Stunning work from Rufus & Chaka Khan – still very much at the height of their powers on this late 70s release – and still doing things at a level that nobody else can touch! The blend of jazz and soul is completely sublime – given a bit of extra help on arrangements by Clare Fischer and Seawind, both talents who are also at their best during this 70s stretch too – but the real power still comes from the core energy of Rufus, and the way they can effortlessly fuse these slinky, soulful grooves – and, of course, from the massive Chaka Khan – every bit the shining jewel in the group's crown, yet still not broken off as a superdiva on her own. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Street Player", "Stranger To Love", "Turn", "Change Your Ways", "Take Time", "Turn", and "Best Of Your Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite masterjam from Chaka Khan and Rufus – one of the group's last key efforts together – produced to perfection by the mighty Quincy Jones! Chaka's vocals are sublime right from the start – taking on the soaring majesty she'd use on her initial solo recordings – and the group's tighter than ever – really hitting the right mix of jazzy funk and soul to make the whole thing come together perfectly. Greatness like this only gets better with years – and this sweet little album is more than proof of that fact! Tracks include a version of "Body Heat", plus "Heaven Bound", "Live In Me", "Any Love", "Do You Love What You Feel", and "What Am I Missing". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by one of the archetypal funky soul bands of the 70s – and a group whose impact is still being felt today! Of course, one of the reasons for that is Chaka Khan's incredible vocals – caught here at a prime early point, and very nicely set against some warm electric keyboards and tight groovy guitars – which provide a groove that's live and spontaneous, and never too forced – just the right kind of energy to work perfectly with her approach to the lyrics, without any of the too-polished modes you'd fine from copycat groups trying to fake a sound like this. Rufus had been with Chaka for years by this point – fusing together a sublime blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock – a sound they forged woodshedding in Chicago in the early days, let loose in perfect studio territory on the west coast of the 70s. The whole thing's a classic – and titles include "Jive Talking", "Sweet Thing", "Fools Paradise", "Circle", "Everybody Has An Aura", and "On Time". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those records that everyone seemed to own, back in the day – and for good reason, too – as Rufus and Chaka have a way of opening ears of folks who dig so many different styles – from soul to rock to funk and jazz – but all with a groove that's totally their own! The record's one that definitely broke the group big out of their Chicago roots – thanks to the incredible "Tell Me Something Good" – an amazing workout that's the perfect mainstream showcase for Chaka's great voice, made even better by the use of one of those cool Peter Frampton-vocoder thingies! The album also features some other excellent material that's a bit more restrained, and more in the band's usual jazz funk mode – like "Ain't Nothing But A Maybe", "You Got The Love", "Smokin Room", and "Sideways". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Rufus and Chaka Khan – a sublime 70s set in which the group's sound totally comes together, and finds a really special sound that's all its own! The blend of elements here is perfect – the group's funky jazz instrumentation, and Chaka Khan's warm vocals – very soulful, but also inflected with plenty of jazz, too – which makes even the mellower tunes here sparkle like nothing else on the market at the time – or all these many years later! There's a strong sense of understatement to the record – the sound is neither too slick, nor too laidback – just totally perfect and on the money – on a set of gems that includes the classic hit "Hollywood", plus "Slow Screw Against The Wall", "Close The Door", "Egyptian Song", and "Everlasting Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Funk, soul, jazz, and plenty more – all wrapped up into this 70s masterpiece from Rufus – the kind of record that not only never gets old, but which still has folks wondering how the group could have gotten things this perfect all these many years later! Chaka Khan and the group are in sublime formation here – tight, but never slick – sublimely soulful, but never in a way that sounds like they're trying to copy anyone else at all – always in this unique blend of all the best elements from all their favorit styles, fused into a fresh new sound that's completely Rufus-like all the way through! Titles include the incredible track "Stop On By", plus the instrumental "Rufusized", "I'm A Woman", "Somebody's Watching You", "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)", and "Right Is Right". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of those records that everyone seemed to own, back in the day – and for good reason, too – as Rufus and Chaka have a way of opening ears of folks who dig so many different styles – from soul to rock to funk and jazz – but all with a groove that's totally their own! The record's one that definitely broke the group big out of their Chicago roots – thanks to the incredible "Tell Me Something Good" – an amazing workout that's the perfect mainstream showcase for Chaka's great voice, made even better by the use of one of those cool Peter Frampton-vocoder thingies! The album also features some other excellent material that's a bit more restrained, and more in the band's usual jazz funk mode – like "Ain't Nothing But A Maybe", "You Got The Love", "Smokin Room", and "Sideways". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums that Rufus and Chaka Khan ever recorded together – and one of the best, as well! The set's a surprisingly great blend of live material and studio cuts – concert material taking up three sides of the 2LP set, and studio tracks on the last side – working together to pack a super-powerful punch! The concert cuts are from a wonderful appearance at the Savoy – and feature Rufus really stepping back to their classic funk mode, filled with that sense of jazzy tightness that's always made them great – and Chaka really soaring over the top, with that pride and power that marked her initial years as a solo act. The live songs include "You Got Love", "Dance Wit Me", "Sweet Thing", "Pack'd My Bags", "Tell Me Something Good", "Ain't That Peculiar", and "Do You Love What You Feel". Then, studio cuts really come in to send the whole thing home – all handled by Russ Titelman with great care, and including the classic "Ain't Nobody", one of the group's last great hits – plus "One Million Kisses", "Try A Little Understanding", and "Don't Go To Strangers". LP, Vinyl record album

