RAY CHARLES - Eight Classic Albums (2011) 4CD / RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This varied, budget-priced, four-disc set collects seven of the great Ray Charles' Atlantic Records LPs, plus an LP from ABC Records in the same package, which means one hears Charles in all sorts of formats, with small combos, at the piano in an intimate setting, with full orchestras, and in live performance, and it adds up to a wide-angle look at one of the most important voices of 20th century pop music. Included are the albums Ray Charles and The Great Ray Charles, both from 1957, Yes, Indeed!! and Brothers of Soul, both from 1958, Ray Charles at Newport, What'd I Say, and The Genius of Ray Charles, all from 1959, and The Genius Hits the Road from 1960. Genius, indeed -- this is vintage Ray Charles in the middle of his legendary career, all for a budget price. by Steve Leggett
Tracklist:
Ray Charles (1957)
1-1 Ain't That Love 2:51
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-2 Drown In My Own Tears 3:20
Written-By – Henry Glover
1-3 Come Back Baby 3:04
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-4 Sinner's Prayer 3:22
Written-By – Lowell Fulson
1-5 Funny (But I Still Love You) 3:12
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-6 Losing Hand 3:09
Written-By – Charles Calhoun
1-7 A Fool For You 3:00
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-8 Hallelujah I Love Her So 2:33
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-9 Mess Around 2:39
Written-By – Nugetre
1-10 This Little Girl Of Mine 2:31
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-11 Mary Ann 2:44
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-12 Greenbacks 2:50
Written-By – Renald Richard
1-13 Don't You Know 2:54
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-14 I Got A Woman 2:50
Written-By – Ray Charles
The Great Ray Charles (1957)
1-15  The Ray 3:55
Written-By, Arranged By – Quincy Jones
1-16  My Melancholy Baby 4:20
Written-By – Ernie Burnett, George A. Norton, Maybelle E. Watson
1-17 Black Coffee 5:29
Written-By – Paul Francis Webster, Sonny Burke
1-18 There's No You 4:44
Written-By – Hal Hopper, Tom Adair
1-19 Doodlin' 5:50
Written-By – Horace Silver
1-20 Sweet Sixteen Bars 4:04
Written-By – Ray Charles
1-21 I Surrender Dear 5:04
Written-By – Gordon Clifford, Harry Barris
1-22 I Got A Woman 2:50
Yes Indeed (1958)
2-1 What Would I Do Without You 2:34
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-2 It's All Right 2:17
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-3 I Want To Know 2:11
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-4 Yes Indeed 2:17
Written-By – Sy Oliver
2-5 Get On The Right Track Baby 2:19
Written-By – Ray Charles, Titus Turner
2-6 Talkin' 'Bout You 2:49
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-7 Swanee River Rock (Talkin' About That River) 2:17
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-8 Lonely Avenue 2:34
Written-By – Doc Pomus
2-9 Blackjack 2:20
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-10 The Sun's Gonna Shine Again 2:38
Written-By – Sam Sweet
2-11 I Had A Dream 2:54
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-12 I Want A Little Girl 2:56
Written-By – Billy Moll, Murray Mencher
2-13 Heartbreaker 2:53
Written-By – Nugetre
2-14 Leave My Woman Alone 2:41
Written-By – Ray Charles
Ray Charles At Newport (1959)
2-15 Night Time Is The Right Time 4:04
Written-By – Lew Herman, Nappy Brown, Ozzie Cadena
2-16 In A Little Spanish Town 3:38
Written-By – Joe Young (3), Mabel Wayne, Sam Lewis
2-17 I Got A Women 6:19
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-18 Blues Waltz 6:24
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-19 Hot Rod (The Spirit Feel) 3:46
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-20 Talkin' About You 4:22
Written-By – Ray Charles
2-21 Sherry 4:26
Written-By – Bennie Crawford
2-22 A Fool For You 7:11
Written-By – Ray Charles
What I'd Say (1959)
3-1 What I'd Say Part 1 & 2 5:04
3-2 Jumpin' In The Morning 2:48
3-3 You Be My Baby 2:30
3-4 Tell Me How Do You Feel 2:44
3-5 What Kind Of Man Are You 2:50
3-6 Rockhouse Part 1 & 2 3:52
3-7 Roll With Me Baby 2:37
3-8 Tell All The World About You 2:02
3-9 My Bonnie 2:50
3-10 That's Enough 2:46
The Genius Of Ray Charles (1959)
3-11 Let The Good Times Roll 2:53
3-12 It Had To Be You 2:45
3-13 Alexander's Ragtime Band 2:53
3-14 Two Years Of Torture 3:25
3-15 When Your Love Has Gone 2:51
3-16 Deed I Do 2:27
3-17 Just For A Thrill 3:26
3-18 You Won't Let Me Go 3:22
3-19 Tell Me You'll Wait For Me 3:25
3-20 Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying 3:46
3-21 Am I Blue 3:41
3-22 Come Rain Or Come Shine 3:42
Soul Brothers (1958)
4-1 Soul Brothers 9:31
4-2 How Long Blues 9:11
4-3 Cosmic Ray 5:19
4-4 Blue Funk 8:05
4-5 Bag's Guitar Blues 6:25
4-6 Deed I Do 5:47
The Genius Hits The Road (1960)
4-7 Alabamy Bound 1:51
4-8 Georgia On My Mind 3:33
4-9 Basin Street Blues 2:42
4-10 Mississippi Mud 3:21
4-11 Moonlight In Vermont 3:00
4-12 New York's My Home 3:01
4-13 California, Here I Come 2:06
4-14 Moon Over Miami 3:16
4-15 Deep In The Heart Of Texas 2:24
4-16 Carry Me Back To Old Virginia 1:58
4-17 Blue Hawaii 2:55
4-18 Chattanooga Choo Choo
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Ray Charles (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22; 4-1 to 4-6)
Baritone Saxophone – Bennie Crawford (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22)
Bass – Edgar Wills (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22), Oscar Pettiford (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6)
Drums – Connie Kay (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6), Richie Goldberg (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22)
Guitar – Kenny Burrell (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6), Skeeter Best (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6)
Keyboards – Ray Charles (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22; 3-1 to 3-10)
Orchestra – The Ray Charles Orchestra (tracks: 1-1 to 1-14)
Piano – Milt Jackson (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6), Ray Charles (tracks: 1-1 to 1-22; 2-1 to 2-14; 3-11 to 3-22; 4-1 to 4-18)
Tenor Saxophone – Billy Mitchell (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6), David Newman (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22)
Trumpet – Lee Harper (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22), Marcus Belgrave (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22)
Vibraphone – Milt Jackson (tracks: 4-1 to 4-6)
Vocals – Marjorie Hendricks (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22), Ray Charles (tracks: 1-1 to 1-22; 2-1 to 2-22; 3-1 to 3-22; 4-7 to 4-18)
Vocals [Vocal Group] – The Raeletts (tracks: 2-15 to 2-22)

