For those looking to find a crash course in "the funk" – a quick introduction to the fusion of R&B, soul, jazz, blues, good old rock & roll, and all-out outrageousness that creates the ultimate good groove – you can't do much better than the Funk Essentials compilations. Funky Stuff: The Best of Funk Essentials is the perfect portrait. With its contents drawn from the single-band Funk Essentials compilation albums, this clean, clear set provides incredible diversity while keeping the vibe connected. In other words, Funky Stuff is not only an introduction to the heaviest of hitters, but also a nifty, smooth ride for the already initiated.

"My Melody" is the 5th studio album by American singer Deniece Williams, released in March 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records. The album reached #13 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart. "My Melody" has been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

Midnight Love is the seventeenth and final studio album (that is not a posthumous one) by Marvin Gaye. He signed with the label Columbia in March 1982 following his exit from Motown. The final album to be released before his death, it ultimately became the most successful album of Gaye's entire career. The disc was certified triple platinum in the United States, selling well over six million copies worldwide. It was nominated for a 1984 Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, spawning the two-time Grammy Award-winning smash, "Sexual Healing". It was ranked number 37 on the Rolling Stone list of the best albums of the 1980s decade and the NME named the album as its Album of the Year in 1983. In 1998, Sony Music re-released the album as a two-CD "Legacy" edition set titled Midnight Love and the Sexual Healing Sessions. The same edition would be re-released in 2007, to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary since its release.

Included here are all of the songs that made the lascivious Millie Jackson an item on R&B stations as one of the hottest live performers. From her debut "Child of God" to later R&B/country fusions like her hankie-wringing remake of "If You're Not in Love by Monday," Jackson's throaty voice demands your full attention. She rarely crossed over significantly, but "Ask Me What You Want," "My Man, a Sweet Man," "All the Way Lover," and her popular "It Hurts So Good," all made noticeable bangs on Billboard's R&B Singles Chart. 21 of the Best is a good introduction for Millie Jackson neophytes, and a grand collection of her greatest hits for those who purchased the original 45s and the occasional album.

This collection covers Pendergrass' run of big hits from the Philadelphia International era, including "I Don't Love You Anymore," "Close The Door" and "Turn Off The Lights".

"Chance" is the 8th album by American soul and gospel singer Candi Staton. Singles released from the album included "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" (co-written by Patrick Adams and Wayne K. Garfield), and the title track, which became a Top 20 R&B record. The album peaked at #23 on the US R&B Album chart and #129 on the Billboard 200.

Larry Blackmon and his Cameo mates ruled funk's domain for over a decade. Cameo evolved from its origins as a horn-based and dominated ensemble into a synthesizer-oriented group that still featured sturdy basslines and exuberant vocals, but was in tune with urban and black America's new sensibility. These 14 selections range from the formative cuts "Rigor Mortis," "Shake Your Pants," and "It's Over" to the definitive "Word Up," "Candy," and "Back and Forth." Blackmon's alternately sneering, defiant, and aggressive vocals were the constant from Cameo's beginnings in the 1970s to their emergence as funk's reigning champions in the 1980s.

A collection from the Mercury funk lineup that covers the hits from the first five Gap Band albums. Every major hit that they had is included here. What one might notice is that all of the major hits ("You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Burn Rubber on Me," "Early in the Morning," and "I Don't Believe You Want to Get up and Dance") all sound surprisingly similar. This may or may not be a large surprise to everyone, but the bright note about their similarity is that the basic riffs and rhythms that they all use are extremely catchy. The energy that the Gap Band exudes in the midst of producing a song is stunning, and this compilation displays that to the fullest extent. For a basic introduction to the forms of funk that the Gap Band followed, this album would certainly suit any given listener. For those who only need one Gap Band album in their collection, this one also fits the bill perfectly. For die-hard fans who already have all of the band's albums, this one would probably only really serve as a summary.

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 50 years and has spanned a repertoire in the styles of R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, gospel, and country. In 2009, Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Midnight Love" is the 17th studio album by Marvin Gaye. He signed with the label Columbia in March 1982 following his exit from Motown. The final album to be released before his death, it ultimately became the most successful album of Gaye's entire career. The disc was certified triple Platinum in the United States, selling well over six million copies worldwide. It was nominated for a 1984 Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, spawning the two-time Grammy Award-winning smash, "Sexual Healing". It was ranked #37 on the Rolling Stone list of the best albums of the 1980s decade and the NME named the album as its Album of the Year in 1983.

Beau Williams (born January 6, 1950) is an American gospel singer from Texas. Williams' albums with Capitol Records include a self-titled album in 1982, Stay With Me (1983), Bodacious! (1984) and No More Tears (1986). After his third Capitol release, Williams signed with Light Records and returned to his roots in Gospel music. Williams' album "No More Tears" is a real cultural act. Behind the record was the production company Hush Productions, which had hit the Gold Room commercially for Freddie Jackson and was able to produce a long line of high-quality male vocalists (Beau Williams, Willie Collins, Lillo Thomas, John White, Scott White ), whose albums, however, typically sold poorly - which doesn't mean they were weak. On the contrary, these discs often found more soulfulness and edging than Freddie Jackson's albums, which largely replicated the same safe (albeit still high-end) hit mold from one disc to another.