Bold tones from the Music Revelation Ensemble – a group that's heavy on guitar work from James Blood Ulmer, but which also features some great guest reeds from Arthur Blythe, Sam Rivers, and Hamiett Bluiett! The core trio features Amin Ali on electric bass and Cornell Rochester on drums – moving in somewhat harmelodic formation – echoing Ulmer's styles of the decade before, but perhaps pushing his sound with a more forceful feel, possibly to showcase his crossing over to bigger audiences at the time. But the real charm here is the reed work – contributions that include alto from Blythe, baritone from Bluiett, and either soprano, tenor, or flute from Rivers – players that are heard separately from track to track, but who really help bring a deeper sense of spirit to the record. Titles include "The Dawn", "Mankind", "Purity", "Abundance", "In Time", and "Non-Believer". CD

Fantastic female soul – and an incredible collection of work from the young Betty Lavette – easily one of our favorite female soul singers of the time! The set brings together late 60s tracks recorded for the Calla and Silver Fox label – and as great as her later work might be, this is the stuff that will really blow you away – the real deal, right-on-the-money sort of tracks that made Betty a legend right from the get-go! Backings are often nicely funky, and production has that great gritty way of unlocking the full depth of Lavette's vocals without going for any easy soul cliches – a kind of purity that's really kept these tracks at the top of our stack over the years. The set features a great book-style cover, with notes on the music – and the CD also features a few duets with Hank Ballard, too! Titles include "He Made a Woman Out of Me", "Do Your Duty", "We Got to Slip Around", "Love's Made a Fool of Me", "Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go", "Hello Sunshine", "My Train's Coming In", "Nearer To You", and "I'm In Love". CD