A polished bit of LA soul, with lots of jazz players (Fred Jackson, Dorothy Ashby, Bobby Bryant) in the arrangements, and a number of smooth uptempo tracks that don't really make it as well as they might in the hands of another artist. Tracks include "Time", "I Choose You", "You Can Talk About Leaving", "At The Top", and "You Went Away". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally charming record from the wonderful Foster Sylvers – a set recorded back in the days when he was just a kiddie soul phenomenon in the Michael Jackson mode – with some great support from his sisters Pat and Angie! The set's got some of the same blend of sweet soul and sharper grooves as the best early Pride Records material by The Sylvers – thanks to beautiful arrangements from HB Barnum and Jerry Peters – both cats who know how to keep things interesting, so that even the mellowest vocal finds a way of coming out nice! Foster takes the lead on most tracks, but gets lots of harmony support from the girls – and although there's no hip hop sample here, as on his first solo record, the whole thing's got a very similar vibe – at a level that makes us wish he'd recorded a lot more as a kid. Titles include a great funky version of "Montego Bay" – plus "Hang On Sloopy", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", "123", "I Fall In Love Every Day", "Caress Me Pretty Music", "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", and "When I'm Near You". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A totally charming record from the wonderful Foster Sylvers – a set recorded back in the days when he was just a kiddie soul phenomenon in the Michael Jackson mode – with some great support from his sisters Pat and Angie! The set's got some of the same blend of sweet soul and sharper grooves as the best early Pride Records material by The Sylvers – thanks to beautiful arrangements from HB Barnum and Jerry Peters – both cats who know how to keep things interesting, so that even the mellowest vocal finds a way of coming out nice! Foster takes the lead on most tracks, but gets lots of harmony support from the girls – and although there's no hip hop sample here, as on his first solo record, the whole thing's got a very similar vibe – at a level that makes us wish he'd recorded a lot more as a kid. Titles include a great funky version of "Montego Bay" – plus "Hang On Sloopy", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", "123", "I Fall In Love Every Day", "Caress Me Pretty Music", "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", and "When I'm Near You". CD

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of music – eight full albums from Evelyn Champagne King, plus bonus tracks as well! King was a hell of a singer who came along at just the right time – as cool and classy enough to have sung jazz in decades before, but with a richness that also really fit the spirit of 70s soul – and was perfect for the new infusion of grooves that the music got during the disco generation! King could sing disco, but also hit a lot wider range too – which made for some really well-formed records during her years at RCA – all of which are collected here! Unlike some of her crossover contemporaries, Evelyn managed to grow with the years and stay strong as the 80s moved in – shifting styles a bit, but never losing her groove – and working here with production and arrangements from the likes of T Life, Kashif, Willie Lester, Morrie Brown, Andre Cymone, and Leon Sylvers – all of whom help shape the groove. The box features the full albums Smooth Talk, Music Box, Call On Me, I'm In Love, Get Loose, Face To Face, So Romantic, and A Long Time Coming – nearly all of which are presented with bonus tracks – all wrapped up in a box set, with a 40 page booklet of notes. CD

Evelyn Champagne King will always be most popularly remembered for her massive disco pop crossover hits of the late 70s, but she progressed really nicely throughout the 80s, keeping up with the evolving dancefloor soul sounds of the times – and Face To Face is a lean, clubby electro soul and funk flavored set with catchy hooks and sweet vocals by Evelyn! The production duties are split almost evenly between the team of Leon Sylvers, Foster Sylvers & Joey Gallo and Andre Cymone – both of which embrace synth and programming, with Cymone's coming off a bit clubbier – but all of it nicely frames Evelyn's lovely vocals. Includes "Action", "Face To Face", "Shake Down", "Telll Me Something Good", "Don't It Feel Good", "Makin' Me So Proud", "Givin' You My Love (What Cha Gonna Do With It)", "Teenager" and "Let's Get Crazy". This 2011 FTG edition has 4 bonus tracks: "Shake Down (Dub Version)", "Teenager (12" Version)", "Action (12" Version)" and "Shake Down (7" Version)". CD

