The future's brighter than the recent past – thanks to the spirit embraced here by the folks at Colemine Records – one of many labels who weathered the storm of 2020, and who see much brighter days ahead in the years to come! Colemine survived by stripping things down, and digitally issuing weekly tracks from different sides of their label roster – a way of keeping things alive during the darkest days, and giving many voices a chance to be heard – a nicely diverse array of funk and soul artists who've always given the label a really special sound. This set brings together key cuts from that run of releases – a full 2021 statement after the smaller steps of the previous years – and makes for a set that mixes bigger Colemine names with some great up-and-comers. Titles include "Jackie" by Reverend Baron, "Espume" by Rudy De Anda, "Cloud Of Smoke" by Andrew Gabbard, "Baby Girl" by Young Gun Silver Fox, "This Life" by Kendra Morris, "Changes (demo)" by Neal Francis, "Who Could It Be" by The Soul chance, "Here We Are" by Dojo Cuts with Carlton Jumel Smith, "Inner City Blues" by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, "Winston Theme" by Winston Brothers, "Sunk In The Mist" by JR Thomas & The Volcanos, "Standing With You" by The Resonaires, "What's His Name" by Thee Sineers, and "Sommer" by Ironsides. CD

A really great contemporary soul group – one who've got a different vibe than some of the rest, and this warmly righteous spirit that really lives up to the title of the record! The group embrace themes of love and power equally – rising up with a quality that's a great change from some of the more offhand modes that sometimes grace records like this – a group who put their soul message first, then follow through with nicely funky backings. There's three different female singers in the group – Misha Roberts, Paula Saunders, and Seyko Groves – who each get to solo in the lead, but have strong harmony support from the others – on titles that include "Outta My Mind", "Move On", "Rise Up", "Don't Shoot", "One Nation", "Love Liberates", and "Make Me Surrender". CD

A set that's definitely funky, but which maybe has a lot more going on as well – richer production moments that move between ambitious soundscapes and fuzzier freakouts – but all without losing the groove at the core! The record's billed as "mysterious", but really seems to come from the talents of Seth Applebaum – a great producer and arranger who manages to keep all the tight elements at the core, including some great bass and drums – while also letting things freak out up top a bit more – almost as if David Axelrod were given the chance to work with some of the younger funk combos in recent years. There's a bit of trippy vocals, but most of the set is instrumental – and titles include "Seven Eight", "Spirits In The Distance", "Broken Boogaloo", "Isaac Hayes", "Slow Down", "Kaddish", and "Modern Scene". LP, Vinyl record album

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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Deeply funky work from one of the hippest Hammond organ combos around – just a trio, but one that's able to pack the punch of so many much larger groups! Delvon Lamarr took all the right lessons from Hammond heroes of the past – not that he's copying anyone's style, because he isn't – but he really knows the right way to make the instrument move between rhythm and melody, solo and groove – as he works here in ultra-tight formation with funky drummer Grant Schroff and guitarist Jimmy James! James gets in a few great licks of his own – and like Delvon, really knows how to move between staying on the rhythm, and getting loose – which makes for a wonderful album, through, filled with stone cold originals that include "Hole In One", "Call Your Mom", "Girly Face", "From The Streets", "I Don't Know", "Fo Sho", and "Aces". 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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

The Monophonics sound better here than ever before – as if the group's gone through some great mutation that's got them coming across with a richer, more mature sound than we ever might have expected a few years before! Things are still pretty darn funky, but there's also strong currents of deeper 70s soul – both a fragile east coast harmony vein, and some fuller arrangements from time to time – almost as if All-Platinum Records were co-producing a set with Curtom – although with some of the sunnier Cali elements we've always heard from the group. Kelly Finnigan produced, and handled lead vocals and plenty of keyboards – but the set's definitely a group affair, and sounds different than Finnigan's other work – and has a sublime sound that's right at home on the Colemine label. Titles include "Tunnel Vision", "Last One Standing", "It's Only Us", "All In The Family", "Run For Your Life", "Day By Day", and "Suffocating". LP, Vinyl record album

Sure Fire Soul Ensemble are tighter than ever, and have really perfected a trademark sound – a style that's got the breaking drums of a vintage funky 45, the moody horns of an Ethio funk group, and the kind of organ and keyboard lines that would be right at home on a vintage album by The Meters! The blend is wonderful, and carried off to perfection here – touched with some added percussion and other surprises over the course of the record – but all with this lean, sharp instrumental style that never needs any vocals, nor any other added elements to hold our interest! The set begins with a cover of the Roy Ayers tune "Aragon" – then moves through originals that include "Build Bridges", "Roxy Funk", "Gloria's Anthem", "El Nino", "Sucker Punch", "Costa Blues", and "Campus Life". CD

A contemporary group from the Truth & Soul universe, but one who work in the best classic style we love from the label – although at a level that takes us back to 70s reggae, not funk or soul! The album's presented in glorious mono, which really goes well with the old school Kingston-style production – no tricks, gimmicks, or contemporary efforts to make things too overly complicated – just core instrumentation from a really great combo behind the vocals of Junior Thomas – who's got this soulful vocal approach that takes us back to Studio One legends like Jackie Opel or Alton Ellis! In fact, the label could have easily presented this as a lost classic, or unreleased tapes – and our hats are off to them for doing to Jamaican sounds what they've been doing for years to American funk and soul. Titles include "Get A Hold Of You", "Love Remedy", "Stop", "Breaking Up", "Embraceable", "Burning Fire", "Bumps In The Night", "Terrorize It", and "Color Me Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Fantastic work from Durand Jones & The Indications – a group who've really come a long way in the past few years – in ways that push Durand's vocals to places we wouldn't have guessed on previous records! This set's way more than just a funk band with a soul singer upfront – as the whole thing's a fully-formed soul record through and through – with these larger arrangements that really add a lot, and open up all these righteous 70s currents mixed with a few contemporary flourishes that really give the album a very distinct sound! The songwriting is even better than before, too – and the group seems to have found a voice for themselves that's unlike any of their contemporaries. The record features guest work from Brandee Younger on harp and Joel Ross on vibes – and titles include "Love Will Work It Out", "Witchoo", "Reach Out", "Sexy Thang", "More Than Ever", "Private Space", "Sea Of Love", "I Can See", and "Ride Or Die". CD

