SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - A Whole New Thing (1967-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sly & the Family Stone's debut album is more restrained and not nearly as funky or psychedelic as their subsequent efforts, owing far more to traditional soul arrangements. These aren't that traditional, though; Sly is already using goofier and/or more thoughtful lyrics than the soul norm, and taking some cues from rock in his adventurous and unexpected song construction. The Family Stone, similarly, aren't as innovative as they would shortly become, but are already a tight unit, particularly in the interplay between lead and backup vocals and the sharp horn riffs. by Richie Unterberger
Tracklist:
1 Underdog 3:59
2 If This Room Could Talk 3:14
3 Run, Run, Run 3:07
4 Turn Me Loose 1:57
5 Let Me Hear It From You 3:36
6 Advice 2:23
7 I Cannot Make It 3:21
8 Trip To Your Heart 3:44
9 I Hate To Love Her 3:33
10 Bad Risk 3:06
11 That Kind Of Person 4:28
12 Dog 3:07
- Bonus Tracks -
13 Underdog (Single Version In Mono) 3:06
14 Let Me Hear It From You (Single Version In Mono) 3:30
15 Only One Way Out Of This Mess 3:53
16 What Would I Do 4:07
17 You Better Help Yourself (Instrumental) 2:19
Credits:
Bass, Vocals – Larry Graham
Drums – Greg Errico
Guitar, Vocals – Freddy Stone
Keyboards, Vocals – Rose Stone
Saxophone, Vocals – Jerry Martini
Trumpet – Cynthia Robinson
Written-By – S. Stewart

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - Life (1968-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Just a matter of months after Dance to the Music, Sly & the Family Stone turned around and delivered Life, a record that leapfrogged over its predecessor in terms of accomplishment and achievement. The most noteworthy difference is the heavier reliance on psychedelics and fuzz guitars, plus a sharpening of songcraft that extends to even throwaways like "Chicken." As it turned out, Life didn't have any hits -- the double A-sided single "Life"/"M'Lady" barely cracked the Top 100 -- yet this feels considerably more song-oriented than its predecessor, as each track is a concise slice of tightly wound dance-funk. All the more impressive is that the group is able to strut their stuff within this context, trading off vocals and blending into an unstoppable force where it's impossible to separate the instruments, even as they solo. The songwriting might still be perfunctory or derivative in spots -- listen to how they appropriate "Eleanor Rigby" on "Plastic Jim" -- but what's impressive is how even the borrowed or recycled moments sound fresh in context. And then there are the cuts that work on their own, whether it's the aforementioned double-sided single, "Fun," "Dynamite!," or several other cuts here -- these are brilliant, intoxicating slices of funk-pop that get by as much on sound as song, and they're hard to resist. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine 
 Tracklist:
1    Dynamite!    2:44
2    Chicken    2:13
3    Plastic Jim    3:29
4    Fun    2:23
5    Into My Own Thing    2:13
6    Harmony    2:51
7    Life    3:01
8    Love City    2:43
9    I'm An Animal    3:21
10    M'Lady    2:45
11    Jane Is A Groupee    2:49
- Bonus Tracks -
12    Dynamite! (Single Version)    2:07
13    Seven More Days    3:24
14    Pressure    3:44
15    Sorrow (Instrumental)    3:19
Credits:
Bass, Vocals - Larry Graham
Electric Piano, Vocals - Sister Rosie Stone
Guitar, Vocals - Brother Freddy Stone
Organ, Vocals - Sly Stone
Percussion - Greg Errico
Producer - Sly Stone
Saxophone - Gerry Martini
Trumpet - Cynthia Robinson

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - Stand! (1969-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Stand! is the pinnacle of Sly & the Family Stone's early work, a record that represents a culmination of the group's musical vision and accomplishment. Life hinted at this record's boundless enthusiasm and blurred stylistic boundaries, yet everything simply gels here, resulting in no separation between the astounding funk, effervescent irresistible melodies, psychedelicized guitars, and deep rhythms. Add to this a sharpened sense of pop songcraft, elastic band interplay, and a flowering of Sly's social consciousness, and the result is utterly stunning. Yes, the jams ("Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey," "Sex Machine") wind up meandering ever so slightly, but they're surrounded by utter brilliance, from the rousing call to arms of "Stand!" to the unification anthem "Everyday People" to the unstoppable "I Want to Take You Higher." All of it sounds like the Family Stone, thanks not just to the communal lead vocals but to the brilliant interplay, but each track is distinct, emphasizing a different side of their musical personality. As a result, Stand! winds up infectious and informative, invigorating and thought-provoking -- stimulating in every sense of the word. Few records of its time touched it, and Sly topped it only by offering its opposite the next time out. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
 Tracklist:
1    Stand!    3:10
2    Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey    5:59
3    I Want To Take You Higher    5:24
4    Somebody's Watching You    3:21
5    Sing A Simple Song    3:57
6    Everyday People    2:22
7    Sex Machine    13:48
8    You Can Make It If You Try    3:43
- Bonus Tracks -
9    Stand! (Single Version In Mono)    3:09
10    I Want To Take You Higher (Single Version In Mono)    3:02
11    You Can Make It If You Try (Unissued Single Version In Mono)    3:40
12    Soul Clappin' II    3:27
13    My Brain (Zig-Zag)    3:18
Créditos
Bass, Vocals – Larry Graham
Drums – Gregg Errico
Guitar, Vocals – Freddie Stone
Keyboards, Vocals – Rose Stone
Saxophone, Vocals – Jerry Martini
Trumpet – Cynthia Robinson
Written-By – Sylvester Stewart
 

