02 Aug 2022
Bloodstone – 1972 – Bloodstone

Bloodstone. A very underrated funk & soul group who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, one of which would be forever timeless and showcased on their next release. Best known for the hit ballad “Natural High” from the 1973 album of the...
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25 Jun 2022
Kim Weston – 1970 – Kim Kim Kim

Kim Weston recorded this incredibly great set of richly varied and stunning performances a number of years after leaving Motown and is in peak form in this lost masterpiece that should have made Kim Weston a huge Superstar as nobody sings quite like this fiery...
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15 May 2022
The Bar-Kays – 1978 – Money Talks

The Bar Kays formed as Otis Redding’s back-up band… all but two of the original line up perished in the plane crash that also took Redding’s life… The band was reformed by trumpeter James Cauley and bassist James Alexander, and like Booker T and the...
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09 Apr 2022
Jerry Butler – 1969 – Ice On Ice

Produced by Gamble-Huff, arranged by Roland Chambers, Tom Bell and Bobby Martin. The Philadelphia massive do their stuff with legendary singer Jerry Butler. If you want to know what the first official Philly Soul albums were, look no further. Gamble and Huff may have really hit...
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02 Feb 2022
The Dells – 1972 – Sweet As Funk Can Be

Having read ‘Chicago Soul’ author Robert Pruter dismissing this Dells’ album as ‘poor’, I had my reservations… I should’ve know better, as Mr. Pruter (whom I respect greatly) and me usually have immense differences of opinion as to what constitutes as SOULFUL BRILLIANCE. Something of...
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12 Jun 2021
Bobby Lyle – 1978 – New Warrior

 Bobby Lyle was the pianist with Young Holt Unlimited and played with Jimi Hendricks, booked to go on the road with him just ahead of the untimely death. In 1974 he moved to Los Angeles and went on the road with Sly & the Family...
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01 Feb 2021
James Brown ‎- 1972 – There It Is

 There It Is, his second Polydor studio album, was a marked improvement, this 1972 effort collected five of his best early-’70s tracks and mixed in minimal filler. “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing” and “There It Is (Pts. 1 & 2)” with its bebop-style horns, were...
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15 May 2020
James Brown ‎- 1973 – The Payback

To rate this anything less than the full five stars is criminal. This is THE bomb and James Brown dropped a lot of them. It’s an amazing album, a masterpiece of raw funk and improvised jams. The title track is a monster and one of...
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23 Oct 2019
The Temprees – 1973 – Love Maze

The title track “Love Maze” features a heart-piercing lead, and impeccable backing harmonies; tender sweeties “Let Me Be the One” and “Passion” travel the same romantic road. Most prefer the Temprees doing dripping, slow ballads, and there’s not enough of them on this multi-styled, rag-tag...
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13 Oct 2019
The Temptations – 1972 – All Directions

A monster album, the one that put them back in the spotlight and signaled that Norman Whitfield had saved the day. Damon Harris had replaced Eddie Kendricks, and there were many doubters convinced the band was finished. Instead, Whitfield revitalized them via the majestic single, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone“. Despite its...
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09 Sep 2019
The Dells – 1971 – Freedom Means

1971 was a huge year for Soul Music – especially American Soul. Marvin Gaye’s staggering “What’s Going On” on Tamla (which many argue is the greatest LP every made in any genre and they might be right) – Aretha Franklin’s right-on Grooveathon “Aretha Live At...
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25 Aug 2019
Margie Joseph – 1971 – Phase II

Amazingly, Margie’s second and last LP for Stax failed to chart. For my money, as brilliant as ‘Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression‘ is – and brilliant IT IS – ‘Phase II’ actually surpasses its predecessor in coming up with beautifully orchestrated soul gems that...
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