Heavy duty fuzzy funk – and a landmark album from one of the most Hendrix-inspired groups of the early 70s! The style here is guitar funk with plenty of rock thrown in – all really fuzzed-up in production, and often a bit distorted – so that the group are kind of a lost link between the work of Betty Davis and the more mainstream sounds of Jimi! These guys also backed up Fugi on the massive "Mary, Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip", but the sound here's even heavier – even more guitar-jamming than early work by Funkadelic! Titles include the great stoned track "Cynthy-Ruth", plus "Prophet", "Reality", "I Don't Want To Die", and "Over & Over". LP, Vinyl record album

A second sublime set from Ruth Copeland – a funky female singer from the Detroit scene of the early 70s, with key ties to the P-Funk universe, and a unique groove that mixes singer/songwriter modes with the fuzzier funkier elements of artists like Betty Davis or Yvonne Fair! There's a bit more emphasis on soul here than the funk of Copeland's previous efforts – but in a way that makes for an even more impressive record overall, especially when you realize that Ruth arranged and produced the whole thing. George Clinton and Eddie Hazel both had a hand in co-writing songs with Copeland – and instrumentation features Hazel on guitar, plus Bernie Worrell on piano – so there's still a key P-Funk link. Titles include the breakbeat track "Suburban Family Lament", the fuzzy stoner funk number "Don't You Wish You Had", and covers of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "Play With Fire" – plus "Crying Has Made Me Stronger", "Hare Krishna", and "The Medal". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful set from deep soul diva Bettye Lavette – a record that's actually as good as most of her older work, and that's something we didn't expect! We'll be honest in saying that we're always pretty darn suspicious of comeback albums by older soul singers – and usually, we find them lacking in spirit compared to the older work, thanks to bad production and song selection choices. Here, though, Lavette actually seems to sound even stronger than before – stepping out on some numbers with especially raw backings that have guitar ripping alongside her heartfelt vocals – in a groove that almost recalls 70s work by Betty Davis. Other tunes are sparer, or mellower – but Bettye's vocals burn strongly throughout – and the album's easily set a new standard for this sort of session! Titles include "Down To Zero", "The High Road", "On The Surface", "Little Sparrow", "Just Say So", "How Am I Different", and "Only Time Will Tell Me". CD

2 mid 70s gems from Bobby Womack – back to back on a single CD! Home Is Where The Heart Is is an exceptional album from Bobby's years at Columbia Records – and a record that brings together smooth and roosty styles wonderfully! When Womack moved to Columbia, he was doing it at a time when a number of other older deep soul artists (Johnny Taylor, Betty Wright, Tyrone Davis) were making the shift – pulling their sound out of the indie ghetto, and going for a more sophisticated approach that expanded their style without dampening their spirit! In the case of Bobby, the shift was perhaps near perfect – as the raspy Womack vocals are still wonderfully in place, but the increasingly great choice of songs, warmer style of arrangements, and completely professional presentation of the material really helps push Bobby to the next level. Material was recorded in both Muscle Shoals and LA – and the set includes some great Womack originals, plus a few more great numbers by Prince Phillip Mitchell! Titles include "Home Is Where The Heart Is", "Something For My Head", "A Little Bit Salty", "How Long", "Standing In the Safety Zone", and "One More Chance On Love". Pieces is great too – done with a strong mellow soul sound that still incorporated a lot of Womack's roots and his strengths, but which was also a lot more forward-looking, and which helped Bobby escape from some of the cliches of his later UA albums. In a way, his shift was similar to that of Johnnie Taylor at the label, and it's no surprise that the great Don Davis was at the helm. There's plenty of great guests, too, like Candi Staton, David Ruffin, and The Horny Horns. Titles include "Trust Your Heart", "It's Party Time", "When Love Begins, Friendship Ends", "Caught Up In The Middle", "Never Let Nothing Get The Best Of You", and "Wind It Up". CD

A cool bit of funk from reedman Robin Kenyatta – slightly electric, and often with a bit of an angular groove – almost a South African influence at times, although warmed up with a good dose of American soul as well! Most numbers here have some sort of keyboards – either from Pat Rebillot's electric piano or Neville Hinds' keyboards – and in addition to Robin's reedwork on alto and soprano sax, the set also features Enrico Rava on trumpet, Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, Carlos Garnett on tenor, and Sonny Burke on organ. Rhythm is at the core of the set – and is handled by either Ron Carter or Boris Gardner on bass, Ray Lucas or Winston Grennan on drums, and Ralph MacDonald on percussion. Parts of the set were recorded in Kingston – a fact that definitely shows in the grooves – and Betty Davis makes a brief guest appearance on vocals! Tracks include "Terra Nova", "Temptation Took Control Of Me", "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Need Your Love So Bad", "Touch", and "Island Shakedown". CD

The Detroit soul scene at the start of the 60s – music from a time before Motown was dominating the city's reputation, and a whole host of other great labels brought the motor city sound to the masses! The work here is quite a surprise if you're only thinking in terms of Northern Soul and some of the more uptempo Detroit groovers – as the work here burns on so many different levels – often with a style that reflects some of the nascent soul coming out of Chicago on labels like Chess and Vee Jay, the latter of whom is featured here amidst a range of other imprints that include Wand, Atlantic, Scepter, Time, Old Town, and Brent – all of whom released some of these early Detroit soul tracks as singles back in the day. In true Ace/Kent fashion, the set also features a few unreleased gems, plus a wonderful set of notes on the city's soul scene – alongside tracks that include "Nosey Folk" by The Del-Phis, "Answer Me" by Vivian Collins, "Can't We Get Together" by Harry Reid, "Here I Am" by Betty Lavette, "Shakin Fit" by The Pyramids, "That's No Way To Spend My Time" by The Pen Ettes, "Wedding Bells" by Melvin Davis, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Think A Little Sugar" by Barbara Lewis, "Just One More Time" by JJ Barnes, "My Letter" by Priscilla Page, "I Know How It Feels" by Laura Johnson, "I'm A Lonely Guy" by Timmy Shaw & The Sternphones, "Come Back To Me" by La Wanda William, "I Cried For My Last Time" by The Sonnettes, and "Tears Running & Falling From My Eyes" by James Lately. CD