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Funk, Inc. – Funk, Inc. (1971/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 34:22 minutes | 1,11 GB | Genre: R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Prestige
Funk, Inc. is the first studio album by Funk, Inc., released in 1971. Soul-jazz in the early Seventies was attuned to the dance rhythms of more commercial black music, yet still made room for the deep blues grooves and extended blowing that were hallmarks of the style in earlier years. Funk, Inc., the hot instrumental quintet from Indianapolis, was indicative of the era’s best, displaying traces of Sly Stone and Marvin Gaye, yet still able to stretch out and play unhyphenated jazz with subtlety and imagination. The extended grooves struck on the band’s Prestige albums, create a winning forum for the talents of organist/leader Bobby Watley, tenor saxophonist Eugene Barr, and blues-drenched guitarist Steve Weakley. This is perfect music for reminiscing, sampling, or just plain digging.
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Fourplay – Fourplay (30th Anniversary Edition) (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:09:54 minutes | 2,60 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cherry Red Records
There was no great cunning master plan that brought noted jazz instrumentalists Bob James (keyboards), Lee Ritenour (guitar), Nathan Eat (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums) together to form a supergroup. Released in October 1991, Fourplay – aided by the success of the smash single “After The Dance” – peaked at No. 1 in America’s Contemporary Jazz charts for 33 weeks and sold over a million copies. It rose to No.16 in the R&B rankings and No.97 in America’s list of top pop records. Now three decades old, the band’s self-titled debut album, was not only the blueprint for the group’s sound but also functioned as a foundation stone upon which Fourplay built a remarkable career.
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Fourplay – Best of Fourplay [2020 Remastered] (1997/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:07:35 minutes | 758 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cherry Red Records
First released in 1997, The Best Of Fourplay showcases the smooth jazz supergroup’s signature style of indelible melodies, tasteful arrangements and addictive, toe-tapping grooves. Besides choice album cuts from Fourplay’s Warner Bros repertoire, the 10-track compilation includes the bands’s hit versions of Marvin Gaye’s After The Dance’, fronted by the silky-voiced El DeBarge, and the Isley Brothers ‘Between The Sheets’, featuring legendary soul singer, Chaka Khan.
The album, is released for the very first time on HIGHRESAUDIO. It was remastered using hi-resolution digital transfers from the original analog master tapes.
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Neal Francis – Sentimental Garbage (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 30:13 minutes | 659 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ATO Records
7 track tour EP with 4 tracks leftover from the “In Plain Sight” sessions, one of which was re-recorded “in a style closer to the demo, which was going for a Bill Withers/ Marvin Gaye “Here My Dear” aesthetic” per Neal Francis. The set also includes covers of James Gang and Shuggie Otis songs. Francis has spent 2022 touring the US playing festivals, headlining clubs and opening theater tours with Amos Lee and Marcus King.
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Fourplay – The Best Of Fourplay (1997/2020)
DSD64 (.dsf) 1 bit/2,8 MHz | Time – 67:38 minutes | 2,66 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 67:38 mins | 1,49 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Artwork: Front cover
First released in 1997, “The Best Of Fourplay” showcases the smooth jazz supergroup’s signature style of indelible melodies, tasteful arrangements and addictive, toe-tapping grooves. Besides choice album cuts from Fourplay’s Warner Bros repertoire, the 13-track compilation includes the band’s hit versions of Marvin Gaye’s “After The Dance”, fronted by the silky-voiced El DeBarge, and the Isley Brothers’ “Between The Sheets”, featuring legendary soul singer, Chaka Khan. The new edition of the album includes the bonus track, “The Closer I Get To You”, a duet between Patti Austin and Peabo Bryson. The album was remastered using hi-resolution digital transfers from the original analogue master tapes.
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Esther Phillips – From A Whisper To A Scream (1972/2013)
DSD64 Stereo (.dsf) 1 bit/2,8 MHz | Time: 38:02 min | 1,5 GB
or FLAC Stereo (tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 38:02 minutes | 745 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: e-Onkyo | Front Cover | Genre: Jazz | © CTI Records
A platinum-selling singer, Esther Phillips had a long and storied career and all of her recordings for KUDU (sub-label of CTI) have something nice on them, but this is probably the best one. The credits for “From A Whisper To A Scream“, Esther’s 1972 Kudu debut – considered by many to be her finest album for the label – lists such renowned players as Hank Crawford on sax, Eric Gale and Cornell Dupree on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Richard Tee on keyboards and Gordon Edwards on bass. Also enlisting the cream of background singers (Joshie Armstead, Hilda Harris and Tasha Thomas) giving Esther just the right vocal cushion for her blues-tinged interpretations of works by everyone from poet/singer Gil Scott-Heron and the great Marvin Gaye to New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint and soul man Eddie Floyd.
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Emil Richards & Joe Porcaro All Star Big Band – Odd Men In (2006/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 57:40 minutes | 1,19 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Time-Life Music
Emil Richards and Joe Porcaro have been making music together for over 60 years! When Emil came to the studio to hear the quartet project, Calamari, he simply had to have his and Joe’s big band recorded in the same way. This is it…the very best players in L.A. playing all out in one afternoon.
