A beautifully spare session from the mid 70s – one that features bass and cello from Isao Suzuki – stretching out here in a sound that's totally unique! The trio's a great one – with Donald Bailey on drums and Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes – the latter of which sounds amazing next to Suzuki mellow-stepping lines. If you've heard any of Suzuki's other albums from the period, the style is somewhat similar – quite soulful throughout, but with an easygoing, open feel that's quite different than many American sessions of this nature – and which makes it clear that the bassist is the leader, not the pianist! Titles include a great version of "Manha De Carnaval", plus "Angel Eyes", "In A Sentimental Mood", "Who Can I Turn To", and "Blues". CD

A tightly funky set from The Temptations – a record that has the group still standing strong in the post-Norman Whitfield years – working here with producer Jeffrey Bowen in a groove that's almost got some P-Funk touches at times! Things are somewhat polished, but still in the best mainstream funk mode of the time – and in a way, the record's almost a blueprint for the style that so many California groups would pick up in the next few years – upbeat grooves, often driven with some heavy bass at the bottom, but still with enough room for well-crafted vocals on the top. Arrangements are by James Carmichael on most tracks – and the backing group includes Wah Wah Ragin and Eddie Hazel on guitar, both of whom get plenty of space to work out on the set. Tracks include the instrumental "Happy People" – plus "Glass House", "Shakey Ground", "The Prophet", "A Song For You", "Firefly", and "I'm A Bachelor". CD

A tightly funky set from The Temptations – a record that has the group still standing strong in the post-Norman Whitfield years – working here with producer Jeffrey Bowen in a groove that's almost got some P-Funk touches at times! Things are somewhat polished, but still in the best mainstream funk mode of the time – and in a way, the record's almost a blueprint for the style that so many California groups would pick up in the next few years – upbeat grooves, often driven with some heavy bass at the bottom, but still with enough room for well-crafted vocals on the top. Arrangements are by James Carmichael on most tracks – and the backing group includes Wah Wah Ragin and Eddie Hazel on guitar, both of whom get plenty of space to work out on the set. Tracks include the instrumental "Happy People" – plus "Glass House", "Shakey Ground", "The Prophet", "A Song For You", "Firefly", and "I'm A Bachelor". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful bossa from late 60s France – a really lovely session that mixes the vocals of Tita with jazzy backings from Trio Camara – who we know from their own legendary album on the Saravah label! The sound here is a bit different than bossa from Brazil – somewhat darker at points, carried off in that cool continental mode that would sometimes show up when sounds from Rio were filtered through 60s Paris – kind of an extra level of hipness that really makes for some special music here. There's a bit of additional strings next to the trio's backing, which underscores some elements of sadness and also makes for a bit of a soundtrack feel at points – and other instrumentation includes acoustic guitar and some occasional flute. Titles include "Anjo", "Trapezista", "Zefa", "Um Motivo De Ser", "Beatriz", "Nao Faz Mal", "Quebra Mar", and "Vejo A Tarde Cair". CD

A big package of work – all the albums recorded by The Weather Girls, plus solo material and bonus tracks too! First up is Success – maybe the greatest moment ever from The Weather Girls – a long-running duo who started out as backing singers for Sylvester in the 70s, then recorded as Two Tons O Fun, and finally got the chance to cut this classic for a major label in the early 80s! Both Martha Wash and Izora Armstead are great singers – and work here with previous disco maestro Paul Jabara, who has a great way of shifting the groove to 80s club, while still allowing all the playful elements of the decade before! In a way, this was definitely one of those records that showed the world that in the right corners, disco wasn't dead – heard to best effect on the classic "It's Raining Men" – alongside other cuts that include "Success", "Hungry For Love", "Dear Santa", "Hope", and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair". Next is Big Girls Don't Cry – soaring vocals from The Weather Girls, set to bouncy grooves that are equal parts soul and pop! Martha Wash and Izora Armstead have mighty vocal chops throughout – that bold duo approach they first crafted as Two Tons O Fun, and pushed even more strongly as The Weather Girls – set here to keyboard-heavy backings from Leon Pendarvis, who knows just where to put the best hooks in the grooves! Titles include "Well A Wiggy", "Lock Me Up", "No One Can Love You More Than Me", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "You Can Do It", "Laughter In The Rain", and "March". Next is the self-titled Weather Girls album – the last album in the original run of The Weather Girls – and a set that's full of well-produced tracks from Reggie Lucas and Full Force, balanced out nicely as a way of pushing the duo's sound strongly past the disco years from which they emerged! Sylvester makes a guest appearance on the cut "Love's On The Way" – and other titles include "Why Can't We Show Our Love", "Burn Me", "Love You Like A Train", "Opposite Directions", "Something For Nothing", and "Land Of The Believer". Last up is a super-huge solo set from Martha Wash – made a number of years after her fame in The Weather Girls, and at a time when she had really emerged as an important voice in dance music after a big cut with C&C! By this point, Wash had plenty of recording experience under her belt – and she knocks it out of the park with vocals that are disco-trained, but much richer in soul content overall – certainly more so than some of her other contemporaries on the early 90s club scene. The album features help from a huge amount of studio talent, but it's clear that Wash is the shining star in the lead – really blowing away so much of the work from the "sound system with singer" generation of club – on cuts that include "Leave A Light On", "Give it To You", "Runaround", "Things We Do For Love", "So Whatcha Gonna Do", "Someone Who Believes In You", "Just Us", "Hold On", "When It's My Heart", and "Carry On". 4CD set features bonus tracks on every CD – 22 more bonus mixes and more! CD

The record that proved to the world that Vanessa Williams wasn't going to be let down after an unfortunate detour in the press – one that she answered with this classic album of crossover soul! Williams' isn't out to make anyone believe she's the next Aretha Franklin, but she's right at home in the upbeat arrangements of these tunes – stepping along with a bright and bouncy feel that more than matches the backings – and the feel of late 80s mainstream soul of the time. Titles include "The Right Stuff", "He's Got The Look", "Dreamin", "I'll Be The One", "Am I Too Much", "Be A Man", "Whatever Happens", and "Security". CD

The record that proved to the world that Vanessa Williams wasn't going to be let down after an unfortunate detour in the press – one that she answered with this classic album of crossover soul! Williams' isn't out to make anyone believe she's the next Aretha Franklin, but she's right at home in the upbeat arrangements of these tunes – stepping along with a bright and bouncy feel that more than matches the backings – and the feel of late 80s mainstream soul of the time. Titles include "The Right Stuff", "He's Got The Look", "Dreamin", "I'll Be The One", "Am I Too Much", "Be A Man", "Whatever Happens", and "Security". CD