zondag 13 september 2026

Starcrost - Starcrost (1976)

Starcrost was an American jazz-funk/soul band, a mixed-gender six-piece band active mainly in Texas, USA!, that released a self-titled album on Fable Records in 1976.
Starcrost formed in 1975 when vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow and saxophonist/flutist John Mills united through Austin’s jazz scene. 
Farrow, a graphic designer who sang with Steam Heat on their 1975 album Austin Funk, connected with Mills, a University of Texas-trained saxophonist who performed with Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. 
Trombonist Mike Mordecai, a local player with Steam Heat and later founder of BBA Management, joined after jam sessions.
Bassist/vocalist Jim Spector and drummer/percussionist Paul Pearcy linked through Farrow’s circle. 
Conguero Quincy Jarmon and pianist/guitarist/vocalist David Deaton completed the lineup after local gigs. 
The septet performed at Austin clubs, building a following that led to a deal with Fable Records. 
They recorded their debut at Odyssey Sound Ltd. in 1975, following a 1975 single, “I’ve Got a Plan” b/w “Getting Going.”
Starcrost released their self-titled album on March 1, 1976, on Fable Records.
The album blends jazz-funk with soulful vocals and Latin-tinged rhythms, recorded by vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow, saxophonist/flutist John Mills (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute), trombonist Mike Mordecai, bassist/vocalist Jim Spector, drummer/percussionist Paul Pearcy, conguero Quincy Jarmon, and pianist/guitarist/vocalist David Deaton. 
Mills wrote all eight songs.
Tracks divide into concise vocal-driven cuts and extended instrumental jams. 
“False Paradise” and “Funky Little Home” deliver tight horn-vocal interplay, “Catharsis” and “Flow” swing with contoured saxophone lines, “Quicksand” and “Da Ba O” pulse on brisk bass rhythms, “Grandfather Clock” and “Getting Going” stretch into layered horn-keyboard exchanges.
Featuring a stylish crossover sound of  soul, funk,  jazz, AOR, and fusion, and a free-flowing, mellow female vocal, this is the ultimate groovy soul album that has been highly praised by a wide range of listeners, including not only rare groove fans but also modern soul and AOR fans!
The cover of the album, featuring a swan dancing in a spacey space, is also excellent, unique to the 70s!


Tracklist

1.  False Paradise - 2:25
2.  Catharsis - 3:52
3.  Quicksand - 4:57
4.  Grandfather Clock - 8:27
5.  Flow - 4:15
6.  Getting Going - 5:47
7.  Funky Little Home - 3:55
8.  Da Ba O - 3:31

Companies, etc.


Notes
Released: 1976
Genre:  Jazz, Funk / Soul
Style:  Jazz-Funk, Fusion
Runtime:  51:05
Label:  Fable Records

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Mary J. Blige - What’s The 411? (1992)

What’s The 411? is, arguably, one of the most important albums of the nineties.
Not only did it signal the arrival of the Queen of Hip-Hop  Soul, but it also broke every rule in the book, fusing hip hop beats with R&B melodies. 
The album created a recipe that would lead to the contemporary R&B sound of today.
Mary’s sweet, soulful vocals sung over Puff Daddy’s rough, jagged, hip-hop beats made for a winning combination that remains one of Blige’s finest albums and stands up to scrutiny, 34 years on from its original 1992 release.
With this cutting-edge debut, Mary J. Blige became the reigning queen of her own hybrid category: hip-hop  soul. 
The eloquence and evocativeness that comes through in her voice, could be neither borrowed nor fabricated, making What’s the 411? one of the decade’s most explosive, coming-out displays of pure singing prowess. “Real Love” and the gospel-thrusted “Sweet Thing” (the primary reason for all her Chaka Kahn comparisons) are and will remain timeless slices of soul even after their trendiness has worn off, and “You Remind Me” and the duet with Jodeci‘s K-Ci (“I Don’t Want to Do Anything“) are nearly as affecting in their own right. 
It’s nevertheless unclear how much of the hip-hop swagger in her soul was a genuine expression of Blige’s own vision or that of her admittedly fine collaborators (Svengali Sean “Puffy” Combs, R&B producers Dave Hall and DeVante Swing, rap beatsmith Tony Dofat, rapper Grand Puba). Certainly the singer comes across as street-savvy and tough -“real,” in the lingo of the day – and even tries her hand at rhyming on the title track, but never again would her records lean this heavily on the sonic tricks of the rap trade.In retrospect, it is easier to place the album into the context of her career and, as such, to pinpoint the occasions when it runs wide of the rails. 
For instance, the synthesizer-heavy backdrops (“Reminisce“, “Love No Limit“) are sometimes flatter or more plastic than either the songs or Blige’s passionate performances deserve, while the answering-machine skits, much-copied in the wake of What’s the 411?, haven’t worn well as either stand-alone tracks or conceptual segues. In fact, those who prefer their soul more stirring, heart-on-sleeve, or close to the bone would likely find her fluid, powerfully vulnerable next recording (My Life) or one of the consistently strong subsequent efforts that followed it more to their liking. 
For broad appeal and historical importance, though, What’s the 411? is an inarguably paramount and trailblazing achievement.


