A huge breakthrough from Levert – the group's third album, and a record that's filled with some really top-shelf R&B for the time! The tracks are a great transition in soul styles – classic harmony vocal sounds, produced with a slowjam style that's totally great – a bit like quiet storm of the 80s, but with more of a street edge overall! The mellowest moments are the best ones – and titles include "Casanova", "Throwdown", "My Forever Love", "In N Out", "Temptation", and "Don't U Think It's Time". LP, Vinyl record album

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The Levert bloodline runs mighty strong – with roots in the harmony sound of the O'Jays, reworked here to a beautiful new mode for the 80s – in a style that helped the group really revive vocal soul for the decade! At a time when so many other groups were just letting the beats and keyboards guide their vocals, Levert returned to the best sort of older soul modes – bringing back that classic east coast care with the lyrics to sit alongside backings that still have plenty of 80s electro soul elements. The blend is great, and clearly an inspiration for a generation of copycat acts to come in the 90s – but never handled by any of them this well. The upbeat tracks are catchy, but the mellow moments are our favorites – and titles include "Fascination", "Pop Goes My Mind", "Kiss & Make Up", "Grip", "Let's Go Out Tonight", "Looking For Love", and "I Start You Up You Turn Me On". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge collection of work from one of the most important voices to emerge in 90s soul music – the great Gerald Levert, a singer who set a whole new tone for style and class with music like this! Gerald's the son of Eddie Levert, of O'Jays fame – and he not only has all the chops of his pops, but also really shines in laidback mellow soul territory – maybe pushing forward the aesthetic of 70s cuts by The Isleys or Marvin Gaye, with a more contemporary sensual vibe that was perfect for the shifts in soul music as the 21st Century approached! This 3CD set features 45 tracks in all – including a few single mixes that appear here on CD for the first time ever – including duet cuts that include "Baby Hold On To Me" with Eddie Levert, "That's The Way I Feel About You" with Mary J Blige, and "Close To You" with Tamia – and other cuts that include "School Me", "Private Line", "Mr Too Damn Good", "Dream With No Love", "Spill A Little Love", "What Makes It Good To You", "One Million Times", "Click A Glass", "DJ Don't", "Can You Handle It (rmx edit)", "Fire & Desire", "I Wanna Be Bad (rmx edit)", "Let Me Know", "Made To Love Ya", "Crucify Me", "Nothin To Somethin", and "Love Strete". CD

If you'd told us years ago we'd be digging this sort of late 80s commercial soul, we'd have laughed in your face. But nostalgia has taken hold, and we can't argue with the songcraft here, even if the production (and band's fashion sense) is a bit dated. Not a classic, by any means, but not as objectionable to us as it once was. Includes "Pull Over", "Just Coolin" and "Let's Get Romantic". LP, Vinyl record album

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An amazing album produced and arranged by legendary Philly mastermind Larry Gold – the cello player/writer/arranger for MFSB – and a key player in the best Philly soul of the last several decades! Don Cello & Friends features Gold as Don Cello – and the friends include Black Thought of the Roots, McFadden & Whitehead, Carol Riddick, Gerald Levert, Kindred The Family Soul, Jaguar Wright, Bunny Sigler and others. The goal for the set was not only to celebrate the depth and rich history of Philly soul with a variety of vocalists, but to draw a direct parallel with the best of today's scene. It succeeds at both masterfully. Gold's production and arranging is lush and sparkling – and the vocalists bring the very best of their games. Black Thought's rhymes on the lead off remake of "No Stoppin'", with McFadden & Whitehead, sets the stage perfectly – think the Roots on Curtom, and that's about half the picture! Much of the album carries more of a classic soul sheen – smooth and sparkling, with just enough grit for a nice edge! In the liner notes, Gold explains that he loves songs from "Gamble, Huff to Timbaland" – and this album is the perfect sonic encapsulation of that aesthetic! Possibly the best album yet with the relatively fledgling Beat Generation imprint – and a great signpost for the future of underground soul! 12 tracks including "Loving You" with Carol Riddick, "Dance" with Gerald Levert, "And I Hope" featuring Floetry, "Travelin'" with Kameelah Waheed, ""All That You Are" featuring Kindred, "Nothin'" with Jaguar Wright, "Just A Dream" with Erro, "Everybody" with Cristal Oliver, "Can I" with Bunny Sigler, and Larry Gold's "Outro". CD

Proof that the O'Jays fire can never die – because even though the instrumentation is slightly dated at times, this set sill has the group shining strongly on the vocal tip – hitting some great harmonies on the mellow cuts, and stepping out boldly on the more upbeat ones. Things are very much still in the Philly family here – with production by Thom Bell, Eddie Levert, and Gamble & Huff – and titles include "Lovin You", "Undercover Lover", "Cause I Want You Back Again", "Don't Take Your Love Away", "Let Me Touch You", "No Lies To Cloud My Eyes", "Don't Let The Dream Get Away", and "I Just Want Somebody To Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime smooth soul from Jean Carn – who by this point has really honed her act into a polished one, perfect for the rising modern soul groove of late Philly. The record features production by Jerry Butler, Dexter Wansel, and Eddie Levert – but Jean unites the whole thing with her mature sense of poise, and her warm and loving vocals on classic cuts like "My Love Don't Come Easy", "Was That All It Was", and "When I Find You Love". A real gem – and another winner for one of soul music's greatest ladies! LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely grooving soul album from Love Committee – who are probably best known for their earlier disco songs, but we really dig this 1980 self-titled album for the mellower numbers – the best of which have a smooth midtempo groove that's as tasty as ever! A few of the numbers were co-written by Eddie Levert of The O'Jays, an indication of the style LC were going for, and they hit it nicely! Titles include "Love People Theme", "Ain't It a Shame", "You Are the One for Me","Boogie Papers", "Who Can We Trust", "I Wanna Make Love to You", and "I Made A Mistake". This Vinyl Masterpiece edition has 2 bonus tracks: longer versions of "I Made A Mistake" and "Boogie Papers". CD