Lewis, and countless other influential groups. Headed up by Maurice White on drums and percussion, the group forged an amazing blend of all these influences, creating a future soul sound that pushed black music to the next level – taking a wealth of previously underground modes of expression, and fusing them into a soaring sound that would soon put them at the top of the charts. This album's a lot looser and freer than their Columbia albums – with plenty of raw funk and some nice off-beat jazz soling. Includes the classic break track "C'Mon Children", plus "Fan The Fire", "Bad Tune", and "Moment Of Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest female soul groups of all time – served up here in a career-spanning anthology that finally gets at the full range of their talents! The tracks here start in the trio's early years on Stax Records, move through their sublime 70s hitmaking years at Columbia, with lots of help from Maurice White and Earth Wind & Fire – and also move onto include some rare Motown and Red Label recordings too! The vocals are sublime throughout – that rich style of coming together that the girls first forged in their gospel work, then unleashed to the soul world in work that was far more sophisticated and meaningful than the usual girl trio mode – which could sometimes be a throwaway approach to hide the weakness in each others vocals. 2CD set features a big 24 page booklet of notes – and includes 40 tracks in all – including "I Should Be Dancing", "Smile", "Turn It Out", "Blessed", "Are You Through With My Heart", "Now That I Know", "Changes", "You're The One", "Miss Your Love", "All Night Alright", "The Best Part Of A Love Affair", "Blind Alley", "So I Can Love You", "Flowers", "Baby I'm Through", "From Toys To Boys", "You're The Best", "Don't Ask My Neighbors", "Love Vibes", "We Go Through Changes", "Key To My Heart", "Stealing Love", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", "Walking The Line", "Special Part", and "Boogie Wonderland". CD

Four incredible albums from the young Georgie Fame – plus a bonus CD of rare material, bonus tracks on all CDs, and 18 previously unreleased tracks – all in a box set with a 48 page book, 5 postcards, and a poster too! First up is Rhythm & Blues At The Flamingo – blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". Fame At Last is a brilliant mix of jazz, soul, and R&B – all filtered through a mod sort of London freshness, as early proof that the city could always take some great things from our own musical roots, and feed it back to us with a whole new flavor! Georgie's no copycat here, though – and the sound is instantly Fame-like – a style that's really not the sort that any Americans were doing at the time, and certainly never this well. Hard-burning Hammond colors most of the tunes here – played with a tightly vamping quality – but it's Georgie's charmingly crackling vocals that really win us over! Titles include "Gimme That Wine", "Pink Champagne", "Monkeying Around", "Green Onions", "Let The Sunshine In", "Get On The Right Track Baby", "I'm In The Mood For Love", and "I Love The Life I Live". Sweet Things is a definite sweet thing from Georgie Fame – a record that has him filling in his sound even more than before, with tremendously soulful results! The backings here are bigger than before – a bit tooled in an American soul mode, but still with that beautifully raspy Georgie Fame touch – lots of jazzy inflections on the vocals, and a way of handling a tune, even a familiar one, and really working it on his own level. Hammond still fills in most of the tunes, but other instrumentation includes some nice African percussion from Speedy Acquaye, saxes from Pete Coe, and some nice bold drums from John Mitchell. These come out to the forefront on the classic funky tune "Music Talk" – and still sound great on other numbers that include "The World Is Round", "Last Night", "Dr Kitch", "My Girl", "Ride Your Pony", and "Sweet Thing". Sound Venture is one of the jazziest early albums from Georgie Fame – a set that has him singing with the big band of Harry South, at a level that's a lot more complicated than some of his other work with The Blue Flames! The style here still has that mod 60s London feel, but it also has some deeper inflections as well – modes borrowed a bit from Jon Hendricks or Mose Allison, yet served up with even greater complexity – at a level that really points towards the tremendous growth Fame would unleash over the next few years. Members of the group include Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Tony Coe, Dick Morrisey, Kenny Wheeler, and many other key Brit jazz figures of the time – and titles include "Three Blind Mice", "Dawn Yawn", "Feed Me", "Lovey Dovey", "Lil Darlin", "Lil Pony", "I Am Missing You", and "Many Happy Returns". CD5 is Bend A Little – a package with 20 unusual titles – demos, rare tracks, and outtakes – including unreleased tracks, IBC recordings, and even two German tracks too! Plus, each individual CD comes with bonus tracks – 40 bonus tracks, in addition to the 20 more titles on the Bend A Little set – a huge amount of material! CD

Blistering early work from a young Georgie Fame – a set that definitely lives up to the Rhythm & Blues in the title! The set was recorded live at London's hip Flamingo club – and Georgie and The Blue Flames are very much in command of the crowd – burning with the intensity of a American small organ combo, especially the early 60s variety that often played equal parts soul jazz and R&B! Georgie's on the Hammond, and also sings with a rough-edged style that's plenty soulful, and incredibly appealing – a mode that oozes charisma, but never sounds fake or forced. Other instrumentation includes tenor, baritone sax, bass, drums, and conga – plus some great guitar from Big Jim Sullivan – and titles include "Do The Dog", "Eso Beso", "Work Song", "Baby Please Don't Go", "Shop Around", "Humpty Dumpty", and "You Can't Sit Down". This 2016 edition comes loaded with a huge number of bonus tracks, too – with 1964 BBC Session recordings of "Night Train", "Walking The Dog", "Do-Re-Mi", "You're Breaking My Heart" wtih Long John Baldry and more, plus "Parker's Mood", "Molasses", "Funky Mama (Blue Moon Bootleg Version)", "Money (That's What I Want)" and lots more. 10 tracks on the original album – plus 13 bonus tracks! CD

