Thanks to the 1970s and '80s soul jazz movement and its 21st century counterpart, acid jazz, the Hammond B-3 organ has shown a remarkable ability to survive and adapt to changing musical trends – all without changing its swirling, pulsing tone one little bit. The Hammond Street anthology from Acid Jazz mixes in tracks from a couple of veteran B-3 players like Jimmy McGriff and Reuben Wilson with tracks from newer combos, and even though these newer groups cover songs like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," what is immediately obvious here is how much a B-3 sounds like a B-3 no matter what kind of clothes you drape over it. Highlights include the hard-charging "Itchy Feet" by the Past Present Organisation (which opens the disc), the ragged and energy-overloaded "Clubtown" by the Trashmonkeys, McGriff's "Ain't It Funky" (which indeed it is), and Wilson's "Sugar," a classic piece of soul jazz.

"C.K." is the 7th studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1988. "C.K." was Khan's first album not to be recorded with Arif Mardin, instead it had with the exception of two tracks Russ Titelman at the helm as producer, with whom she had collaborated on hits like "Ain't Nobody" (1983), "Eye to Eye" from 1984's platinum-selling I Feel for You as well as "Tight Fit" from her previous album "Destiny". Musically "C.K." combined a variety of genres such as soul, R&B, funk, pop as well as two jazz titles and altogether the set was more laid-back, less hip-hop influenced and production-wise not as complex and synth-driven as "I Feel for You" and "Destiny". Three singles were released from "C.K.": Womack & Womack's Latino-flavoured "It's My Party" which reached #5 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, "Soul Talkin'" and "Baby Me" which became another Top 10 hit on the R&B chart, peaking at #8. The ck album itself also charted higher than the preceding "Destiny", reaching #17 on the R&B Albums chart.

"Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic" is the 23rd studio album by American recording artist Prince under the unpronounceable "Love Symbol", as shown on the album cover. Distributed on November 2, 1999 by NPG Records and Arista Records, the album was issued shortly after the release of The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999). It includes several guest appearances, including by Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow; Prince also completed a cover of Crow's 1996 single "Everyday Is a Winding Road". A pop and R&B album, it departs from the soul genre found on Prince's previous efforts.

Jamaican-born bluesman Kirkland has always stretched the boundaries of his music and on this outing moves further into contemporary waters. Guest stars abound on this album, and Kirkland's idiosyncratic guitar work is answered and abetted by appearances from Tab Benoit, Sonny Landreth, Kenny Neal, Cub Koda, Christine Ohlman and G.E. Smith, as well as driving work from drummer Jaimoe and organist Richard Bell. The material is all over the road, but particularly noteworthy as highlights are Kirkland's take on Elmore James' "Done Somebody Wrong," "Snake In the Grass," "Nightgirl," and the title track.

Rock'n'roll was born in the United States - and 1958 was the year it was exported to the rest of the world. Buddy Holly, who kicks off our first disc with 'Rave On', hit British shores in March with the force of a musical hurricane. Following closely behind him were the like of The Chordettes, Bobby Day, The Everly Brothers and Connie Francis, all included here on this 2 disc compilation.

Some 46 years after his first pop hit, and 39 years after his death, comes only the second attempt at a comprehensive Sam Cooke collection. Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964 eclipses RCA's early-'80s The Man and His Music, going it better in running time but losing some important recordings "That's Heaven to Me" and "Soothe Me," arguably one of Cooke's most important songs in the process of summing up his career. From 1951's Soul Stirrers' gospel classic "Touch the Hem of His Garment" through to 1964's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Shake," we get highlights of Cooke's career presented in state-of-the-art digital audio; superior in every way possible to the audio quality of The Man and His Music.

The breadth of Drink Small's repertoire is fascinating in itself, but what's even more impressive is his depth as a performer in any of his chosen genres. His records may suddenly shift from a solo acoustic blues-guitar track to a smooth soul ballad with horns to who-knows-what, yet Small never seems to be caught out of place. He can be gruff and rough, clean and modern, or light and bouncy, altering his voice and guitar to suit the mood. Rated one of America's top gospel guitarists before he turned to blues in the late '50s, the South Carolina "Blues Doctor" for years had only one 45 on the market (Sharp, 1959). His discography has recently begun to grow considerably, finally revealing the extent of his songwriting and performing talents.

