Fantastic funky soul from a very mysterious figure – Georgia's Nathan Bartell, a singer with a deep soul style, and an under-exposed legacy that mostly involves a few indie label singles, and countless work in the smaller clubs of his state! The blend of music here is a bit different than most collections of this nature – as Nathan's work spans both the hard-hitting funky 45 world of the 70s, and the emerging groove styles of the 80s – which means that the record begins with the kind of funky material you'd guess from other southern singles of the time, then moves into midtempo modern soul that's more in the territory of Leon Ware! The mix of modes is a great testament to the under-recognized strengths of Bartell – an artist who kept on growing, even if the rest of the world wasn't paying attention at the time. Titles include "I Feel It Coming", "Top Going Down Bottom Going Up", "Moving On", "Some One Like You", "Ooh Baby I Love You", "Mystery Lady", "I Want Your Love", "See Me Cry", "If I Could Win Your Love", and "Jody & John". CD

Fantastic funky soul from a very mysterious figure – Georgia's Nathan Bartell, a singer with a deep soul style, and an under-exposed legacy that mostly involves a few indie label singles, and countless work in the smaller clubs of his state! The blend of music here is a bit different than most collections of this nature – as Nathan's work spans both the hard-hitting funky 45 world of the 70s, and the emerging groove styles of the 80s – which means that the record begins with the kind of funky material you'd guess from other southern singles of the time, then moves into midtempo modern soul that's more in the territory of Leon Ware! The mix of modes is a great testament to the under-recognized strengths of Bartell – an artist who kept on growing, even if the rest of the world wasn't paying attention at the time. Titles include "I Feel It Coming", "Top Going Down Bottom Going Up", "Moving On", "Some One Like You", "Ooh Baby I Love You", "Mystery Lady", "I Want Your Love", "See Me Cry", "If I Could Win Your Love", and "Jody & John". LP, Vinyl record album

Billy Bruner looks nice and relaxed on the cover – and his grooves are nice and relaxed, too – but maybe that's just how they make their music in Billy's hometown of Tulsa! The set's got a sweet blend of 80s soul and mellow boogie – never too over the top, and handled with a nice mix of 80s production styles, in a good balance between electric elements and some warmer modes at the core. Most cuts are nicely unpolished – diamonds in the rough that might have been hits, had they gotten commercial treatment – but which are maybe even better sounding in this approach. The package features a few unreleased tracks, and work by Billy that also includes cuts by T'Spoon and The Davis Family – on titles that include "If You Dance Tonite", "School Dance", "Amazing", "The Tulsa Song", "The Dream", "Sweetness", "Cat's Meow", and "Say Yeah". CD

Billy Bruner looks nice and relaxed on the cover – and his grooves are nice and relaxed, too – but maybe that's just how they make their music in Billy's hometown of Tulsa! The set's got a sweet blend of 80s soul and mellow boogie – never too over the top, and handled with a nice mix of 80s production styles, in a good balance between electric elements and some warmer modes at the core. Most cuts are nicely unpolished – diamonds in the rough that might have been hits, had they gotten commercial treatment – but which are maybe even better sounding in this approach. The package features a few unreleased tracks, and work by Billy that also includes cuts by T'Spoon and The Davis Family – on titles that include "If You Dance Tonite", "School Dance", "Amazing", "The Tulsa Song", "The Dream", "Sweetness", "Cat's Meow", and "Say Yeah". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collaboration between Greg Foat and James Thorpe – a set that's billed more as a sound library session than some of Foat's other jazz projects – even though the sound is equally appealing if you love those records too! The set is self-described as "futuristic analogue cosmic synth library cues for TV, film, and radio" – but it's also got a much warmer sound than you might expect, very much in keeping with the natural image on the cover – as Foat and Thorpe eschew some of the colder keyboard styles of other library records, and instead really let things glow with that organic vibe that usually informs Greg's music, as gentle rhythms set the pace for Fender Rhodes, Hohner pianet, and a host of Korg and Roland keys. There's also a touch of vibes, some field recordings, and other cool touches – on tracks that include "Balloon Ride", "Circadian Rhythms", "Grockle Box", "Living The Dream", "Platform Game", "Stacey's Theme", and "Elementary Physiology (parts 1 & 2)". CD

