Westender

Jackson or Collins for me. Think they have the fuller, more interesting arrangements. Collins delivers a good performance and the whole thing is very nicely put together, but i'm going with Jackson for his well judged vocal, the very interesting vocal harmony arrangement and those vibes!

Nice compilation. William is one of Soul's most under rated singers. No mean composer or producer either.

Indeed. Many will say that real soul music was in decline in the late 70s. Think you have to judge todays music on its own terms. It isnt what we had and it never will be. That time has passed.

Part of a fantastic Memphis rhythm section who displayed immaculate timing and economy. They instinctively knew that less equals more.

Top class selection. Very enjoyable.

Always liked Lew's singing. The Invitations tracks are top class. He features on this tasty outing.....

The fine lead voice on Sadie Sadie sounds really familiar but i cant place it. They seem to be just a straight covers group from the mid 60's. The net doesnt supply any answers!

The use of syndrums in the Dells version rules that out. I love the Dells and Marvin is one of the great singers but those annoying interventions just ruin it for me. Laura's version is fine enough but I dont think this is her at her best. Which leaves the Tops. Levi is in great form and the arrangement does enough without being overblown. I'll go for them.

Baby Washington just cleaned up. I dont think i've heard that version before but frankly she wipes the floor with everyone else.

Clear winner for me. Little Anthony by a street. Susan Rafey is a lightweight singer packing no punch and the Philly Devotions version is over produced. The Alicia Keys version is quite nice.

Edwin for me too. Love his voice and the contrast with the backing singers cuts through really well.

Just fabulous. Another great set. DJ Jazzy Jeff is an artist I wouldnt normally listen to but I really liked that track. Thanks for putting these together.

Really nice mix featuring some great cuts. Bettye's sublime reading of This Old Heart of Mine just wipes me out.

Great mix. The final track from Sandra Wright is just fabulous.

Tracks 1-9 very good. Standard sags a bit in the middle but good ending with tracks 17-19. Pick has to the Soul Children track. A worthwhile release and shows that Stax were putting out very fine music right up to it's closure.

A terrific selection. Great stuff, thanks.

Saw it last night. It was a bit patchy. The music was great and Hudson gave a wonderful performance - she really is one helluva singer. These films are difficult to pull off, particularly when you are trying to tell the story of a life and career spanning 30 odd years. This one was only partially satisfying I felt.

Bettye could sing the phone directory and bring it to life. Her version of This old heart of mine is just sublime. One of THE great cover versions of ANY song.

I'm with Rick on this. I'm still exercising caution and would urge everyone to do likewise. Large sections of the population are not double vaccinated, we currently have a spike in infections and hospitalisations and even the young can get seriously ill with Covid. I don't advocate locking yourself away and can see that some sort of normality has to return but be aware there are still risks, even if you are double jabbed.

Terrific read. Always a treat to learn a bit more about the artists we enjoy.

Never saw what the fuss was about. Limited vocalist to my mind and someone who was ridiculously over rated.

I reckon it's OK. Nothing wrong in covering a good song and taking it into a different direction. Not my cup of tea but it's well enough put together. I've heard far worse cover versions.

It does sound familiar, maybe more to do with the production than the song. Don't think it's SoB. Beverley sounds just terrific, though. She's top drawer.

Very nice. Like that Tata Vega track and the last 3 on the set are real quality cuts.

Goodness, was it really 9 years ago that the first compilation was released. This set has "essential" stamped all over it.