Tracklist

1. Leave A Message - 3:38
2. Reminisce - 5:24
3. Real Love - 4:32
4. You Remind Me - 4:19
5. Intro Talk  (performed by Busta Rhymes) - 2:17
6. Sweet Thing - 3:46
7. Love No Limit - 5:01
8. I Don’t Want To Do Anything  (featuring K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci) - 5:52
9. Slow Down - 4:33
10. My Love - 4:14
11. Changes I’ve Been Going Through - 5:15
12. What’s The 11?  (featuring Grand Puba) - 4:13

Sample credits

  • "Leave a Message (Intro)" contains a sample of "P.S.K. – What Does It Mean?" as performed by Schoolly D.
  • "Reminisce" contains a sample of "Stop, Look, Listen" as performed by MC Lyte.
  • "Real Love" contains a sample of "Top Billin'" as performed by Audio Two.
  • "You Remind Me" contains a sample of "Remind Me" as performed by Patrice Rushen.
  • "Intro Talk (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Hydra" as performed by Grover Washington, Jr.
  • "Sweet Thing" is a cover of "Sweet Thing" as performed by Rufus and Chaka Khan.
  • "Changes I've Been Going Through" contains a sample of "Make the Music With Your Mouth, Biz" as performed by Biz Markie.
  • "What's the 411?" contains a sample of "Pride and Vanity" as performed by the Ohio Players; "Very Special" as performed by Debra Laws.

Personnel

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released:  July 28, 1992
Recorded:  1991–1992 Studios:
- Chung King Studios (New York City)
- The Hit Factory (New York City)
- Marathon Studios (New York City)
- Soul Convention Studios (Queens, New York City)
Genres:  R&B, hip-hop, soul, new jack swing
Length:  51:59
Producers:  Sean "Puffy" Combs (exec.)DeVante Swing, Tony Dofat, Dave "Jam" Hall, Mark Morales, Cory Rooney
Labels:  Uptown / MCA

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maandag 31 augustus 2026

Candi Staton - Music Speaks Louder Than Words (1977)

Seeing as how the first track to be listed on Candi’s Saturday Night Fever era record was a cover of ʽNights On Broadwayʼ, I expected the results to suck seriously; all the more surprising was the discovery that this is far from the least exciting albums of the disco period — in fact, even the Bee Gees cover is quite welcome, replacing the original groove with a slightly more synthetic, but also slightly more complex tapestry of synthesizers, strings, and brass; the tempo is a little sped up and the slow bridge omitted altogether to adapt the song even better to the contemporary club atmosphere, and Candi’s lead vocal is a fine replacement for the Gibbs (anyway, the single catchiest thing on the song is the falsetto quickie of “blame it on the nights on Broadway!” in re­sponse to the lead vocal, and that one is preserved with all due respect), so this sort of explains why the single performed respectably on the UK charts (ironically, the original Bee Gees version was never released as a single in the UK, so perhaps British audiences were just too happy to catch up on their forty-fives).
But even beyond the obvious hit, there are quite a few niceties about the album, largely because of the songwriters behind the  music — ʽYou Areʼ is credited to George Clinton, and it is appro­priately funky, with a multi-layered bubbly wah-wah groove and triumphant brass; and ʽA Drea­mer Of A Dreamʼ comes from the stock of Allen Toussaint, a fine chunk of disco-pop arranged in the «light musical phantasia» style of the likes of Olivia Newton-John, but with a smart enough orchestral arrangement to be tolerable. 
The strangest thing is the inclusion of an instrumental track, whose only link with the artist is its title (ʽCotton Candiʼ) — no idea what producer Bob Monaco was thinking, but apparently, a lot of control was in the hands of horn and string arran­gers like Rick Kellis and Ron Stockert, and maybe they wanted to have their efforts appreciated on their own for once, without any annoying disco singers on top of their «body music art».
Weirdest inclusion of all, no doubt about it, is Paul Kelly’s ʽMain Thingʼ — a more blatant rip-off of ʽSuperstitionʼ, right down to the funky clavinet rhythm track and the descending brass riff, could not even be imagined, except that they pin it all on a disco bass line this time; the only reason Stevie never sued is because he couldn’t expect to reap any serious financial benefits from an album that was doomed to commercial failure from the start. 
That said, you have to listen right to the very end — bass player Dennis Belfield eventually gets tired of laying down the same chuggin’ disco chords, and goes on a bit of a rampage.
Throw in a few gospel-tinged ballads with a high level of energy (ʽBefore The Next Teardrop Fallsʼ), and the overall result is a respectable follow-up to Young Hearts Run Free, at least, as respectable as could possibly be expected of a disco album with no ambitions, gimmicks, or daz­zling feats of playing technique. 
I’d give it a thumbs up, but it is kind of against my principles to formally endorse non-outstanding disco records, and besides, behind all the grooving and all the body heat and all the brass/string/keyboard razzle-dazzle, the one thing that is lacking is the lead artist’s personality — here, she is being sucked into the whirlwind even tighter and faster than on Young Hearts Run Free: «music speaks louder than words» indeed, and not in a sense that could be favorable to Candi herself. 


