Two contemporary soul giants – coming together in a set that's even better as a whole than their work apart! As you might guess from the name, Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak are going for a classic old school style working together as Silk Sonic – soul music that's heavy on both 70s funky modes and early 80s grooves – but presented with some contemporary flourishes from time to time, at a level that really gets at the charm that both artists have on their own – somehow magnified as they work here together as a duo! The harmonies and trading vocal leads are great – and titles include "After Last Night", "Skate", "777", "Put On A Smile", "Fly As Me", "Leave The Door Open", "Smokin Out The Window", and "Blast Off". LP, Vinyl record album

A way hipper record than you'd guess from a group with a name like "Rare Silk" – and some of the best group jazz vocalese recorded in the 80s! The group is a quartet of voices – 3 female, 1 male – and they come together in a style that's far less hokey than most of the other practictioners of this mode at the time – a timeless sort of hipster approach that's really got a lot of the same sort of energy as Mark Murphy on Muse! Backing is small combo jazz on all numbers, with some really sweet keyboards on a few of the best tracks – and titles include versions of Flip Nunez's "Happying", Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay", Richie Cole's "New York Afternoon", Chick Corea's "Spain", Stanley Turrentine's "Sugar", and Eddie Harris' "You Know It's Wrong". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different album than usual for the Prelude label – not nearly as New York as some of their other albums, and produced by Stax Records legend David Porter in Memphis and Malaco! Also, the record has a lot less of a disco vibe than other Prelude albums – still a bit clubby in points, but with more of a focus on the harmony vocals of the group – with some especially nice mellow moments! Titles include "On Fire", "Party (parts 1 & 2)", "I Know I Didn't Do You Wrong", "Leaving Me", and "Live While You Can". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album of funky fusion from this all-star CTI group that included Stanley Turrentine, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu, Tom Brown, Eric Gale, Ronnie Foster, and George Benson! The ensemble come together for a great set of laidback fusion tracks that groove with a nice soulful undercurrent – surprisingly fresh, and not nearly as slick as you'd expect from the date of the session – showing that the original open-ended CTI vibe could still be strongly alive on the right records! Tracks have a great mix of acoustic and electric touches – and although Stanley Clarke was the musical director of the album, the whole thing's clearly a group effort. Titles include "Silk", "Hot Fire", "Sunwalk", and "In Celebration Of The Human Spirit". LP, Vinyl record album

Diana Ross really finds a way to remake her groove here – a sweet new sound that fits her revamped look in the Andy Warhol image on the cover! Although Ross could sparkle strongly during the disco years, the best cuts here are some of the more midtempo moments – nicely spaced out in ways that allow the singer to modulate her approach, and never push things too far, or get overly dramatic. There's definitely a few of those later modes here – both on ballads and more upbeat numbers – but the core of the record lingers nicely in the silky electric style promised in the title – especially on the great cut "Muscles", which was written for the record by Michael Jackson. Other titles include "So Close", "Still In Love", "Who", "Love Lies", "In Your Arms", and "I Am Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The middle child in the mighty Seoul combo San Ul Lim's trio of successive garage/psych masterpieces of the late 70s – and San Ul Lim 2 might be the best and most adventurous of the lot – full of spacey sounds and more experimental passages! If San Ul Lim 1 was the most sunshine rock oriented set, and San Ul Lim 3 flirted with hard rock, album 2 splits the difference with a little bit of groovy prog elements and lots of spacey organ! The tunes have some more languorous, moody bits that are rich with atmosphere and some really sweet work on bass, fuzzy guitars and the swirling organ – but the group's excellent ear for melody and a catchy groove are still very much intact! LP, Vinyl record album

Duke plays some mighty nice organ, the set's produced by Skip Drinkwater, and titles include "Slippin & Slidin", "Funky Broadway", "Chinese Chicken", and "Clouds". LP, Vinyl record album

