The Facts Of Life

Mid 1970's soul that just did not deliver what I was hoping it would. Their are some nice slow jams  but nothing I would really play often. Tracks of interest are "Did He Make Love To You", "Love Is The The Final Truth" and "Sometimes".
4 out of 10

The Soul Sisters

The blues influence in their music is well heard on this release. Collectables Records focused on their LP originally released on the Sue label.  For me the standout track is "Long Gone" followed by "Foolish Dreamer". The rest did not gain much of my attention.
3 out of 10

The Artistics

Mixed feelings on this release of The Artistics. No sweet slow jam on this release but it does contain a few good mid tempo tracks. Highlights include "I'm Gonna Miss You", "On And On" and "It's Gonna Be Alright".
4 out of 10.

Chris Bartley

Another good release of rare soul from Collectables Records back in the mid 1990's. Chris Bartley does an excellent job on his take of "For You", also recorded by The Spellbinders and The Presidents. Another killer track on this release is the mid tempo "Sugar Baby". A recommended addition for your collection.
6 out of 10

Ted Taylor

After listening to a sample of "Sweet Loving Pair" I decided to pick this CD up. It turned out to be the only song I liked. The others were a bit too much on the uptempo or southern soul type styles for me. Other decent tracks are "Only The Lonely Knows" and "How's Your Love Life Baby".
3 out of 10.

Billy Butler

With that unmistakable Curtis Mayfield influenced sound Billy Butler, recorder some very nice tracks that unfortunately do not get much recognition. While older brother Jerry Butler went on to become a soul superstar Billy remained in the shadows. Highlights include "You Won't Let Me Forget", "Found True Love" and "I'm Just A Man".
6 out of 10

Derek Martin

I picked this release up on the hopes of finding a good solid track or two but it was not the case. His most famous track "You Better Go" and "Hold On" are OK but, I found myself skipping through the rest of the material. The focus of this release is on his Roulette Records. If you want the original "Count To Ten" you will need to pick up the "Northern Soul of Sue" CD.
2 out of 10.

Heatwave

With their big soul hit "Always And Forever", this internationally composed group out of the the UK cemented their spot in sweet soul music history. They also had big disco hits but that is not of much interest to me and not the intention of this blog. In addition to the tittle song "Happiness Togetherness" is another decent track but falls short of being a great tune. I am giving them a low rating since it is pretty much a one track pick up (unless you are into disco) and it is widely available in countless compilations.
3 out of 10.

Oldies But Goodies

A collection for those who enjoy some rock and pop mixed in with doo wop and soul. Your standard soul tracks by Gene Chandler, The Jive Five , The Stylistics and Smokey Robinson among other well known artists. A good place to start (plus inexpensive and easy to find) if have not yet been bitten by the soul bug.
4 out of 10

Soul Serenade

Another re-shuffle job of mostly not so hard to find oldies. Everything on these two discs has appeared in other releases. If your collection is not very extensive then this might be a good pick up for you. The music is good but I gave this a low rating since it is all repeats.
3 out of 10.