The a-side's a great Stax Records groove from the excellent Soul Children – a track that mixes their wonderful male/female harmonies with warm electric piano lines, and a midtempo groove that really lets the vocal solos soar! "Put Me In The Mood" is a piano-driven romper with an easygoing groove – a bright, sunny number that's topped with this warmly crackling vocal from Sylvia – who really sends the whole thing over the top! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Sweet funky soul from the great Bobby Womack – a record that mixes Bobby's roots with some of the more righteous modes he picked up on Across 110th Street – blended here in a style that's completely sublime! The record was one of Womack's first to be entirely recorded on the west coast – and has these core grooves that come from the great Wah Wah Watson on guitar and Sonny Burke on keyboards – both players who bring in sharp edges, but can also lay back in a groove as well – helping Bobby perfectly balance funky impulses and mellower moments throughout. There's a sophistication here that really shows the continuing growth of Womack as a musical visionary – and titles include "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Daylight", "Love Ain't Something You Can Get For Free", "I Feel A Groove Coming On", and versions of "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Something You Got". LP, Vinyl record album

Think you've heard everything on Motown? Think again – because this sweet little set is filled with unissued 60s recordings by some of the best male singers on the label! The collection is a soul fan's dream come true – as the music here represents some real lost corners of Motown, with sounds that span almost the full stretch of the 60s – and really show the label's greatness at work – because if most of these tracks were recorded by other labels, they would have been pushed as potential hits! There's great work from artists who were just starting out, surprising moments from big names at the time, and a few entries we wouldn't have guessed without looking at the notes – and titles include "Headin North" by Shorty Long, "Only On The Weekend" by The Headliners, "Satisfaction Is Guaranteed" by Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, "Safety Zone" by Marv Johnson, "Hold On To Me" by The Spinners, "Show Me You Can Dance" by The Hit Pack, "Tell Me How To Forget A True Love" by Johnny Bristol, "Mojo Hannah (studio)" by Marvin Gaye, "I Wanted To Cry" by Bruce Channel, "I'm Gonna Make It To The Top" by Freddie Gorman, "This Ole Heart" by The Quails, "The Night We Called It A Day" by The Four Tops, and "Just Your Love" by Ivy Jo. CD

A deep dive into the vaults of the legendary Stax Records – the Memphis label who helped usher in a whole new sound in soul music during the 60s, and was still going strong in the early part of the 70s! In the final years, Stax was hitting big with a number of stars, but also recording a bit more than they got the chance to issue at the time – all top-quality work, often with the key songwriters and studio talent behind the hits – some of which was lost to the sands of time, due to financial troubles in the label's last few years. Yet those rare gems live again here – as Ace/Kent do a superb job of dipping into the legacy of rare and unreleased material from this period – a good deal of which shows Stax moving the bar even further, by advancing the styles of southern soul with newly sophisticated modes. If you know the last few Soul Children records on Stax, you'll get the vibe here – spun out on a great run of 20 tracks that include "I'm Too Old To Play" by Jimmy Hughes, "How Can I Win Your Love" by Eddie Floyd, "I'm Tired" by Mavis Staples, "Come Get From Me (parts 1 & 2)" by David Porter, "You Need Love" by Chuck Brooks, "Ain't No Way" by Shirley Brown, "Did You Hear Yourself (part 1)" by Randy Brown & Company, "Ain't Nobody Like My Baby" by Lee Sain, "I'll Do Anything For Your Love (single edit)" by William Bell, "Standing In The Safety Zone" by Soul Children, "We've Got Love On Our Side" by Bettye Crutcher, "Guilty Of Loving You" by Veda Brown, "Let's Make A Deal" by Frederick Knight, and "A Smile Can't Hide A Broken Heart" by Ollie & The Nightingales. CD

A really great overview of the early years of deep soul singer Joe Simon – a massive 3CD set that brings together more of his work for the Sound Stage 7 label than we've seen in any other package! Joe doesn't always get his due, but back in the late 60s stretch when he recorded these tracks, he was a crucial figure in American soul – maybe a bit like Joe Tex, in that he came from deeper southern roots, but was able to bring a new sophistication to the music too – effortlessly handling funk, deep soul, sophisticated tracks, and even a bit of country soul too – all of which you'll hear in this well-done set! The 3CD collection features 61 titles that Simon recorded for the Sound State 7 label in Tennessee, including a number of singles-only cuts – titles that include "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Moon Walk (parts 1 & 2)", "I Got A Whole Lot Of Lovin", "Silver Spoons & Coffee Cups", "San Francisco Is A Lonely Town", "In The Ghetto", "Time & Space", "Wounded Man", "Come On & Get It", "In The Same Old Way", "Can't Find No Happiness", "Twinkle", "Dreamin", "Standing In The Safety Zone", "Looking Back", "In Reach Of Your Arms", "I'm Too Far Gone To Turn Around", "The Chokin Kind", "San Francisco Is A Lonely Town", "Rainbow Road", and lots lots more. CD

A deep dive into the vaults of the legendary Stax Records – the Memphis label who helped usher in a whole new sound in soul music during the 60s, and was still going strong in the early part of the 70s! In the final years, Stax was hitting big with a number of stars, but also recording a bit more than they got the chance to issue at the time – all top-quality work, often with the key songwriters and studio talent behind the hits – some of which was lost to the sands of time, due to financial troubles in the label's last few years. Yet those rare gems live again here – as Ace/Kent do a superb job of dipping into the legacy of rare and unreleased material from this period – a good deal of which shows Stax moving the bar even further, by advancing the styles of southern soul with newly sophisticated modes. If you know the last few Soul Children records on Stax, you'll get the vibe here – spun out on a great run of 20 tracks that include "I'm Too Old To Play" by Jimmy Hughes, "How Can I Win Your Love" by Eddie Floyd, "I'm Tired" by Mavis Staples, "Come Get From Me (parts 1 & 2)" by David Porter, "You Need Love" by Chuck Brooks, "Ain't No Way" by Shirley Brown, "Did You Hear Yourself (part 1)" by Randy Brown & Company, "Ain't Nobody Like My Baby" by Lee Sain, "I'll Do Anything For Your Love (single edit)" by William Bell, "Standing In The Safety Zone" by Soul Children, "We've Got Love On Our Side" by Bettye Crutcher, "Guilty Of Loving You" by Veda Brown, "Let's Make A Deal" by Frederick Knight, and "A Smile Can't Hide A Broken Heart" by Ollie & The Nightingales. CD