Browne Sugar (1979)
1.- Tom Browne…”Mr. Jamaica Funk”. Kickin’ Trumpet and rich jazz melodies. Tom Browne’s success was inevitable as he began to carve a path for his musical future early on as a student of New York’s High School of Music and Art. During this period, Browne became a regular on the New York jazz scene.
In 1978 after Browne played an NY uptown club affiliated with George Benson, he was offered several solo recording contracts and ultimately signed with GRP Records (then distributed by Arista). On GRP, he recorded four solo albums. His debut release, “Browne Sugar” (1979) dominated the jazz charts for numerous weeks while his next two releases “Love Approach” (1980) and “Magic” (1981) each sold 500,000 units earning gold records. “Love Approach” also spawned the hit song “Funkin’ for Jamaica,” which earned him a gold single and today, is still a favorite among dance DJ’s around the world. (discogs)
2.- Straight fusion set by trumpeter Tom Browne, replete with double-tracked vocals and songs heavy on backbeats and light on solos. Everything is nicely played, and the album did do moderately well on charts and with Adult Contemporary audiences. (Ron Wynn, AMG)

Featuring:
Dave Grusin
Michael Brecker
Patti Austin
Buddy Williams
Marcus Miller
Francisco Centeno
Bernard Wright

Tracks:
01. Throw Down
02. I Never Was A Cowboy
03. Herbal Scent
04. Brother, Brother
07. Promises For Spring
08. Antoinette Like
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Inspiration (1979)
Arguably Maze’s best album, hands down, Inspiration lives up to its grandiose title. Frankie Beverly’s compositions are executed to perfection by the seven-piece Maze ensemble: Atigunta Sun (drums), Wuane Thomas (lead guitar), Sam Porter (keyboards), McKinley Williams (vocals and percussion), Roame Lowry (vocals and congas), Robin Duhe (bass), and Frankie Beverly (rhythm guitar and lead vocals) — the originals. If you’re still down after listening to “Lovely Inspiration”’s positive, glowing, shimmering praise to the Supreme One, you have some serious issues. The fusion of R&B and reggae on “Feel That You’re Feelin’” fueled its way up the R&B chart rungs; it remains a staple of Maze’s live show. It’s hard to get any better than “Call Me,” on which Beverly outdoes himself during a sensitive, tear-jerking confession of a man whose woman left him for another; the parting is handled with maturity, and the lamenting lover extends an invitation for his ex to call him if it doesn’t work out, or if she has a change of heart. Just as inspiring is the spirited “Timin’,” a rollicking number about keeping your spirits up because, if it doesn’t work out, it’s not solely your fault, it’s just a matter of timin’; why Capitol held back on this track is mystifying, since it has all the elements of a monster. That kick-happy beat is extended to “Welcome Home,” a tune about a lover returning after discovering the grass wasn’t greener on the other side of the fence. “Women Is a Wonder” is a slow tribute to women featuring some tantalizing guitar notes from Thomas; very nice, but a better bet if the supplementary vocals hadn’t been buried so deep in the mix. Captivating, tinkling chimes introduce the laid-back “Ain’t It Strange”; the vocal interaction between Beverly, Duhe, Williams, and Lowry are reminiscent of the Frankie Beverly & the Butlers years. An instrumental version of “Lovely Inspiration” ends the masterpiece.  (Andrew Hamilton, AMG)
Tracks:
01. Lovely Inspiration
02. Feel That You’re Feelin’
03. Call on Me
04. Timin’
05. Welcome Home
06. Woman Is a Wonder
07. Ain’t It Strange
08. Lovely Inspiration (Instrumental Version)
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Live (1973)
War Live — also sometimes known simply as Live — was recorded just as the group was achieving a peak of popularity and virtuosity, and released 16 months later, amid a string of highly successful studio LPs. It was underappreciated at the time, and only on CD has it found its proper audience. Recorded at one late November show at the High Chaparral in Chicago, the group had been engaged earlier the same year in a national tour as the opening act for Isaac Hayes and was reportedly so good that Hayes kept cutting back the length of their opening set. The tapes from this show have held up extremely well across the decades, with rich fidelity and a close sound. The live renditions of “The Cisco Kid” and other such songs may not supplant the studio originals, but the 20-minute “Get Down” is worth hearing. (Bruce Eder, AMG)
