Brooklyn Allstars I've Got My Ticket (1973 2020)

In their third outing, Steve, Thomas and Rance Allen are joined by their brother Esau Allen on congas for a family affair. Less bombastic than their previous efforts, Rance leads the group in a manner that speaks to the brothers’ comfortability within their own range, their familiarity with one another and their reverence for the material.

The process behind concept record “Songs Our Father Used to Sing” included a great deal of fanfare. On its face, the album is based on a humble enough premise: siblings Charles May and Annette May Thomas pay a loving tribute to their father, legendary gospel singer Brother Joe May, known affectionately in the gospel world as the “Thunderbolt of the Middle West.” But the album, ambitious in its sound, indulges even further into the grandiose in almost every aspect of its creation.

“Whatever Happened to Love” has the remarkable distinction of being the only Gospel Truth recording to originate from in-house sessions with Stax producers, engineers and affiliated players. Stax staffer Tom Nixon oversaw the project with a team of engineers that included Dave Purple, William Brown, Henry Bush and Josephine Bridges, who with Nixon had previously co-founded Stax subsidiary We Produce Records. We Produce solo artists Lee Sain and Lou Bond both sing backup behind Smith, who had anoff-kilter approach to gospel without ever listening to his record. For one, he was adamant about removing his shirt for the cover, according to label leadership. Within the grooves of the album, he wears a knack for experimentation on his proverbial sleeve—even without a shirt.

Another prized jewel in the Rolling Stones' unmatched catalogue is restored to its full glory. This 2CD 2020 Deluxe Edition features the new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files and three previously unreleased tracks - Scarlet, All The Rage, and Criss Cross. Digipak with 20-page booklet.

On his second and last Black Jazz album Keeper of My Soul (1973), Walter Bishop Jr. plays acoustic and electric pianos and organ with a sense of uplift, a quality characterizing the best soul-jazz of the day. Opening number "Soul Village" is a fascinating union of jazz and funk; today, it still sounds fresh in its immediacy.

The opening measures of the Howard Lemon Singers’ “I Am Determined” command sincerity, as well as attention. Delicate woodwinds lure in all who are able to hear before halting brass notes disarm the melody and the group begs, “Stop, look, listen to the voice of Jesus.” Unlike more famous versions of the song, sung before in a romantic fashion by the Stylistics and Diana Ross with Marvin Gaye, the Howard Lemon Singers sing in a state of alert, as if there is little time to settle your heart with Jesus.

The twelve timeless Bob Marley albums are available on premium half-speed mastered vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. On the half-speed process, Miles explains: "Abbey Road's world-renowned engineers have been cutting grooves into discs since the studios first opened their doors in 1931. This record was pressed from a master cut using a precision technique known as half-speed mastering. The procedure requires the source master and the cutting lathe to run at half speed on a specially adapted Neumann VMS-80 lathe.

The magic of Bob Hemphill and the Commanders’ “Everybody Will Be Happy” is its sheer commitment to simplicity and good cheer. The peaceful stillness of the record is reflected in its packaging: an overtly non-descript cover, invoking a calm blue sky and a soaring white dove.

Recovered from the depths of the Rory Gallagher archive comes ‘Cleveland Calling’ a previously unreleased radio session recorded at WNCR in Cleveland on August 7th,1972. This intimate 8-song acoustic session and interview with DJ Carolyn Thomas was found on a small 7” reel and will be released for the first time for Record Store Day 2020.