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - There's a Riot Goin' On (1971-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's easy to write off There's a Riot Goin' On as one of two things -- Sly Stone's disgusted social commentary or the beginning of his slow descent into addiction. It's both of these things, of course, but pigeonholing it as either winds up dismissing the album as a whole, since it is so bloody hard to categorize. What's certain is that Riot is unlike any of Sly & the Family Stone's other albums, stripped of the effervescence that flowed through even such politically aware records as Stand! This is idealism soured, as hope is slowly replaced by cynicism, joy by skepticism, enthusiasm by weariness, sex by pornography, thrills by narcotics. Joy isn't entirely gone -- it creeps through the cracks every once and awhile and, more disturbing, Sly revels in his stoned decadence. What makes Riot so remarkable is that it's hard not to get drawn in with him, as you're seduced by the narcotic grooves, seductive vocals slurs, leering electric pianos, and crawling guitars. As the themes surface, it's hard not to nod in agreement, but it's a junkie nod, induced by the comforting coma of the music. And damn if this music isn't funk at its deepest and most impenetrable -- this is dense music, nearly impenetrable, but not from its deep grooves, but its utter weariness. Sly's songwriting remains remarkably sharp, but only when he wants to write -- the foreboding opener "Luv N' Haight," the scarily resigned "Family Affair," the cracked cynical blues "Time," and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'." Ultimately, the music is the message, and while it's dark music, it's not alienating -- it's seductive despair, and that's the scariest thing about it. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1    Luv N' Haight    4:04
2    Just Like A Baby    5:13
3    Poet    3:02
4    Family Affair    3:08
5    Africa Talks To You "The Asphalt Jungle"    8:45
6    There's A Riot Goin' On    0:04
7    Brave & Strong    3:32
8    (You Caught Me) Smilin'    2:56
9    Time    3:05
10    Spaced Cowboy    3:59
11    Runnin' Away    2:57
12    Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa    7:18
-Bonus Tracks-
13    Runnin' Away (Single Version In Mono)    2:44
14    My Gorilla Is My Butler (Instrumental)    3:11
15    Do You Know What? (Instrumental In Mono)    7:16
16    That's Pretty Clean (Instrumental In Mono)    4:12

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - Fresh (1973-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Fresh expands and brightens the slow grooves of There's a Riot Goin' On, turning them, for the most part, into friendly, welcoming rhythms. There are still traces of the narcotic haze of Riot, particularly on the brilliant, crawling inversion of "Que Sera, Sera," yet this never feels like an invitation into a junkie's lair. Still, this isn't necessarily lighter than Riot -- in fact, his social commentary is more explicit, and while the music doesn't telegraph his resignation the way Riot did, it comes from the same source. So, Fresh winds up more varied, musically and lyrically, which may not make it as unified, but it does result in more traditional funk that certainly is appealing in its own right. Besides, this isn't conventional funk -- it's eccentric, where even concise catchy tunes like "If You Want Me to Stay" seem as elastic as the opener, "In Time." That's the album's ultimate charm -- it finds Sly precisely at the point where he's balancing funk and pop, about to fall into the brink, but creating an utterly individual album that wound up being his last masterwork and one of the great funk albums of its era. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1    In Time    5:47
2    If You Want Me To Stay    3:00
3    Let Me Have It All    2:56
4    Frisky    3:11
5    Thankful N' Thoughtful    4:40
6    Skin I'm In    2:54
7    I Don't Know (Satisfaction)    3:52
8    Keep On Dancin'    2:23
9    Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)    5:22
10    If It Were Left Up To Me    1:58
11    Babies Makin' Babies    3:38
- Bonus Tracks -
12    Let Me Have It All (Alternate Mix)    2:18
13    Frisky (Alternate Mix)    3:26
14    Skin I'm In (Alternate Mix)    2:46
15    Keep On Dancin' (Alternate Mix)    2:42
16    Babies Makin' Babies (Alternate Version)    4:20
Credits:
Bass – Rusty Allen
Drums – Andy Newmark
Guitar – Freddie Stone
Piano, Vocals – Rose Stone
Producer, Vocals, Keyboards – Sly Stone
Saxophone – Jerry Martini, Pat Rizzo
Trumpet – Cynthia Robinson

