This Is Retro Soul – 1969 to 1979 (Various Artists)

Retro soul is a sound that you know when you hear it, recorded at a point where soul music reached its zenith. It’s where the pioneers of the 60s had matured to a point that they could use the experiences of the past decade to create an incredible fusion that mixed R&B, gospel, funk and jazz and adorned it with expansive, sophisticated arrangements that allowed listeners to wallow in its depth and dance to its beat. Today this music soundtracks films and adverts, is mined for beats by clever producers and still sounds amazing when played in bars and clubs. This is music that urges you to get up on your feet.

These are soul gems from back in the day, served up by the folks at Ace Records, who've always given us the best of the best with their reissues and compilations! The package digs deep, and goes way past the hits – not overplayed soul oldies on the bigger labels, but instead some rare gems from the farther reaches of the funky 45 underground, mixed with a few cuts that were locked in the vaults and never saw the light of day until many years later! 

Titles include "See Saw Affair" by Cesar, "It Hurts So Good" by Millie Jackson, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Now Is The Time For Love (part 1)" by Darrow Fletcher, "Midnight Affair" by George Soule, "Three Lonely Guys" by Brilliant Korners, "Lightin Up"b y Ty Karim, "Spells & Incantations" by Debbie Lindsay, "I Can Fly" by The Magnificents, and "When I Had You Baby" by The Soul SensationsThe 12 tracks on “This Is Retro Soul” are an entry point into this mythical world conjuring up images of flared trousers, Halston dresses, Cadillacs with a “diamond in the back” and hair the size of space helmets. But the music conforms to no simple clichés, whether it was created by international superstars such as Isaac Hayes and Millie Jackson, cult heroes George Jackson and Darrow Fletcher or obscure one-off groups such as the Brilliant Korners.