The great lost Darondo album – amazing Bay Area funky soul from a singular talent – and material that we did not even know existed! It was cut for Ray Dobard's Music City label – purportedly in just a couple of marathon sessions – most of which we've never heard before now, which is mindblowing in and of itself, as we had thought Ubiquity Records mined what little was available of Darondo for their killer Let My People Go compilation. Lo and behold – here's some more, and it's just as incredible! Slinky, stripped down funk and some sweeter soul that's as much influenced by Memphis recordings as it is the Bay Area – but all with Darondo's distinctive, freewheeling gritty baritone and when the mood strikes, piercing falsetto vocals. A total treasure! It has 10 tracks and approximates the album as it should have been issued in 1974 – with "I Don't Understand It", "I'm Gonna Love You", "Didn't I", "Luscious Lady", "Saving My Love", "Gimme Some", "Do You Really Love Me", "Listen To My Song" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Mad homegrown soul from the enigmatic Darondo – a brief Bay Area star back in the 70s, and also host of TV comedy and children's shows! Darondo only ever saw release of 3 singles, but they're all pretty darn great – a weird mix of funk, soul, and sly slinky grooves – very unique in conception, and with a heady, tripped-out vision that makes us wish he'd recorded more. Luv N Haight have really done Darondo justice with this set – bringing together all 6 tracks from the singles, plus 3 more previously unissued numbers – all in a great package that features words from the man himself, plus some great images from his older TV shows. A near-lost soul figure, but one with enough charisma to fill the careers of other more famous acts! Titles include "How I Got Over", "Let My People Go", "Legs (part 1)", "True", "Didn't I", "I Want Your Love So Bad", "My Momma & My Poppa", "Sure Know How To Love Me", and "Listen To My Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly the gospel of your father's generation – and hardly even the gospel of previous Numero releases either – as the set's a wonderfully offbeat batch of tracks that definitely lives up to the "apocryphal" in the title! Production sounds and musical styles go way past the mainstream – and lots of these numbers feel like secular soul from the definite left end of the spectrum in the 70s – especially the mellower cuts, which have a trippy quality that comes from weird instrumentation and unusual studio work – often matched by vocal presentation that's anything but spiritual, and which feels more like Darondo overall! These tunes are a real discovery – a deeper level of unusual gospel recordings than even the funk and or soul sides featured on other compilations – all pulled from the hinterland of self-released albums and singles from back in the day. As usual, Numero's done as great of job with the notes and packaging as they have with the music – really telling the full tale of this unusual stream of music – in a smoking set that features "That's All I Need" by Sensational Saints, "A Message Especially From God" by Robert Vanderbilt & The Foundation Of Souls, "Come Holy Spirit" by God's Band, "Faith" by Soul Superiors, "Can't Run This Race Alone" by Flying Eagles Gospel Singers, "Searching For The Truth" by Dwain Vinyard, "Get Involved" by Jonah Thompson, and "I Hear You Calling" by Francis Reneau & The Mission Singers. CD

Tripped out tracks with a funky cinematic feel – a great new project with mysterious origins – supposedly the work of the "mysterious Clutchy Hopkins", but really just the efforts of a batch of underground beatmakers! There's a spare, spacious approach here that almost reminds us of the energy that we first felt in DJ Shadow's groundbreaking work of a decade before – a similar love of gritty, organic source material – and an ear for putting it together with lots of dark twists and turns that balance nicely between classic funk and current hip hop production sensibilities. The flavor of each tune changes nicely – making the album way more than just a cliched collection of beats – and the set also features guest performances by Shawn Lee and Darondo. Titles include "Sound Of The Ghost", "Love Of A Woman", "Para Los Ninos", "Swap Meet Me At The Corner", "Alla Oscar", "Percy On The One", "Good Omen", "Rocktober", and "Horny Tickle". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of 50s doo wop & R&B, 60s soul and a few soulful 70s recordings from Berkeley, CA based Music City label – wonderful numbers from The 4 Deuces, The Dreamers, Jimmy Nelson, The Midnights, The Twilighters, The Pagans, The Night Caps., The 3 Honeydrops, The Derbys, The Soul Brothers, The Ballads, The Heavenly Tones and many more! Ray Dobard's Music City has a pretty rich discography of 45s & 78s from the mid 50s to early 60s and some LPs – so it's pretty incredible that we're only now seeing such an excellent, and seemingly comprehensive overview. That's another reason to love Ace Records! The set features 78 tracks on 3CDs, the first 2 discs devoted to the sweet doo wop and raw R&B of the 50s to mid 60s. Disc 3 features more 60s material and some rare and unheard recordings from the 70s, including a great track from the now beloved west coast funk genius Darondo! Includes "WPLJ" by The 4 Deuces, "I Don't Stand No Quittin'" by Gloria Jean, "From The Bottom Of My Heart" by Leon Pryor, "Annie Pulled A Hum-Bug" by The Midnights, "Rockin' Satellite" by The 3 Honeydrips, "Elaine" by The Klix, "I Walk In Circles" by Little Lynn, and "Didn't I" by Darondo, to name but a few. Nice booklet, too. CD