Tracklist

A1. Nights On Broadway - 3:33
A2. You Are - 4:14
A3. A Dreamer Of A Dream - 3:37
A4.  Music Speaks Louder Than Words - 3:45
A5. Cotton Candi - 3:00

B1. Listen To The Music - 4:00
B2. When You Want Love - 3:18
B3. One More Chance On Love - 5:40
B4. Main Thing - 4:57
B5. Before The Next Teardrop Falls - 3:17
B6. Music Speaks Louder Than Words (Reprise) - 0:34


Companies, etc.

Produced for Rampro, Inc.
Recorded at Quantum Studios, Torrance, California,
and Conway Recording Studio, Hollywood, California

This album is dedicated to my brother, Samuel, who passed away March 5, 1976.
He pulled me out of my shell and made me believe in my singing.


Notes
Released: 1977 
Genre:  Funk / Soul 
Style:  Soul, Disco 
Runtime: 38:55
Label:  Warner Bros. Records

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vrijdag 28 augustus 2026

James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)

"Get Up Offa That Thing" is Brown’s call to the audience, but it’s also him encouraging himself to rise above the slide and deliver one more great album. This sounds like the natural follower to Hell, as if those average albums inbetween had never happened…everything is full steam ahead on most of this disc.
The title track is an all-time classic, a stupidly danceable groove that has all the attitude and energy of Brown in his heyday. And of course, there’s the break…still my favourite of all time, it’s not fair how effortless it sounds, how much funk there is in one instrument for that break. A joy to hear.
Suprisingly, there are actually a couple of cuts here than can stand right up to the killer groove of “Get Up Offa That Thing”: “I Refuse to Lose” got itself a great horn line and addictive guitar, and a bassline that is near-perfect, whilst “Can’t Take It With You” has superb drumming and the same kind of catchy guitaring that propelled the previous tune and some soulful organ to boot.
It’s doubtful that many fans rank this album among the Godfather Of  Soul’s greatest, but four out of its six tracks are certified bangers. Arriving as disco was gaining substantial marketshare in America, Get Up Offa That Thing reasserted James Brown’s dominance in the funk realm while also nodding to disco bandwagon-jumpers. 
Get Up is part of his last really strong phase in the last half of the ’70s, which includes Mutha’s Nature. If you’re a DJ who needs to fill dance floors, you could do a lot worse than to drop the needle on this somewhat overlooked opus. Vinylrecord collection
The “Get Up Offa That Thing/Release The Pressure” medley begins with one of JB’s most outrageous EEEOOOWWWs before lunging into an unstoppable megaton funk groove laced with Charles Sherrell’s infectiously twitchy clavinet, blaring horns, and Melvin Parker’s clap-happy beats. 
James exhorts listeners to rise from their damn seats and “dance till you feel better” and, if all goes according to plan, “try to release that pressure.” This sound advice still resonates 50 years later.
The bubbly/silky, string-laden funk ballad “You Took My Heart” is decent for what it is, but generally speaking, ballads by funk artists are momentum-killers with negligible appeal. 
Too often, a saccharine sentimentality prevails, lyrically and sonically. I’m all for variety, but there has to be a better way. Thankfully, Brown gets back on the good foot with the next two songs. The speedy disco funk of “I Refuse To Lose” is tailor-made for sports anthemhood, and the “sock it in the pocket/let the good times roll” breakdown is a breakdancer’s paradise. (Shout out to Will Lee’s incredible bass line.)
My fave cut is “Can’t Take It With You”, whose coiled funk packs a low-slung, Bohannon-like wallop, enhanced by chicken-squawk guitar à la the Meters’ Leo Nocentelli. The song’s nine debauched and mesmerizing minutes somehow aren’t enough.
“Home Again”—a bluesy ballad that harks back to Brown’s ’50s and early-’60s material—hinders the fun, but “This Feeling”, a more stripped-down companion piece to “Can’t Take It With You,” hits hard with a lean, low-key lethalness. Brown rarely does understatement, but “This Feeling” proved he could excel in that mode, too.
While the title track reached #45 in the Billboard Hot 100 chartt, it’s the deep cuts that make Get Up Offa That Thing a candidate for the ultimate James Brown sleeper LP.