A beautiful album of understated brilliance – one of Art Farmer's early shifts into the sublime, and an easily-blown batch of trumpet tracks that always takes our breath away! There's a sense of relaxed freedom here that's really tremendous – a difference from some of Farmer's more arranged, or more hard-blown moments of the 50s – and a real move into notes that are airier and more open – almost effortless at times, and played like nobody else! The group's a quartet – with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Tommy Williams on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – and the tracks are all in the four to five minute range, with Art crafting lyrically soulful lines over the top. Titles include "Who Cares", "Out Of The Past", "Younger Than Springtime", "That Ole Devil Called Love", and "Goodbye Old Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album by this wonderful trumpeter – and one that we passed up for years because we were afraid of the words "brass" and "shout" in the title! If you're a Farmer fan, though, don't worry about this being some sort of snoozy "bold n brassy" session – because it's a much more subtle record, and features some excellent lead solos by Farmer, set amidst a larger group arranged wonderfully by Benny Golson! Golson brings a great sense of balance to the album – mixing some larger horn passages with soulfully snapping rhythms, all at a level that still allows plenty of space for Farmer to solo sweetly on trumpet. Other players on the record include Lee Morgan on trumpet and Curtis Fuller on trombone, Percy Heath on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Minor Vamp", "Nica's Dream", "Stella By Starlight", "Moanin", "April In Paris", and "Five Spot After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A really fantastic album from the legendary Lee Fields – a set that blows us away every bit as much as his stellar My World album! Like that set, this one's got kind of a moody early 70s vibe – almost a New Jersey soul approach at times, but tinged with more southern modes – mixed with bits of Lee's more familiar funk at others – but often with this moody, almost mellow vibe that's such a fresh take on the territory that Fields has been exploring for years! Lee's lost none of the deep soul elements in his vocals, but there's a shift in arranging styles that's really great – and superbly delivered by the Expressions – a subtle darkness that shows why Fields is really one of the true greats out there in the contemporary funk underground – a true soul singer who's never content to just rest on the laurels of previous success. Titles include "Let Him In", "Lover Man", "Make This World", "How I Like It", "Special Night", "I'm Coming Home", and "Where Is The Love". CD

A really fantastic album from the legendary Lee Fields – a set that blows us away every bit as much as his stellar My World album! Like that set, this one's got kind of a moody early 70s vibe – almost a New Jersey soul approach at times, but tinged with more southern modes – mixed with bits of Lee's more familiar funk at others – but often with this moody, almost mellow vibe that's such a fresh take on the territory that Fields has been exploring for years! Lee's lost none of the deep soul elements in his vocals, but there's a shift in arranging styles that's really great – and superbly delivered by the Expressions – a subtle darkness that shows why Fields is really one of the true greats out there in the contemporary funk underground – a true soul singer who's never content to just rest on the laurels of previous success. Titles include "Let Him In", "Lover Man", "Make This World", "How I Like It", "Special Night", "I'm Coming Home", and "Where Is The Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A wild little concept album from the Four Seasons – one that's packaged in newspaper-style cover, and which presents tunes that almost have that late 60s British "snapshots of life" approach to pop – particularly that put forth by The Kinks on Village Green Preservation Society. The album's a true genius effort from Bob Gaudio – now risen to the ranks of producer for the group, and also the key songwriter for the album too – working here in tandem with the great Jake Holmes, a wonderful choice for a record like this! Arrangements are inventive, playful, and definitely at a level that shows some influence from Pet Sounds or Sgt Peppers – but there's also a focused, all-pop approach to the tunes too – one that's hook-heavy even when trippy, and which shows that the Four Seasons were as great at psychedelic and Sunshine Pop as any of the groups they'd inspired over the years. Titles include "Saturday's Father", "Wall Street Village Day", "Wonder What You'll Be", "Soul Of A Woman", "Something's On Her Mind", "American Crucifixion Resurrection", and "Mrs Stately's Garden". LP, Vinyl record album

The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put out their own version of Jamaican soul. The approach is great, and very unique – and titles include "Hey Brother", "Gotta Find A Way", "What Have I Done", "Nothing More To Say", "All My Tears", "Purple", "Dispute", and "Till Then". CD

The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put out their own version of Jamaican soul. The approach is great, and very unique – and titles include "Hey Brother", "Gotta Find A Way", "What Have I Done", "Nothing More To Say", "All My Tears", "Purple", "Dispute", and "Till Then". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great dates that Curtis Fuller cut for the Savoy label in the late 50s – material that's much more hard-edged than his Blue Note sessions, and which points the way towards a rich legacy of jazz work in decades to come! The group here has a nicely open, laidback approach – that Savoy style that was almost a blowing session mode, but a bit more controlled – long tracks handled by the group with some of the energy they might bring to a live club performance of the time. The groove is mostly hardbop – with Curtis Fuller's trombone and Sonny Red's alto taking strong solos – in a group that also features Tommy Flanagan on piano, George Tucker on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include a medley of "It's Magic/My One & Only Love/They Didn't Believe Me" – plus "Two Ton", "Soul Station", "Club Car", and "Upper Berth". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost album of 80s soul from Rosie Gaines – produced, arranged, and mostly written by Rosie with help from a few key associates – and done in a nicely mellow style that has a deeper feel than most other work from her contemporaries! Instrumentation is definitely in the 80s mode – with a fair bit of electric percussion and keyboards – but Rosie's vocals aren't content with just sliding along with the rhythms, and have a deeply soulful range that we really like a lot, and which totally makes the record great. We've always been surprised that this set didn't push her onto bigger fame – but over and above that mystery, the record's a great one that holds together beautifully over the years. Titles include "I've Gone Too Far", "Skool-ology", "Caring", "Frustration", "Wake Up", "Good Times", and "What Are We Coming To". LP, Vinyl record album