‘Laura liberated musicians to employ all their influences in crafting a pop song – as she had combined jazz, folk, classical, 60s soul, the Beatles, Dylan, Tin Pan Alley… so ahead of its time it’s still ahead…’

Stone killer Californian funk from 1972, raw and banging, with juddering bass, two tough breaks, and desperately soulful, utterly compelling falsetto pleading.
A proper reissue this time around, courtesy of Ubiquity.

His third LP, following up Pieces Of A Man in 1972. One side of collaborations with Brian Jackson; the other, spoken word.
Adding alternate versions, the CD runs through the entire tracklisting twice.
The more expensive LP is newly remastered — all-analogue style, from the master tapes.

An expanded version of the album, adding two unreleased tracks — a cover of Richie Havens’ Handsome Johnny and a previously unheard Scott-Heron song, King Henry IV — as well as a selection of other recordings from the original sessions only previously available on a rare, deluxe LP edition.

Real Eyes, Reflections, Moving Target.

Hot 1981 mix of ESG-style no wave, revolutionary jazz rap, Latin, loft harmolodics and plain old nasty funk, with players from Prime Time and Defunkt, and the bands of Rollins, Eddie Gayle and Johnny Pacheco.

Fabulous survey of Allen Toussaint’s Sansu label, from 1965 on, mixing one-aways with legends.

Richard Evans and Charles Stepney arrangements across a range of soul idioms; and top-drawer harmonizing, Temptations-style. A rare album — sampled by A Tribe Called Quest!

Spare, slow burning soul with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at its core, from 1989 Detroit, courtesy of the Inner City milieu. On the flip, the dubwise club mix of I’m Losing Control is ace Motor City house, with heavy, grooving bass, splashing drum machine, and driving-by-night keys.