Smooth as silk, with plenty of soul – a classic set that has the guitar of Eric Gale produced by the legendary Allen Toussaint! The cross of talents is pretty compelling – and although the album's not a New Orleans funk outing, it definitely shares some of the more creative elements that you'd get from some of Toussaint's other side projects at the end of the 70s. A few numbers definitely have a bit more bump than you'd expect from a fsuion date like this – and Toussaint himself plays piano and moog on the record, and even sings a tiny bit. Robert Dabon plays Fender Rhodes – and titles include "You Got My Life In Your Hands", "War Paint", "Touch Of Silk", "Au Privave", "With You I'm Born Again", and "Once In A Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around these parts. Also includes "Lido Shuffle", "Harbor Lights", "Jump Street" and "What Do You Want The Girl To Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a lonely-looking cover, but one that's got a really full, rich sound overall – sharp funky jazz arrangements served up by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki, then topped with bit of sitar as well! The vibe is different than any other jazz/sitar records of the time – as the instrument is much more buried in the mix, as the album draws a lot more energy from Suzuki's keyboards, and other instrumental elements in the lineup – including some great reed lines from Takeru Muraoka. Tracks are shorter and more focused than on the previous "rock joint" project from Suzuki – and titles include "Silk Road", "3000 BC", "Karei Naru Bamyan", "O No Michi", "Ganhara", and "Mrv No Tsurugi". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest groups of the 60s to blend Eastern influences and Western rock music – a nicely lean trio that comes across with results that are even cooler than some of their contemporaries! Part of the record's strength is its leanness – as other instrumentation might have gotten in the way a bit more, and larger arrangements might have made the whole thing sound a bit fake. Yet instead, there's a raw quality to the record that recalls similar east/west experiments on Vanguard Records at the time – served up by a group that features Guy Duris on electric oud and electric sitar, Bruno Giet on electric minitar, and Farshid Golesorkhi on electric melodica and dumbek! Vocals are by all three, but there's a very strong focus on the instrumentation too – on titles that include "Fruit Of The Desert", "Layla", "Birds Of India", "Train To Bombay", "Caravan Of Silk", "Azaar", "Cobra Fever", "A Little Star", and "Cobra Fever". LP, Vinyl record album

Key recordings from Sonny's breakout year of 1954 – tracks from 2 different sessions, brought together into one album that packs a hell of a punch! The modernist Rollins tenor is at its early peak here – fresh, bold, and highly creative – yet equally concerned with the role of the ensemble as well. And with players like Kenny Dorham, Elmo Hope, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey helping things out, the sessions are both cookers all the way through! Titles include 4 by a group with Dorham, Hope, and Blakey – "Solid", "Moving Out", "Swingin For Bumsy", and "Silk N Satin" – plus 1 more by a quartet with Monk, Tommy Potter, and Art Taylor – the longer "More Than You Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Early Rollins work for Prestige – recorded between 1951 and 1954, in a variety of settings! Like a lot of the other Milestone 2LP sets issued in the 70s, this album collects tracks from a number of sessions, restoring recordings to the order they were recorded in rather than how they were originally issued, which in this case was mostly as 10" LPs, under a variety of titles including Mambo Jazz, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Rollins With The Modern Jazz Quartet and others. As such the set features five lineups, all smaller groups, mostly quartets and sidemen include Miles Davis, Roy Haynes, Elmo Hope, Kenny Dorham, Thelonius Monk, Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. Since most of this was originally issued on 10"s, the tunes are shorter than you might be used to hearing Rollins' LPs, but there's still plenty of power and imagination in the grooves – very economical solos, crafted with a great deal of imagination. 20 tracks in all, with including "Scoops", "Shadrack", "Mambo Bounce", "The Stopper", "I Know", "Movin' Out", "Solid", "Newk's Fadeaway", "Silk'N'Satin", and "No Moe". LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 12 in the higly recommended series of reggae dancehall compilations from VP Records. Like the title says, they include the best of the current crop of dancehall singles, including some hard to find titles. Keep in mind that the even-numbered volumes (like this one) feature the slower roots and lover's rock songs. Always some nice, smooth vocals and usually one or two versions of current pop/r&b hits. (The odd-numbered volumes feature the harder, more uptempo dancehall tracks.) This volume features: BERES HAMMOND "Doctor's Orders", CAROL GONZALES "Personal Delivery", SANCHEZ "Wherever I Lay My Hat", PINCHERS "Carpenter", MARCIA GRIFFITHS "I Shall Sing", GARNETT SILK "Kingly Character", MAXI PRIEST & TUMPA LION "Too Late To Turn Back Now", DAWN PENN "You Don't Love Me", JUNIOR TUCKER "Love Of A Lifetime", WAYNE WONDER "Baby You & I", COCOA TEA "Good Life", MIGHTY DIAMONDS "I Need A Roof", BERES HAMMOND & JOSEY WALES "Free & Single", SUGAR MINOT "Sprinter Stayer" LP, Vinyl record album

