One of the rawest, raunchiest grooves we've heard from AJ & Co to date – a tune that's got a heavy slow-funk drum part that launches the whole thing along – and some slinky stepping, hard-sung lyrics that almost give the song a pimp walk sort of vibe! "Party Music" is a bit more upbeat, but no less funky – super-tight horns leaping over snapping drums and fast-stepping bass – and lead lyrics that have a nice sort of distortion in the way they were recorded! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet rocksteady groove from Nico Collins & The Soul Chance – a contemporary group who share a lot with Jr Thomas & The Volcanos – both a love of older Jamaican modes, and their placement on Colemine Records! Nico's got a sweeter vocal approach than Jr – which really works well on "Give Love A Try" – and the flipside is a sweet organ-based instrumental from the Soul Chance, with almost a sweet soul approach! 7-inch, Vinyl record

That tiger's trotting at a mighty cool pace – a slow-funk groove that almost seems to have a touch of Ethio-exoticism in the horns – while the drums and guitar stay in more familiar funky territory overall! The guitar is even wilder on the flipside – as "Enter" has kind of a fuzzy wah-wah groove that's completely wicked – and set to these breaking drums that make the whole thing a stone funky monster! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A sweet little number with a sunny California vibe – equal parts rock and soul, with a guitar line that fades in to echo the waves of the surf – while Rudy De Anda delivers a vocal over romping drums! "Los Canarios" is slower, with plenty of echoey guitar tripping over slow beats – while Rudy's vocals lurk more in the background, especially when a stronger fuzz guitar comes into the lead! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A nice solo single from Monophonics singer Kelly Finnigan – stepping out nicely on the slow funk ballad "I Don't Wanna Wait" – a cut that's got lots of wonderful 70s sweet soul touches on the production, but funky drums at the core! Finnigan moves nicely between deep and sweet soul – a bit like Lee Fields in this mode – and the flipside has the style of a great 70s southern soul ballad – almost Hi Records in approach, with a gentle sort of glow! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A killer debut from soul singer Kelly Finnigan – an artist who's got years of experience under his belt, working on other folks' projects – finally out in the spotlight on his own! Kelly's a blue-eyed singer, but has a voice that crackles with a classic soul rasp – set up here in the kind of deep soul, funk-based backings you'd expect from the record's placement on the Colemine label! Drums are heavy, arrangements are full, horns are tight, and there's some great organ lines that burn alongside Kelly's vocals – to really give the whole thing a deeply-rooted southern soul quality. Finnigan produced the whole thing himself – and titles include "I Called You Back Baby", "Freedom", "Can't Let Him Down", "I Don't Wanna Wait", "I'll Never Love Again", "Smoking & Drinking", "Every Time It Rains", and "Since I Don't Have You Anymore". CD

A killer debut from soul singer Kelly Finnigan – an artist who's got years of experience under his belt, working on other folks' projects – finally out in the spotlight on his own! Kelly's a blue-eyed singer, but has a voice that crackles with a classic soul rasp – set up here in the kind of deep soul, funk-based backings you'd expect from the record's placement on the Colemine label! Drums are heavy, arrangements are full, horns are tight, and there's some great organ lines that burn alongside Kelly's vocals – to really give the whole thing a deeply-rooted southern soul quality. Finnigan produced the whole thing himself – and titles include "I Called You Back Baby", "Freedom", "Can't Let Him Down", "I Don't Wanna Wait", "I'll Never Love Again", "Smoking & Drinking", "Every Time It Rains", and "Since I Don't Have You Anymore". LP, Vinyl record album

Neal Francis lays down a warm blue-eyed groove here – a tune that's got a nice sort of glow that remind us of that moment when soulful styles were percolating through other genres in the 70s mainstream – almost with the kind of uplifting vibe that would have sounded great on an AM radioi! "Changes" is part smooth soul, part 70s AOR – especially in the way that his vocals are produced with lots of wavy touches around the edges! 7-inch, Vinyl record

