William Bell was one of the first great soul singers to record for the legendary Stax Records in Memphis – an artist who really helped set the tone for deep soul singles to come from the likes of Otis Redding and Johnnie Taylor – and one whose early work is still some of the best he ever gave us! This well-done package brings together all of Bell's first 14 singles for the label, both a-sides and b-sides – standing together as a testament to all the greatness the singer brought to the fray right from the start – as Stax not only found a way to record him so much differently than he would have been handled in other spots, but also matured along with Bell to keep on creating fresh magic as the 60s moved on! As always with Ace/Kent, the presentation is wonderful – a detailed set of notes that matches the wonderful set list – which includes "Formula Of Love", "Just As I Thought", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "I Told You So", "Don't Stop Now", "Crying All By Myself", "I'll Show You", "Monkeying Around", "Ain't Got No Girl", "Every Man Oughta Have A Woman", "Never Like This Before", "Marching Off To War", "Soldier's Goodbye", "One Plus One", "Eloise", "You're Such A Sweet Thing", "Don't Make Something Out Of Nothing", and his great farewell to Otis Redding, "Tribute To A King". ~ Dusty Groove
Ruben Blades is way more than just a superstar in Latin music – over the decades, he's become a key global figure, and one with much diversity in his work – as you'll hear on this great collaboration with the Brazilian quartet Boca Livre! Boca Livre have a warm harmony vocal style that goes back to bossa groups of the 60s, but which is served up with a more contemporary vibe – and the mix of their sound and Ruben's strong lead is really wonderful here – on a set of tracks that even includes a number of Portuguese tunes next to the Spanish language numbers you'd expect! Titles include "Sin Tu Carino", "Juana Mayo", "Pedro Navaja", "Vida", "Caminando", "Buscando Guayaba", and "Dime" – some of which are titles on the related Pasieros album, but done in a different language here! ~ Dusty Groove
London guitarist Phil Dawson has a strong legacy of work with global heavyweights – artists who include Hugh Masekela, Tony Allen, and Mulatu – but the vibe here is much more jazz-based overall – as Dawson plays both guitar and Fender Rhodes in a group that has a great sense of flow! A great part of the record's sound is the work of flute player Rowland Sutherland – whose sweet lines are as much of a delight as Phil's guitar – and the rest of the group is heavy on percussion, but used in a lean way that moves along nicely, and never gets caught in any sort of bombast – maybe more Brazilian in inspiration, if that makes sense. Khadijatou Doyneh of The Heliocentrics makes an appearance at once point – and the tracks are reworks of a few different themes, but coming across in nicely different versions. Titles include "It's Time (fully spoken)", "Gnostic Hilife Nag Hammadi re-edit)", "It's Time (instrumental)", "Gnostic Hilife (flute edit)", and "Gnostic Hilife (original edit)". ~ Dusty Groove
A long-overdue look at the soul-based side of the work of Dusty Springfield – maybe the most important side of her music, really – given how many times we find her Atlantic Records material in collections next to Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin! Yet although Dusty soon recorded for Atlantic – in Memphis and other American cities – the singer had a strong ear for soul music right from the start – spurred on, no doubt, by raging interest in the sounds on her own British scene – and carried forth by Springfield in a range of debut solo recordings that were completely different than the folk-based material she was cutting in a group just a few years before! Dusty's got a voice that still knocks it out of the park, listen after listen – a quality that you'll know from big hits, and will discover even more fully here in a great package that comes with detailed notes on all the music – alongside two dozen tracks that include "Bring Him Back", "Can I Get A Witness", "Long After Tonight Is All Over", "Welcome Home", "All Cried Out", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "Every Day I Have To Cry", "Love Power", "Oh No Not My Baby", "Nothing", "Every Ounce Of Strength", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Gone", "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "Am I The Same Girl", "What's It Gonna Be", and "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream". ~ Dusty Groove
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