Tracks:
Cd1
01. Introduction By E. Rodney Jones Of Radio Station Wvon, Chicago, Ill.
02. Sun Oh Son
03. The Cisco Kid
04. Slippin’ into Darkness
05. Slippin’, Pt. 2
Cd2
01. All Day Music
02. Ballero
03. Lonely Feelin’
04. Get Down
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Just A Touch Of Love (1979) (Vinyl “remastered” by SFJ).
Review:
In 1977, Slave’s self-titled debut album (which boasted the number one R&B smash “Slide”) earned the Dayton outfit a reputation for playing sweaty, aggressive, in-your-face funk. But when Slave provided its fourth album, Just a Touch of Love, in 1979, it was clear that the Midwesterners were determined to soften their approach. “Funky Lady Foxy Lady),” “Roots,” and the hit title song (all of which boast Steve Arrington on lead vocals) are definitely the work of a smoother, sleeker Slave — and yet, the band still had plenty of grit. This excellent album left no doubt that Slave was still a funk band, although it wasn’t as in-your-face as the Slave that gave listeners “Slide” and “Screw Your Wig on Tite” in 1977. Arrington, who first recorded with Slave on 1978’s The Concept, played a major role in its evolution — and two other lead vocalists who make important contributions to this LP are Starleana Young and Curt Jones (both of who went on to form Aurra, the group that hit big with “Are You Single” in 1981). Arrington, Young, and Jones weren’t original members of Slave, but all of them proved valuable when Slave opted to embrace a smoother style of funk. And all of them do their part to make Just a Touch of Love one of Slave’s finest albums. (Alex Henderson – All Music Guide).
Credits.
Arranged By [Horns] – Slave
Arranged By [Horns], Copyist – Charles Carter , John Tropea
Arranged By, Other [Contractor] – Steve Washington*
Drums, Vocals – Steve Arrington
Horns – Air-O-Fourse Power Play
Other [Contractor] – Mark Hicks
Other [Copyist] – Raye Turner
Vocals – Curt Jones , Starlena Young.
Tracks:
1. Just A Touch Of Love
2. Are You Ready For Love?
3. Funky Lady (Foxy Lady)
4. Roots
5. Painted Pictures
6. Thank You
7. Shine
8. Warning
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Imagination (1980).
Review:
The Whispers scored big with the number two billboard R&B hit “It’s a Love Thing.” The rapidly paced single, seasoned with all the intangibles of a dance anthem, found a welcome mat on the pop charts as well, peaking at number 28. The second and only other single to chart was “I Can Make It Better.” Co-written by two members from Lakeside, this dance cut showcases Walt and Scotty urgently delivering sympathetic lyrics supported by a funky groove. It only managed to hold on at number 40 after ten weeks. This album retains three splendid ballads (“Say You,” “Girl I Need You,” and “Fantasy”) that never showed themselves on the charts. Imagination,” like the rest of this album, presses on in that uptempo vein with one appealing groove after another.[Craig Lytle - All Music Guide].
Credits.
Arranged By [Horns, Strings], Other [Horns Contracted By], Trumpet -
John Parrish
Arranged By [Vocals] – Nicholas Caldwell
Bass – Melvin Coleman
Drums – Kirk Perkins
Flute – Melecio Megdaluyo
French Horn – Barbara Korn , David Duke , Sidney Muldrew
Guitar – Larry White
Keyboards – Grady Wilkins , Kossi Gardner
Mastered By – Wally Traugott
Mixed By, Recorded By – Steve Hodge
Other [Contracted By] – Janice Gower
Percussion – Karl Dickens
Producer – Dick Griffey , Whispers, The
Recorded By – Bob Brown
Saxophone – Fred Jackson , Sonny Lewis
Trombone – Kraig Kilbey
Trumpet – Bobby Bryant , Joe Ramano , Oscar Brashear
Notes.
Recorded at Studio Masters, Los Angeles, CA.
Mixed at Larrabee Sound, Los Angeles, CA.
Mastered at Capitol Records, Los Angeles, CA.
SACEM
Tracks:
1. It’s A Love Thing
2. I Can Make It Better
3. Imagination
4. Say You (Would Love For Me Too)
5. Continental Shuffle
6. Girl I Need You
7. Up On Soul Train
8. Fantasy