Joshua Abrams just keeps on getting better and better as the years go on – to the point where he's a leader who's emerging with one of the proudest, most righteous visions in jazz! Abrams has played for years in the company of others – and his contributions have always impressed us – but once he started to step into the spotlight as a leader, his voice has just continued to grow – where an album like this has Joshua bringing together a really surprising array of talents from the Chicago scene, and creating a spiritual masterpiece that may well rival older classics on Impulse Records! Many of the tracks have a modal approach, which Joshua drives along beautifully with his bass – and Abrams also plays guimbri and a small harp too – in a group that features Ari Brown on tenor, Emmett Kelly on guitar, Frank Rosaly on drums and percussion, Mikel Avery on drums, Lisa Alvarado on harmonium and percussion, and Ben Boye on the wonderfully cool chromatic electric autoharp! Titles include "Sideways Fall", "St Cloud", "Maroon Dune", "Ophiuchs", and "2128 1/2". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Mingus' Impulse sides: "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues", "The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady: Solo Dance/Duet Solo Dancer/Group Dancers", "The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady: Trio & Group Dancers/Single Solos & Group Dance/Group & Solo Dance", "Meditations For Moses", "II BS", "IX Love", "Celia", "Mood Indigo", "Better Get Hit In Yo Soul", "Theme For Lester Young", "Hora Decubitus", "Roland Kirk's Message" and "Memories Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Great recordings the important 1964 tour of Europe by bassist Charles Mingus – a key musical moment that not only saw some of the last recordings of Eric Dolphy before his departure from this planet, but which also introduced the overseas scene to some key up-and-coming talents who were in Mingus' tenure! The group here is a quintet, but plays with the fire of some of Charles' bigger ensembles from a few years before – and the setting has some especially open space for great solos from the reedmen – both Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet – plus Clifford Jordan on tenor. Dannie Richmond plays drums, and Jaki Byard is superb on piano – and titles on this second volume include "Charlemange", "At-Fw-You", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the UK soul scene – music from a time when some of the bigger names overseas were starting to grab interest on US charts, but were only the tip of the iceberg next to some of the overlooked artists on this set! If you dig the sounds of Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and Mica Paris, you'll find plenty to love here – as the set's overflowing with 80s and 90s-styled soul tracks that make great use of beats and more contemporary production in a great way – almost bringing back a more organic approach in the music, at a time when American R&B could come off sounding a bit too stiff or commercial. And we'll be honest in saying that although we were scouring the racks for imports during this generation, there's plenty of cuts here that are still new to our ears – a superb set list that includes "Straight to The Top" by Purely Fizzycal, "Passion" by Taffy, "Hold Your Head Up" by Weekend In Paris, "Don't Touch "by Cavalier, "Coming Back" by Bovel, "What You Do For Me" by Pure Silk, "Take Me There" by Marcelle Moncrieffe, "Life (club mix)" by Sam, and "Step By Step" by Kofi. LP, Vinyl record album