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

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

THE CRUSADERS - Pass the Plate (1971-2008) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After 1970's Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes landed them a spot on the charts briefly for the single "Hard Times" the Crusaders decided on an entirely new approach by making a very small change: they dropped the word "Jazz" from their moniker for 1971's Pass the Plate, the group's final offering on Chisa. Pass the Plate is notable for many things. For starters, a member of the band wrote every composition on it and yet it's a thoroughly modern recording. It begins with trombonist Wayne Henderson's 15- plus-minute title suite that contains no less than five separate parts (the Crusaders were no strangers to the pop music of the era; here they did their own nearly side-long take on what the Beatles accomplished on side two of Abbey Road). The original quartet of Henderson, pianist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper are assisted on guitar -- and one assumes on bass since this instrument is uncredited -- by soul and blues legend Arthur Adams. It is a seamless track that allows for the individual abilities of all of its members to shine through as improvisers and displays Henderson's impeccable sense of time, seamlessly melding genres such as gospel, blues, and vintage and latter day soul into jazz. In addition to Adams, there are also uncredited female and male choruses edited into the proceedings at two points (they're in the background and they don't distract) and Philemon Hou, from the Friends of Distinction, adds some "tapping" and "begging" to the mix, bringing it the feel of some good-time street theater. The first side closes with a reprise of the group's first hit of a decade earlier, "Young Rabbits (71-72)," with a brief but tough drum break by Hooper. The second half of the album is almost all Sample. It begins with "Listen and You'll See," one of the pianist's now trademark sleight-of-hand compositions where theme, interlude, bridge, and improvisation all feel like separate tunes until the theme returns at the end. His own Fender Rhodes breaks twinned with Adams' guitar are lean, choppy, and tough while the horn parts are elegant and graceful. Hooper's "Greasy Spoon" is next; it's a tune that would become an enduring part of the group's live show. With its shuffling bluesy frontline -- the horns and guitar -- it's all groove and sounds like its title: all meat and potatoes. "Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself," -- Sample's good-natured dig at Sly Stone and Les McCann, follows, but that's in title only. These cats could lay down some of the most sophisticated grooved out funk of the era. Adams plays full wah-wah on both rhythm and his leads, and the horns inside and out with a James Brown-style moves as Sample does his pump-it-up move with simple but effective key changes in the melody, which give way immediately to a wickedly raspy solo by Felder. The funk continues on "Goin' Down South," which feels more like one of Johnny Pate's blaxploitation soundtrack cues than a typical Crusaders tune of the time, but that's a compliment. The album closes on a slow note with the midtempo ballad "Love Can't Grow Where the Rain Won't Fall," a gospel-sounding tuner with direct nods to the Burt Bacharach-Hal David fakebook. Ultimately, like its predecessor, this is arguably the Crusaders at their finest and most accessible to rock and pop audiences of the time, though they didn't give up an inch of the jazz cred they'd established over the previous decade. by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist:
Pass The Plate    (15:39)
1.1    Tap N' Shuffle  
1.2    Sing For Your Keep  
1.3    Beggin'  
1.4    Haggin' Stomp!  
1.5    Pennies  
1.6    Nickels And Dimes  
2    Young Rabbits '71 - '72    4:51
3    Listen And You'll See    5:30
4    Greasy Spoon    4:06
5    Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself    2:35
6    Goin' Down South    5:21
7    Love Can't Grow Where The Rain Won't Fall    4:05
Credits:
Composed By – Hooper (tracks: 4), J. Sample (tracks: 3, 5 to 7), W. Henderson (tracks: 1, 2)
Drums – "Stix" Hooper
Guitar – Arthur Adams
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Saxophone – Wilton Felder