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Boule Noir (1975)
George Thurston was a Quebec singer, author and composer and radio show host. He was known as Boule Noire since 1975 and worked in the music industry as a solo artist for nearly 30 years and as part of musical groups for 5 years. Born in Bedford, Quebec,[1] Thurston later moved to Saint-Jerome, Quebec, where he formed his first band in 1965 called les Zinconnus and produced R&B music, his favorite musical genre. In 1969, he moved on to join the 25th Regiment band and remained with the group until the early 1970s.In the 1970s, he worked with several other Quebec artists including Robert Charlebois, Claude Dubois, Tony Roman, Nanette Workman and Michel Pagliaro. He played the piano, bass and guitar. He would later be a composer for the group Toulouse.
Thurston’s solo career started in 1975 when he released his first solo album titled Boule Noire. It included his first hit Aimes-tu la vie?. During his 30-year solo career, he produced at least 14 albums in both English and French. His first English album, entitled Premiere, was recorded in 1980. Thurston was one of the prominent figures in dance and R&B music in Quebec during the 1970s and 1980s and covered songs by other artists including the Beatles hit Let it be in 1995. He also represented Canada at several international music festivals including Marseille in 1976 and UCLA in 1988. Thurston’s 1978 album Aimer d’Amour was certified triple platinum. The title song would later gain success in the early 1990s when 800,000 copies were sold in Europe. Thurston became a radio show host for Montreal’s Rythme FM radio station in 2000. (Wikepedia)
Tracks:
01. Aimes-Tu la Vie Comme Moi?
02. Miss Lanny
03. Dis-Le Moi
04. Je Suis en Amour
05. Loin, Loin de la Ville
06. La Balance Qui Balance
07. Le Boum Boum du Bonheur
08. Kiki d’Hollywood
09. Comme on Est Bien
10. C’Est Ma Vie
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The Best Of  B.T. Express (1997)
Although B.T. Express didn’t have that many major radio hits, the New Yorkers’ extremely danceable funk reigned supreme in the clubs (especially Black clubs). “Do It (Til You’re Satisfied),” “Peace Pipe,” “Shout It Out” and “Express” are among the handful of jams on this engaging 15-song CD that were actually sizable hits on Black radio; most of the other songs, however, don’t fit that description. But play this collection for anyone who deejayed in a Black club in the 1970s, and chances are they’ll know most of the material. Express, a major influence on East Coast units like the Brass Construction and Mass Production, was very much a party band, and addictive album tracks like “This House Is Smokin’” and “Once You Get It” found their way to club turntables without ever coming out as singles. Although pleasant enough, a cover of Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s “Close To You” shows that ballads were never the Express’ strong point (which is truly ironic, given that one of its members, Kashif, would become known as a top R&B love man in the 1980s). And the 1980 recordings “Stretch” and “Does It Feel Good” are pretty generic, but on the whole, this disc is something funksters should savor. (Alex Henderson, AMG)
Tracks:
1. Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)
2. This House Is Smokin’
3. Express
4. If It Don’t Turn You on (You Oughta’ Leave It Alone)
5. Once You Get It
6. Mental Telepathy
7. Give It What You Got
8. Peace Pipe
9. (They Long to Be) Close to You
10. Can’t Stop Groovin’ Now, Wanna Do It Some More
11. Energy to Burn
12. Shout It Out
13. Give up the Funk (Let’s Dance)
14. Does It Feel Good
15. Stretch
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In the original CD had a lot of noise, so that it applied a noise reduction and removed the vinyl noise.
Redd Hott #1 (1982).
Notes:
Original release: – Original label: – CD release: 1991 CD label: P-
Vine (Blues Interactions) CD No.: PCD-2316 Country of CD release:
Japan Country of CD manufacturing: Japan.
Credits
Producer – George Kerr
Notes
“Super Fine Soul Collection” Series.
1982 Venture VL-1010
2006 Blues Interactions, Inc. Licensed From George Kerr.
Tracks:
1. Ecstasy
2. You for Me
3. Coming Out to Get You
4. Love Is for Keeps
5. Flashin’ at You
6. Big Fat Bottom
7. Remember
8. We Come to Funk

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Introducing Glass (1983).
Review:
The groove here is a lot less fragile than glass — a hard, sharp set of rhythms that’s pretty darn heavy on 80s keyboards too! The group have a sound that’s almost a distillation of mainstream soul of the Kleeer generation — taken into more stripped-down indie modes that come off with plenty of charm — lots of sweet beats and bassline bits — and a few cool moogy parts too! The group’s fronted by John Williams, who wrote, produced, and handles all the lead vocals — but on most tracks he’s kind of buried amidst all the electronics and flanged-out production — which we like a lot. Includes the single “Bedrok”, plus “Stomp”, “You Are The One”, “Strung Out By Your Love”, and “Pretty Little Thing”(DGA Inc.).
Tracks:
1. Bedrock
2. What’s Your Name?
3. Stomp
4. You Are The One
5. Interlude
6. Strung Out By Your Love
7. Sexy
8. Getty-Up
9. Pretty Little Thing

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Never Looking Back (Again) (1982)
Sweet 80s groove from La Voyage — a group with a nice, lean sound — upbeat, but never too over the top! There’s a bit more depth here than usual for an indie group of this nature — not just tracks aimed at the clubs, but some mellower soul numbers that almost feel like they’re aspiring towards mainstream R&B — but without any of the too-commercial touches that would imply. Vocals are often quite professional, especially on the mellower tracks — and singers include Ronald Broomfield and Dianne Williams. (DGA; Inc)
Tracks:
01. Make It Last
02. You
03. All Nite Affair
04. Never Looking Back
05. Some One To Watch Your Heart
06. R.B. Girl
07. Broken Hearted
08. I Found You
09. Signal
10. Surrender Your Body
11. Baby Don’t Go
12. I Miss You
13. Come To Me
14. Do Anything
15. All Nite Affair (Long Version)
Bonus
16. I’m Gonna Miss Ya (Long Version) by Aaron Broomfield
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