> >
Classic R&B & Soul |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Stevie Wonder
One of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles. 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision", a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City", a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. --David Cantwell
|
|
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £3.74
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Barry White
The walrus of lurve that is Mr Barry White received something of a resurgence thanks to his cameos on hit TV show Ally McBeal--which prompted the release of this collection--but rest assured he is no Dancing Baby fad, here today and boogied off tomorrow; he's been around far too long for that. From Mark & Lard's Fat Harry White to pastiches by Reeves & Mortimer, he's the vocal Casanova whose beautiful bass tones have provided the setting for countless movie love scenes--and plenty of off-screen sexual healing as well. The Collection brings together 16 of his greatest hits, from early 1970s classics like "Love's Theme" (with the Love Unlimited Orchestra) and ...
|
|
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £2.74
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Lionel Richie
Lionel's decision to release a second hits compilation within a decade may have had something to do with the fact that sales of the first were overshadowed by a spousal abuse charge; unsurprisingly then, there isn't too much to distinguish this from the other one. Certain critics have commended Lionel for having spurned the whims of fashion and persisted with sentimental love songs like "Say You Say Me" and "Penny Lover", whatever the weather, and, listening to the tacky 1980s synths of the more upbeat "Running With The Night", it's hard to disagree. Lionel's obviously at his most comfortable with the power ballad--so much so that he has no idea when to exercise a little ...
|
|
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £0.81
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Stevie Wonder
Songs in the Key of Life was the highest high-point of Stevie Wonder's career. More sprawling than Innervisions and Talking Book, this 2 LP-plus-EP was also less of a consistent stunner than either of those masterworks. That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise", but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land". This is Stevie, so naturally that cut's anger is balanced by the ultra-buoyant "I Wish," "Sir Duke", and "Another Star". --Rickey Wright
|
|
List Price: £10.99
Our Price: £6.49
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Al Green
|
|
List Price: £6.99
Our Price: £3.34
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Marvin Gaye
Balancing raw power with shades of vulnerability, Gaye rose to the top of Motown's roster without the benefit of a supporting vocal group. Whether singing love songs or social commentary, Gaye's voice displays an earnestness and sincerity that are a soul singer's most potent weapons. Among these 47 hits are his memorable duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell along with Motown staples such as "Can I Get a Witness", "How Sweet It Is", "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". This set also covers socially conscious 1970s originals such as "What's Going On", "Mercy, Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues". Only his last hit, "Sexual Healing"...
|
|
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £3.89
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Stevie Wonder
In a career spanning four decades Steveland Judkins Morris has been many things: child star, funk hero, political chronicler, the saviour of Motown Records and depressingly, the instigator of the painfully schmaltzy R&B ballad. Thankfully, this exhaustive "Best Of...", timed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his first appearance as Little Stevie Wonder, focuses mainly on the 1966-1980 glory years and his transition from incendiary soul man to voice of the 70s. The jackhammer beats, shout-along choruses and wailing harmonica peg "Uptight", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "I Was Made To Love Her" as three of the finest anthems of the Motown era, and "My Cherie Amour" a...
|
|
List Price: £10.99
Our Price: £7.38
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
James Brown
|
|
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £4.27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Marvin Gaye
Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicised soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalised it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavouring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes and jazzy horn solos. Spacy and loose as a spliff-fuelled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all playe...
|
|
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: £3.64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artist:
Various Artists
|
|
|
|
|
|
