A trio of solo albums from Phillip Bailey – presented here with bonus material too! First up is Continuation – 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". Next is Chinese Wall – 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". Last is Inside Out – a set that has Philip Bailey working with Nile Rodgers, who gives him a lean, clean sound that works perfectly with his vocals! The sound is a nice change from the direction Bailey was heading in previously – a return to the focused soul of the later Earth Wind & Fire years, with his amazing lead opening up in ways that few other singers can match. Tunes are pretty well-penned too – catchy, but never cloyingly commercial – and titles include "State Of The Heart", "Welcome To The Club", "Special Effect", "Because Of You", "Take This With You", "The Day Will Come", "Back It Up", and "Echo My Heart". 3CD set features nice bonus material – "I Know (ext dance mix)", "Love Is Alive", "Easy Lover (with Phil Collins)", "Walking On The Chinese Wall (single)", "State Of The Heart (dub mix)", "Twins (with Little Richard)", "Twins (club mix)", and "Easy Lover (ext dance mix)". CD

A killer all-star session of funky fusion tracks – with a nice tight sound produced by Skip Drinkwater! Yesterday's Dreams differs a little from Alphonso's other strong mid 70s efforts in that it's not as spacey as a whole – but the rubbery, cleanly funky grooves are just as strong – and the record as a whole makes for more of a showcase for his excellent group of players! Bassist Johnson leads the session, but there's a huge amount of guests, such as Grover Washington, Patrice Rushen, Mike Clark, and Sheila Escovedo. Plus, Jon Lucien, Diane Reeves, Flora Purim, and Phillip Bailey all sing on the record! Titles include "One To One", "As Little As You", "Scapegoat", "Show Us The Way", "Tales Of Barcelona", and the future soul classic "Love's The Way I Feel 'Bout Cha". CD

One of the great late 70s Columbia sets from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the universe – the one and only album by this obscure west coast group, who get some strong help in the studio from Phillip Bailey! Bailey co-produced, and wrote some great songs for the record – and the group's own mix of jazz, funk, and soul is very much in the best spirit of Earth Wind & Fire at the time – tight at all the right moments, but also with this righteous energy in the background – an overall feel that's way deeper than most large ensembles on major labels. This spirit really comes through in the sublime cut "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" – which has a beautifully mellow jazzy groove, and which is on a par with anything Maurice White was laying down in the mid-tempo mode in the 70s – but the whole album's mighty nice, and other titles include "Smile", "Spirit Of Love", "Second Coming", and "Say You Do". CD

One of the great late 70s Columbia sets from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the universe – the one and only album by this obscure west coast group, who get some strong help in the studio from Phillip Bailey! Bailey co-produced, and wrote some great songs for the record – and the group's own mix of jazz, funk, and soul is very much in the best spirit of Earth Wind & Fire at the time – tight at all the right moments, but also with this righteous energy in the background – an overall feel that's way deeper than most large ensembles on major labels. This spirit really comes through in the sublime cut "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" – which has a beautifully mellow jazzy groove, and which is on a par with anything Maurice White was laying down in the mid-tempo mode in the 70s – but the whole album's mighty nice, and other titles include "Smile", "Spirit Of Love", "Second Coming", and "Say You Do". CD

One of the great late 70s Columbia sets from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the universe – the one and only album by this obscure west coast group, who get some strong help in the studio from Phillip Bailey! Bailey co-produced, and wrote some great songs for the record – and the group's own mix of jazz, funk, and soul is very much in the best spirit of Earth Wind & Fire at the time – tight at all the right moments, but also with this righteous energy in the background – an overall feel that's way deeper than most large ensembles on major labels. This spirit really comes through in the sublime cut "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" – which has a beautifully mellow jazzy groove, and which is on a par with anything Maurice White was laying down in the mid-tempo mode in the 70s – but the whole album's mighty nice, and other titles include "Smile", "Spirit Of Love", "Second Coming", and "Say You Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Ronnie Laws at the top of his early game – working in a tight mix of jazz and soul put together with some great help from Wayne Henderson's At Home Productions – very much in the hit style that team was putting out at the time! The work's surprisingly open and hip compared to efforts like this from a decade later – still smooth in production, but with lots of room for instrumental solos, and a groove that's still more heavy on fusion influences than anything else! Laws plays tenor, flute, and soprano sax – and other players include Larry Dunn on keyboards and Melvin Robinson on guitar – and a few cuts feature chorus vocals, by hip singers who include Eloise and Debra Laws, Diane Reeves, and Phillip Bailey. Titles include "All For You", "These Days", "Flame", "Living Love", "Joy", "Live Your Life Away", and "Love Is Here". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes three tunes from a 1945 session by the Capitol International Jazzmen, with Bill Coleman on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Benny Carter on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Max Roach on drums, and Kay Starr on vocals; four tunes by the Metronome All Stars from 1947 and 1951, with sidemen that include Dizzy Gilletpie, Buddy DeFranco, Flip Phillips, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and others; and a side's worth of material from Louis Bellson's Just Jazz All Stars from 1952, with Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Wardell Gray, Billy Strayhorn, and others. LP, Vinyl record album