Gil Evans never stopped growing as the years went on – a leader who was always open to new ideas and new modes of expression – which he reached for strongly, even as his older "modern" contemporaries started to sound out of date! This excellent late 70s session is a key illustration of Evans' continual drive – as he works in modes that equally embrace acoustic and electric elements, but never like a funky big band record, or some of the electrification added to older groups – instead with this richly visionary way that brings all the elements together at a level that's completely sublime! The lineup features Gil on piano, alongside almost equal use of keyboards from Pete Levin – and other players include Arthur Blythe and David Sanborn on alto, George Adams on tenor, Marvin Hannibal Peterson and Ernie Royal on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and Keith Loving on guitar – an extremely varied group that comes together beautifully under the leadership of Evans. Side one features a brilliant reworking of the Billy Harper tune "Priestess", which runs for almost 20 minutes in length – and side two features Charles Mingus' "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Silk Blue" – plus "Lunar Eclipse" and "Short Visit". LP, Vinyl record album

Charles Mingus recorded many great concerts over the years – but this huge double-length collection may well be one of the most likely to earn the title of "great" – as the lineup is superb, and the music really captures Mingus at a time when he was setting a new fire in his sound! The time is the magical year of 1964 – and Mingus works here with a small group that features Eric Dolphy at a time right before he was to leave our planet all too soon – stretching out with the kind of incredible solos that Mingus allowed players in his group – showing some of the new spirituality that was coming into his sound at the time, emboldened by the leadership of the famous bassist. Dolphy blows flute, alto, and bass clarinet – alongside tremendous work from Clifford Jordan on tenor – springboarding here into the more spiritual currents of his albums to come – next to work from the great Jaki Byard on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums. All titles are very long, filled with majestic solos – and tracks include "Fables Of Faubus", "Parkerana", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "ATFW", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Meditations On Integration". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

We really loved the first volume in this series, and this second entry maybe goes even deeper into the unique territory of the collection – a genre that's maybe all its own, with a really cool blend of older tracks and contemporary numbers, all served up with a laidback sort of vibe! There's plenty of soul in the mix, but often from a global perspective – and those cuts are mixed in with more 21st century-styled tracks, which makes for a very cool blend of material. Titles include "Baby This Love I Have" by Avis, "Malibu Nites" by Frank Hatchett, "DE 108" by Bach Revolution, "We May Be Cattle But We All Got Names" by Michael De Albuquerque, "Marimba" by Yargo, "Play A Sweet Rhythm On Them Drums" by Okyerama Asante & Black Fire, "Shove Piggy Shove" by LFO, "Lost Children" by Veronica Mickie, and "Storm (Arp Duppy Chip mix)" by Rare Silk. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, Garnett Silk, Dennis Brown, Pam Hall, Makeda, Gregory Isaacs, Jack Radics, Cutty Rank & more. LP, Vinyl record album

Unreleased work from the glory days of the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet – a legendary free jazz ensemble that's playing here at the height of their powers! The group have a vibe here that's wonderful – both as playful and as sinister as the title might imply – stretched out to a performance that's almost 20 minutes in length, and which almost has a sort of cinematic sense of dynamism at times – although still with all the unscripted energy that made the group so great. Brotzmann is in the lead on tenor, with Mars Williams on tenor and soprano, Ken Vandermark on baritone, Mats Gustafsson on alto, Joe McPhee on valve trombone, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, and Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. The first-ever issue of this music comes in a limited one-sided record – with music on side a, and a silkscreen of Peter Brotzmann artwork on side B! LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual sound library take on African music styles! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Rare material from the group that eventually became Unwound – high school recordings by the band of Justin Trosper and Vern Rumsey – pressed up here in a limited package with silkscreened cover – to kick off the full Numero reissue of Unwound material! LP, Vinyl record album

A lean little groover from the Nigerian scene – an Edo funk set that's got a vibe that's more stripped-down than most – really focused on the rhythms, with a stark, spare quality that's very different than bigger groups of the decade before! There's almost an influence here going on from both post-punk and reggae – darker production with some echoey edges, heady basslines that often come across with a slightly spooky sound, and use of horns and guitars in ways that really have a sharpness that's unexpected – funky but lean too – on titles that include "Gaskya Kace", "Ekhueghamunu", "Onughara", "Aikemienaru Nanorunomwan", and "Bi Enu Ba Sahun". LP, Vinyl record album