Tracklist

A1.  Medley: Get Up Offa That Thing / Release The Pressure - 6:16
A2.  You Took My Heart - 3:23
A3.  I Refuse To Lose - 7:33

B1.  Can’t Take It With You - 9:05
B2.  Home Again - 4:39
B3.  This Feeling - 8:22


Credits

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released:  July 1976
Recorded:  April 19 – June 18, 1976
Studios:  Criteria Studios (Miami, Florida), International Studios (Augusta, Georgia)
Genre:  Funk 
Length:  42:20 
Producer:  James Brown 
Labels:  Polydor

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maandag 17 augustus 2026

J.B.s Reunion - Bring The Funk On Down (2002)




















Tracklist

1.  Do The Do - 5:44 
2.  On The Spot 4:02 
3.  Up On 45 (Part 1) - 4:59 
4.  Carry On - 3:16 
5.  Bring The Funk On Down - 4:26 
6.  Dynaflo - 4:58 
7.  Why Did You Have To Go - 3:44 
8.  What About The Music - 6:09 
9.  There's A Price To Pay To Live In Paradise - 4:00 
10.  Tag Alone - 3:34 
11.  Born To Groove - 4:50 
12.  Who Do You Think You're Fooling - 4:27 
13.  Soul Men - 5:46 
14.  Mistakes And All  (Bonus Track) - 5:34 


 Companies, etc.
 
Notes
Released:  Feb 12, 2002 
Genre:  Funk / Soul 
Runtime:  1:05:29
Label:  Instinct Records 

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vrijdag 14 augustus 2026

Pleasure - Dust Yourself Off (1975)




















Tracklist

1.  Dust Yourself Off - 3:50
     Written-By – Donald Hepburn
2.  Reality - 5:00
     Written-By – Marlon McClain
3.  My Love - 4:02
     Written-By – Marlon McClain
4.  Midnight At The Oasis - 3:26
     Written-By – David Nichtern
5.  Music Is My Life - 4:10
     Written-By – Marlon McClain
6.  Plastic People - 3:58
     Written-By – Marlon McClain
7.  Bouncy Lady - 3:55
     Written-By – Donald Hepburn
8.  What Is Slick - 5:10
     Written-By – Dan Brewster
9.  Straight Ahead - 5:32
     Written-By – Marlon McClain


Credits

Liner Notes

Producer – Wayne Henderson
Engineer (Recording) – Eddie Harris
Mastered By – Bob MacLeod
Remix – Wayne Henderson

Art Direction, Illustration – Phil Carroll

Mastered At Artisan Sound Recorders
Remixed At Fantasy Studios
Phonographic Copyright Fantasy Records
Copyright Fantasy Records


Notes
Released: 1975
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Jazz-Funk, Soul, Funk
Runtime: 39:18
Label: Fantasy 


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dinsdag 14 juli 2026

Eugene Haywood - Weekends & Holidays (1980)

Weekends & Holidays is a 1980 studio album by the artist Eugene Haywood, released as a vinyl LP under the label Hammer N’ Nails
















Tracklist

1.  Lifetime Guarantee  (Jeff Jarvis) - 4:27
2.  Weekends & Holidays  (Janice Gadsden; Leon Pendarvis; McKenzie Willis) - 3:27
3.  I Can Believe The Magic  (David Ackerman; Michael Rice) - 5:26
4.  Same Old Funk  (Chuck Rainey; Eugene Haywood) - 4:56
5.  Booty Boppin’  (Alja Thompson; Booker Medlock) - 3:28
6.  Pass It On  (Jean Watt) - 3:42
7.  Sweet Home Alabama  (Ed King; Gary Rossington; Ronnie Van Zant) - 3:31
8.  Love Won’t Leave You Alone  (Carrie Heldman; Norman Linke) - 4:12
9.  Mighty, Mighty Is My Love  (David Ackerman; Michael Rice) - 3:12



Companies, etc.

Liner Notes
Producer – David Ackerman
Arranged By (Horns, Strings) – Jeff Jarvis (Tracks 1, 2, 4)
Arranged By (Horns, Strings) – Jerome Gilmer (Tracks 3, 5, 8, 9)
Engineer – David Baker

Design – Good Friends Graphics

Recorded At Soundmixers, NYC
Phonographic Copyright Good Friends Productions
Copyright Good Friends Productions


Notes
Released: 1980
Genre: Reggae, Funk / Soul
Runtime:  36:22
Label: Hammer N' Nails 


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