LALO SCHIFRIN - Black Widow (1976-2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although he is best-known for film scores like Bullitt and Enter The Dragon, prolific composer Lalo Schifrin has always maintained a side career as a jazz musician. He racked up a massive success in this field in 1976 with Black Widow, a slick instrumental excursion that combined the musical dexterity of jazz with the dance-friendly rhythms of disco. This album found Schifrin turning his skills as an arranger and keyboardist to a set of material that matched up some unlikely but effective covers with a few originals. Highlights among the covers include "Quiet Village," which transforms the exotica classic into a slow-burning funk vamp dressed with plenty of spacey synthesizer, and "Moonglow & Theme From Picnic," which reworks these classic film themes by giving them keyboard-driven arrangements that are gently nudged along by an insistent beat. Black Widow also spawned a dancefloor hit with Schifrin's imaginative reworking of "Jaws," which transformed John Williams' spooky monster-movie theme into an ominous, percolating slice of nocturnal funk built on wah-wah guitar and Schifrin's elegantly jazzy keyboard excursions. In terms of the original tunes, the standout is the title track, a keyboard showcase that weaves surging strings around a funky bass groove that is fleshed out with all manner of synth and electric piano shadings. The strong disco edge to the proceedings may turn off jazz purists, but Schifrin's imaginative and stylish arrangements keep the music from succumbing to disco-beat boredom, and his expert backup band (including session stalwarts like Andy Newmark and John Tropea) attacks the material with energy and style to burn. The end result is one of the peak albums in Lalo Schifrin's lengthy catalogue and a necessity for anyone interested in his jazz work. by Donald A. Guarisco   
Tracklist:
1 Black Widow 4:15
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin
2 Flamingo 4:28
Written-By – Ed Anderson, Ted Grouya
3 Quiet Village 3:59
Written-By – Les Baxter
4 Moonglow / Theme From Picnic 5:36
Written-By – DeLange, Mills, Hudson
5 Jaws 5:47
Written-By – J. Williams
6 Baia 4:03
Written-By – A. Barroso, R. Gilbert
7 Turning Point 3:28
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin
8 Dragonfly 5:15
Written-By – Lalo Schifrin

- Bonus Tracks - 

9 Frenesi 3:53

10 Tabu 4:33

11 Baia (Alt. Take) 7:44

12 Con Alma 6:30

Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Joe Farrell
Arranged By, Conductor – Lalo Schifrin
Backing Vocals – Patti Austin
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Bass Trombone – Dave Taylor
Congas – Carlos Martin (tracks: 2 to 8)
Drums – Andy Newmark
Flute – George Marge, Jerry Dodgion, Joe Farrell
Flute [Solo] – Hubert Laws (tracks: 5)
Guitar – Eric Gale (tracks: 3), John Tropea
Guitar [Solo] – Jerry Friedman (tracks: 3)
Keyboards – Clark Spangler, Lalo Schifrin
Percussion – Carter Collins, Don Alias, Sue Evans
 Trombone – Barry Rogers, Billy Campbell, Wayne Andre
Trumpet – Jon Faddis
Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harold Kohon, Harry Lookofsky, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman

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)

KING CURTIS - Soul Meeting (1960-1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

King Curtis, an influential and greatly in-demand R&B tenorman, made relatively few jazz dates in his career. This CD has two of the best, complete albums originally called The New Scene of King Curtis and Soul Meeting; the former is also available as a separate CD but should be skipped in favor of this one. Curtis teams up with the passionate cornetist Nat Adderley, pianist Wynton Kelly, either Paul Chambers or Sam Jones on bass and Oliver Jackson or Belton Evans on drums. The music is blues-based bop, with seven basic Curtis originals and four standards. Highly recommended, this set serves as proof that King Curtis could have been a viable jazz player. by Scott Yanow

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 - 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

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   

KING CURTIS - The New Scene of King Curtis (1960-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Adoring King Soul may be a de facto renunciation of the main part of the rhythm & blues tenor saxophonist's career -- his instrumental hits, indeed his very crucial role in the tenor saxophone remaining a viable voice on the hit parade. The album was recorded only a couple of years prior to a 1962 Curtis smash gyrating off the twist dance craze. A rock & roll backbeat helped establish the commercial potential of the latter item, yet for the 1960 recording, Curtis is accompanied by two-thirds of a famous Miles Davis rhythm section as well as a drummer who eventually became prominent on the Parisian swing scene. A reworking of the standard "Willow Weep for Me" is a highlight; this is hardly a "Soul Twist."

