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Incredible work – a record that should be in every household! Smokey breaks free of the group sound of the Miracles albums – hitting a whole new mode, and inventing the "Quiet Storm" radio format along the way! The title cut – "Quiet Storm" – is a majestic long-building track that's as important to mellow soul as Larry Mizell's work was to jazz funk at the same time, and it's got a similar layering effect that has sounds building and spinning, with a bit of sound effects, great keyboards, and cool moogy touches that recall some of Bobbi Humphrey's best work for Blue Note, but filtered through a mellow ballad style. The whole album's great, and other tracks include "Baby That's Backatcha", "The Agony & The Ecstasy", "Coincidentally", and "Wedding Song". Proof that Motown was still great in the 70s! CD

One of the toughest, leanest, tightest and most on point efforts from Freddie Gibbs to date when it came out – and still one of the best! Despite the dead on perfect homage to the Teddy Pendergrass's quiet storm soul classic Teddy with the cover art here, make no mistakes, the material is Freddie Gibbs at his most finely honed, perfectly backed on the production side by Kenny Beats for the most part. Lean beats and thick rattling bass back some of Freddie's sharpest performances from track-to-track we've ever heard. Includes "Weight", "Automatic", "Death Row" feat 03 Greedo, "2 Legit", "FLFM (Interlude)", "Triple Threat" "Set Set", "Toe Tag", "FBC", and "Diamonds 2" feat Cassi Jo Craig & Irie Jane Gibbs. LP, Vinyl record album

Great vocals and modern production – a mix of James Ingram's older roots in soul music, and some of the more contemporary soul modes coming down at the end of the 80s! Ingram's got a power in his voice that just won't quit – soaring out wonderfully and warmly, even when the rhythms are stark and electric – never buried too far in the mix, like some of his contemporaries on the scene. The album's split into two sides – "It's Real Hard" and "It's Real Soft" – the former of which is mostly upbeat, pop-soul material, the latter more ballads and key quiet storm tracks. Titles include "Call On Me", "It's Real", "So Fine", "Love Come Down", "Baby Be Mine", "Love 1 Day At A Time", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "A Natural Man". CD

Shirley Murdock's looking a bit more contemplative on the cover than on previous albums – and that image really sets the tone for the record – which has a nicely maturing sense of songcraft that really makes the most of Murdock's wonderful vocal range! There's definitely a few groovers on the record, but those are balanced with some of the more personal, intimate material that made Shirley such a great force in R&B after the big wave of quiet storm singers in the decade before. Titles include "In Your Eyes", "Save The Children", "Everywhere", "Say It Mean It", "Let There Be Love", "Stay With Me Tonight", and "The Last Hurrah". CD

A big one for Billy Ocean – a set that's got some catchy beats on the bottom and plenty of sweetly crafted vocals over the top! The style's smooth, but never too much so – thanks to a nicely percolated sense of rhythm on most of the numbers – and in a way, the record represents a nice transition for Billy – a set that pushes him even further past his Caribbean roots into the mainstream of American soul. There's a bit of a quiet storm vibe on here, but one that's never too heavy or forced – and titles include "Love Zone", "Without You", "There'll Be Sad Songs", "Bitter Sweet", "It's Never Too Late To Try", "Showdown", "Promise Me", and "Love Is Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic solo work from Smokey Robinson – recorded a few years before his monumental Quiet Storm album, but with a very similar high level of quality! Willie Hutch co-produced the album with Smokey, and working with arrangements by Hutch and Gene Page, they transform Smokey's sound into a sophisticated 70s modern one, adding in slight touches of funk, and complicated backings that really let him open up as a singer, both vocally and emotionally. The whole thing's got a wonderful mellow soul groove, and titles include "Wanna Know My Mind", "Baby Come Close", "The Family Song", "Just My Soul Responding", "Holly", "A Silent Partner In A Three-Way Love Affair", and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" LP, Vinyl record album