It's hard to imagine these kings being left behind, as the sound of Ikebe Shakedown just keeps getting bolder and more majestic with each new release – a very special strand of deep funk, with a blend of horns that you might find in a more Afro-styled band, mixed with tighter rhythms at the core – and dosed throughout with a really cool, very twangy guitar! The mix of elements is great – almost as if a chicha guitarist wandered into sessions for an Afro Funk record, and convinced the rest of the guys to work in more small combo modes, in a way that allows the guitar a great presence in the sound, as it washes over most of the tunes with a strong sense of color! Titles include "Hammer Into Anvil", "Horses", "Mary's Corner", "Not Another Drop", "Unqualified", and "No Going Back". CD

Beautifully heavy sounds from Black Market Brass – a group who started out with more of a global funk approach, but who emerge here with the intensity of some lost funky soundtrack – all with the sort of edge you might expect from the cover! The style here is really revolutionary – unlike anything else we've ever heard from a group with "brass" in their name – in part because the group has some very cool distortion on the keyboards and guitar, which gives those electric elements a very sinister sound next to the straight ahead fire of the horns – served up with really hard-driving rhythms throughout, in a way that seems to pull together older traditions of Afro Funk, Nola Brass, and even some of the southern college bands – but all with a very 21st Century vision. Titles include "So Who (parts 1 & 2)", "Into The Thick", "War Room", "Cheat & Start A Fight", "Undying Thirst", and "NBT". 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

A massive selection of work from the contemporary underground scene – cuts that previously appeared as limited edition 7" singles on the excellent Colemine labels – one of our favorite sources for contemporary funk! The set's got as much vintage vibe as you'd guess from the label styles on the cover – and this limited vinyl version is beautifully pressed, with sound that may well even be more fantastic than the 45s. Titles include "Ice Breaker" by Bubaza, "Winston Theme" by Winston Brothers, "Slipshot" by Jungle Fire, "Rome" by Dojo Cuts, "Morning In America" by Durand Jones & The Indications, "Standing With You" by The Resonaires, "Nothing But His Love" by The Harlem Gospel Travelers, "Sommer" by The Ironsides, "No Laggin & Draggin" by Renaldo Domino, "Sunk In The Mist" by Jr Thomas & The Vocalos, "Step Down" by Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, "Over You" by Aaron Frazer, "Fo Sho" by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, "More Than A Memory" by Ben Pirani, and "One & Only" by Oliver James. LP, Vinyl record album

This one-man orchestra just keeps on getting better and better with each new record – working with the funk you'd expect from the name, but also all these cool and moody touches that mix together David Axelrod-like ambition with some of the sharper snap of hip hop production! This time around, Seth Applebaum has a fair bit of strings and horns in the mix – plus added voices, some strong lead singers – and an array of sonic touches that make for a richness that's much deeper than it is ghostly! Previous records were good, but Seth's really onto something great hear – and mixes together strands of sounds into something that's much richer than its parts – emerging as a surprising maestro for the underground, on titles that include "Stoop Talk", "Mourning", "Drop Me A Line", "Little Bird", "Fuzzy Logic", "Quiet Soul", "Tojours", "Queen Bee", and "Cost Of Living". CD

A great little soul set by a singer we're betting will have a long run in the funky underground – a relative newcomer, but one who comes across with a power that really belies his time in the studio! Ben Piriani's music has this righteous, full-on groove that reminds us a lot of that moment when Chicago soul was cusping at the end of the 60s – hitting more progressive themes, and really exploding with power – which is definitely what Ben and the group do here, thanks to sharp, soulful backings – and lots of backup vocals that almost put Piriani's lead in the company of groups like The Artistics or Lost Generation. Unlike other singers who try to go back, but usually just go for the easy marks, Ben's really got his sound just right here – and is one of the best blue-eyed soul singers we've heard in years. Titles include "How Do I Talk To My Brother", "Light Of My Life", "Try Love", "Not One More Tear", "Can't Get Out Your Own Way", "You Brought The Rain", and "Dreamin's For Free". CD

Mellow soul from the Windy City – served up by a group we first discovered on a Colemine funky 45, and who sound even better here in the space of a full length album! The group clearly have an influence from sweet soul of the 70s – but their presentation is more contemporary too – both at an instrumental level, where they seem to have winnowed down the best sonic elements of larger orchestrations – and at a vocal level, where they never try to push too hard for their range, or overstate their case too much. We really appreciate that subtle balance – and it resonates strongly throughout, on titles that include "Love Me", "Honest Man", "Long Weekend", "Telephone/Good Place", "Heart", "Life For Each Other", "Special", "Wander", "Alone In Love", and "Fat Night's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut album from the Greboy Allstars – a live group, and one that works in contrast to the funky beats that Greyboy was producing on his own – but at a level that still shares an equally strong love of the best sounds of 70s funk! These guys were very early in the deep funk game – before Daptone, Colemine, Soul Fire, and all the other labels that would issue material of this nature in yars to come – and they're joined here by the legendary Fred Wesley on trombone – who gives their music just the right sort of touch! Tracks include "Let The Music Take Your Mind", "Tenor Man", "Fire Eater", "Soul Dream", and "Fried Grease". CD