A solo album from Warren Hampshire, recorded right around the same time as his collaborations with Greg Foat, but done with a very different vibe! The set's got a nicely pastoral approach – slow building sounds that are somewhere between spiritual and meditative modes, with work from Hampshire on a variety of guitars, keyboards, and a wealth of percussion – plus inventive use of elements like autoharp and field recordings as well – blended with a few guest contributions on flute, cello, and strings – all elements that keep the gentle glowing spirit of the music nicely intact! Pascale Edwards Labelle sings guest vocals on the track "Zep Tepi", and the rest of the set is instrumental – with titles that include "From Lonely Hours", "Then It Was Gone", "I Just Didn't Think You'd Care", "Only A Moment", "Wu Wei", "Eve Of The Deluge", and "The Falling Rain". CD

A solo album from Warren Hampshire, recorded right around the same time as his collaborations with Greg Foat, but done with a very different vibe! The set's got a nicely pastoral approach – slow building sounds that are somewhere between spiritual and meditative modes, with work from Hampshire on a variety of guitars, keyboards, and a wealth of percussion – plus inventive use of elements like autoharp and field recordings as well – blended with a few guest contributions on flute, cello, and strings – all elements that keep the gentle glowing spirit of the music nicely intact! Pascale Edwards Labelle sings guest vocals on the track "Zep Tepi", and the rest of the set is instrumental – with titles that include "From Lonely Hours", "Then It Was Gone", "I Just Didn't Think You'd Care", "Only A Moment", "Wu Wei", "Eve Of The Deluge", and "The Falling Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Spacey sounds from the dream team of Warren Hampshire and Greg Foat – a set that feels a bit like music that Foat previously recorded under his own name, but which also has a more spiritual sound overall! Hampshire plays guitar and auto harp, and Foat plays Fender Rhodes, vibes, and other keyboards – but those instruments are just part of the sound here – as there's also some added strings, tenor, and other elements from time to time – inflecting the music with a visionary quality that reminds us of some of the more freethinking records coming out in the early 70s – especially the kind of small label sets that were years ahead of their time, and only finally getting their due all these many years later. The presentation of the package echoes the style of older Michael Garrick material on the UK Argo Records – and there's definitely a depth here to live up to that spirit, but also a warmer vibe overall. Titles include "How The Nights Can Fly", "Lullaby", "The Solar Winds", "A Long Way Home", and "All Washed Up". LP, Vinyl record album

"Mono" might seem to be a strange word to use in relation to the music of Linkwood – as his sets always have a very spacious, stretched-out sort of sound – one that's hardly the stuff of a one-channel recording! Yet here, Linkwood strips things down in a nice way – almost offering an 8-bit version of his fuller sounds from other records – using some lean, 80s-styled instrumentation – plenty of beats and keyboards, served up on these short tracks that move between upbeat groovers and a few more mellow moments! Titles include "No One's Perfect", "Date Line", "Refresher", "Strangely Enough", "Dust Jacket", "Rain & Shine", "Bubbles", "Byte Size", and "Endcoms". LP, Vinyl record album

James McKenzie looks a bit down to earth on the cover, but he sounds a lot more high-end on record – a budding blue-eyed soul singer, with a strong penchant for AOR production – but always served up in a homegrown style that's nice and lean! Were he working in LA in the late 70s, James might have scored some big hits – but instead, he worked privately, in Florida – recording under both his own name, as The McKenzie Brothers – recording an album of material under each! This set brings together the best tracks from both records, and is a strong addition to that genre of "underground AOR" that's been getting some strong traction in recent years – with titles that include "Felt Her Fire", "Lady Is Love", "Tomorrow Is Your Own", "Wonderful To Be In Love", "I Hope She Don't Hurt You", and "Joni's Little Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of funky soul from the Florida scene in the early 80s – a completely charming modern soul effort that's quite different than the bigger Miami hits of the decade before! These guys have a sense of integrity that comes through in their look on the cover – unassuming, and very down to earth – which maybe gives the whole thing that nice indie vibe of New Jersey work from ten years before, but with some of the grooves and styles that might be more contemporary to 1981! Vocals are often harmonized, in ways that again go back to older New Jersey or Philly soul – and the album balances funky upbeat tracks with some mighty nice ballads. Titles include "I Need You Baby", "Strung Out On Your Love", "Waiting On A Sign", "I Need Your Love", and "All My Love For You". CD

