16 Mar 2022
Michael Jackson – 1972 – Ben

Although having just entered his teens, pop prodigy Michael Jackson‘s star was still very much on the ascent, circa his second full-length release, Ben (1972). This LP should not be confused with the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from the Phil Karlson-directed “thriller” of the same name, and while...
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08 Jun 2021
Jackson 5 – 1970 – A B C

Their second album, ABC, is a timeless classic and sounds as fresh and vibrant today as it did in 1970. 12-year-old Michael Jackson’s vocals explode like dynamite – full of soul and energy – while Marlon, Jermaine, Tito and Jackie provide smooth background harmonies. The...
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08 Feb 2021
Willie Hutch ‎- 1970 – Season For Love

A monumental force firmly rooted in the soul canon, Willie Hutch is most notable for recording two of the best Blaxploitation soundtracks, The Mack and Foxy Brown. Yet his legacy is much greater. Outside of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, Hutch was arguably...
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02 Aug 2020
Latimore – 1976 – It Ain’t Where You Been…

Latimore’s finest album, bar none. Where ‘Latimore III‘ was marred by the over-use of screeching synths, ‘It Ain’t Where You Been‘ does a one-eighty: downhome, funky Southern Soul, deep and gritty. Gurgling layers of Stevie Wonder-esque clavinets and a fat, ominous bass line propel the...
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20 Jul 2020
The Spinners – 1970 – 2nd Time Around

This 1970 release from The Spinners was their last for Motown after a five year absence from the charts. Originally released on the Motown imprint V.I.P (largely a sub label to the more commercially popular Motown imprint’s Tamla and Gordy) among the original 12 tracks...
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25 Jun 2020
Chaka Khan ‎- 1978 – Chaka

The best dance albums of this era are somewhere in between disco and funk with soulful vocals. I’m Every Woman has a gaudy sound with a funky bass, guitar riffs, violins and backing vocalists including Cissy Houston. Producer Arif Mardin opted for a lavish orchestration. Most songs...
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