THE J.B.'S - Funky Good Time : The Anthology (1995) 2CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The J.B.'s recorded under various billings in the early '70s, including the J.B.'s, Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, Maceo & the Macks, the First Family, the Last Word, and others. This double CD gathers 30 of the prime tracks by all of the above configurations from the first half of the '70s, including all nine of their chart hits and quite a few rare singles and long versions. Often, James Brown himself chips in with incidental vocals (though this is mostly instrumental) and keyboards. The two-and-a-half-hour program can start to sound monotonous if taken all at once, but it's prime, often riveting funk, jammed with lockstep grooves that vary between basic R&B vamps and imaginative, almost jazzy improvisation. by Richie Unterberger

THE J.B.'S - Food for Thought (1972-1990) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1     Pass The Peas   
2     Gimme Some More   
3     To My Brother   
4     Wine Spot   
5     Hot Pants Road   
6     The Grunt   
7     Blessed Blackness 
8     Escape-Ism, Part 1, Part 2   
9     Theme From King Heroin   
10     These Are The JB's

FRED WESLEY AND THE J.B.'S - Damn Right I Am Somebody (1974-1995) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Damn Right I Am Somebody captures the J.B.'s at the apex of their extraordinary powers. This James Brown-produced set is both their most fiercely polemical and their most musically daring, incorporating otherworldly electronic elements, eccentric time and rhythm shifts, and idiosyncratic studio effects to brilliantly articulate the increasing turmoil and insanity of the times. It's quite possibly the most challenging record ever released under the Brown aegis, favoring open-ended grooves and epic solos rooted in avant-jazz. The rhythms remain surgically precise and hypnotically intense, however, and every cut here, from the funk juggernaut "I'm Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin'?" to the righteously mellow "Same Beat," is a marvel. This is funk at its heaviest -- musically, yes, but intellectually as well. by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist:
1 Damn Right I Am Somebody 6:00
Written-By – Fred Wesley, James Brown
2 Blow Your Head 5:05
Written-By – Fred Wesley, James Brown
3 I'm Payin' Taxes, What Am I Buyin' 9:47
Written-By – Fred Wesley, James Brown
4 Same Beat (Part 1) 3:19
Written-By – James Brown
5 If You Don't Get It The First Time, Back Up & Try It Again, Parrty 3:55
Written-By – James Brown
6 Make Me What You Want Me To Be 3:57
Written-By – Fred Wesley, James Brown
7 Going To Get A Thrill 6:21
Written-By – Hank Ballard, James Brown
8 You Sure Love To Ball 4:37
Written-By – Marvin Gaye

BETTY DAVIS - Betty Davis (1973-2009) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Betty Davis' debut was an outstanding funk record, driven by her aggressive, no-nonsense songs and a set of howling performances from a crack band. Listeners wouldn't know it from the song's title, but for the opener, "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up," Davis certainly doesn't play the wallflower; she's a woman on the prowl, positively luring the men in and, best of all, explaining exactly how she does it: "I said I'm wigglin' my fanny, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it/This is my night out." "Game Is My Middle Name" begins at a midtempo lope, but really breaks through on the chorus, with the Pointer Sisters and Sylvester backing up each of her assertions. As overwhelming as Davis' performances are, it's as much the backing group as Davis herself that makes her material so powerful (and believable). Reams of underground cred allowed her to recruit one of the tightest rhythm sections ever heard on record (bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico, both veterans of Sly & the Family Stone), plus fellow San Francisco luminaries like master keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarists Neal Schon or Douglas Rodriguez (both associated with Santana at the time). Graham's popping bass and the raw, flamboyant, hooky guitar lines of Schon or Rodriguez make the perfect accompaniment to these songs; Graham's slinky bass is the instrumental equivalent of Davis' vocal gymnastics, and Rodriguez makes his guitar scream during "Your Man My Man." It's hard to tell whether the musicians are pushing so hard because of Davis' performances or if they're egging each other on, but it's an unnecessary question. Everything about Betty Davis' self-titled debut album speaks to Davis the lean-and-mean sexual predator, from songs to performance to backing, and so much the better for it. All of which should've been expected from the woman who was too wild for Miles Davis.  by John Bush  
Tracklist:
1 If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up 5:01
2 Walkin Up The Road 2:55
3 Anti Love Song 4:32
4 Your Man My Man 3:35
5 Ooh Yea 3:09
6 Steppin In Her I. Miller Shoes 3:15
7 Game Is My Middle Name 5:23
8 In The Meantime 2:47
- Bonus Tracks -
9 Come Take Me 3:56
10 You Won't See Me In The Morning 3:50
11 I Will Take That Ride 4:43
Credits:
Baritone Saxophone – Jules Broussard (tracks: 2)
Bass – Doug Rauch (tracks: 2), Larry Graham (tracks: 1, 3 to 8)
Bass Vocals – Willy Sparks III
Congas – Victor Pantoja (tracks: 1)
Drums, Producer – Greg Errico
Electric Piano, Clavinet – Merl Saunders (tracks: 3, 4)
Guitar – Doug Rodrigues (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 8), Neal Schon (tracks: 2)
Guitar [Wah, Wah] – Neal Schon (tracks: 3, 5, 6)
Organ, Clavinet – Hershall Kennedy (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 8)
Piano – Pete Sears (tracks: 3)
Piano, Clavinet – Richard Kermode (tracks: 2, 6)
Saxophone – Skip Mesquit (tracks: 2)
Trombone – Michael Gillette (tracks: 5)
Trumpet – Greg Adams
Vocals – Hershall Kennedy (tracks: 1, 5), Pointer Sisters (tracks: 6, 7)
Vocals [1st Voice] – Annie Sampson (tracks: 7)
Vocals [2nd Voice] – Anita Pointer (tracks: 7)
Vocals [3rd Voice] – Kathi McDonald (tracks: 2, 3, 7)
Vocals [4th Voice] – Patryce Banks (tracks: 4, 5, 7)
Vocals [5th Voice] – Sylvester (tracks: 7)
Vocals [Not Credited], Written-By, Arranged By – Betty Davis

