Patti LaBelle's entry in the Universal Masters Collection is a decent compilation that covers most of her hits from the latter half of the '80s and the whole of the '90s, containing singles like "New Attitude," "Kiss Away the Pain," "Oh, People," "Feels Like Another One," "Stir It Up," "Yo Mister," "Beat My Heart Like a Drum," and "When You Talk About Love." Though it's not comprehensive with this phase of LaBelle's career, it's one of the better sets available with this kind of scope. This is a European release, so it is slanted toward the singles that made a big impact outside of the U.S., but there isn't a great deal of variance between what was most popular in the two territories.

Al Green's second record for Blue Note reunites the same cast of characters who made his comeback disc, 2003's I Can't Stop, such a success. Willie Mitchell is behind the boards, the cream of old-school Hi musicians is here, and Green hasn't lost a step vocally. In fact, it sounds like he has gained a step somehow; his crazed screams, hollered interjections, and whoops of joy seem more assured and his falsetto is clear and strong. The songs are here, too, with a good mix of uptempo movers (the rollicking "Build Me Up," the high-energy title track, and "Nobody But You") and sweet, string-laden ballads ("Perfect to Me," "Real Love," and "All the Time"). Green sounds on fire most of the time, really letting loose on "Everything's OK," testifying on "Be My Baby," and ripping it up like a kid everywhere else…

Perpetual Presents Ghostly Grooves A Funky Soulful Halloween album 14 original hits and the original artists. Includes tracks by Al Wilson, Betty Harris, The Escorts, Otis Blackwell, Maxx Kidd, The John Wagner Coalition, Retta Young and the Devotions and more.

Al Green suffered a slight lull in his gospel career with 1984's Trust in God. As a response, he reunited with producer Willie Mitchell, who admittedly preferred the secular to the gospel. At this point, Green was unwavering in his faith and presents a challenge for He Is the Light. "Going Away" and "True Love" are great updates of the classic 1971-1976 sound with Green's dulcet, anxious vocals above an updated version of the sound that made him famous. The cover of "Be With Me Jesus" has Green in a playful mood despite the dire lyrics, and shows how Mitchell could coax vocals from Green no one else could. To Mitchell's credit, this album not only embraced Green's pop/gospel but also the newer sounds and styles Green had been working on in the '80s…

French singer-songwriter who mixes jazzy styles, French variety, soul and acoustic. She is famous for her hit "Je veux", from her first album, Zaz, released on 10 May 2010…

Cafe d' Afrique Volume 3 is a 2007 compilation album released by Savoy Jazz Worldwide. Some of the people on this gem include New Mastersounds featuring Corinne Bailey Rae, Christian Falk featuring Robyn, Schwarz And Funk featuring Ange Boxall and Mint Royale featuring no one at all.

Mojo Club presents Dancefloor Jazz Volume Four: Light My Fire is a 1995 compilation CD released through Verve Records in Germany. This is part of a series of discs released through Mojo Club and features a mixture of funk, bossa nova, soul, and a bit more, primarily taken from the Polygram/Universal library.

During times of extreme political and social change, Stevie Wonder's voice and songwriting served as cultural and spiritual guideposts to many a listener, often lending insight and a barometer with which to measure the ways of the world. But that was largely during the golden phase of his career, generally regarded as being the late '60s through 1980's Hotter Than July. His work in the mid-'80s through the '90s was marginal in comparison, only hinting at glimpses of former brilliance, sugar-coated by over-polished production and radio-friendly content. So with a decade passing since his last full-length, 1995's Conversation Piece, people waited with bated breath for a sign of his return…and wondered which Wonder would show up: would it be the socially conscious genius who wrote anthems for a generation, or the R&B crooner who dominated quiet storm radio?

Although 1979's "I Will Survive" is Gloria Gaynor's most famous recording, it was hardly her first. In 1975, the singer established herself as one of disco's early divas with her debut album Never Can Say Goodbye, which dance club DJs went wild over. With side one of this LP, Gaynor helped to popularize the art of the nonstop dance mix, a concept that was still alive and well when the 21st century arrived 25 years later. There are no breaks between songs on side one; the intoxicating opener "Honey Bee" segues into Gaynor's hit remake of "Never Can Say Goodbye" and that Clifton Davis gem (which had been recorded by the Jackson 5 and Isaac Hayes in the early '70s) segues into a stunning interpretation of the Four Tops' "Reach Out, I'll Be There." Put those three gems together and you have a nonstop 19-minute dance mix that thrilled the club DJs of 1975 to no end. Meanwhile, side two isn't as club-driven; all of the songs are under four minutes, and there are breaks between them. In other words, side two is more typical of R&B LPs from the mid-'70s.

There's lots of good stuff on this double CD, which features 33 songs, including all six of the group's top-ten U.K. hits, and all the singles the Drifters recorded for the Bell, Arista, and Epic labels.

It is an undeniable fact that the history of Motown Records was developed by "men" such as The Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. However, if you explore the flow of history a little deeper, you can actually confirm the existence of "women" there. According to the popular phrase “a woman in the shadow of history,” the history of this model record is no exception. On the surface, it is known that the female “stars” such as Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Marvelettes, and Mary Wells, who conquered the world, form an important part of history. Actually, there were more "women" playing an active part under the surface. The history of Motown Records may actually have been supported by them.

During the British Invasion of the mid-60s, while the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Who were conquering America, one quintessentially English band stayed at home. Today, in America, the Small Faces are known primarily for their single "Itchykoo Park", and the fact that their drummer, Kenney Jones, went on to replace Keith Moon in the Who…

Mariah Carey claims Rainbow, her first album since divorcing Tommy Mottola, "chronicles my emotional roller coaster ride of the past year," but less subjective listeners could be forgiven for viewing it as simply another Mariah Carey album. After all, all the elements are in place – the crossover dance hits, the ballads, the cameos, the hip producers, the weird cover choice from the early '80s. But dig a little deeper, and her words ring true. Rainbow is the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola are evident throughout the album, even if it doesn't really amount to the "story" she mentions in the liner notes.

Acclaimed Grammy-winning bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Williams’ newest album, I AM A MAN, is a sociopolitically charged project that strives to “show the world the complexity of our humanity as Black American men.” With help from producer and sound designer Brian Bender, the album boasts a humid and hazy sound that recalls neo-soul albums released by The Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, and D’Angelo. Williams sings lead on the majority of songs, in addition to playing the electric and acoustic bass. Joining him is an amazing lineup comprised of keyboardist Kris Bowers, guitarist David Rosenthal, tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland, percussionist Bendji Allonce, trumpeter Kenyon Harrold, flutist Anne Drummond, and drummers Jamire Williams and Justin Brown. The album’s title references the historic 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis.

Stevie Wonder is a much-beloved American icon and an indisputable genius not only of R&B but popular music in general. Blind virtually since birth, Wonder's heightened awareness of sound helped him create vibrant, colorful music teeming with life and ambition. Nearly everything he recorded bore the stamp of his sunny, joyous positivity; even when he addressed serious racial, social, and spiritual issues (which he did quite often in his prime), or sang about heartbreak and romantic uncertainty, an underlying sense of optimism and hope always seemed to emerge. Much like his inspiration, Ray Charles, Wonder had a voracious appetite for many different kinds of music, and refused to confine himself to any one sound or style. His best records were a richly eclectic brew of soul, funk, rock & roll, sophisticated Broadway/Tin Pan Alley-style pop, jazz, reggae, and African elements – and they weren't just stylistic exercises; Wonder took it all and forged it into his own personal form of expression.