Given the fashions on the cover, the "look" is pretty darn silly – but the music is plenty darn great! The album's one of the best from the point when Shalamar could still serve things up with the best – a lean, mean, pop-focused approach to 80s groove that's produced with some razor-sharp edges by Leon Sylvers. Howard Hewett's lead vocals have a lightness that really works well with the mix of keyboards and electric drums – and the tunes themselves are all pretty darn heavy in the hook department! Titles include "Closer", "Dead Giveaway", "Right Here", "You Can Count On Me", "No Limits", "Disappearing Act", "Over & Over", and "You're The One For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funk from a legendary label – even if it was just sort of an offshoot imprint at the time! Pride issued a handful of albums back in the early 70s, most in partnership with MGM – but nearly every one of the company's records is a well-remembered gem with funk collectors all these many years later – as Pride had a great way of keeping the grooves sharp, even when the tunes had sweeter vocals over the top! This 20 track set is a fantastic selection of tunes from the short years of Pride – both vocal and instrumental numbers, with titles that include "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" by Jimmy Smith, "Kiburi (part 1)" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Misdemeanor" by Foster Sylvers, "Melinda Latino" by Jerry Butler, "If You Can't Satisfy" by Hetti Lloyd, "Fool's Paradise" by The Sylvers, "Simple Things" by Lady Lee, "Why Can't We Live Together" by Jimmy Smith, "Only One Can Win" by The Sylvers, "Whatever's Fair" by Billy Butler & Infinity, "Part 3" by Jerry Butler & Jerry Peters, "Grief Sorry Pain & Woe" by Hetti Lloyd, "More Love" by Foster Sylvers, and "We Can Make It If We Try" by The Sylvers. CD

West coast soul galore – as the mighty Solar Records catalog comes alive in the hands of DJ Osshy – who delivers a non-stop mix that brings together almost 30 tracks from the legendary LA powerhouse of soul! As you'd guess from the title, the tracks here are on the clubbier side of the spectrum – but that also includes lots of upbeat 80s funk, in addition to some of the 70s disco cut by Solar in their earliest years – which makes for a great sense of groovy variety throughout! Titles include "Take That To The Bank (12" mix)" by Shalamar, "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside, "Emergency" by The Whispers, "Come Back Lover Come Back" by The Sylvers, "Call Me" by Bill Wolfer, "Do You Like Our Music" by Collage, "I Surrender" by The Deele, "No Parking On The Dance Floor" by Midnight Star, "I Just Can't Without Your Love" by Carrie Lucas, "Groove Control" by Dynasty, "Slow Jam" by Midnight Star, "I Can Make It Better" by The Whispers, "Take It To The Top" by The Sylvers, and "It's All The Way Live" by Lakeside. CD

Dam Funk does it again – really blowing us away with his crispy fresh version of funk – one that's a perfect fusion of old school modes from the 70s and 80s, and some of the more cosmic touches of the current century! The approach uses lots of splash on the keyboards and beats – so that everything bristles with this electric energy – even the vocals, which have a way of settling down right next to everything else, but without any too-stiff vocoded modes. And Dam Funk doesn't just do it alone – but invites in some great help here – including Q-Tip and Snoop Dogg on rhymes, plus old school funk legends Leon Sylvers III and Junie Morrison. Titles include "Junie's Transmission", "Virtuous Progression", "Glyde 2Nyte", "OBE", "Missing U", "I'm Just Tryin To Survive", "The Hunt & Murder Of Lucifer", "Surveillance Escape", and "Somewhere Someday". CD

Love for Love, but still a pretty groove-heavy set too – one that continues the mix of "dancin and romancin" The Whispers served up on their previous album! Side one is heavy on "dancin" – and features some bass-heavy tunes that are very much in the best mainstream LA soul modes of the time – production by the group and Leon Sylvers, all in a sound that's heavy on basslines and keyboards, but which still has harmonies that are way ahead of most of the group's younger contemporaries! These harmonies come into play even more strongly on the "romancin" side of the record – a batch of ballads that have The Whispers in the mellower territory that first got them started – updated slightly here with an early 80s soul vibe, but sung with proof that the quintet were still at the top of the harmony game. Titles include "Tonight", "Keep On Lovin Me", "This Time", "Had It Not Been For You", "Try It Again", "Lay It On Me", and "Keep Your Love Around". CD features bonus tracks – "Tonight (single)", "Keep On Lovin Me (single)", and "This Time (single)". CD