The Gripsweats have themselves a great little theme here – a slow funk number that takes a nice long time setting up the groove – then tops the whole thing with this climbing/descending horn part that sets up a really moody vibe! Fuzz guitar electrifies the tune, and there's some nice piano that tinkles along too – and "Intermission" is an equally great slow funk number – nice and deep, without breaking a sweat at all! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A lost Ohio soul treasure – the initial effort by a singer with a hell of a voice, but one who languished in obscurity after the poor response to this debut LP! Barbara Howard really knocks it out of the park here – singing like a deep soul diva with a hell of a lot of power and focus – but also moving effortlessly through material from a variety of modes, often given a bit of a jazzy twist in the backings – almost as if Howard's trying to be the southern soul answer to Nancy Wilson on Capitol Records! There's maybe a Spanky Wilson vibe to the whole thing – with a similar punch in the arrangements – and titles include "The Man Above", "Save Your Love For Me", "Light My Fire", "My Song", "I Need You", "Welcome Home", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "For Once In My Life". CD

Heady Afro Funk from Ikebe Shakedown – a tight little tune that sums up everything the group does so well – with sharp riffing guitar in the rhythms, lots of lively percussion, and horn parts that really flesh out the mood! "View From Above" is deeper funk overall – with almost a Meters sort of bassline and guitar, which brings out a different quality from the rest of the group! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Hard Steppin funky sounds from Ikebe Shakedown – solid stuff from the fertile Brooklyn scene – blending hard hitting 70s funk & soul with both stateside and African influences! The group is young and doesn't take the task of honoring the pioneers of these sounds lightly – but the reverence isn't weighty or overbearing, and it's more about the getting the floorshaking groove spot on – which they do! The slower numbers are just as nice, on this debut EP – and titles include "Hard Steppin", "The Prisoner", "No Answer", "Afro Fred" and "Up In The Trees". LP, Vinyl record album

Two funky gems from Ikebe Shakedown – both showcasing the group at their best! "Supermoon" starts out like an Afro Funk jam, but has an internal complexity that rivals classic Lalo Schifrin soundtrack work – and somewhere in the middle, there's also this weird noisy guitar part that echoes and almost feels like thunder! "The Ally" is a slow-stepping funk tune, which uses congas and bass under guitar to set up the groove – then brings in these focused horn parts that dip and turn, and have some nicely dark undercurrents! 7-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic album from this increasingly hip combo – a group who were already pretty darn funky at their start, but who've just kept on moving into really amazing territory over the years! The sound here is maybe the equivalent of the depth and shifts that El Michels brought to the deep funk underground – a new fusion of elements, and a way of playing the sonic field that helps the group divorce their style from its roots, and make it very much their own sound in the process! Sure, there's elements of 70s styles – Afro Funk, funky jazz, and instrumental soul – but the overall presentation is inflected with all these really unusual sounds and colors, and cool currents of darkness that show an increasing understanding of the sonic possibilities of familiar instrumentation. Don't worry, things are still plenty funky throughout, but also very individual too – on titles that include "She's Knocking", "Assassin", "Brushfire", "Penny The Switch", "Blue Giant", "Supermoon", "Shifting Sands", and "Where The Day Breaks". CD

Man, these guys just keep on getting better – and this time around, Durand Jones & The Indications deliver a record that's way more than just another funk band with a lead singer! Instead, there's a depth and complexity to this set that takes us back to our favorite indie soul albums at the start of the 70s – particularly ultra-hip work from the Philly and New Jersey scenes, where sweet and funky soul modes could exist in equal space – and come up with results that are every bit as great! The core funky instrumentation from the group is still in place - but there's also larger arrangements with a bit of strings and vocals – really opening up the tunes, and somehow underscoring their more righteous currents in a way that smaller instrumentation would never do. Jones sounds better than ever – as if he's been waiting for a chance like this to really take off – and titles include "Morning In America", "Circles", "True Love", "Walk Away", "Long Way Home", "Sea Gets Hotter", "How Can I Be Sure", "Listen To Your Heart", and "Court Of Love". CD

