* NEW * Underground Monsters

Don't let the cover scare you away, this CD is jam packed with obscure soul. There is no track list published but trust me, you will be wishing and hoping for a follow up volume after listening to this one. Any oldies compilation with the name "Noriega" associated to it, pick it up! This guy lives and breaths music like few others, does his homework and has incredible knowledge of the history behind the music. Only a very limited quantity has been pressed so I highly recommend you visit @doowopnsoul on Instagram for info and to get your order in sooner than later. An absolute must have for any serious soul music fan.
10 out of 10

Souldies Vol. 1

Underground promo mix with some standard and some rare soul tracks. Very light on packaging and all tracks taken from vinyl sources so expect some anomalies. No track list included so, here it is:

1	And I Panicked	The Dramatics
2	Ecstasy	Ohio Players
3	Hurt So Bad	Signs Of The Time
4	Only In September	Wild Honey
5	Pretending Dear	The Lovelles
6	Maybe	The Three Degrees
7	Watcha Gonna Do	The Valdons
8	Danger! She's A Stranger	The Five Stairsteps
9	Love Brought You Here	Pat Johnson
10	Can't Get Over Losing You	Donnie Elbert
11	Tonight's The Nite	Sly, Slick & Wicked
12	Bring It Home To Daddy	Fred Parris
13	Darkness Of The Night	The Sharpees
14	Who Do You Love	The Sapphires
15	Goodbye My Love	Art Carey & Magnum Force
16	Why Can't We Live Together	Timmy Thomas
17	Why Can't We Be Lovers	Lamont Dozier
18	Thin Moon	Mayer Hawthorne
19	As Long As I Have You	The Charmels
20	Last love	Brothers By Choice

6 out of 10

Carnival Records Catalog

I nice deep look into the Carnival Records vault. Both released are double CD's so you get lots of tracks. This is close to impossible to find these days. Highlights by Lee Williams And The Cymbals, The Pretenders, The Three Reasons, The Manhattans, The Lovettes, The Tren-Teens and The Symphonies.
7 out of 10

Barbara Stant

A monster of a ballad in "You Know I Love You" made this a must for me. I did not care much for the rest of the material but this one track is beyond worth the pick up.
5 out of 10

Kim Weston

Classic Motown material with such tracks as "Love Me All The Way", "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)", "Feel Alright Tonight", "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" and her duets with Marvin Gaye.
5 out of 10

Darrow Fletcher

Only track I could dig here is "Little Girl". You will be best off skipping this one and getting that track on the South Side Story CD.

2 out of 10

Choice Four

"This Time It's For Real" is not a great tune but for me, the best thing on this CD. We will not miss much by skipping this one.

2 out of 10

Manhattan Soul 3

The latest addition the the Manhattan Soul series counts with some fine soul cuts that make it a recommended pick up. Highlights include "Ooh Baby" by Harold Hopkins, "Does Love Believe In Me" by Melba Moore, "Nobody Made You Love Me" by The Charts and "Now That You're Gone" by Sonny Turner And Sound Limited.

5 out of 10

The Soulful Side Of GME & Musette Records

I had a quick preview of this release and at that time there were about three tracks that caught my attention. Now that I acquired the CD and have listened to it multiple times, the only track I truly enjoy is "Helpless Girl" by Little Mary Staten.
2 out of 10

LA's Silver Soul

Big on northern soul but falls a bit short on the lowrider sound we crave on the west coast. Brightest spot is "That's All Over Baby" by The Jones Brothers and after that a couple of OK tracks by The 21st Century and Minnie Jones.
3 out of 10

Eccentric Soul, The Forte Label

"Baby Be Good" by The Rayons was the main reason for picking this one up. "Don't Let Your Love Fade Away" by Gene Williams is decent but I could not get into the rest of the material.

3 out of 10

Eccentric Soul, The Prix Label

"You're My Everything", by Joe King, "Out Love Used To be" by The Royal Esquires and "Never Walk Out On You" by Mitchell Mitchell - Gene King are the top tracks on this release. I skipped through the rest of the material rather quickly.

4 out of 10

Soul Jewels

A few standouts on this deep soul release such as "Can't Stand To See You Go" by Joe Valentine, "I Just Can't Get Over You" by Charlie "Cole Black" Brown, "Cross My Heart" by Billy Keene and  "You Said" by Larry Siebert.
4 out of 10

Sounds Of Soul Radio

Promotional CD giving us a small sampling of the kind of rare soul that is played every other Saturday night on Sounds Of Soul Radio (refer to back cover for web address.) These guys stepped up, threw out the street politics and helped join record collectors throughout California with an emphasis on keeping rare soul music alive. If you enjoy rare soul CD's such as Prime Time Oldies, Gangsters Dedications, Gangster Soul Harmony etc. chances are pretty good that the people behind them have appeared on the show. Make sure to tune in for rare soul treats and interviews with special guest artists. Righteous vibes and love of soul music will keep you tuning in show after show.
Show one includes tracks by Kitty And Her Cats, The Specials, Soul Experience and Donny Mann to name a few.
If you are into 80's music, show two will drop you straight into freestyle paradise.
Make sure you order your CD before they sell out. Check out @doowopnsoul on Instagram for info. A must for the collection.
9 out of 10