Bbr

Philadelphian Terri Wells had sung in '70s soul group City Limits and contributed the lead vocal to contemporary Dexter Wansel's Top 40 R&B hit "The Sweetest Pain" prior to releasing this underrated solo effort in 1984. The set is notable for its distinctively smooth jazz-oriented take on contemporary R&B.

Len Coley and Roddy Harris formed DELEGATION in Birmingham, during the mid 70’s later adding Jamaican born Ricky Bailey whose voice was to give them added flair on lead helping them to compete in the competitive UK Soul Market.

Fathoms Deep is Linda Lewis’s 1974 mini masterpiece, a satisfying , eclectic yet cohesive, and powerfully soulful record. It’s among the most interesting “black music” albums made in Britain, drawing you into its world as the best records
do.

BBR is proud to offer COME AS YOU ARE, beautifully remastered and expanded complete with an exclusive interview with Valerie Simpson and three bonus tracks. This BBR remaster is perfect for all Soul, Funk, Disco, R&B and Motown fans out there!

Gwen McCrae, a gutsy soul singer in the southern style and initially influenced by such leading lights of the soul world as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, is known best for her 1975 R&B #1 Rockin Chair . Having married George Rock Your Baby McCrae after a whirlwind romance in 1963 the couple became a vocal duo and were discovered by influential singer/producer Betty Wright in the late 60s.

Having contributed to reshaping soul music of the mid- 1960s to the early 1970s via other recording artists (notably Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, The 5th Dimension), Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson were a long established song-writing success before expanding on this as a recording duo in 1973. Valerie would release two wonderful records albeit to limited commercial success before the duo branched out together with their Warner Bros. debut GIMME SOMETHING REAL. Following on from the joyous pop formula they had perfected during their run of song-writing with Motown, GIMME SOMETHING REAL sees the duo progressing further with a quiet storm template that would partially set the standard for future releases.

Having contributed to reshaping soul music of the mid 1960s and early 1970s via other recording artists (notably Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, The 5th Dimension), Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson were a long established song-writing success before expanding on this as a recording duo in 1973. Following on from their surprisingly low-key Warner Bros. debut GIMME SOMETHING REAL, their sophomore release I WANNA BE SELFISH saw Ashford & Simpson reintegrating their trademark smooth, and joyous soul sound into the quieter moods of their debut.

Heatwave’s sophomore LP CENTRAL HEATING (R&B #2/Pop #10/UK#26), released in 1977 on GTO Records, more than lived up to the group’s breakthrough album from the year before. All but two of the tracks were penned by Rod “Thriller” Temperton with the remainder from the hand of lead vocalist Johnnie Wilder. The stand out tracks include the funk smash and disco-era anthem “The Groove Line” (R&B #3/Pop #7/UK #12) and the quiet storm classic “Mind Blowing Decisions” (UK #12/R&B #49) as well as party grooves “Put Out The Word,” and “Party Poops” and the smooth soul of “Happiness Togetherness” and “The Star Of A Story,” which was later covered by George Benson on his Quincy Jones produced Give Me The Night album.

It’s safe to say that there is no other recording in the catalog of drummer and vocalist Buddy Miles like this one. Recorded in 1974 and produced by the great Johnny Bristol, this places Miles in a strictly soul setting with some funky backdrops in places – thanks to the arrangements by H.B. Barnum – and while it never rocks, it rolls throughout.

The once-dominant disco group Change enjoyed its final hit with this 1985 album. The lineup had changed radically from the days when Luther Vandross or James Robinson were providing exciting, soulful leads. The leads throughout this session, even on the lone successful single, "Let's Go Together," were more efficient than distinctive. The group's founder, Jacques Fred Petrus, returned to the production helm and recycled the arrangements that once made the group a major act.