A mouthwatering series in prospect, full of discoveries, but also charting every turn in the careers of giants like James Carr at this great Memphis label, as rhythm and blues turned southern soul.

James Carr and The Ovations to the fore, with some great southern soul from Specer Wiggins, Percy Milem, Eddie Jefferson, George Jackson and Dan Greer, and Barbara Perry, and a splash of country, and garage too.

Funky mid-tempo sister soul, recorded at Dave Hamilton’s studio in Detroit. (Plus Little Ann’s tribute to the producer, on the flip.)

Warmly recommended set of sweet soul floaters and ballads, recorded by inmates of Powhatan Correctional Centre, Richmond, Virginia, in 1979.

Stone killer jazz funk by the All Girls Band, from New Orleans.
Like prime Blackbyrds, but young women doing it to it for a change, with a rocket launcher.

Murderous southern funk from the dawn of the seventies, featuring brilliant fatback drumming by Freeman Brown and cooking organ by Clayton Ivey. Fittingly, producer Mickey Buckins lets off a siren on the flip.

Honest-to-goodness late-60s-early-70s group-harmony soul from Columbus, Ohio, with fine players like vibraphonist Billy Wooten, expert arranging by Dean Francis, and executive production by Capsoul boss Bill Moss.

Nuff scorchers.

At Philadelphia International in 1976. With Blues Away.