Smokey's Family Robinson finds Smokey exploring rather than simply setting out to continue riding the waves made by Quiet Storm. There's bits of dancefloor funk, pared down keyboard soul, spacey jams and a sweet ballad or two – all with Smokey's soul strirring vocals in peak form. Titles include "When You Came", "Get Out Of Town", "So In Love", "Open", "Castles Made Of Sand" and more LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent 70s work by Smokey and crew – sort of their way of showing the emerging east coast vocal stars how much talent they still had! The record has a sweet, slightly modern sound – with an approach that hints at Smokey's later Quiet Storm sound, but maybe a bit more laidback overall – set up with really great arrangements from both David Van De Pitte and HB Barnum. Titles include a killer reading of Stevie Wonder's "We Had A Love So Strong", plus "Got To Be There", "You Ain't Livin 'Till You're Lovin", "Flying High Together", "It Will Be Alright", and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little set that looks at the huge wave of top-shelf AOR material recorded in recent years – part of a huge global re-awakening to the charms of the genre – often with results that are even groovier than the classic records of the 70s! One of the compelling things here is that the music isn't being made by big names on major labels – and instead is an almost-underground thing – but handled at a level that's completely faithful to the best Cali styles of the 70s – from sweet jazzy instrumentation right down to the perfect production styles to get the whole thing right. You'll recognize a few names here – and will hopefully discover a lot more too – as titles include "Tell Me" by William Sikstrom, "Quiet Storm" by Workshy, "Liberation Groove" by Incognito, "You Make My Life A Better Place" by Mamas Gun, "What You Deserve" by Chris Cauley, "See Me Slumber" by Young Gun Silver Fox, "Melt The Night" by Lucas Arruda, "All Smiles" by Jeremy Passion, "Walkin On Air" by Tomi Malm, "Good To Live" by Monkey House, "Thoughts" by Michael Carreon, "Dangerous" by Umii, "Hello Monday" by Briamarie, "The Greatest" by King, "Perish The Thought" by Ned Doheny, "Sweet Life" by Mike Champion, and "Don't Disturb This Groove" by Meshell Ndegeocello. CD

A huge breakthrough from Levert – the group's third album, and a record that's filled with some really top-shelf R&B for the time! The tracks are a great transition in soul styles – classic harmony vocal sounds, produced with a slowjam style that's totally great – a bit like quiet storm of the 80s, but with more of a street edge overall! The mellowest moments are the best ones – and titles include "Casanova", "Throwdown", "My Forever Love", "In N Out", "Temptation", and "Don't U Think It's Time". LP, Vinyl record album

2 later albums from Curtis Mayfield – both recorded in the post-Curtom years! We Come In Peace is a set that originally got small indie circulation, yet one that shows that Curtis was still going strong into the 80s! Half the set echoes the upbeat dancefloor modes of the late Curtom years – the club-oriented groovers that Mayfield picked up during the disco years, but still managed to deliver with a surprising degree of soul, thanks to his classic vocals. Other tunes have a bit more of an 80s groove at points, but still a lot more warmth than chart soul of the time – minimal beats and keys, and rhythm that's never too stiff. The set's got a few gentler moments too – like the great "Baby It's You", and the cuts "This Love Is True" and "Everybody Needs A Friend" – both of which continue the warmer side of Mayfield's late 70s years. The set also features a remake of "We Got To Have Peace", and the cuts "Body Guard", "We Come In Peace", and "Breakin In The Streets". Take It To The Streets is later mellow magic from Curtis Mayfield – a set that has something of a quiet storm feel at times, which is a surprisingly great setting for Curtis' famous voice! The album's got a relatively laidback feel – never trying too hard for a hit, or to keep up with commercial soul of the time – and instead, Curtis just slides nicely into some sweetly stepping grooves that really bring out some of the best gentler sides of his groove. A few cuts get a bit uptempo, but never in a cloying way – almost with more of an early 80s club vibe at times – and titles include "Homeless", "Got To Be Real", "Do Be Down", "I Mo Git U", "Sucka", and "He's A Fly Guy". CD

