For The Love Of You

This one came up a few months back as a limited issue fund raiser for the late Stephanie Alvarado, one of the vocalists for the local L.A. band Soto. The music is great but most impressive is the collaboration that took place to make this CD a reality to help a loved one's family in need. Don't let this one slip you by if you spot it.
10 out of 10

Chuco Town Soul

Straight from El Paso, TX comes the latest release of rare soul oldies. This one counts on tracks well known among collectors by artists such as The Joy-Tones, Love, Billy Soul, Joe Valentine, Timothy Wilson, Lee Washington and others. Killer tracks "I've Been Fooled" by New York Underground Funk Band and "Change Your Mind" by Billy Jones & The Stars make this a solid addition to your collection. Recorded directly from vinyl sources therefore sound anomalies are present. Check out my Instagram account to get info on how to purchase.
8 out of 10

The Fascinations

Sweet soul treats in "Such A Fool", "You'll Be Sorry" and "Just Another Reason" plus a nice take on "I've Been Trying" by The Mayfield Singers made this a good addition to my music collection. This one is getting harder to find at a decent price, pick it up if you find it. Very good sound quality.

6 out of 10

We Got A Sweet Thing Going On Vol. 3

This latest addition to this rare soul series features nice tracks such as "Surrender" by The Toppiks, "Where You Live" by The Flairs, "Gotta Find A New Love" by The Scott Three, "I'm Going To Treat You Good" by The Donations and "Plain As The Nose" by The Four Thoughts. Top notch sound quality and liner notes. A must for the sweet soul fan.

7 out of 10

Sunny & The Sunliners

Most recent release by Big Crown Records in NY of the legendary Sunny Ozuna and The Sunliners. A sound that plays big across the barrios of the southwest and west coast where "Smile Now, Cry Later" is revered as one of the top Chicano oldies. Sound quality varies, mainly on the title track but still a nice addition to your collection.
5 out of 10

Chicago Soul

A good collection of Chicago soul featuring well known acts such as The Impressions, The Sheppards, The Daylighters, McKinley Mitchell, The Drew-Vells and Donnie Elbert. Rare tracks include "How Much Longer" by Geraldine Taylor, "This Is Goodbye" by The Ringleaders, "True Love Is A Treasure" by The Versalettes and "Wishing" by Ruby Stackhouse (better known as Ruby Andrews). Very good sound quality.

5 out of 10

The Complete Stax Volt Singles Vol. 5

Only one reason for me picking this volume up, "Crying All By Myself" by William Bell. The rest is standard Stax / Volt material that most are familiar with. It also includes (personal favorite) "I Want Someone" by The Mad Lads which was my musical "dope" back in the mid 80's and really set me off on the soul path.

4 out of 10

Where The Girls Are Vol. 5

Pretty much a big pop music collection that I have shied away from for some years. This is the sole volume I own and it was picked up for "Love Made To Order' by The Little Foxes. Only one other track worth a mention, "You Can't Hurt Me No More" by The Opals. If you are searching for sweet soul ballads then I suggest you skip this collection. Sound quality is good as always from the folks at Ace Records. If you dig popcorn sounds then this might be a treasure collection for you.

1 out of 10

Soul On The Real Side # 4

Big track for me here is "I'm Tired Of Running Around" by The Young Ladies. I have listened to samples of most tracks on this series and can safely say I have no plans on picking up any more volumes, sounds are too modern for me. If you are looking for this song in particula, I strongly recommend you purchase Soulful Thangs Vol. 8 which also includes "He's Gone To Another" (A side) from the original killer 45 rpm released on Stang Records.

2 out of 10