Great great sounds from Ronald Isley – working here as a one man operation to hold up the rich legacy of the Isley Brothers! The tunes are laidback and mellow – but still groove with that gentle glide we love so much in the best 70s midtempo work by The Isleys – and the instrumentation is perhaps the most classic that Ronnie's used in years – just perfect for that majestic flow that's always made him so wonderful, and which hasn't faltered a bit. It's rare that we'll ever say that a contemporary effort by an older soul artist has all the greatness of the old days – so we're really speaking highly of this effort! Titles include "Let's Be Alone", "This Song Is For You", "Dinner & A Movie", "My Favorite Thing", "The Boss", "Bedtime", and "Another Night". ~ Dusty Groove
Was funk ever this great again? Maybe not – as Mickey & The Soul Generation were one of the greatest groups of their generation – a completely polished gem, in the sometimes rough-edged funky 45 rockpile! The band never cut a full album, but their 7" singles from the early 70s are the stuff of legend – some of the first funky 45s that started passing amongst collectors, prized for their incredibly tight sound – right up there with the JBs, Meters, and other established funky acts for pure "in the pocket" action. Most of that rare early work's never been reissued – save for the occasional dodgy boot – which is why it's even more wonderful to have this double-length set of work by the group, complete with a fuller track listing than we'd ever imagined they recorded, and full notes on the music and band by Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow! This insane 3LP set is bigger than any previous collection on the group – and has updated notes from Davis, plus a lot more tracks – including a previously unreleased LP, demo material, and live tracks too! Tracks include "Iron Leg", "Football", "Up The Stairs & Around The Bend", "Give Everybody Some", "Joint Session", "Chocolate", "Message From A Black Man", "Soulful Sickness", "UFO", "Hey Brother Man", "Southern Fried Funk", "How Good Is Good", and "We Got To Make A Change". ~ Dusty Groove
One of the coolest albums from Denny Zeitlin in years – a set that hearkens back to his electronic work of the 70s, and some of his spacier soundtracks too! The set features Zeitlin working alone, but on a mix of electric and acoustic keyboards – really stretching out and exploring a rich range of new sounds, but all with that sense of lyricism, mood, and timing that makes his straighter jazz material so great! Half the set was recorded in the studio of Pat Gleeson – another electronic wizard from the 70s – and at times, Denny shares Pat's older sense of raspiness in his tone, which really gives the album a surprising amount of depth and soul. Make no mistake – there's still plenty of jazz in the mix here, and the spirit of Zeitlin's other recent work greatly informs the set – on titles that include "Charango Dream", "Dystopiano Uprising", "Kathryn's Song", "Tiger Tiger", and the extended suite "Monk-Y Business Revisited". ~ Dusty Groove
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