BETTY DAVIS - They Say I'm Different (1976-2007) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Betty Davis' second full-length featured a similar set of songs as her debut, though with Davis herself in the production chair and a radically different lineup. The openers, "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" and "He Was a Big Freak," are big, blowsy tunes with stop-start funk rhythms and Davis in her usual persona as the aggressive sexual predator. On the title track, she reminisces about her childhood and compares herself to kindred spirits of the past, a succession of blues legends she holds fond -- including special time for Bessie Smith, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson. A pair of unknowns, guitarist Cordell Dudley and bassist Larry Johnson, do a fair job of replacing the stars from her first record. As a result, They Say I'm Different is more keyboard-dominated than her debut, with prominent electric piano, clavinet, and organ from Merl Saunders, Hershall Kennedy, and Tony Vaughn. The material was even more extreme than on her debut; "He Was a Big Freak" featured a prominent bondage theme, while "Your Mama Wants Ya Back" and "Don't Call Her No Tramp" dealt with prostitution, or at least inferred it. With the exception of the two openers, though, They Say I'm Different lacked the excellent songs and strong playing of her debut; an explosive and outré record, but more a variation on the same theme she'd explored before. by John Bush  
Tracklist
1 Shoo-B-Doop And Cop Him 3:57
Electric Piano – Tony Vaughn
Lead Guitar – Buddy Guy
Trumpet – Hershall Kennedy
2 He Was A Big Freak 4:07
Clavinet, Organ – Hershall Kennedy
Rhythm Guitar – Jimmy Godwin
3 Your Mama Wants Ya Back 3:27
Electric Piano – Merle Saunders
Rhythm Guitar – Jimmy Godwin
4 Don't Call Her No Tramp 4:06
Clavinet – Tony Vaughn
5 Git In There 4:46
Clavinet, Organ – Hershall Kennedy
Organ [High Abstract] – Merle Saunders
6 They Say I'm Different 4:14
Drums – Mike Clark 
Piano – Tony Vaughn
Rhythm Guitar, Soloist [Solo] – Jimmy Godwin
7 70's Blues 5:01
Clavinet – Tony Vaughn
Congas – Victor Pantoja
Drums – Mike Clark 
Rhythm Guitar, Soloist [Solo] – Jimmy Godwin
Timbales – Pete Escovedo
8 Special People 3:22
Electric Piano – Hershall Kennedy
Piano – Merle Saunders
 