Wonderful later work from Isaac Hayes – a gem from his Polydor years that has a good mix of mellow cuts and more upbeat numbers! The record has 3 long "quiet storm" tracks that take off on Ike's earlier expanded ballad style (forged on tracks like "Walk On By") – turned into late 70s late night jams with lots of stretched out production, breathy vocals, and seductive instrumentation. The best of these is "What Does It Take", which has a nice hook, and the other two are "Someone Who Will Take The Place Of You" and "A Few More Kisses To Go". Other tracks are a bit more upbeat – but Ike does a wonderful job with groovers at this point of his career – really finding a new outlet for his amazing vocals! Remaining titles include the club classic "Don't Let Go" and "Fever". LP, Vinyl record album

Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson – two key soulful talents from the 60s, working together beautifully here in a mid 80s set! The album's almost more Randy's than it is Nancy's given that Lewis takes a few tunes instrumentally, working in a blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation that's very much in his best early 80s Columbia Records mode. But things really come together when Nancy joins in – bringing her mature, soulful approach to the tunes – and really tying them together wonderfully with her vocals! Stanley Clarke produced, and there's definitely some echoes here of his own music of the time – and titles include "Ram", "Quiet Storm", "Never Wanna Say Goodnight", "Closer Than Close", and "Breaker Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

An 80s quiet storm classic from Stephanie Mills – one of her best-remembered sides from the time, and a real hit-making set of ballads and mellow numbers! The title track's a great remake of Gladys Knight's classic of the same name – updated with some nice 80s production touches that modernize the tune without losing the core of its soul. Stephanie's vocals are great throughout – even when the instrumentation tends to overwhelm things a bit – and titles include "If I Were Your Woman", "I Feel Good All Over", "Jesse", "A Rush On Me", "Running For Your Love", "Can't Change My Ways", and "Secret Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm thoughts, and equally warm vocals – thanks to the legendary Smokey Robinson, who's still sounding great here at the start of the 80s! The record's surprisingly charming – and has the laidback, mellow-going sort of sound that Robinson first crafted on Quiet Storm – but delivered here with a style that's even more personal and intimate, too. Things are quite stripped-down, especially given the overblown styles other singers were reaching for at the time – and titles include "Let Me Be The Clock", "Into Each Rain Some Life Must Fall", 'Wine, Women & Song", 'What's In Your Life For Me", and "I Want To Be Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Four classics from this legendary Motown group – including 2 albums on CD for the first time ever! First up is What Love Has Joined Together – excellent work by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his sweeter 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet Storm sound – but which isn't as laidback and compressed. Most tracks are covers, but they're redone fantastically – with better vocals than you could imagine – and titles include "What Love Has Joined Together", "My Cherie Amour", "If This World Were Mine", "This Guy's In Love", and "And I Love Her". Pocket Full Of Miracles is a great one by The Miracles! Smokey and the group are clearly pushing the envelope here – stretching out for a deeper harmony sound, moving towards some of the smoother styles they'd use a bit more in the 70s. The result is a slightly-confused album, but one with some really interesting material that gives the group a chance to experiment more with their vocal phrasing. Includes the heavy soul number "Flower Girl", plus the tracks "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", "Darling Dear", "The Reel Of Time", "Wishful Thinking", "Point It Out", and "Don't Take It So Hard". Also features a great medley of "Something" and "Something You Got". One Dozen Roses is an early 70s set from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – and a set that mixes great new material with a few older gems from the previous decade too! The new cuts are fantastic – and have Smokey and the group continuing that mellower, more laidback harmony style that really knocks it out of the park – almost as if The Miracles were trying to challenge some of the younger sweet soul acts who were coming onto the scene. Titles include the older cuts "Tears Of A Clown" and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" – plus "I Don't Blame You At All", "That Girl", "I Love You Dear", "No Wonder Love's A Wonder", and "When Sundown Comes". Flying High Together is excellent 70s work by Smokey and crew – sort of their way of showing the emerging east coast vocal stars how much talent they still had! The record has a sweet, slightly modern sound – with an approach that hints at Smokey's later Quiet Storm sound, but maybe a bit more laidback overall – set up with really great arrangements from both David Van De Pitte and HB Barnum. Titles include a killer reading of Stevie Wonder's "We Had A Love So Strong", plus "Got To Be There", "You Ain't Livin 'Till You're Lovin", "Flying High Together", "It Will Be Alright", and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow". CD features bonus tracks "You've Got Me Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" and "Paper People". CD

