The seminal first album from the SOS Band – a record that really showcases the new sound of soul for the 80s, yet still holds onto all the best elements of the previous decade too! These guys have a great ear for groovers – well-demonstrated by the play they got on the dancefloor – yet they've also got a deeper sense of soul than some of their club contemporaries as well – heard not just on the ensemble vocals for the upbeat tracks, but especially on some of the album's great mellow steppers too! It's these laidback cuts that have always kept the album strong for us – showing that SOS are way more than just another fast funk band, and can really go deep, and stay with it for the long haul. Fred Wesley helped a bit on the arrangements – and titles include "Take Your Time", "Love Won't Wait For Love", "SOS (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)", "Take Love Where You Find It", and "Open Letter". LP, Vinyl record album

A solid smoker from the SOS Band – maybe one of the group's best-remembered albums, and for good reason too! The set's got a groove that's beautiful right from the start – 80s funk that's really a cut above, and touched with just the right mix of jazzy elements and warmer moments too – giving the whole record a much more balanced feel than similar efforts of the time! Production is from Ricky Sylvers and Gene Dozier – the latter of whom we especially love, and who no doubt helps bring his years of soulful experience into the great sound of the set. Titles include "You Shake Me Up", "Have It Your Way", "Your Love", "High Hopes", "Good & Plenty", and "Groovin". LP, Vinyl record album

Just the way we like it from SOS Band – tight, but never too uptight – grooving, but never too over the top either – and with plenty of room for mellower moments that really round the album out nicely! The set's got SOS right at the height of their famous run for Tabu Records – and does a great job of distilling all the things the group had done so well – including learning how to produce their own sounds to perfection, which they do here on cuts that aren't handled by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis! SOS maintain a great sense of flow throughout – and really keep away from any too-tinny traps or cheesy cliches – holding onto their funk ensemble roots, while still picking up some sweet 80s instrumentation as well. Tracks include "No One's Gonna Love You", "Weekend Girl", "I Don't Want Nobody Else", "Body Break", and "Just The Way You Like It". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet sweet grooves from the SOS Band – definitely on the rise at the time, but still sounding great, with all the best elements of their early work firmly intact! The core group are very much at home in the studio – and have this cohesive sound that really comes through right away – leading off with some big numbers produced and arranged by the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – a few of which really pushed up the charts – then stepping into some of their own production work with help from Gene Dozier, who definitely brings more of a funky feel to the proceedings! Lead vocals are mostly handled by Mary Davis, but a few tracks feature Abdul Ra'oof up front – and titles include "Just Be Good To Me", "Tell Me If You Still Care", "For Your Love", "If You Want My Love", "On The Rise", and "Steppin The Stones". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty SOS Band, still grooving hard well into the 80s – and still showing the world that their sound is way tighter than any of their many imitators! The style here is updated a bit from the group's first few records – given a sharper punch and polish by the Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis team – yet the record's still got a depth that goes way past some of the more commercial soul the duo had been working on at the time – a great evolution of an older funk style into a sweet, lean sound for the latter half of the 80s! Keyboards soar over bouncy basslines – and the trademark mix of male and female vocals really works well on the album's hook-heavy cuts. Tracks include "Borrowed Love", "The Finest", "Do You Still Want To", "Sands Of Time", "Even When You Sleep", "Nothing But The Best", "No Lies", and "Two Time Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic 70s session from Charlie Palmieri – featuring some of his best keyboard solos of the decade, and some very cool work on organ that almost makes us think Sun Ra is in the group! The style is quite unusual, even for Charlie – with a weird sound from his organ that really gives the record an edge – played alongside straighter piano lines, heavy percussion, and lots of warm horn work overall. Charlie's organ really stands out best on the descarga cut "No Esta En Na" and the groovy midtempo "Estoy Friza'o" – but the whole thing's great, and other cuts include "Comelon Hustle", "King Charles", "Dame Tu Corazon", and "Sobando El Piano Merengue". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost classic from one of the greatest Brazilian sax players ever! This obscure session originally came out on the Equipe label, and was even briefly issued in the US on the Tangerine imprint – and the record stands as one of the greatest sides of jazz that Moura ever cut! Paulo handled all the arrangements himself, and the group's an all star one that features Pascoal Meirelles on drums, Wagner Tiso on piano, Luiz Carlos on bass, plus additional tenor sax, trumpet, and trombone next to Moura's alto sax. The set's a beautiful batch of warmly painted tunes – awash with color and life, showing both Moura's talent for lyrical interplay, and his tendency to blow in edgier styles. Titles include "Travessia", "No Brilho Da Faca", "General Da Banda", "Outubro", "Nem Precisou Mais Um Sol", and "Das Tardes Mais Sos". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost classic from one of the greatest Brazilian sax players ever! Paulo handled all the arrangements himself, and the group's an all star one that features Pascoal Meirelles on drums, Wagner Tiso on piano, Luiz Carlos on bass, plus additional tenor sax, trumpet, and trombone next to Moura's alto sax. The set's a beautiful batch of warmly painted tunes – awash with color and life, showing both Moura's talent for lyrical interplay, and his tendency to blow in edgier styles. Titles include "Travessia", "No Brilho Da Faca", "General Da Banda", "Outubro", "Nem Precisou Mais Um Sol", and "Das Tardes Mais Sos". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the standout records from the second era of Bobby Valentin's career – a smoking 70s salsa set, bubbling over with great bass work by Bobby, and featuring some great instrumental touches, like tenor sax and vibes, which really push the sound past the usual! Lead vocals are by Marvin Santiago, but the strongest aspect of the record is the unity of the band's instrumentation – stepping together with incredible tightness, pulling the vocals in as an essential, part of the groove! Titles include "Pobre Soy", "Besos Brujos", "El Matakan", "Papel De Payaso", "Vete Pa'Lla", and "Amolador". LP, Vinyl record album