A rare set issued on a tiny label from Arkansas – but a set that's got all the charm, poise, and sparkle of some of the best deep soul on late 70s Columbia Records! Stuckey's got a touch of southern soul in his voice, with a sweet cracking sound – and that honest approach is mixed with some warmer modern soul arrangements – a bit like the style of some of the best Tyrone Davis or Johnnie Taylor records from the time! The blend of southern and modern is wonderful – and handled with a sense of care that really makes you think that the whole thing was done at one of the best studios out on the coast – rather than some tiny outpost west of the Mississippi. A great record – one of those cases where the rarity is matched by the quality – on titles that include "I've Got Plans For You", "Love Of Mine", "If You Want To", "Hold Me Close", and "The First Time". Also features the previously unissued "Just Around The Corner". CD

A rare set issued on a tiny label from Arkansas – but a set that's got all the charm, poise, and sparkle of some of the best deep soul on late 70s Columbia Records! Stuckey's got a touch of southern soul in his voice, with a sweet cracking sound – and that honest approach is mixed with some warmer modern soul arrangements – a bit like the style of some of the best Tyrone Davis or Johnnie Taylor records from the time! The blend of southern and modern is wonderful – and handled with a sense of care that really makes you think that the whole thing was done at one of the best studios out on the coast – rather than some tiny outpost west of the Mississippi. A great record – one of those cases where the rarity is matched by the quality – on titles that include "I've Got Plans For You", "Love Of Mine", "If You Want To", "Hold Me Close", and "The First Time". Also features the previously unissued "Just Around The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet selection of lovers rock tracks that take on big soul hits of the 70s – tunes that often have a bubbling bit of reggae in the rhythms, but which always feature a strong soul-based singer right up front! The tunes offer up not just a great example of the way that lovers rock could transform American soul when it was at its best – but also bring together some lesser-known gems of the genre – which sound way better to our ears than some of the more commercially produced lovers work of the time! The package is maybe even better than the fantastic first volume from the label – and titles include "Just The Two Of Us" by Lorna Fletcher, "Easier To Love" by Sonia, "Fool's Paradise" by Valerie Harrison, "Don't Keep Me Waiting" by Chosen Few, "Blood's Thicker Than Water" by Trevor Walters, "Holding Back The Years" by Pete Campbell, and "Smile" by Toyin Adekale. CD

Igloo Records was a teeny tiny label on the LA scene of the early 70s – but all of its releases turned out to be killers – most handled by the hip-looking Leon Gardner on the cover! The music is often heavy with the kind of deep funk you'd expect from rare singles at the time – but Gardner also has an ear for more complex sounds at times, and brings in some jazz moments that really give the Igloo titles a unique vibe – always with plenty of grit in the grooves, as befits a small indie label – but with an ear for the music that also makes us wonder what Gardner could have done, had someone given him the keys to a bigger label and studio for his productions! We'd love a bit more in the way of notes – but that's to be expected, as Leon was somewhat of a mysterious figure – and the music is more than great enough on its own, with titles that include "Farm Song", "Be There", "My Love Is Growing", "Who Are You", "Beef Jerky", "Tuff Lover", "Wonderful World Of Children", "You Gonna Cry", and "You Don't Care" by Leon Gardner himself – plus "You're My Love" by Eddie Lewis, "I've Cried" by The Jhamels, and "Petty Cash" and "Ropeokra" by Wallace Petty Combo. CD

