Soul — Recently Added

An 80s soul classic from Philip Bailey – stepping out here from Earth Wind & Fire in a set that has him sparkling strongly as a solo act! The vocals still have that trademark Bailey sound – a wonderful range that's never overdone, and which seems to shine especially well on the ... CD

Funky genius from Con Funk Shun – working here under the production helm of Skip Scarborough, who seems to give them an even sharper edge than usual! The album's filled with those tightly compressed rhythms that Skip was so great in producing back in the 70s – grooves that seem to make ... CD

A great later album from the Main Ingredient – professional, polished, and filled with wonderful harmony vocals! Maestro Patrick Adams arranged and produced the set – and he gives the record a really wonderful sound that's light years from his indie club work of the early 70s – a ... CD

Smooth and sophisticated 80s soul from O'Bryan – his first Capitol album! Doin' Alight is a great mix of smoothed out modern soul, bits of funk and classic soul touches. Most of it is co-produced with Don Cornelius, of Soul Train fame, who helped O'Bryan get his start. A good bit of the ... CD

Stellar sounds from the great Roy Ayers – an early 80s album for Polydor, but a set that's still got the wonderfully tight, wonderfully groovy feel of his late 70s albums for the label! Roy's really perfected his sense of balance by this time – and does a great job of balancing ... CD

New mixes of two classic club tracks from DC LaRue – but mostly done in ways that completely change up the groove! "Face Of Love" is handled in versions by Johnny Juice, DJ Spinna, and Mell Starr – and Mell and Spinna keep the more classic vibe, but work out some very ... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The mighty Don Bryant never got the chance to record much back in the day – save for one fantastic album and a set of singles on Hi Records – but he's really returned to form lately, and gets the chance to show the world his Memphis soul pedigree in all of its glory! Scott Bomar ... LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Roy Ayers albums of all time – and an overlooked gem from Roy's late 70s years at Polydor! This set's a bit more laidback and less clubby than some other Ayers work of the period – which means it's got this wonderful jazzy groove throughout – a sweet mix of ... CD

Oliver Cheatham sounds wonderful here – in that best bouncy style that made him a big favorite on the dancefloors in the early 80s – a groove that's still pretty darn great all these years later! The set features key songwriting help from Al Hudson and Kevin McCord, both of whom help ... CD

Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm ... CD

A seminal bit of seventies soul from Switch, and a record that really helped set the tone for countless others to come in the 80s – no surprise, given that the group's got members from both the DeBarge and Ingram families! There's a warmth here that few others can match – an earnest, ... CD

The album's no breakout for the Pointer Sisters, as the trio were already at the top of the charts when the set was released – but the whole thing does find a great way to keep the grooves coming in the group's lasting relationship with producer Richard Perry! There's plenty of 80s elements ... CD

A pretty sweet soul group from the mid 80s scene – one that's been a bit overlooked over the years, but who have a sound that's right up there with the best of their big name contemporaries! At some points, these guys have a way of harmonizing along with electro funk that reminds us a lot of ... CD

A near-lost album of 80s soul from Rosie Gaines – produced, arranged, and mostly written by Rosie with help from a few key associates – and done in a nicely mellow style that has a deeper feel than most other work from her contemporaries! Instrumentation is definitely in the 80s mode ... CD

A clubby classic from the enigmatic Gary's Gang – a group who scored a big disco hit with the title track of this album, a unique groove that features some weird keyboard and synth touches – alongside some surprisingly great percussion at the bottom! The group effortlessly mix electric ... CD

The third album in Billy Griffin's great run after leaving The Miracles – and a set that features some especially nice help from mellow groove maestro Leon Ware! Ware brings a depth to the record that takes it way past Billy's outdated look on the cover – that trademark ear for a ... CD

Cheryl Lynn's punching up her sound a bit here – working with Hubert Eaves, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and even some of her own productions – in a style that's got a heavier sort of 80s groove than earlier albums, but still mighty nice – and a great change from the disco of her ... CD

A groovy little gem from early 80s RCA – a set that sparkles with the same sort of energy as the label's work with Keni Burke at the time! Steven & Sterling are a hip duo who trade vocals back and forth nicely – working over rhythms that are mellow and midtempo, often with a hip ... CD

The Ritchie Family do their best to remain relevant after the glory days of commercial disco – and succeed strongly on I'll Do My Best – thanks to the sweetly soulful trio vocals and a nicely updated dancefloor soul sound! The songs are great, and groove on just long enough – ... CD

Sweet dancefloor soul from an early 80s line-up of The Ritchie Family – this one featuring Linda James, Jacqui Smith-Lee and Vera Brown – going All Night All Right on a strong batch of synth flavored grooves! The bigger hits of the commercial disco boom were well behind them by this ... CD