*NEW* Mission City Soul

James And The Showmen's take on "To Love, To Love" alone makes this a must have CD. Apart from that other worth while tracks include "Put The Hurt On You" by Inner Soul, "I Must Move On" by Executive Suit, "Stop, Look, Listen" by Los Dinamicos Exciters, "You Took Me For A Fool" by Gwen Stewart and "Say What You Mean" by Luscious Three. Don't let this one slip by. Sound quality varies.
10 out of 10

*NEW* Soul Stompin 45's

This CD counts with a few very good, rare soul jams. The only issue is the sound quality on some tracks. Highlights include "Our Future" by The New Soul Souls, "Sad Man's Land" by The Spoilers, "My Love For You Is Growing Wild" by The Tenth Dymentions, "I Don't Wanna Cry" by Richard Smith and "Please Don't Go" by Love Warmth And Affection. A solid addition to your rare soul collection.
8 out of 10

*NEW* Movin' With The Gangster Of Love

You will have to hit the skip button far too many times until you get to a ballad on this release. Like the title implies most tracks are uptempo. Towards the end we get the killer ballad "Why" by Jonas Whale along with "I Love You More Than Words Can Say" by Cynthia Sheeler, "Girl Don't Leave Me" by The Fantastic Nu-Tymes and "In Love In Vain" by The Voice Masters. The best ballad is a repeat plus too many uptempo tracks really brings this rating down.
4 out of 10

Little Julian Herrera

Long over due look at one of East L.A.'s favorite artist. If you dig the east side sound then this is a must have for you. Track listing is not noted on the back cover so I noted it down below. Don't let this one pass you by. Sound quality varies.
7 out of 10

Lonely, Lonely Nights
In Exchange For Your Love
Here In My Arms
Symbol Of Heaven
I Remember Linda
True Fine Mama
You Will Cry
Your Careless Love
I Want To Be With You
Lonely, Lonely Nights (1963 version)
Lonely, Lonely Night (1963 version 2)
KRCW's "Little Julian's Secret"

The Philly Sound You Never Heard

Highlights here are "Plain As The Nose on Your Face" by The Thoughts and "I Can't Leave You" by The Destinations.
3 out of 10

Love Committee

A very good ballad in "If You Change Your Mind" made this pick up worth it. Only one other decent ballad in "Give Her Love".
4 out of 10

Sons Of Robin Stone

The more I listen to the ballads on this release the less attractive they seem. They are decent but nothing to run out and pick up. "Did You See The Way She Was Looking At Me" is the strongest followed by "In The Rain" and "Love Is Just Around The Corner".
3 out of 10

The Original Imperial Wonders

I was hoping to pick up a decent ballad or two on this one but no such luck. Only track worth mentioning is "Turned Around Over You" and that is available on other compilations. Skip this one.
1 out of 10

Kenny Smith

Found this on in a discount bin and picked it up right away for a couple of good ballads, "Forgiveness" and "Deep In My Heart". Other notable tracks are "Woman (I Can't Do Enough)" and "We Have Each Other". Sound quality varies.
5 out of 10

Regional Garland

One decent track on this release (If This Ain't Love") but not really strong enough for me to recommend picking up.

1 out of 10

Soul Children

Two good tracks on this one, "The Sweeter He Is", and "I'll Be The Other Woman".
3 out of 10

Betty Wright

If you want the original studio recording of "Tonight Is The Night" then this is the CD you need to pick up. Other notable tracks include "Value Your Love" and "My Baby Ain't My Baby Anymore".
5 out of 10

Dorothy Moore

"Misty Blue" is the highlight here. Lots of covers that I did not care much for.
1 out of 10

* NEW * Gangster Soul Harmony Vol. 10

I had to listen to this one a couple of times since picking up before posting and grading. It contains a gospel track and couple of socially conscience tracks that I ended up skipping. It has overall a more southern soul feel to it. This release also has its repeats. Highlights include the tracks by The Arterials, The Mar-Keys, Marva Lee and Nathan Bartell & Shandells. Sound quality varies.
8 out of 10

Groove & Grind Rare Soul '63 - '73

A new, massive package put together by the folks at Rock Beat Records. These guys put together a book with over 100 pages filled with color photos and details behind the recordings on the accompanying 4 discs. The sound quality is top notch. Lots of upbeat numbers with just a few ballads mixed in. Highlights will all be repeats for the seasoned collector. Sweet soul jams by The Webs, The Specials, The C.O.D.s, Shades Of Sensation, Lezli Valentine, Elijah And The Ebonies (featuring Mary Sexton) and Jay Wiggins.
5 out of 10

The Beachers

These guys from Panama have a couple of nice sweet soul tunes. Tops is "Something Deep Inside" followed by "Somebody Help Me" which starts off really sweet then the tempo picks up a bit after the half way mark. Sound quality on "Somebody Help Me" is not the best, you will notice it is off of a vinyl recording. Not a hard to find CD but going price is a bit high for a couple of tracks.
4 out of 10

The Originals

I picked this one up recently solely for the track "You Want Hearts And Flowers".
4 out of 10

The Real Thing

I had no clue what I was buying when I picked up this CD. Based on the track list I took a gamble that at least one track will make it worth while. That was the case, one nice slow jam in "You'll Never Know What You're Missing".
2 out of 10