The second album by The Freedom Sounds – a very cool west coast soul jazz collective, headed by Wayne Henderson, and featuring a great mix of jazz, soul, and Latin rhythms! This set's a little more ambitious than the group's first album – with a number of tracks that groove in a very strong Latin jazz mode, sounding a lot like some of the best work on Atlantic at the time by Mongo Santamaria, Hubert Laws, and others. Henderson's trombone is still a key solo instrument, but the album also features some incredible sax work from Willie Gresham – a player we know little about, but who makes the album cook in the same fantastic way that Hubert Laws and Sonny Fortune did for Mongo's best work of the 60s! The grooves are very right-on, with plenty of excellent percussion work – and titles include the originals "Love-Out", "Behold The Day", and "Soul Sound System", plus some groovy covers, like "All You Need is Love", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", and "Are You Sure?" – all done with a great Latiny groove! LP, Vinyl record album

The big breakout record for The System – one of the key soul crossover duos of the 80s! By the time of the record, electric instrumentation and studio technology had evolved to a point where a team like Mic Murphy and David Frank could put together a whole mainstream funk record like this on their own – and audiences too were a bit more open to accepting a world of overdubs and multi-track recording, and didn't need the 10-piece lineup of some of those late 70s groups to help them find their groove! The standout number here is the huge single "You Are In My System" – a cut that's wonderful in its simplicity, and somehow even better all these many years later, which it seems like less of a commercial crossover track than it did before. Other tracks follow a similar groove, and titles include "Sweat", "It's Passion", "Now I Am Electric", "Stand Up & Cheer", and "I Won't Let Go". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the evolution of the Millie Jackson sound and style – as she leaves behind the weepy soul of earlier albums, and moves into the fierce, proud-stepping mode that would define the "bad girl" of later, raunchier years! In case you can't figure out where Millie's going with her bag, the title is emphasized by a photo of a toilet seat on the back cover – and Millie literally takes the sh*t out on the record – in a series of tunes that have a real bad-rapping approach. Production is by longtime associate Brad Shapiro, but the overall sound is sweetened nicely by David Van De Pitte – who adds in full strings and voices to emphasize the attitude behind the songs. Titles include "Go Out & Get Some", "Put Something Down On It", "He Wants To Hear The Words", "Here You Come Again", and a great version of Latimore's "Keep The Home Fire Burnin", complete with an additional rap on the subject, entitle "Logs & Thangs". LP, Vinyl record album

Earth Wind & Fire touch the world with this sweet batch of grooves – a set of tracks that has them firmly embracing the electric sound of 80s soul, yet still bringing in some light spiritual touches of their own! The beats are pretty heavy at points – making for plenty of groovers – but the group almost seems to shine most on the ballads, which continue to provide a perfect showcase for the vocals of Philip Bailey and Maurice White. A few cool studio touches reference the group's earlier history – a nice reminder amidst the more contemporary sounds – and titles include "You & I", "System Of Survival", "Every Now & Then", "Money Tight", "Here Today & Gone Tomorrow", "Victim Of The Modern Heart", and "Thinking Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 70s work from KC & The Sunshine Band – a record that's not as hit-heavy as previous efforts, but still a plenty great set that's filled with catchy dancefloor funk! KC's clearly feeling the heat of the disco fire he helped to ignite a few years before – and there's definitely an ear hear towards tracks that would boom out nicely on a heavier sound system – kind of a deepening of the sometimes bargain basement production the group got on earlier TK records. That approach doesn't dampen the groove, though, and there's still a nice mix here of soul, funk, club, and tropical modes – sometimes a bit off the mark, but still a heck of a lot better than most of the group's contemporaries! Titles include a remake of "It's The Same Old Song", plus "Who Do Ya Love", "How About A Little Love", "Sho-Nuff'" and "Come To My Island". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice mid 80s UK pop soul from Five Star – sweet family act that's kind of in the mode that's a bit of an unofficial British answer to the cheery family pop soul vibe of groups like DeBarge and New Edition at the time – and a sweet one! Lean, lightly thumping synth soul backdrops and nice vocals from the group on some very catchy songs! Titles include "Love Take Over", "All Fall Down", "Let Me Be The One", "System Addict", "Hide And Seek", "RSVP", "Crazy", "Winning" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A standout solo moment for Yazz – the singer who first rose to fame as part of the Coldcut soundsystem, then really broke big at a point when UK soul was cracking the American mainstream! Yazz may have a bleached-out look on the cover, but her sound is deeply soulful – and fits in perfectly with the house-styled grooves on the record – backings that have an unabashed love of disco, at a time when listening audiences were maybe forgiving that music for all of its previous excesses, and strongly embracing its best qualities again – in a groove that's maybe a bit similar to Lisa Stansfield at the time, although with more beats and less strings. Production and backings are by Coldcut, FON, Youth, and other hip talents – and titles include her great remake of "The Only Way Is Up" – plus "Systematic People", "Wanted On The Floor", "Stand Up For Your Love Rights", "Fine Time", "Where Has All The Love Gone", "Got To Share", and "Turn It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from the Melbourne scene – a record that's got kind of a "jazz plus" vibe – in that it mixes live jazz instrumentation with some work on edits and a few electric touches – all in a style that's very much like some of our favorite London work in recent years! Don Glori heads the group on bass and keyboards – but the sound is served up in a really well-crafted blend of saxophones, Fender Rhodes, and lots of great percussion – sometimes with vocals, but often used more like an instrument than a lyrical delivery system – on tracks that are nice and long, and resonate with a mix of soulful and spiritual touches! Titles include "Voyager", "Fly Low, "Dawn Calling", "Pachinko King", and "After Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Invocation To Papa Legba" by Debbie Harry, "Sister Ray" by New Order, "Just Say No To Drug Hysteria (excerpt) Dead Souls" by William S Burroughs, "Song For The Trees (or) I Know Sometimes The World Is Wrong" by David Byrne, "Tri-Power" by Live Skull, "Living On The Outside (F^c%ed Up World)" by PMS, "Party Animal" by Karen Finley, "It's A Mistake To Think You're Special" by John Giorno Band, and "Hard" by Henry Rollins Band. LP, Vinyl record album