Even the names of the labels involved with these contrasting recordings bear out stylistic stereotypes. The funky party record for dancers came out on Enjoy. Previously it had been Prestige crowning King Soul as well as convening a subsequent Soul Meeting, the label's status amongst jazz listeners of all persuasions indicated in its very name. Much of King Curtis' later audience would not presumably prefer to hear the man backed by Wynton Kelly on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. Some listeners are prejudiced against the jazz genre itself, feeling it is too much about prestige with entirely too little enjoyment.

Davis' group with Chambers, Kelly, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane had been extremely popular in the early '50s. The music this group made is a good suggestion for anyone in doubt about jazz or in a fog about Davis' abilities beyond the merely provocative or intimidating. Chambers and Kelly can not be too strongly emphasized as components of this brilliant group, carrying over their assets to the Curtis session as if shifting boxes from one side of a garage to another.

"Little Brother Soul" and "In a Funky Groove" are self-descriptive ditties by the leader in which the pianist combines aspects of the filthy and pristine, the results bordering on the surrealistic. A typical chord voicing sets a buffed pearl on a bed of creamed goat cheese. For another, Kelly dips a silk handkerchief into a vat of melon juice, then pulls out the Texas state flag. This could be too rich a diet for the dancers, still it is hard to imagine the piano track on Parliament's "Chocolate City" existing without Wynton Kelly. The woody sound of Chambers' bass is again not something Curtis would stick with, his discography unfolding with the distinct presence of cables connecting electric basses to amps, some of them curly. His lines on "Da-Duh-Dah" and "Have You Heard?" represent study sessions for budding bassists, at least it can be hoped that the one who nicked the copy from a local college radio station is putting it to such good use. Brass soloist and section mate Nat Adderley is the quibble in the dibble, so to speak. He can cause dismay for playing as if backed into a corner, for abruptly quitting right in the middle of something interesting, for utilizing a tone that suggests the summoning of the hanging judge. Here he is at his best, however, Curtis turning out to be an even better foil than brother Cannonball Adderley would be over the course of a much longer-running relationship, perhaps even because of the spontaneity of the enterprise itself. The trumpeter emulates the likes of Art Farmer, lightly icing the edges as if serenading a pastry chef.  by Eugene Chadbourne  

Tracklist:

1 Da-Duh-Dah 5:11

King Curtis

2 Have You Heard? 10:23

King Curtis

3 Willow Weep for Me 5:24

Ann Ronell

4 Little Brother Soul 8:35

King Curtis

5 In a Funky Groove 10:49

King Curtis

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

WELDON IRVINE - Simbad [1976] RCA / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded with an exemplary supporting cast featuring pianist Don Blackman, guitarist Eric Gale, and saxophonist Michael Brecker, Sinbad explores the extremes of Weldon Irvine's music, juxtaposing several of the keyboardist's funkiest, most energetic grooves to date alongside mellow, contemplative performances of uncommon intricacy and beauty. Inspired in both sound and spirit by the soul-searching Motown efforts of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, complete with covers of their respective "What's Going On" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," Sinbad contrasts the elegant soul-jazz contours and luminous, horn-driven arrangements of the title cut and "Do Something for Yourself" alongside the nuances and soft pastels of "I Love You" and "Music Is the Key." The resiliency of Irvine's vision and the vibrant performances of his collaborators nevertheless create a kind of yin-yang dynamic that enables the album's divided soul to operate in harmony.  by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist:
1 Sinbad 6:25
W. Irvine
2 Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing 5:53
Stevie Wonder
3 What's Goin' On? 4:39
Marvin Gaye
4 I Love You 3:04
D. Blackman
5 Do Something For Yourself 4:48
W. Irvine
6 Music is the Key 7:37
Weldon Irvine / Tommy Smith
7 Here's Where I Came In 3:47
W. Irvine
8 Gospel Feeling 4:16
W. Irvine
Credits
Alto Saxophone – George Young
Backing Vocals – Adrienne Albert, Bunny McCullough, Deborah McDuffie
Baritone Saxophone – Phil Bodner
Bass – Gordon Edwards
Bass Trombone – Alan Raph
Congas – Martin Charles
Drums – Chris Parker, Steve Gadd (tracks: 2)
Guitar – Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale
Percussion – Napoleon Revels-Bey
Piano [Acoustic], Lead Vocals – Don Blackman
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor, Keyboards, Synthesizer – Weldon Irvine
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker
Trombone – Wayne Andre
Trumpet – Randy Brecker

WELDON IRVINE - Simbad [1976] 

RE [2011] Sony / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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