An 80s soul classic from Philip Bailey – stepping out here from Earth Wind & Fire in a set that has him sparkling strongly as a solo act! The vocals still have that trademark Bailey sound – a wonderful range that's never overdone, and which seems to shine especially well on the mellow and midtempo tunes in the set! Production is by George Duke, who does a lot to preserve the jazzier warmth of Bailey's previous settings – and although there's a bit more crossover potential here, the sound is still never too commercial or aimed at the charts. Titles include "It's Our Time", "Trapped", "I Know", "I'm Waitin For Your Love", "Desire", "The Good Guy's Supposed To Get The Girls", and "Your Boyfriend's Back". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Philip Bailey's looking hipper than usual on the cover – and he's sounding hipper than usual within – thanks to fantastic production help from Robert Glasper, Christian McBride, and Chick Corea – all artists who play on the record, and help give Bailey a really timeless sense of soul! The man himself needs no introduction – thanks to his long legacy in Earth Wind & Fire, and a range of great solo records too – but there's really something different, and something special taking place here – as Bailey pushes both his vocal range and sense of songform, working through music by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Oscar Brown Jr, and even the Talking Heads – while also turning in some great songs of his own, co-penned with some of the album's collaborators. The instrumentation is served up by a dream group of jazz talents – Kamasi Washington on tenor, Kenny Barron on piano, Robert Glasper and Chick Corea on keyboards, Steve Wilson on saxes and flute, Lionel Loueke on guitar,and Christian McBride on bass – and although the record features guest vocals from Bilal and Casey Benjamin, it's Bailey's work that's the real main attraction. Titles include "We're A Winner", "Stairway To The Stars", "Just To Keep Your Satisfied", "Once In A Lifetime", "Billy Jack", "You're Everything", "Brooklyn Blues", "Sacred Sounds", and "Love Will Find A Way". CD

Philip Bailey's looking hipper than usual on the cover – and he's sounding hipper than usual within – thanks to fantastic production help from Robert Glasper, Christian McBride, and Chick Corea – all artists who play on the record, and help give Bailey a really timeless sense of soul! The man himself needs no introduction – thanks to his long legacy in Earth Wind & Fire, and a range of great solo records too – but there's really something different, and something special taking place here – as Bailey pushes both his vocal range and sense of songform, working through music by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Oscar Brown Jr, and even the Talking Heads – while also turning in some great songs of his own, co-penned with some of the album's collaborators. The instrumentation is served up by a dream group of jazz talents – Kamasi Washington on tenor, Kenny Barron on piano, Robert Glasper and Chick Corea on keyboards, Steve Wilson on saxes and flute, Lionel Loueke on guitar,and Christian McBride on bass – and although the record features guest vocals from Bilal and Casey Benjamin, it's Bailey's work that's the real main attraction. Titles include "We're A Winner", "Stairway To The Stars", "Just To Keep Your Satisfied", "Once In A Lifetime", "Billy Jack", "You're Everything", "Brooklyn Blues", "Sacred Sounds", and "Love Will Find A Way". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A big breakthrough for Philip Bailey – and a record that was kind of a second-level explosion for the Earth Wind & Fire sound in the 80s! There's a definite crossover feel to the record – a style that takes Bailey's soulful vocals, and mixes them with lots of catchy hooks – in ways that push the Kalimba aesthetic even more into mainstream modes. Yet the album's still got some solid soul grounding, too – thanks to arrangements by Tom Tom and Arif Mardin – which is a nice contrast to the production by Phil Collins, who also guests on the hit "Easy Lover". Other cuts include "Time Is A Woman", "Go", "Walking On The Chinese Wall", "Photogenic Memory", "I Go Crazy", and "Children Of The Ghetto". LP, Vinyl record album

Earth Wind & Fire touch the world with this sweet batch of grooves – a set of tracks that has them firmly embracing the electric sound of 80s soul, yet still bringing in some light spiritual touches of their own! The beats are pretty heavy at points – making for plenty of groovers – but the group almost seems to shine most on the ballads, which continue to provide a perfect showcase for the vocals of Philip Bailey and Maurice White. A few cool studio touches reference the group's earlier history – a nice reminder amidst the more contemporary sounds – and titles include "You & I", "System Of Survival", "Every Now & Then", "Money Tight", "Here Today & Gone Tomorrow", "Victim Of The Modern Heart", and "Thinking Of You". CD

Features Philip Bailey with vocals on "Melodies" and "Mid-Summer Blossoms" and Lenny Williams on "Septwember Winds", "No More Sayonara", and "Lovers On The Shore". CD

A distant star in the Earth Wind & Fire galaxy – and the only album by this sweetly grooving group that owed a lot to the EWF sound! The record's produced by Verdine White, executive produced by Maurice White, and even features a bit of guest vocals by Philip Bailey – and the overall style is sort of in a bouncy 80s groove mode, with a mix of jazzy touches, and warmer instrumentation than you might usually hear on this sort of set. The sound's a lot leaner than Earth Wind & Fire – but carries some of the best modern soul influences of the massive group, and certainly shows some of the best influences of both White and Bailey. Titles include "Ladies Of The 80s", "Wanna Fill You Up", "I Thank Heaven", "It's You", "Wrap It Up", and "Me Myself & I". CD

Jazzy Brazilian drummer Paulinho Da Costa lays down a set of tight fusion cuts recorded in the U.S., along with folks like Larry Carlton, James Gadson, and Philip Bailey. There's vocals on about half the tracks, and the sound is sort of LA studio fusion from the 70's, with a nice bit of Brazil thrown in. Tracks include "Happy People", "Deja Vu", and "Dream Flow". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's no joke, as Earth Wind & Fire are definitely part of the electric universe of early 80s Columbia Records – the galaxy that also includes Herbie Hancock during his electro years! As a result, there's a lot more keyboards and electric rhythms in the set than before – a new setting for the still-positive expressions of the group – one that works especially well on the mellower cuts! These really have the group opening up their best ballad modes – stretching out to crossover nicely, yet still with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries. Of course, the sweet vocals of Philip Bailey really help put over some of the best cuts too! Titles include "Moonwalk", "Touch", "Could It Be Right", "Sweet Sassy Lady", "Spirit Of A New World", and "We're Living In Our Own Time". CD features loads of extra tracks, too – including "Magnetic (ext dance rmx)", "Magnetic (inst)", "Spirit Of A New World (demo)", "El Solitario (demo)", "Here's To Love (inst)", "Club Foot", and "Milky Way" – the last 5 of which have never been issued before! CD

Rita Reys meets Oliver Nelson – and a host of other great jazz talents, including Lee Konitz, Benny Bailey, Sahib Shihab, and Klaus Doldinger! The tracks on the set are all standards, but they're done in the tightly swinging style of Nelson's best backing work for vocalists at the time – complete with those warm tones and colors that always made his work some of our favorite in this mode. The mode is a bit different for Reys, who we normally know from more fragile settings – but it works especially well here, and almost seems to compensate for a faltering quality in her vocals at the time. Titles include "The Very Thought Of You", "Quiet Nights", "The Second Time Around", "If I Were A Bell", "Ill Wind", and "Wives & Lovers". LP, Vinyl record album