A dreamy exploration of south sea ideals from the great Les Baxter – a set that's got a more lightly drifting quality than some of his more percussive exotica albums, and which is awash in dreamy soundscapes penned by Les himself! The orchestrations are large and bold throughout – mixing strings and woodwinds almost in a soundtrack-y mode – but always with the light sense of interplay that makes Baxter's work so great. Titles include "Monkey Dance Of Bali", "Pearls Of Ceylon", "Tahiti: A Summer Night At Sea", "Hong Kong Cable Car", "Tramp Steamer To Singapore", "Spice Islands Sea Birds", "Harem Silks From Bombay", "Bangkok Cockfight", and "Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 80s work from Luther Vandross – the kind of record that catapulted him from the soul music shadows into the major mainstream of the time! The style here is a fair bit more electric than some of Luther's music of the 70s, but the sound is still silky, soulful, and sensuous – thanks to Vandross' amazing vocal approach, which is undeniably one of the greatest of his generation. The tunes often have a snaking midtempo rhythm that works perfectly for Luther's groove – and while a few more numbers get a bit more upbeat, they're still never too over the top, nor commercial in nature. Vandross produced, with some help from Marcus Miller – and titles include "Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me", "For The Sweetness Of Your Love", "I Wanted Your Love", "Busy Body", "Make Me A Believer", "I'll Let You Slide", and "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" – a duet with Dionne Warwick. LP, Vinyl record album

Features lead vocals from Mike Williams and Dwight Pinkney – on titles that include "Zappin"," Mystic Mood", "Breakdown The Barriers", "Tonight We Love Tonight", "Funking Skank", "Nice Nice Time", and "Soul Revival". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from the Isley Brothers – and a real departure from their funkier sound of the 70s! The album has the group operating in a wonderful smooth soul mode – just what you'd expect from the "between the sheets" in the title, and the silky bedclothes on the cover! The centerpiece of the album is the loving title cut – a wonderfully catchy number that works well not only as a stepper's dancefloor tune, but also as a hip hop sample track (used most famously in Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum".) The whole thing's great, though – and other tracks include "Choosey Lover", "Touch Me", "Slow Down Children" and "Getting' Over". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Spirit – and a standout powerhouse of late 60s rock! The combo have a great way of hitting a groove without losing their cool – as heard on the classic "I Got A Line On You", which leads off the set – and unlike most of their contemporaries, who could be too bluesy for their own good, or too indulgent to keep a good hook going, Spirit here really know how to dip around all the best bits of the late 60s underground, and bring them into tighter focus for deeper penetration into the mainstream. The sound is driven strongly by drums from Ed Cassidy and guitar from Randy California – but the record's also got some nicely sweeter moments too, bits of jazz that slide into a few of the best tracks to complicate the vibe. Titles include "I Got A Line On You", "It Shall Be", "Poor Richard", "Drunkard", "Silky Sam", "Jewish", "Dream Within A Dream", and "She Smiles". LP, Vinyl record album

Barry White was always the victim of his own success – in that he cut so many excellent records early on, that folks always over look the great stuff he did in later years. This 1979 album is a perfect example of Barry's greatness in this respect – as it's still totally on the money, with strong songwriting, and a silky smooth modern sound that perfectly showcases Barry's vocals, which are sung more strongly than ever. The record's a nice one – and it includes the spacey steppers cut "You're The One I Need", which has a mellow loping groove, and a good midtempo dancefloor groove. Other tracks include "I Found Love", "It Ain't Love, Babe", and "Love Ain't Easy". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool compilation featuring a whole mess of great lost funk tracks from the legendary Westbound label – including a few unreleased cuts! There's a number of tracks on here that we just about never see, and some more that you'll only find on rare funky 45s. Tracks include "Getting It Off", an instrumental by Fuzzy Haskins, "Super Funk" by Erasmus Hall, "In The Pocket" by Boots, "Funk It Down" by Caesar Frazier, "Just Us" by Crowd Pleasers, "Funky Beethoven" by Gene Anderson, "Be What You Is" by U.S. Music & Funkadelic, and "Funky World (parts 1 & 2)" by Silky Vincent. Very cool stuff, and with a good set of notes! LP, Vinyl record album

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts. LP, Vinyl record album