Having anthologized the early Stax singles of legendary soul man William Bell in the acclaimed collection “Never Like This Before” in 2022, Ace is delighted to follow up with the second volume of Bell’s solo singles for the label. Its predecessor featured the A and B sides of every one of Bell’s 45s as originally issued on the blue Stax label between 1960 and early 1968. “The Man In The Street” does the same for every solo 45 that this well respected southern soul man released between late 1968 and early 1974, after the company had changed its label colour to yellow and rebuilt its catalogue from scratch. Bell stayed with Stax almost until the label’s final demise in 1975. In the period covered by this collection he released some of his best known and best loved recordings, including his biggest Stax hit ‘I Forgot To Be Your Lover’ and long-time fan favourites ‘My Whole World Is Falling Down’, ‘Happy’ and his own version of his classic composition ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’. All of those are featured here, along with 20 more tracks of comparable calibre. As was the case with “Never Like This Before”, “The Man In The Street” offers the first all-embracing and chronological account of Bell’s solo activity during the period it covers. Extensive sleeve notes and a label shot for literally every recording featured herein seal the deal on a truly significant collection. ~ www.firstexperiencerecords.com
Heavy soul from the great Spanky Wilson – an album that explodes with energy right from the start – in a groove that definitely lives up to the title! Spanky's got a great mix of funk and class on this set – a punch in the rhythms at points, yet also a poise in the way she delivers the lyrics – a blend that's a bit like Marlena Shaw in her earlier years – and set to some killer arrangements from the great HB Barnum! Barnum gives the record all the cool punch of his great 60s work with Lou Rawls – and nearly all the material was written by the obscure Howlett Smith – an excellent lost writer who had a real talent for coming up with cool little soul songs that rise above the usual bag of his generation. This material works great for Spanky, and together, the pair, along with Barnum, cook up a unique lost soul treat! Titles include "Apartment 101", "On The Morning After", "The Other Girl", "You're Gonna Miss Me", "Love Has Me By The Hand", and "Mighty Great Feeling". ~ Dusty Groove
The sound of Fingier Records… Over the past couple of years we’ve issued a series of stellar 7″ singles on our group label Fingier Records, headed up by Argentinian producer Kevin Fingier. Known for their dedication to soul, R&B, raw funk and latin sounds, many of these have been near-instant sellouts, finding themselves on collector sites selling for ten-times more. This compilation brings these singles together onto one LP, with graphics and photography on a sleeve to match the sound and style of Fingier Records. It features the vocals of Diane Ward, Jo-Ann Hamilton and Gerri Granger, Brazilian singer Jose Dias and Senegalese vocalist/percussionist Abdoulaye Badiane, backed by the all-star Kevin Fingier Collective. A great opportunity to own these rare sides, and enjoy them in a new setting and context on a beautifully presented LP. Also available as gatefold soft-pack CD edition. ‘I see Fingier Records as an artistic project, more than a record label. And I try to apply that concept in every decision that I make for the song composition, the music production, the audio sound, the analog photographs and the graphic design. This compilation shows this vision perfectly’ – Kevin Fingier ~ www.firstexperiencerecords.com
The title's not right – as there's plenty of soul and plenty of blues throughout – just the sort of thing we'd expect from Stan Mosley's long legacy of indie recordings from the contemporary underground! We first started hearing Stan's music on the Malaco label at the end of the 90s – a great continuation of that company's way of keeping southern soul alive by mixing it with a bit of blues – a quality that definitely comes through on some of these cuts, with a bit of blues guitar solo in the lineup – while Stan soars out as more of a deep soul singer on others! The vocals are wonderful throughout – nicely unbridled, and very much up to Mosley's legacy – on titles that include "You Need Love", "Blues Man", "I Can't Get Next To You", "This Train", "Losing Hand", "Stomp", "Right Next Door", and "I'm Back To Collect". ~ Dusty Groove
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