Hanrahan's 3rd LP for American Clave – and slightly more of a confused effort than the first two, although still with a tremendous vision that marks it as an incredibly lucky bit of work to come out of the often-turgid New York scene of the mid 80s! Hanrahan's got no qualms about baring himself in the vocal numbers of the songs – and the range of performers (Milton Cardona, Jack Bruce, Leo Nocentelli, Charles Neville, and many others) he's got to back him up, ensure that his vision is handled with the right degree of professional courtesy. Titles include "Ah Intruder", "Road Song", "The First & Last To Love Me", "American Clave", "Love Is Like A Cigarette", and "A Model Bronx Childhood". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best later albums by Chocolate Milk – a bit different than their earlier work with Allen Toussaint, but still bouncing along in a sweet 80s groove, with more than enough traces of their roots as a funky combo! Leo Nocentelli's sitting in on guitar, adding some nice licks to keep some tracks a bit more firmly grounded in a New Orleans funk tradition, alongside some more modern production touches – and the album's got a compelling vibe that's partly pointed towards the boogie generation of the 80s, but with a heavier funk component overall! Titles include "Let's Go All The Way", "Like My Lady's Love", "Honey Bun", "Running On Empty", "Blue Jeans", and a version of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set from Azar Lawrence – self-produced and self-arranged, in a smooth modern soul mode that's kind of an 80s extension of his work in the 70s for Prestige. There's a definite R&B groove on most tracks, and vocalist Coco Evans sings on 2 of the album's 8 tracks – and an undercurrent of bass heavy funk all the way through! Lawrence is on reeds, and other players in the group include Leo Nocentelli on guitar and James Gadson on drums. Titles include "Keep It Hot", "Your Love Is Keeping Me Alive", "Magic In The Night", "Shadow Dancing", "One More Time", and "Inside Stuff". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from New Orleans soul legend Allen Toussaint – and a set that may well be his funkiest album ever! The set features 12 tracks from the early 70s – a time when Toussaint was mixing a bit of funk into the heavy soul mix that he'd had from his early days in the Crescent City scene – coming up with a blend that's even darker, and more powerful than all his famous production and projects of the 60s! And while some of Allen's later work tended towards cliche, this record captures him right at that perfect point when all of this was totally fresh – delivered with a razor-sharp edge, and with great instrumental help from New Orleans legends like Leo Nocentelli, Zig Modeliste, and George Porter Jr – all of whom make the album groove harder than most of the other soul albums on Warner at the time. Titles include "Soul Sister", "Victims Of The Darkness", "Am I Expecting Too Much", "Out Of The City", "Goin Down", "Electricity", "Fingers & Toes", and "On Your Way Down". LP, Vinyl record album