The last of his studio albums released in his lifetime, Sam Cooke's Ain't That Good News offers a lot of superb material, pointing in several directions that, alas, were to go largely unexplored. The central number is, of course, the earth-shattering "A Change Is Gonna Come," with its soaring gospel sound and the most elaborate production of any song in Cooke's output. The rousing though less substantial title track also came out of a gospel tradition, as does Cooke's treatment of "Tennessee Waltz," which is one of his finest adaptations of contemporary pop material.

With most classic R&B acts, we feel lucky to get one genuine live recording – in the case of Ike & Tina Turner, by contrast, we have an embarrassment of riches in the way of concert recordings from the early- to mid-1960s, and it started with this Kent Records release. Issued in 1964, soon after they left Kent, it captured 35 minutes of their live act, from the Club Imperial and the Harlem Club in St, Louis. In addition to Tina Turner in an extended rap attached to "Please, Please, Please," we also get Jimmy Thomas in a rousing version of "Feel So Good," Venetta Fields' mournful, magnificent "The Love of My Man," Bobby John on the smooth, soulful, soaring "Think," Stacy Johnson doing "Drown in My Own Tears," Robbie Montgomery's "I Love the Way You Love," and Vernon Guy singing "Your Precious Love".

Though they began as a hard-driving funk outfit, Lionel Ritchie's Commodores soon became Premier League purveyors of super soulful ballads. Songs like 'Easy' and 'Three Times A Lady' were instant hits and remain classics. Those songs lead off this brand new collection which also includes lots of lesser known ballads and rare romantic gems. Together with the hits, they prove that the Commodores love catalogue is second to none.

A true underground legend, Madeleine Bell may not be a household name (yet) but her position as the pre-eminent session singer for the past forty years means her warm, soulful tones are instantly recognizable. Her beautiful voice has floated across radio, television, film soundtracks, the internet & now is finally available solo on CD. 'Doin' Things', her second Phillips LP, is being re-issued for the first time with two non-album singles from the same period as well as a b-side to a single that prefaced this LP, Go Ahead On, a co-write with Dusty Springfield, who also recorded her own version.

Effortlessly mixing soul, funk and pop, Larry Graham scored many hits throughout the 80s. This is his original 1985 release and includes the hits "For Your Love" and "That's Why I Love You".

Known as the “go to” pianist by many other musicians and band leaders, Lafayette has performed with the Duke Ellington Legacy Orchestra, toured for seven years with Max Roach, currently tours Europe and the U.S. with four time Grammy nominee-Ernestine Anderson and has worked with Al Grey, John Gordon, Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller, Roswell Rudd, Chico Freeman, Cindy Blackman, Allan Harris, Carla Cook, Ren Marie and many others. Lafayette has worked in well-established downtown clubs like the Blue Note, Sweet Basil, and Fat Tuesday’s, since his arrival as a young musician in 1985. He earned a reputation that led to a record deal with Muse Records, resulting in his debut album, aptly titled Lafayette Is Here. A second Muse recording, Happy Together, starred The Lafayette Harris Trio plus Melba Moore.

"Reaching for the World" was the 5th album by American vocal group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. This, their debut album for the ABC Records label, was recorded in 1976 and released in 1977. This is the first album without Teddy Pendergrass, David Ebo was his replacement. Also joining the Blue Notes were Dwight Johnson and William Spratley. On release it reached #56 in the US Billboard 200 and #15 in the US R&B Charts. The lead single was "Reaching For The World" which reached #74 in the US Billboard 100 and #6 in the US R&B Charts. Then "After You Love Me, Why Do You Leave Me", which featured Sharon Paige, reached #102 in the US Billboard 100 and #15 in the US R&B Charts. Hostage Parts 1&2 was chosen as the final single, but failed to chart.

"Get Loose" is the 5th studio album by American singer Evelyn King, released on the RCA label in August 11, 1982. It was produced by Morrie Brown, Kashif and Paul Lawrence Jones III. The album peaked at #1 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached #27 on the Billboard 200. It produced the hit singles "Love Come Down", "Betcha She Don't Love You", "Back to Love", and "Get Loose". The album was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD with 4 bonus tracks in 2010 by Big Break Records and Sony Music Legacy.