BETTY DAVIS - Nasty Gal (1975-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Funk diva Betty Davis was supposed to break big upon the release of her third album, Nasty Gal. After all, her Just Sunshine Records contract had been bought up by Chris Blackwell and Island Records, and they were prepared to invest not only big money in the recording, but in the promotion of the 1975 release. Davis and her well-seasoned road band, Funk House, entered the studio with total artistic control in the making of the album. This set contains classic and often raunchy street funk anthems such as the title track (with its infamous anthemic lyric: "...You said I love you every way but your way/And my way was too dirty for ya now...." ), "Talkin' Trash," "Dedicated to the Press," and the musically ancestral tribute "F.U.N.K." It also features the beautiful, moving, uncharacteristic ballad "You and I," co-written with her ex-husband, Miles Davis, and orchestrated by none other than Gil Evans. It's the only track like it on the record, but it's a stunner. The album is revered as much for its musical quality as its risqué lyrical content. This quartet distilled the Sly Stone funk-rock manifesto and propelled it with real force. Check the unbelievable twinning of guitar and bassline in "Feelins" that underscore, note for note, Davis' vocals. The drive is akin to hardcore punk rock, but so funky it brought Rick James himself to the altar to worship (as he later confessed in interviews). And in the instrumental break, the interplay between the rhythm section (bassist Larry Johnson and drummer Semmie "Nicky" Neal, Jr.) and guitarist Carlos Moralesis held to the ground only by Fred Mills' keyboards. In essence, the album is missing nothing: it's perfect, a classic of the genre in that it pushed every popular genre with young people toward a blurred center that got inside the backbone while smacking you in the face. Heard through headphones, its spaced out psychedelic effects, combined with the nastiest funk rock on the block, is simply shocking. The fact that the album didn't perform the way it should have among the populace wasn't the fault of Davis and her band, who went out and toured their collective butts off, or Island who poured tens of thousands of dollars into radio and press promotion, or the press itself (reviews were almost universally positive). The record seemed to rock way too hard for Black radio, and was far too funky for White rock radio. In the 21st century, however, it sounds right on time. Light in the Attic Records has remastered the original tapes painstakingly for the first North American release of this set on CD. As is their trademark, they've done a stellar job both aurally and visually, as the digipack is spectacular. The set also features a definitive historical essay by John Ballon.  by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist 
1 Nasty Gal 4:37
Lead Vocals – Fred Mills
2 Talkin Trash 4:43
Congas – Errol "Crusher" Bennett
Lead Vocals – Fred Mills
3 Dedicated To The Press 3:42
4 You And I 2:45
Conductor, Arranged By [Brass Arrangement] – Gil Evans
Music By, Directed By – Miles Davis
5 Feelins 2:45
Synthesizer [Arp] – James Allen Smith
6 F.U.N.K. 4:21
7 Gettin Kicked Off, Havin Fun 3:09
Backing Vocals – Carlos Morales, Fred Mills, Nickey Neal
Lead Vocals – Carlos Morales 
8 Shut Off The Light 3:54
Drums [Bass Drum] – Buddy Williams
9 This Is It! 3:28
10 The Lone Ranger 6:13
Congas – Errol "Crusher" Bennett
Synthesizer [Arp] – James Allen Smith
Credits
Bass – Larry Johnson
Drums – Semmie (Nickey) Neal Jr.
Guitar [Lead] – Carlos Morales
Keyboards – Fred Mills
 

BETTY DAVIS - Is It Love or Desire (1976-2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Whatever the reason that Betty Davis' Is It Love or Desire -- also known as Crashin' from Passion -- remained unreleased until 2009 no longer matters. Davis remembers a personal rift with Island's Chris Blackwell. Studio In the Country manager Jim Bateman (in Bogalusa, LA) claims the studio was never paid and therefore refused to release the masters to Island, etc. It makes no difference, because hearing this album, a ten-song set that was to be
Davis' and Funk House's final recording, is a revelation. (In 1976, funk was slowly giving way to the popularity of disco). Hindsight is 20/20, but had this album been released at the time, things might indeed have been different. Musically, Is It Love or Desire is so forward and so complete, it moves the entire genre toward a new margin. It is as groundbreaking in its way as the music Ornette Coleman was making with Prime Time à la Dancing in Your Head, and the blunt-edged fractured jazz-funk James Blood Ulmer laid down on his own a couple of years later on Tales of Captain Black and Are You Glad to Be in America?. The songwriting is top notch; some of it transcends the proto-sexual excesses of her earlier records though that's still in this wild mix, too. The production is so canny, it seems to get at the very essences of singers, songs, and musical arrangements, and then there's the music itself created by Funk House, one of the most amazing funk bands in the history of music. Being Davis' road and studio band had gelled the unit, which also practiced when they weren't working with her in a practice space at home in North Carolina. Check the dark voodoo-groove bassline Larry Johnson plays on "It's So Good," with Carlos Morales guitar filling the spaces with spidery, silvery lines, and the machine-gun snare groove laid down by drummer Semmie Neal, Jr with breaks and pops that underscore the outrageous distorted keyboards of Fred Mills, the band's music director. Speaking of Mills, his duet vocal on "Whorey Angel,"a spooky, psychedelic soul number that is far better than its title, is scary good. Check out the gris-gris choruses by Davis and her backing chorus with all that bass leading the entire band in its slow, backbone-slipping attack. The sheer sonic attack of "Bottom of the Barrel," may be country in its lyric intro, but the music is diamond-hard funk that makes no secret of its-anti disco sentiment. The ballad on the set, "When Romance Says Goodbye," is a steamy, sultry jazz noir number that gives the listener an entirely new aural portrait of Davis - Mills' piano work on the tune, with its sparse chords and spacious approach, gives Davis' natural singing voice -- rather than her sexual growl -- plenty of room to shine here. There's a bluesy number in &"Let's Get Personal," and a strutting rutting, gutter anthem in "Bar Hoppin' with some in excellent interplay between Mills' synth and Morales' guitar. The final track, a nocturnal, midtempo sexy number called "For My Man," features the violin talent of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, to boot. It's easy to say that this the best thing Davis ever cut, especially when a record has existed in mythology for as long as this one has, but that makes it no less true. Many thanks to the Light in the Attic imprint for bringing Is It Love or Desire out of the realm of myth and the dustbin of history, and into the hands of music fans. by Thom Jurek 
Tracklist:

1 Is It Love Or Desire 2:36

Backing Vocals – Carrie, Cora, Hoyt 

2 It's So Good 3:20

3 Whorey Angel 5:02

Lead Vocals – Fred Mills

4 Crashin' From Passion 3:24

Backing Vocals – Fred Mills, Hoyt  

5 When Romance Says Goodbye 3:43

6 Bottom Of The Barrel 3:47

Backing Vocals – Carlos Morales, Fred Mills

7 Stars Starve, You Know 3:35

8 Let's Get Personal 3:32

9 Bar Hoppin' 3:12

Backing Vocals – Betty Davis, Carlos Morales, Carrie, Cora, Fred Mills, Hoyt, Larry Johnson, Nathaniel Corbett, Semmie (Nickey) Neal

10 For My Man 1:42

Violin – Clarence Gatemouth Brown

Credits:

Bass – Larry Johnson 

Drums – Semmie (Nickey) Neal Jr.

Guitar – Carlos Morales

Keyboards – Fred Mills

Percussion – Nathaniel Corbett

Producer, Written-By, Arranged By, Vocals – Betty Davis

ISAAC HAYES - Hot Buttered Soul (1969-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Released at the tail end of the '60s, Hot Buttered Soul set the precedent for how soul would evolve in the early '70s, simultaneously establishing Isaac Hayes and the Bar-Kays as major forces within black music. Though not quite as definitive as Black Moses or as well-known as Shaft, Hot Buttered Soul remains an undeniably seminal record; it stretched its songs far beyond the traditional three-to-four-minute industry norm, featured long instrumental stretches where the Bar-Kays stole the spotlight, and it introduced a new, iconic persona for soul with Hayes' tough yet sensual image. With the release of this album, Motown suddenly seemed manufactured and James Brown a bit too theatrical. Surprising many, the album features only four songs. The first, "Walk on By," is an epic 12-minute moment of true perfection, its trademark string-laden intro just dripping with syrupy sentiment, and the thumping mid-tempo drum beat and accompanying bassline instilling a complementary sense of nasty funk to the song; if that isn't enough to make it an amazing song, Hayes' almost painful performance brings yet more feeling to the song, with the guitar's heavy vibrato and the female background singers taking the song to even further heights. The following three songs aren't quite as stunning but are still no doubt impressive: "Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic" trades in sappy sentiment for straight-ahead funk, highlighted by a stomping piano halfway through the song; "One Woman" is the least epic moment, clocking in at only five minutes, but stands as a straightforward, well-executed love ballad; and finally, there's the infamous 18-minute "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and its lengthy monologue which slowly eases you toward the climactic, almost-orchestral finale, a beautiful way to end one of soul's timeless, landmark albums, the album that transformed Hayes into a lifelong icon. by Jason Birchmeier  

Tracklist:

1 Walk On By 12:03
2 Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic 9:40
3 One Woman 5:11
4 By The Time I Get To Phoenix 18:42
Issac Hayes
Backing Band – Bar-Kays

ROY AYERS - Coffy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1973-2001) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

A blaxploitation masterpiece on par with Curtis Mayfield's Superfly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, Roy Ayers' soundtrack for the 1973 Pam Grier vehicle Coffy remains one of the most intriguing and evocative film scores of its era or any other. Ayers' signature vibes create atmospheres and textures quite distinct from your average blaxploitation effort, embracing both heavy, tripped-out funk ("Brawling Broads") and vividly nuanced soul-jazz ("Aragon"). The vocal numbers are no less impressive, in particular the rapturous opening cut, "Coffy Is the Color." Richly  by Jason Ankeny

Tracklist:

1 Coffy Is The Color 2:58

Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Ayers, Wayne Garfield

2 Pricilla's Theme 3:53

3 King George 2:55

Vocals – Roy Ayers

4 Aragon 2:52

5 Coffy Sauna 2:13

6 King's Last Ride 1:05

7 Coffy Baby 2:23

Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater

8 Brawling Broads 2:40

9 Escape 2:14

10 Shining Symbol 3:49

Vocals – Wayne Garfield

11 Exotic Dance 3:14

12 Making Love 2:45

13 Vittroni's Theme - King Is Dead 1:58

14 End Of Sugarman 1:04

Credits:

Bass [Electric], Bass – Richard Davis  

Congas, Bongos, Percussion – William King  

Drums – Dennis Davis

Guitar – Billy Nichols, Bob Rose

Orchestrated By, Electric Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Piano – Harry Whitaker

Producer, Composed By, Arranged By – Roy Ayers

Strings – Emanuel Vardi, Harry Lookofsky, Irving Spice, Peter Dimitriades

Trombone – Garnett Brown, Wayne Andre

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Cecil Bridgewater, Jon Faddis

HERBIE HANCOCK - Head Hunters (1973-2008) SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Head Hunters was a pivotal point in Herbie Hancock's career, bringing him into the vanguard of jazz fusion. Hancock had pushed avant-garde boundaries on his own albums and with Miles Davis, but he had never devoted himself to the groove as he did on Head Hunters. Drawing heavily from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown, Hancock developed deeply funky, even gritty, rhythms over which he soloed on electric synthesizers, bringing the instrument to the forefront in jazz. It had all of the sensibilities of jazz, particularly in the way it wound off into long improvisations, but its rhythms were firmly planted in funk, soul, and R&B, giving it a mass appeal that made it the biggest-selling jazz album of all time (a record which was later broken). Jazz purists, of course, decried the experiments at the time, but Head Hunters still sounds fresh and vital decades after its initial release, and its genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1 Chameleon 15:41
Written-By – B. Maupin, H. Mason, H. Hancock, P. Jackson
2 Watermelon Man 6:29
Arranged By – H. Mason
Written-By – H. Hancock
3 Sly 10:15
Written-By – H. Hancock
4 Vein Melter 9:09
Written-By – H. Hancock
Credits:
Congas, Shekere, Balafon, Agogô, Cabasa, Whistle [Hindewho], Tambourine, Slit Drum [Log Drum], Surdo, Bells [Gankoqui], Percussion [Beer Bottle] – Bill Summers
Drums [Yamaha] – Harvey Mason
Electric Bass, Marimbula – Paul Jackson
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet [Hohner D 6], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Arp Soloist], Pipe – Herbie Hancock
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Saxello, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute – Bennie Maupin

HERBIE HANCOCK - Thrust (1974-1998) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The follow-up to the breakthrough Headhunters album was virtually as good as its wildly successful predecessor: an earthy, funky, yet often harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated tour de force. There is only one change in the Headhunters lineup -- swapping drummer Harvey Mason for Mike Clark -- and the switch results in grooves that are even more complex. Hancock continues to reach into the rapidly changing high-tech world for new sounds, most notably the metallic sheen of the then-new ARP string synthesizer which was already becoming a staple item on pop and jazz-rock records. Again, there are only four long tracks, three of which ("Palm Grease," "Actual Proof," "Spank-A-Lee") concentrate on the funk, with plenty of Hancock's wah-wah clavinet, synthesizer textures and effects, and electric piano ruminations that still venture beyond the outer limits of post-bop. The change-of-pace is one of Hancock's loveliest electric pieces, "Butterfly," a match for any tune he's written before or since, with shimmering synth textures and Bennie Maupin soaring on soprano (Hancock would re-record it 20 years later on Dis Is Da Drum, but this is the one to hear). This supertight jazz-funk quintet album still sounds invigorating a quarter of a century later. by Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist:

1. Palm Grease – 10:38

2. Actual Proof – 9:42

3. Butterfly (Hancock, Bennie Maupin) – 11:17

4. Spank-A-Lee (Hancock, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson) – 7:12

Credits:

Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D-6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist,

ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble

Bennie Maupin – soprano and tenor saxophones, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute

Paul Jackson – electric bass

Mike Clark – drums

Bill Summers - percussion

HERBIE HANCOCK - Flood (1975-2006) RM / APE (image+.cue), lossless

The follow-up to the breakthrough Headhunters album was virtually as good as its wildly successful predecessor: an earthy, funky, yet often harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated tour de force. There is only one change in the Headhunters lineup -- swapping drummer Harvey Mason for Mike Clark -- and the switch results in grooves that are even more complex. Hancock continues to reach into the rapidly changing high-tech world for new sounds, most notably the metallic sheen of the then-new ARP string synthesizer which was already becoming a staple item on pop and jazz-rock records. Again, there are only four long tracks, three of which ("Palm Grease," "Actual Proof," "Spank-A-Lee") concentrate on the funk, with plenty of Hancock's wah-wah clavinet, synthesizer textures and effects, and electric piano ruminations that still venture beyond the outer limits of post-bop. The change-of-pace is one of Hancock's loveliest electric pieces, "Butterfly," a match for any tune he's written before or since, with shimmering synth textures and Bennie Maupin soaring on soprano (Hancock would re-record it 20 years later on Dis Is Da Drum, but this is the one to hear). This supertight jazz-funk quintet album still sounds invigorating a quarter of a century later. by Richard S. Ginell  

Tracklist:

1. Introduction/Maiden Voyage (Hancock) (7:58)

2. Actual Proof (Hancock) (8:28)

3. Spank-A-Lee (Clark, Hancock, Jackson) (8:47)

4. Watermelon Man (Hancock) (5:50)

5. Butterfly (Hancock, Maupin) (12:44)

6. Chameleon (Hancock, Jackson, Mason) (10:24)

7. Hang up Your Hang Ups (Hancock, Jackson, Ragin) (19:54)

Credits:

Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP String Ensemble

Bennie Maupin – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, flute, percussion

Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight – guitar

Paul Jackson – Fender bass

Mike Clark – drum set

Bill Summers – congas, percussion

THE BRECKER BROTHERS - Blue Montreaux (1978) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

At the 1978 Montreux Jazz Festival, a variety of artists (including keyboardist Warren Bernhardt, tenor-saxophonist Michael Brecker, guitarists Steve Khan and Larry Coryell, trumpeter Randy Brecker and vibraphonist Mike Mainieri) recorded a dozen funky selections which were originally released on two Arista LPs. This single CD has the eight top performances from these important fusion stylists; Michael Brecker in particular is in good form. The results are not essential but offer listeners a time capsule of where R&B-oriented fusion was in 1978.  by Scott Yanow

RANDY BRECKER - 34th N Lex (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Randy Brecker is one of the most proficient trumpeters of his generation and brilliantly shows why he has achieved this stature on 34th N Lex. The 11-song paean to his Manhattan, NY, neighborhood is a potent, in-your-face program of hard bop and funky jazz with the likes of his brother, Michael Brecker, on tenor sax; David Sanborn on alto saxophone; Ronnie Cuber on baritone saxophone; and the great trombonist Fred Wesley. The set opens with the free funk and hard bop fusion of horn blasts and honks in different registers, which depict the hustle and bustle of "34th N Lex." The ensemble pulls this off without a hitch and clearly conveys the energy associated with this street corner. On "All 4 Love," Randy Brecker adds a mute to his trumpet and gives a cool tone to the swaggering funk of Gary Haase's programming and urban vocals supplied by J Phoenix. The funk gets funkier on "Let It Go," a party jam with vocal effects and prime horn playing that lends itself to the younger generation but clearly represents the talent of jazz masters in an awesome blowing session. "Foregone Conclusion" is a beautiful ballad that features outstanding cool harmonizing and modal synchronicity that is reminiscent of Miles Davis in his heydey. As a whole, Randy Brecker clearly outdoes himself on this one and it's clearly evident that these musical masters came to play. by Paula Edelstein 

ESTHER PHILLIPS - From a Whisper to a Scream (1972-2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

One of Esther Phillips finest '70s releases, From a Whisper to a Scream is the first of seven albums the singer recorded for CTI offshoot Kudu. Arranged and conducted by Pee Wee Ellis, the December 1971 session also involved principal players such as bassist Gordon Edwards, drummer Bernard Purdie, percussionist Airto, guitarists Cornell Dupree and Eric Gale, keyboardist Richard Tee, and saxophonists Hank Crawford and David Liebman. Setting the tone for Phillips' Kudu era, Whisper offers a series of spacious, yet fully arranged ballads of burning heartache, along with a handful of relatively funky numbers that do nothing to compromise her talent, dishing out loads of classy grit. It's a definite point of departure from the likes of Esther Phillips Sings and And I Love Him, her field of contemporaries closer to Al Green and Aretha Franklin than before. She grabs onto "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," Gil Scott-Heron's most harrowing rumination on drug dependency -- which, at that point, wasn't even a year old -- as if it were her very own, and it's all the more poignant given its parallels with her own life. (Its meaning was only compounded by her death in 1984.) Though there is absolutely nothing lacking in the album's more energetic moments, it's still the ballads that shine brightest, like the alternately fragile and explosive "From a Whisper to a Scream" (Allen Toussaint) and a staggering "Baby, I'm for Real" (Marvin and Anna Gordy, made popular by the Originals) so vulnerable yet commanding that it really should've closed the album. by Andy Kellman