Trombone – Wayne Henderson

DON SALVADOR TRIO - Don Salvador Trio (1965) Lp / FLAC (tracks), lossless

FREDA PAYNE - Contact (1971-2018) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Freda Payne's second Invictus album was a significant success, making it onto the pop charts. She found her niche in the early '70s, doing silky, sophisticated pop/soul with excellent production, arrangements, and material supplied by the Holland/Dozier/Holland team. They wisely didn't try to make her a sassy or hard-edged vocalist, putting her voice in string and horn-dominated charts and emphasizing her soothing, lightly sensual side. by Ron Wynn
Tracklist: 
1 I'm Not Getting Any Better 6:45
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
2 Suddenly It's Yesterday 4:24
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
3 You Brought The Joy 3:00
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
4 Bring The Boys Home 3:22

Written-By – A. Bond, G. Johnson, G. Perry

5 You've Got To Love Somebody (Let It Be Me) 3:01
Written-By – R. Miner, W. Weatherspoon
6 Prelude 0:53
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
7 The Road We Didn't Take 4:17
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
8 Odds And Ends 3:50
Written-By – G. Johnson, G. Perry
9 Cherish What Is Dear To You (While It's Near To You) 3:56
Written-By – A. Bond, Holland - Dozier
10 I Shall Not Be Moved 2:43
Written-By – Holland - Dozier
11 Mama's Gone 3:23
Written-By – G. Johnson, G. Perry, R. Dunbar

Bonus Tracks

12 You Brought The Joy (Us Single Version)

13 He's In my Life

14 How Can I Live Without My Life

15 Just A Woman

16 Come Back

17 You're The Only Bargain I've Got

18 Deeper And Deeper (Us Single Version)

19 Band Of Gold (Alternate Version)

Credits:

Arranged By – H.B. Barnum, McKinley Jackson, Anthony Camillo

Musician [Stuff] – Greg Perry, Ronald Dunbar, William Weatherspoon

Primary Artist, Vocals  –  Freda Payne

SAUNDRA HEWITT - Saundra [1976] Think!-Japan / FLAC

Tracklist
1 Won't Be Water Next Time
2 Got A New Pair Of Shoes
3 Heart Of Stone
4 Up On Cripple Creek
5 I Loved You Too Much
6 Just To Be With You
Credits
Bass – Chuck Rainey (tracks: 5, 6), Tinker Barfield (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4)
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Shiro Mori
Keyboards – Mark Gray
Piano, Electric Piano – Kinney Landrum (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4), Paul Griffin
Tenor Saxophone – Bob Mintzer
Vocals – Saundra Hewitt

SAUNDRA HEWITT - Saundra 

[1976] Think!-Japan / FLAC / scans

O Púbis da Rosa

TAMMI TERRELL - Irresistible [1968]

 Tammi Terrell had a sexy, hypnotic voice and alluring sensibility that not only made her an ideal partner for Marvin Gaye, but could have resulted in substantial impact as a solo singer. This album includes her finest solo single, "I Can't Believe You Love Me," and some other interesting numbers, although Terrell never received any songs for herself that matched what she did with Gaye.  by Ron Wynn
Tracklist  
A1 I Can't Believe You Love Me 2:32
Written-By – J. Bristol, H. Fuqua
A2 That's What Boys Are Made For 2:58
Written-By – G. Gordy, H. Fuqua
A3 Come On And See Me 2:20
Written-By – J. Bristol, H. Fuqua
A4 What A Good Man He Is 2:59
Written-By – A. Cleveland, Wm. Robinson
A5 Tears At The End Of A Love Affair 2:57
Written-By – H. Fuqua, J. Bristol, S. Moy
A6 This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) 2:28
Written-By – Holland, Dozier, Holland, Moy
B1 He's The One I Love 2:35
Written-By – William Robinson
B2 Can't Stop Now (Love Is Calling) 2:40
Written-By – J. Dean, Wm. Weatherspoon, S. McMullen
B3 Just Too Much To Hope For 2:54
Written By – J. Bristol, W. Jackson, C. Wilson, H. Fuqua
Written-By – C. Wilson, J. Bristol, H. Fuqua, W. Jackson
B4 Hold Me Oh My Darling 2:58
Written-By – Harvey Fuqua
B5 I Can't Go On Without You 2:35
Written-By – H. Fuqua, J. Bristol, S. Moy

TAMMI TERRELL - Irresistible

 [1968] MOTOWN / LP / FLAC

O Púbis da Rosa