The very first solo album from Chaka Khan – recorded after a great 70s run in Rufus, and an instant-classic that showed the world that she might be an even more amazing artist on her own! All those fantastic vocals from the previous albums with Rufus seem to get even more center stage action here – set up with these superb arrangements from Arif Mardin, who does the same thing for Chaka that he'd done for Aretha Franklin a decade before – pushing her immediately into the role of superstardom, but in a way that's doesn't sacrifice her art at all – and which in fact may well make it even better! Titles include the long-running classic "I'm Every Woman" – but we love even more the incredible "Love Has Fallen On Me" – a funky gem that seems to evoke the Chess/Cadet scene that was in Chicago during Chaka's early years – next to other great tunes that include "I Was Made To Love Him", "Sleep On It", "We Got The Love", "Life Is A Dance", and "Sleep On It". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing debut from Rufus – a group so great, they were virtually a genre unto themselves during the 70s! Rufus came from the same totally hip Chicago scene that gave the world Minnie Riperton and Earth Wind & Fire – and like both of those greats, these guys have a way of drawing from mighty deep roots, then creating an incredible sound that's completely fresh – a mode that's funky in all the right places, plenty soulful from Chaka Khan's great lead vocals, yet fused together with a freshness that marks Rufus as one of the most inventive acts of their generation! And sure, lots of other folks copped their act as the years went on – but nobody could do it like these guys – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Haulin Coal", "Satisfied", "Feel Good", "Keep It Coming", "Slip N Slide", and "There's No Tellin". LP, Vinyl record album

The very first solo album from Chaka Khan – recorded after a great 70s run in Rufus, and an instant-classic that showed the world that she might be an even more amazing artist on her own! All those fantastic vocals from the previous albums with Rufus seem to get even more center stage action here – set up with these superb arrangements from Arif Mardin, who does the same thing for Chaka that he'd done for Aretha Franklin a decade before – pushing her immediately into the role of superstardom, but in a way that's doesn't sacrifice her art at all – and which in fact may well make it even better! Titles include the long-running classic "I'm Every Woman" – but we love even more the incredible "Love Has Fallen On Me" – a funky gem that seems to evoke the Chess/Cadet scene that was in Chicago during Chaka's early years – next to other great tunes that include "I Was Made To Love Him", "Sleep On It", "We Got The Love", "Life Is A Dance", and "Sleep On It". LP, Vinyl record album

Great later work from Rufus – working here without Chaka Khan on vocals, but sounding even jazzier as a result! There almost seems to be more emphasis on the instrumentation than before – and the album's got a warmly funky groove that definitely carries on the 70s Rufus tradition, but cleans things up a bit for the 80s generation – especially lean on the rhythms and the keyboards! Tony Maiden and David Wolinski handle the vocals, often in a compressed way that's mixed right down in the music – but the real charm here comes from the rhythms and the sweet jazzy licks in the grooves. Titles include "Tonight We Love", "Can I Show You", "What Is It", "Afterwards", "We Got The Way", "Party Til You're Broke", "Love Is Taking Over", and "Secret Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff – and one of the gems that Arif Mardin produced for Chaka during her immediate solo years after leaving Rufus. Mardin's sweet soulful arrangements are a perfect fit for Chaka's voice – not only on soul tracks like "Tearin' It Up", "Got To Be There", "Slow Dancin", and "Pass It On", but also on the album's extended jazz vocal medley, which features takes on "Hot House", "Epistrophy", "Yardbird Suite", "Con Alma", "Twisted", and "Giant Steps". LP, Vinyl record album

