* New * Rare Gangster Doo Wop Rolas Vol. 3

A bit surprised at the packaging of this CD. The first two volumes were professionally printed while this one is a real low budget (homemade?) job.
The tracks are solid but nearly all are available on other releases. A few mistakes on artists listed. The sound quality varies. Towards the end there are some tracks that touch more on the blues side than Doo Wop. It ends with a couple of upbeat tracks.
4 out of 10

Unforgettable Doo Wops

Highly recommended Doo Wop compilation. Highlights include "I Need Your Love" by The Enchanters, "Let Me Go" by The Harmonics, "I Love You" by The Gales, "If You Love Me" by The Informers and "I'll Take A Chance On You" by The Inspirations. I dropped the score by one as many tracks are repeats.
7 out of 10

Boulevard Nights

Volume one of this set is made up of all standard soul tracks many of us are very used to. The second volume contains more obscure tracks. The gem for me is "Unlucky Girl" by Carol Hughes which is not widely available on CD. The sound quality varies on volume 2 and they could have used a double check prior to printing as there are many mistakes on the track list.
7 out of 10

Soul Vocal Group Treasures

This compilation will take you straight to sweet soul heaven! Killer tracks by Gemini, Moon and Mars, The Final Seconds, Down To Earth, Mighty Elegant, Herman George and many others. The only draw back with this set is the sound quality which is not the greatest. A must for your collection.
9 out of 10

The Pretenders And Friends

This is one of the very best compilations released by Collectables Records. A must have for the hardcore soul music fan. The ballads by The Pretenders are just beautiful! The Manhattan's take on "Till You Come Back To Me" is also a keeper. A must for your collection.
8 out of 10

The Free Movement

I picked this one up for the sake of having it in my collection. No slow ballad that would make me recommend to anyone.
1 out of 10

Lost Soul

I risked and lost on this one. My passion is for sweet ballads and I just could not get into any of the tracks here.
1 out of 10

Sweet Soul Music, Voices From The Shadows

"Heart Full Of Love" by The Invincibles to me was the sole bright spot on this release. Best off picking up that track on another compilation.
2 out of 10

The Birmingham Sound, The Soul Of Neal Hemphill

A couple of really good ballads on this two volume collection. Fredrick Knight with "You Never Really Lived" on volume 1 and Frankie with "Let's Go To The End Together" on volume 2 are by far the best tracks on this collection. I found my self skipping through the rest of the songs rather quickly.
3 out of 10

Homegirls Of Soul

Standard female soul tracks on this release. It has a few songs that like many of the "Art" CD's just seem out of place. Good sound quality recommended for the casual oldies fan.
4 out of 5