Hey Philly Soul fans—we are going to blow your minds this time! Here is (by far) the biggest anthology ever afforded the trio that pioneered the Philadelphia Sound, The Delfonics, featuring 40 sweetly soulful tracks, most of ‘em recorded under the watchful eye of the great Thom Bell and featuring the potent songwriting team of Bell and lead singer William Hart. In fact, this collection is so comprehensive that it’s missing only six tracks from the group’s four classic Philly Groove studio albums, and has thrown on three non-LP sides to boot! Every key track is here, including “La-La Means I Love You,” “You Got Yours and I’ll Get Mine,” “(Didn’t I) Blow Your Mind This Time,” “Trying to Make a Fool of Me,” “I’m Sorry,” “Break Your Promise,” “Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide from Love), and more, all beautifully remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York. And for an extra special treat, Joe Marchese’s notes include exclusive quotes from Thom Bell, William Hart, and legendary Philly Soul sideman Bobby Eli. Undeniably definitive Delfonics!
This collection on the U.K.'s Soul Brother imprint is a very compelling look at a big slice of Freddie Hubbard's long career as a leader, and one that gets ignored for the most part. Hubbard recorded over 20 records between Backlash, his Atlantic debut in 1966, and Ride Like the Wind for Elektra in 1982, with lengthy stops at Columbia and CTI (as well some straight hard bop and post-bop outings for labels Fantasy and Pablo). In many cases, some of these original recordings were not only disregarded by more traditional jazzheads, they were regarded with outright hostility. It didn't matter to Hubbard, however, because at the time, these were among his best-selling albums and connected with the public deeply.
Soul Brother has given us a long overdue compilation of Gary Bartz's experimental jazz material from the 1970s, beginning with his classic Harlem Bush Music albums, Taifa and Uhuru from 1970 and 1971, with his band NTU Troop. While it's impossible to overstate the influence his brief tenure with Miles Davis had on him (Bartz is featured on the Live-Evil recordings), the saxophonist and composer was exploring other avenues of creative black music as well, from funk to soul to the blues. The 12 cuts here begin with the sublime "Celestial Blues," from that seminal NTU Troop debut set.
SoulMusic Records is very proud to present “I Kinda Miss You – The Anthology: Columbia Records,1973-87,” a spectacular first-of-its-kind 2-CD set by the legendary Manhattans that includes all of the soulful group’s charted singles recorded for the label over almost fifteen years along with choice cuts from the dozen albums the team cut and one non-LP ‘B’ side (‘Gypsy Man’).
SoulMusic Records is very proud to present “Stir It Up – The Anthology, 1965-1979” a musically scintillating 2-CD set by soul/pop and reggae icon, Johnny Nash. Covering close to fifteen years of recordings, this first-of-its-kind collection includes all of Johnny’s US and UK Epic singles, prime album cuts, recordings from the mid-to-late ‘60s and several tracks from two albums (1977’s “(What A Wonderful World” and 1979’s “Let’s Go Dancing”) which have never been reissued on CD.
Omar Lyefook MBE is without doubt, one of the greatest soul music talents the United Kingdom has produced in the last 40 years. If anyone has doubts about that, then they might want to consider the list of legendary artists who happily line up to collaborate with him musically, or simply sing his praises - from Stevie Wonder, the late Leon Ware, Erykah Badu, Common, through to Carleen Anderson, D'Angelo, and Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler, Angie Stone and U.K. artists Courtney Pine, Rodney P, Kele LeRoc, Natasha Watts and Estelle, all appreciate his truly original and unique voice, musicianship and songwriting talent.
Hot Dawgit - The Anthology: The Columbia Years is a luxurious set by the legendary Ramsey Lewis, spanning the award-winning musician, producer and composer's 17-year tenure with Columbia Records. Features 37 tracks including all of Ramsey's charted hits for the label, selected key singles and notable LP cuts drawn from among the eighteen albums he recorded for the label. The Chicago-born octogenarian began his journey as a recording artist at Chess Records in 1966, achieving chart success with his soulful covers of such tracks as 'The In Crowd', 'Wade In The Water' and 'Hang On Sloopy'. In 1972, Ramsey - initially with his famed trio (whose ranks had included a young Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire as drummer) - began recording a series of critically-acclaimed albums for Columbia including Upendo Ni Pamoja, Funky Serenity and Solar Wind.