Damn wonderful solo work from Chaka Khan – a record that holds onto all the best funky elements of her 70s music with Rufus – but also finds a way to put the lady even more strongly out front! There's maybe a bit more of a clubby vibe here than before, but never in a cheesy or commercial way – as the mighty Arif Mardin is at the production helm, and arguably does an even better job with Chaka than on his classic productions for Aretha Franklin! The vocals soar out beautifully, but the grooves are every bit as great – with these warm jazzy touches that make the album instantly seductive – and a level of sophistication that's kept this one strong for many many years. Titles include the wonderful stepper "Any Old Sunday", plus "We Got Each Other", "We Can Work It Out", "Night Moods", "What Cha Gonna Do For Me", and "Father He Said" – plus "I Know You, I Live You", a big Chicago house cut from the old days. LP, Vinyl record album

Rufus without Chaka Khan – but a surprisingly nice set, nonetheless! The album features various members of the group on lead vocals – singing in a warm, compressed style that's got the same sort of AOR sound as the group's jazzy grooves at the time. The overall musicianship is still quite nice – a commercial take on jazz funk, but played to perfection, thanks to the tightness of the ensemble. Titles include the instrumental "Red Hot Poker", plus "Dancin Mood", "Don't You Sit Alone", "Bet My Dreams", "Pleasure Dome", and "Life In The City". LP, Vinyl record album

Minnie Riperton's first album for Epic – and the record that broke her from a hip Chicago underground artist into one of the seventies' biggest female soul stars! The record moves past the baroque soul of Minnie's early years with Rotary Connection and Charles Stepney – and hits a mix of mellow compressed LA styles and slicker funkier numbers that do the same thing for her Chicago-trained vocals that Rufus' backing did for that of Chaka Khan. Of course, it helps that she's got some superbly sensitive writing and arranging help by husband Richard Rudolph – and Stevie Wonder's definitely lurking in the background, too – not credited with production, due to contractual reasons, although he helped put most of the album together. Includes Minnie's huge crossover hit "Loving You", a perfect showcase for her beautiful 5 octave voice, plus the tracks "Our Lives", "Every Time He Comes Around", "Perfect Angel", and "Reasons". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Al Jarreau, Quarterflash, Rod Stewart, Talk Talk, Pointer Sisters, Burt Bacharach, Marshall Crenshaw, Heaven 17, and Rufus & Chaka Khan. LP, Vinyl record album

Killer early work from Renee Geyer – her first album as a solo act, and the kind of set that really made her one of the best artists on the Australian scene at the time! There's a blend of mellow funk and soul here that's totally wonderful – very much in the territory of the hippest American acts of the time, and served up by the Mother Earth group – who were kind of the Rufus to Renee's Chaka Khan! Titles include "Just Like A Woman", "Moon Dance", "Space Captain", "Mascara Blues", "Them Changes", "If Only You Believe", "Lean On Me", and "There's No Such Thing As Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key 70s gems cut by Australian soul singer Renee Geyer – a vocalist with a tremendous groove, and one who delivers material here that's way different than you might expect! Backing is nice and jazzy, and there's definitely a Chaka Khan/Rufus sort of vibe going on here – on tracks that include "Be There In The Morning", "Tender Hooks", "Touch", "Moving Along", "Quicker Than The Eye", and her classic "Heading In The Right Direction". LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Wright explodes with soul on this sweet 70s classic – really stretching out past the simpler grooves of her roots, and showing the world she's got more than enough talent to be one of the standout soul divas of her generation! The record's also a great illustration of the way that Miami soul was growing up at the time, too – and sparkles with Willie Clarke production that help balance some of the new smoother modes with Betty's core down-home energy – captured perfectly here with a quality that makes the record southern enough to appeal to longtime fans, yet hip enough to get plenty of play up north too. Vocals get nice and complicated at times, almost jazzy with a Rufus/Chaka touch – and titles include "Do Right Girl", "I Think I'd Better Think About It", "Smother Me With Love", "Open The Door To Your Heart", "Life", "If I Ever Do Wrong", and "Don't Forget To Say I Love You Today". LP, Vinyl record album