Igloo Records was a teeny tiny label on the LA scene of the early 70s – but all of its releases turned out to be killers – most handled by the hip-looking Leon Gardner on the cover! The music is often heavy with the kind of deep funk you'd expect from rare singles at the time – but Gardner also has an ear for more complex sounds at times, and brings in some jazz moments that really give the Igloo titles a unique vibe – always with plenty of grit in the grooves, as befits a small indie label – but with an ear for the music that also makes us wonder what Gardner could have done, had someone given him the keys to a bigger label and studio for his productions! We'd love a bit more in the way of notes – but that's to be expected, as Leon was somewhat of a mysterious figure – and the music is more than great enough on its own, with titles that include "Farm Song", "Be There", "My Love Is Growing", "Who Are You", "Beef Jerky", "Tuff Lover", "Wonderful World Of Children", "You Gonna Cry", and "You Don't Care" by Leon Gardner himself – plus "You're My Love" by Eddie Lewis, "I've Cried" by The Jhamels, and "Petty Cash" and "Ropeokra" by Wallace Petty Combo. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most amazing work we've heard so far from Greg Foat – and that's really saying a lot, as the British keyboardist has given us some really incredible records over the years! The work's got a more ambitious vibe than some of Greg's straighter jazz sets – with large arrangements that also bring in voices at times – used in a really haunting way that's part late 60s Chess/Cadet Records, part acid folk – even though the instrumentation is mostly jazz overall! The core group also features this great mix of older British jazz giants and contemporary musicians – the legendary Ray Russell on guitar, with Duncan Lamont on tenor, Art Themen on soprano and tenor, Nat Steele on vibes, Warren Hampshire (of Hampshire & Foat) on guitar and percussion, and Moses Boyd, Clark Tracey, and Malcolm Catto on drums! Lamont is especially great – with these old school tenor solos that bring a strong current of soul to the more complex arrangements – and Foat himself plays piano, keyboards, and harmonium. Titles include versions of Tim Buckley's "Driftin" and Piero Piccioni's "Endless Love" – plus originals "The Mage", "The High Priestess", "Incantation", and "The Magic Radish". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that definitely lives up to its title – as it's been a well-kept secret for decades, since most of us have only heard the self-titled album by Raw Soul Express from the 70s! Turns out, these southern funk giants also had a whole other record in the can – finally getting a long-overdue release, and every bit as great as their debut classic – a masterpiece of jazzy funk that puts most of its contemporaries to shame, and which should have gotten RSE the same sort of place in the pantheon as 70s jazz funk heavyweights like Roy Ayers or Wayne Henderson! The groove is great – tight, but never too slick – almost like the best Fantasy Records funk productions of the late 70s – with lots or riffing guitar, warm horns, and a sharp edge throughout. Titles include "Let Go", "Will You Be There", "Get On Up & Get Freaky", "Do You Know What You Feel", "We're Gonna Be Together", and "I'd Like To Take A Shot" – plus an alternate of their classic "The Way We Live". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most unique albums to ever come out of the Miami soul scene of the 70s – a sublime set of work that we'd easily rank right up there with the best material of the time from Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder! Milton Wright has a really jazzy groove to his music – and he mixes his own acoustic guitar lines with warm keyboards and unusual rhythms that often have a bit of synth or moog – never too much, and almost more of a Mizell-like touch, but a bit more understated overall! The cuts are wonderfully written – quite righteous, almost with a Terry Callier sort of sensitivity – and Milton's vocals more than have the chops to live up to the heady batch of artists we're comparing him to in these notes. The sound is amazing throughout – one of those soul records that feels like nothing else you've ever heard, but which you can't live without once you've heard it! Titles include "Friends & Buddies", "Keep It Up", "Brothers & Sisters", "Get No Lovin' Tonight", "Po Man", "Black Man", and "Silence That You Keep". This LP version is the original mix of the Friends & Buddies album – with the bonus track "Nobody Can Touch You", which was never released on the album! LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from a group who maybe never made it from coast to coast during their short time together in the 70s – but who recorded the wonderful tracks on this set, which are served up here in a really great blend of vocal and instrumental numbers! The group have a great way with a mellow tune – in that they can play full and funky, but also feel nicely laidback too – never too commercial in their approach, with that kind of easygoing way of sounding funky and soulful at the same time that few other major label groups seem to match! Side one features all vocal tracks – including "Love Is The Same", "I Want You Dear", "Paula Marie", "A Woman Was Made To Be Loved", and "Reincarnation Of Love" – and side two features instrumental cuts that include "Funkin Coast To Coast" and "Move Your Body". LP, Vinyl record album