No Reservations is quite an unusual little set for the time – as it's a bit looser and less structured than most other vocal dates – very much in the spirit of Faye's famous performances in clubs, with a gritty, personal approach to the music that's really great. The orchestrations are relatively loose – often holding back to let Faye lead the way on vocals and piano, as she steps up and moves back her level of energy in some very unusual interpretations of the tunes. 12 titles in all, including the striking original "You're Heavenly", plus "Mad About The Boy", "Drunk With Love", "The Man I Love", "Night & Day", "A Hundred Years From Today", and "Miss Otis Regrets". LP, Vinyl record album

Jackson 5, move over – because the folks at Numero Records have uncovered a whole host of rare kid soul acts from the 70s – most of them a fair bit funkier than their Motown contemporaries! The tracks here all clearly follow the lead started by Michael and his brothers at the end of the 60s – but the music is way more than just a simple copycat of Jackson modes – as each of these artists have a really individual approach, and a heck of a lot of personality in their music – despite their youthful years. In true Numero fashion, most of the cuts here are from tiny little labels – issued only as singles back in the day, but produced with a great deal of enthusiasm for the music – and a confident, competent sound that's quite striking, given the age of the performers. The package comes with complete notes on the music – opening up a whole world of lesser-known kid soul acts – and titles include the amazing "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy, plus "I'm Not Ready For Love" by Promise, "One Is Enough For One" by Jack & the Mods, "Now That School Is Through" by Cindy & The Playmates, "Jersey Slide (part 1)" by 3 Stars, "You Are My Dream" by 3 Simmons, "Can't Let You Break My Heart" by Quantrells, "If You're Looking For Love" by Triads, "Yellow Ribbons" by Atons, "Sweet Pea" by Altyrone Deno Brown, "Time After Time" by Step By Step, "Time" by Otis The 3rd, and "Little Girl" by Michael Washington. LP also contains a bonus track – part 2 of "Trust Your Child" by Patrizia & Jimmy! LP, Vinyl record album

Do yourself a favor, and splurge on this album – you won't be disappointed! The record is a gem all the way through – a really unique mixture of LA soul jazz and African rhythms, with a sound that's almost like Hugh Masekela sitting in with the Jazz Crusaders! Of course, there's a lot of Jazz Crusaders in the set – as Wilton Felder plays electric bass on the album, giving it a fantastic loping groove – but there's also plenty of unique albums on the record, especially its way of approaching the rhythms with a sly, syncopated groove that's immediately infectious! Duke's trumpet solos are great, and they're augmented by tenor work by Chester Washington and trombone by George Bohannon – all nicely grooving on the album's brilliant blend of jazzy tracks. Titles include "Jungle Funk", "Afrikaloo", "Akagruge", "Like It Is", "Mafam", and "Peace Brother". Somebody put this one on CD – and do us all a treat! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent 2LP set that features material pulled from a number of Griffin's early albums for the Jazzland/Riverside label – including The Little Giant, The Kerry Dancers, Way Out, and The Johnny Griffin Sextet. The material is played by a number of groups – with musicians that include Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Kenny Drew, Wibur Ware, Blue Mitchell, Julian Priester, Barry Harris, and Sam Jones – but it's united by Griffin's souful approach to bop, and by a youthful energy that made him one of the most striking tenor soloists of his generation, despite a young age. Titles include "Catharsis", "Hot Sausage", "The Message", "Playmates", "63rd Street Theme", "The Kerry Dancers", and "Little John". LP, Vinyl record album

30 essential dubs, from the golden age of reggae. King Tubby works his echoplex magic on a set culled half from Niney the Observer productions, and half from Striker Lee. You could waste your time on the 4 or 5 dozen other collections out there that are just capitalizing on Tubby's name, or stick with the cream, like this one (or one of the other sets put together by Blood & Fire that we offer). This is the real isht, thunderclap reverb drops and fat, churning bass; includes "Casanova Dub", "Corn Man", "Mr. D Brown Skank", " Rema Dub", "King Tubby's Special", "Gorgon Speaks Version", "I Trim The Barber", "Straight To Babylon Boy's Head" & "Cool Down Version". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty straight score from Jack Nitzsche – despite his groovier tendencies on earlier work – but also not a bad one, and a lot more striking than we remember the music being when we saw the film! A few tracks are kind of groovy and soft instrumentals, others are more dramatic, and occasionally there will be some odd instrumental touches that show that Nitzsche's still up to his old tricks. Titles include "Trolling", "Cruising", "One Few Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Medication Valse", and "Aloha Los Pescadores". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sonny Rollins' real standout sessions from the 70s – a different vibe than before, but a sound that's still as striking than any of his earlier records! The record features him in a slightly more modern group – with backing by Walter Davis Jr on piano, Masuo on gutiar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, David Lee on drums, and Mtume on percussion – a great mix of acoustic and electric elements that brings up a sweet 70s sound for the record. Sonny's solo power is still tremendous – differently pitched here, but still incredibly inventive – and titles include "Pictures In The Reflection Of A Golden Horn", "Notes For Eddie", "Love Man", and "Sais", a great composition by Mtume, which is handled here by Rollins in an incredibly soulful manner! LP, Vinyl record album

We're not sure we've ever heard trumpeter Joe Newman and tenorist Zoot Sims work together on a record – and certainly never as striking a setting as this – a record that really gives both musicians a chance to open up and blow! Despite the title, the players are less "locking horns" here than really working together in the lead – hitting the kind of tight head arrangements that you might hear on some of Sims material with RCA, but getting a grittier groove from both the Roulette Records style of recording, and the efforts of a cool rhythm trio that features Adrian (Johnny?) Acea on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Osie Johnson drums. Newman's horn has an especially gutbuckety quality, and Sims follows suit with some deeply soulful work on his solos – on titles that include "Corky", "Mambo For Joe", "Midnite Fantasy", "Tater Pie", "Oh Joe", and "Oh Shaye". LP, Vinyl record album