One of the records that first put Al on the map – a smooth soul set that really revised male soul standards from the 80s by shedding some of the coldness of the quiet storm generation, and going for a bit of the deeper vibe from years before! Instrumentation and production still have a bit of a late 80s feel, but Al's way of inflecting his vocals really bring a lot to the tunes – and create a sense of warmth that's really great. Titles include "Sure Thang", "Shades Of Grey", "Touch You", "So Special", "I Want To Know", "No Matter What You Do", "Channel J", and "Had Enuf". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of 70s soul tracks – sweet, mellow, laidback, and including loads of numbers that have been buried for years! The focus here is not on obscure groups, but on lesser-known album tracks by bigger names – including many chillout numbers that have a sweet jazzy feel, and which might have gotten eclipsed by some of the artists' bigger hits. ?uestlove of the Roots put the set together, and the whole set's got the deep soulfulness of his own work with that group – track after track of mellow 70s soul, jazzy riffs, spacey instrumentation, and warm vocals effortlessly sliding together! Titles include "Star Of The Story" by Heatwave, "Be My Girl" by Michael Henderson, "Clover" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Before The Dawn" by Patrice Rushen, "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers, "That's What Friends Are For" by Deniece Williams, "Next To Nature" by Jean Claude Toran, "Glowin" by The Rationals, "Magic In Your Eyes" by Rufus & Chaka Khan, "Sensuality (parts 1 & 2)" by The Isley Brothers, "Sienna" by Stanley Cowell, "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson, "Wheels Of Life" by Gino Vannelli, and "Gotta Find A Lover" by Roy Ayers. CD

Late Philly Soul from Cashmere – who get some great production help here from Bobby Eli, Bunny Sigler, and Ron Dean Miller – all in a snapping 80s groove, but with some really warm touches! There's a softer feel to the vocals than you might hear in other groups of this nature – kind of an echo of quiet storm male vocal leads (sung by Dwight Dukes), mapped onto more beat-heavy numbers that have a pretty catchy groove overall. Titles include "Can I", "Cutie Pie", "Don't Keep Me Waiting", "We Need Love", "Fascination", and "You're All I Need". LP, Vinyl record album

Although Gene Chandler wasn't scoring nearly as big in the 80s as he was in the 60s, he was still a great vocalist, and could turn out some good material when he wanted to. This album's more than enough proof of that – and it features some good mellow tracks that have Gene singing in a sophisticated quiet storm sort of style. The best number is "Haven't I Heard That Line Before" – and other tracks include "You'll Never Be Free Of Me", "Lucy", and "Please You Tonight". The record's got some uptempo numbers that fall flat, so stick to the ballads and mellow cuts. LP, Vinyl record album

A super-funky set – two vintage albums from Con Funk Shun – back to back on a single CD! The self-titled Con Funk Shun album is quite different than their later, better known hits! The group sure knew how to slap that bass, even back on this first album for Mercury – but then again, they – along with other big Mercury groups like The Ohio Players – were pioneering the bass-heavy sound that would influence countless bands over the next decade in soul. This first album's actually one of the group's best, with some nice rough edges that we like even more than the smoother sound of later albums. And oddly, some of our favorite cuts are the mellower ones – like the smooth jazzy instrumental "Foley Park", which has a nice moogy solo in the middle. Other good mellow cuts include "Another World", which almost has a "Summer Madness" quality to it, plus "Forever Just Ain't Long Enough" and "Never Be The Same". Secrets is a great early album from Con Funk Shun – a mix of funkier tunes and some excellent smooth modern ones in step with the mellower work by Cameo or Maze – done with more soaringly emotional sounds that moves beyond their peers! A love for earlier 70s styles might be what pushes Secrets above and beyond – honest, intimate, and at times just more focused in the vocals department than both the funky soul groups of the time and the quiet storm singers of the approaching early 80s – and still doesn't spare the bass, horns and funky interplay! High points include the closing instrumental "Indian Summer Love" and funky centerpiece "Ffun" –plus "Doowhachawannadoo", "Who Has The Time", "Secrets", "Tear In My Eye" and "I'll Set You Out OK". CD also features a bonus track – "Ffun (12" version)" – a clubby killer! CD