The Detroit soul scene at the start of the 60s – music from a time before Motown was dominating the city's reputation, and a whole host of other great labels brought the motor city sound to the masses! The work here is quite a surprise if you're only thinking in terms of Northern Soul and some of the more uptempo Detroit groovers – as the work here burns on so many different levels – often with a style that reflects some of the nascent soul coming out of Chicago on labels like Chess and Vee Jay, the latter of whom is featured here amidst a range of other imprints that include Wand, Atlantic, Scepter, Time, Old Town, and Brent – all of whom released some of these early Detroit soul tracks as singles back in the day. In true Ace/Kent fashion, the set also features a few unreleased gems, plus a wonderful set of notes on the city's soul scene – alongside tracks that include "Nosey Folk" by The Del-Phis, "Answer Me" by Vivian Collins, "Can't We Get Together" by Harry Reid, "Here I Am" by Betty Lavette, "Shakin Fit" by The Pyramids, "That's No Way To Spend My Time" by The Pen Ettes, "Wedding Bells" by Melvin Davis, "You Lied" by Marva Josie, "Think A Little Sugar" by Barbara Lewis, "Just One More Time" by JJ Barnes, "My Letter" by Priscilla Page, "I Know How It Feels" by Laura Johnson, "I'm A Lonely Guy" by Timmy Shaw & The Sternphones, "Come Back To Me" by La Wanda William, "I Cried For My Last Time" by The Sonnettes, and "Tears Running & Falling From My Eyes" by James Lately. CD

Detroit finally gets its funky due – stepping out from the shadows cast by endless Motown and Northern Soul compilations, and fixing its funky wagon to a great batch of rare indie groovers! The package brings together some real gems from labels that have barely, if ever, been reissued in the past – Sport, Big Hit, and Northern – and features tunes that run in vintage from the late 60s through the mid 70s. There's a really fierce funky 45 sort of feel going on here – with lots of deep deep bass on the best cuts, plenty of snapping drums, and vocals that have lots of raw and rough southern-styled touches! The set's got 17 tracks in all – with titles that include "Party On 4th Street" and "Mama Didn't Lie" by Black Nasty, "Going To Get It" by Calvin Williams, "Don't Leave Me To Be Lonely" by The Dramatics, "Funky Soul" by Dynamic Walton Brothers, "You Better Get Yourself Together" by Timmy Shaw & Chuck Holiday, "Keep On Stepping" by Black Nasty, "Bit Off More" by Lynn Day, and "Uncle Tom" by Herbie Thompson. CD