The hits keep on coming – another great collection from Pressure Sounds! This time around they bring together seminal dancehall tracks from the early 80s – a sort of gray period in reggae's history – before the digital revolution started to take hold. Produced by the legendary Jo Jo Hookim, and featuring the then young Roots Radics band, who took over from Sly & Robbie at Channel One. 16 tracks in all – the real standout tracks here are voiced by Barrington Levy, like the title track and "Black Rose", but Frankie Paul's "Worries in the Dance" and Horace Andy's "Fight Fight" really shine too, and there's dub versions of most every track! CD

The Four Tops' second album – and quite possibly the most hitbound of all their early Motown work! The album's overflowing with classic numbers – and features the perennial favorites "I Can't Help Myself" and "It's The Same Old Song" – as well as a totally winning batch of other tunes, all produced to perfection by the Holland/Dozier team! The sound is classic Motown all the way through – still some nice rough edges on the group's vocals – and killer lead work from Levi Stubbs. Other tracks include "Helpless", "Love Feels Like Fire", "Something About You", "I'm Grateful", and "Stay In My Lonely Arms". LP, Vinyl record album

Fatback are very firmly in an 80s mode here – using a bit more keyboards, beats, and electro touches than before, but still staying true to their funky inspirations! The style's somewhat more contemporarily commercial than a few of the group's previous records – clearly trying for a hit on a few numbers – but the rhythms and production are still a lot more real than most other hitbound bands of the era, and we can more than forgive the group for the few added hooks they bring into a few of the tunes! Titles include "He's A Freak, Undercover", "I Found Lovin", "Wide Glide", and "Please Stay". CD

An excellent album of smooth soul tracks – very different than Little Beaver's earlier work, but every bit as great! The album's got a warm, mellow finish that's almost a maturation of the sound that Beaver first forged on his Party Down album – with plenty of his deep soul vocals and guitar work laced through the mix, on top of lots of nice keyboard bits from Timmy Thomas! The groove is mellow Miami soul at its best – and in a way, it's this shift that really helped Beaver keep his music alive – giving it a depth that sets it apart from some of the hitbound Miami music of the period. Titles include the classic groover "Concrete Jungle", plus "When Was The Last Time", "Pretty Little Girl", and "I Really Love You Babe". CD

A wonderful first solo album from War – a set that has them breaking away from their early partnership with singer Eric Burdon – and finding an even better groove in the process! The vibe here is hipper, and even more righteous than before – some of those great jazz currents on flute, keyboards, and even harmonica – that sweet Lee Oskar mode that always made the group so great – set to very cool rhythms that blend together funk, Latin, and soul elements – all openly grooving here at a level that's free from some of the more hitbound modes of their biggest records. The whole thing's great, and still stunningly fresh after all these years – and titles include "Sun Oh Son", "Lonely Feelin", "Back Home", "War Drums", and "Vibeka". CD