A mid 60s gem from Brook Benton, produced by Clyde Otis, done in wonderful, more stripped down style than some of his other efforts of the time. Titles include "My Darling My Darling", "Try A Little Tenderness", "Moon River", "The Second Time Around", and "Call Me Irresponsible". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the first work ever recorded by a young Jackie DeShannon – early singles from her first years at Liberty Records – a label she definitely helped put on the map during the 60s! Right from the start, Jackie's got something special – a style that's quite different from some of the other female pop acts of her generation – a bit more grounding, maybe, and certainly a lot more soul – not to mention a great way with a tune, as you'll hear on some of the early compositions featured on the package. The set features both a and b-sides of the early singles, plus an unreleased track – with production and arrangements by the likes of Snuff Garrett, Clyde Otis, Bert Keyes, Jack Nitzsche, and Dick Glasser. Titles include "Just Like In The Movies", "Guess Who", "Faded Love", "Dancing Silhouettes", "I Wish I Could Find A Boy", "Baby", "The Prince", "That's What Boys Are Made Of", "I'll Drown In My Own Tears", "Should I Cry", "I'm Gonna Be Strong", "When You Walk In The Room", "500 Miles", "Did He Call Today Mama?", and "Ain't That Love". CD

Sublimely soulful work from Irene Reid – at one level a record that's in the field between jazz and soul, like albums from Gloria Lynne or Nancy Wilson at the time – but at another level, a key indication of Irene's strong strong vocal approach – one that's much deeper and more soulful than most of her contemporaries in the genre! Clyde Otis handles the arrangements, often using strings in a sweeping way in the background – never sleepy, but to emphasize the richness of Irene's vocals – but the real star of the set is Reid herself, singing in a majestically powerful mode that would captivate even without any other instrumentation at all! Titles include "This Bitter Earth", "If He Walked Into My Life", "A Man Only Does", "For Once In My Life", "I'm Too Far Gone To Turn Around", "Why Did I Choose You", and "Somewhere Along The Line". LP, Vinyl record album

Freddie sings it nice and easy with his deep round baritone, amidst polished arrangements by Garry Sherman, and nice production by Clyde Otis. The record's indicative of some of the excellent uptown soul that Columbia was releasing during the late 60s, with kind of a classy jazzy touch that makes it differ a lot from Freddie's other work. The set list includes a lot of standards and film tracks, given a soulful edge, in sort of a Nancy Wilson way. Tracks include "Again", "Laura", "Secret Love", "There Goes My Heart", and "I'm In The Mood For Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Mighty nice material from the earliest years of Jackie DeShannon – a full unreleased album for Liberty, plus a bunch of other rare tracks too! The album is fascinating – as it's a tribute to Ray Charles, and has Jackie not singing her own songs, as she would do famously later – but instead taking on tunes from the Ray Charles songbook, especially heavy on the Atlantic years – which come across with this soulful style that's really a change for Jackie! And sure, she's always had a current of soul in her music – but here, she has raspy vocals on a number of cuts, almost echoing Etta James – and great arrangements that really fit the vibe. Ray Charles titles include "Night Time Is The Right Time", "Georgia On My Mind", "I'll Drown In My Own Tears", "Ain't That Love", "Hallelujah I Love Him So", and "What'd I Say". The bonus material is also heavy on soulful styles too – in part because a number of them were recorded with great R&B producer Clyde Otis – and the set features a total of 24 tracks, with other titles that include "Wishin Won't Get It", "I Must Be Dreaming", "Shed A Tear", "Don't You Feel Sorry For Me", "Gonna Search", and "Nothing Can Stop Me". CD

Aretha Franklin belts it out nicely on this one – stepping out with even more of a hard soul style than before, in a record that's a great close to her early years on Columbia Records! Arrangements are by Belford Hendricks and Clyde Otis – the latter of whom is clearly responsible for the deepening sound of Franklin's music here – although Hendricks' work also sounds pretty great too, with a leaner feel than before. Franklin's vocals really sparkle nicely on the set – sometimes supported with backing singers, sometimes all out on their own – always in that iconic style that inspired whole generation of female soul singers. Titles include "A Little Bit Of Soul", "Only The One You Love", "Deeper", "Remember Me", "Land Of Dreams", "Lee Cross", "I May Never Get To Heaven", and "Take It Like You Give It". LP, Vinyl record album

Blues 45s – but material that's also pretty close to the funky 45 spirit of the 60s too – given that most of these cuts have a pretty raw groove! The blues element usually comes from a guitar or harmonica element, or a way of vocal phrasing – but much of the background instrumentation hits a gritty soul groove that's pretty darn funky overall – a great fusion of modes that must have sounded pretty darn great coming from a jukebox in the back room of some south side nightclub! This second volume is every bit as great as the first – and titles include "Love Is A Serious Thing" by Otis Reed, "Stretchin Out" by Little Sonny, "Lonesome" by Memphis Slim, "Don't Change Your Mind" by TB Fisher, "You Won't Treat Me Right" by TV Slim & His Bluesmen, "Fatten Pin" by Clyde Hopkins, "Dark River" by Freddy Young, "I'm Leaving You" by Bob Reed & His Band, "I Tried" by Larry Davis, "Pickin Heavy" by Joe Scott, "Roll On Train" by Elton Anderson, and "I'm So Tired" by Eddie Bo. CD

Upbeat sounds from Muscle Shoals – music that's normally dubbed by the term of Northern Soul, but which was recorded in one of the best scenes in the American south! That confusion's easy to fix – as the "northern" in Northern Soul has always referred to the interest in a certain type of rhythm in the 60s UK scene up north – which means that the sounds can come from anywhere, especially a place that's as well-tuned to vintage soul styles as the legendary Fame studios! The tracks here were all recorded at Fame – handled by Rick Hall and his top-shelf lineup of studio musicians – and were issued on his own Fame label, and other imprints that include Atlantic, Bell, Cotillion, and a few others – appearing here alongside a number of tracks that weren't issued back in the day as well. The main thing to know is that the rhythms are upbeat and romping – and the singers are all pretty darn wonderful – as many are also known for famous deep soul recordings at fame. Titles include "A Stone Loser" by Ben & Spence, "I'm Qualified" by Otis Clay, "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" by Prince Phillip, "Ten Miles High" by David & The Giants, "Keep On Talkin" by James Barnett, "A World Of My Own" by Billy & Clyde, "It's Not Safe To Mess On Me" by George Jackson, "In The Heat Of Love" by Marjorie Ingram, "It Ain't What You Got" by Jimmy Hughes, "Slippin Around With You" by Art Freeman, "Your Love Lifted Me" by James Govan, and "Everytime" by Linda Carr. CD