Man, these guys just keep on getting better – and this time around, Durand Jones & The Indications deliver a record that's way more than just another funk band with a lead singer! Instead, there's a depth and complexity to this set that takes us back to our favorite indie soul albums at the start of the 70s – particularly ultra-hip work from the Philly and New Jersey scenes, where sweet and funky soul modes could exist in equal space – and come up with results that are every bit as great! The core funky instrumentation from the group is still in place - but there's also larger arrangements with a bit of strings and vocals – really opening up the tunes, and somehow underscoring their more righteous currents in a way that smaller instrumentation would never do. Jones sounds better than ever – as if he's been waiting for a chance like this to really take off – and titles include "Morning In America", "Circles", "True Love", "Walk Away", "Long Way Home", "Sea Gets Hotter", "How Can I Be Sure", "Listen To Your Heart", and "Court Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The first new songs from Durand Jones & The Indications in a couple years! "You & Me" kicks off with a raw soul guitar before the sweet vocals, deft harmonies and drums kick in and it settles into a natural deep soul gem reminiscient of some of the great rare indie soul singles of the late 60s & early 70s – and we're lucky to have in a contemporary group! "Put A Smile On My Face" might be even better, another raw but tender soul tune with a lean vibe, this one with a prominent organ groove. Durand's win streak continues! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An organ trio, and one with plenty of soul – romping drums, riffing guitar, and some mighty sweet work on the Hammond by Delvon Lamarr! This is the first we've ever heard of the group, but they're rock solid and right on the money – working with a lean, hard style that's completely classic, but also a bit contemporary too – maybe swinging in the best sort of space between the Jack McDuff Quartet of the 60s and the Sugarman Three group of Desco Records fame! David McGraw handles the drums with a clear love of funk, and Jimmy James is wonderfully wicked on guitar – never trying to dominate too much, as there's no need – given how much he brings to the overall groove. Delvon's a hell of an organist too – the kind that knows that a little can often go much farther than a lot when handling the electric keys – which he does to set up some sweet solos on cuts that include "Ain't It Funky", "Al Greenery", "Can I Change My Mind", "Walk On By", "Between The Mustard & The Mayo", "Raymond Brings The Greens", and "Little Booker T". CD

A great combo, in a really great setting – the trio of organist Delvon Lamarr, captured in a sweet live radio performance! The tunes are long and open – very much in the group's killer blend of soul jazz and deep funk – with plenty of room for Delvon to soar out on the keys of the Hammond, and remind us again what a massive younger talent he is on the instrument! If you like the group's funky 45s, you'll find yourself really loving this live set – and the whole thing's only got us eager to keep on following the great growth of this group. Titles include a sweet remake of the Curtis Mayfield tune "Move On Up" – plus "Concussion", "I Don't Want To Play That", "Tacoma Block Party", "South Leo St Stomp", and "Memphis". CD

Deep funk, but with a compelling twist – bits of South American styles filtering into the mix from time to time, but in subtle ways that never lose the groove! The album's a soundtrack, but works more like a funk album on its own – and is a great full length follow-up to some of the hip 45 work we've heard from the Colemine label – showing that they may well be on the deeper path of a label like Daptone! The added elements make for some hip exotic inflections from time to time – almost echoes of El Michels, but in a different way – and titles include "Pablo's Dilemma", "High Noon", "Sigamos El Sol", "El Conquistador", "Nadie Puede Escpar", "Andean Folk Song", and "Mirror Door". CD

The much anticipated full length debut of Brooklyn Afro Funk and psych soul-influenced combo Ikebe Shakedown – following up their tight, promising EP on the Colemine label with an excellent self-titled set on Ubiquity! One of our favorite things about Ikebe Shakedown's style is the way they blend signature elements of classic Afro Funk and soul with more broadly influenced grooves. Heavy horns and pummeling drums, vamping guitar licks and elastic basslines are prominent and funky – but they work with more measured and spaced out material, too. It's roomy enough to let the individual musicianship shine, and the production is really great. Includes ""Tujumba", "Kumasi Walk", "No Name Bar", "Tame The Beats", "Don't Contradict", "Refuge", "In Circles", "Asa-Sa", "The Hold Up", "The Viking" and "Five Points". 10 tracks on the vinyl. LP, Vinyl record album