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Eboni Band – Eboni Band (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:17 minutes | 721 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © We Are Busy Bodies
Motown meets West Africa on Eboni Band’s self-titled 1980 debut album featuring Motown session musicians and Fred Wesley with production and arrangements from Motown legends Art Stewart and Greg Middleton.
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Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero (Remixes) (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 18:58 minutes | 225 MB | Genre: Pop, Electronic, Dance, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift shares two more ‘Anti-Hero’ remixes courtesy of Kungs and Jayda G.
The first dance-ready remix comes courtesy of French DJ Kungs, with producer Jayda G helming a second, equally bouncy rendition of the ‘Midnights’ track. For his part, Kung veers ‘Anti-Hero’ firmly into EDM territory, speeding up Swift’s cadence for a breezier take on the sombre original. Jayda G, meanwhile, distorts the pop star’s vocals with the addition of shimmering synths.
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Diana Ross – Last Time I Saw Him (1973/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 32:25 minutes | 1,38 GB | Genre: Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © UNI – MOTOWN
The early 1970s were a pivotal time for Diana Ross. In 1973 alone — between touring and performing for SRO crowds in Vegas, she managed to record enough material for a number of different projects. Last Time I Saw Him (1973) was just one of several Ross releases that year as she worked on the still unissued To the Baby album, which was filled with songs for her daughters. She also released the hugely popular Touch Me in the Morning (1973), as well as contributed to Diana & Marvin (1973) — an LP’s worth of duets with Marvin Gaye. Last Time I Saw Him is particularly striking as the spotlight belongs on Ross’ remarkable versatility. Although arguably campy, the countrified title composition is larger-than-life thanks to Michael Omartian and Gene Page’s arrangement. They throw in everything but the proverbial kitchen sink with a score that is all over the musical map from Dixieland band jazz to banjo-pickin’ and even an orchestrated string section. The lightweight poppy “No One’s Gonna Be a Fool Forever” is memorable as Ross adopts a Barbra Streisand approach, giving the song enough style as to level out the ersatz instrumentation that hopelessly places the tune squarely in the ’70s. Conversely, the ballads “Love Me” and “Sleepin'” are among the best that Ross has to offer. The latter is marked by a dramatic delivery, suggesting a subtext that would reveal more than the story lets on at face value. She likewise scores on the light and funky love song “When Will I Come Home to You” thanks to a jazzy melody and catchy chorus. “You” is another winner as the gospel-infused redemptive waltz is custom-made for Ross’ emotive reading. One minor caveat being that her spoken recitation comes off a tad too maudlin and actually sounds like an exchanging of vows. Similarly, her remake of the Malvina Reynolds/Harry Belafonte lullaby “Turn Around” — which had initially been earmarked for the aforementioned To the Baby — suffers from the same melodramatic dysfunction. Ross returns to form for the upbeat rocker “I Heard a Love Song (But You Never Made a Sound)” with roots reaching deep into a vintage Motown groove. “Stone Liberty” continues with an empowering R&B statement that might have been penned for the emergent women’s liberation movement, but works equally as well as a personal declaration of freedom for all oppressed peoples. Wrapping things up is a cover of “Behind Closed Doors,” which Ross turns into a soulful number giving the lyrics a bit of a lilt woefully absent from Charlie Rich’s hit version. – Lindsay Planer
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Diana Ross – Greatest Hits: The RCA Years (1997/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:13:10 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA Records
Diana Ross’ glossy 1981-1987 tenure on RCA is the subject of this 18-track collection, which includes her hit tribute to the late Marvin Gaye, “Missing You”. Other highlights include her cover of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers’ “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”, “Mirror, Mirror”, “Swept Away” and a solo version of the chart-topping “Endless Love”.
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Devon Gilfillian – What’s Going On (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 38:07 minutes | 859 MB | Genre: R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records
As the events of 2020 have unfolded, Devon Gilfillian has sought solace and solutions in music – and found both in the timeless songs of Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album, What’s Going On, which took the No. 1 spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” published last week.
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Devin Dawson – Dark Horse (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 43:04 minutes | 502 MB | Genre: Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Atlantic – Warner Music Nashville
Country pop has found one of its stars for 2018. The fans of Waylon Jennings or of Steve Earle can go on their way because Devin Dawson doesn’t follow the same path as his elders. Bottle-fed with rock that’s heightened with Alan Jackson’s country but also Marvin Gaye’s soul music and most of all the Beatles (of whom he is a big fan), the young Californian—who went on tour with big shots like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill—finally takes off musically and offers the entire scope of his talent. In folksy ballads or more up-tempo themes, Dawson first and foremost highlights his chameleon-like voice. It’s an organ that adapts to every context, a 100% country song or a rather unapologetic pop song. It’s incidentally this large stylistic palette which throws you off balance after first listening to this Dark Horse. DD varies widely and some will certainly be perplexed, yet it’s hard not to recognize his personal touch on each track of the record, as well as his already rather sharp writing.
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Dead & Company – Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI 11/24/17 (Live) (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 02:34:38 minutes | 1,65 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino
“Can’t forget the Motor City!” …so Detroit’s own Martha Reeves and the Vandellas advised us in one of the greatest tunes ever committed to vinyl: their 1964 smash “Dancing In The Street” (co-written by another Motown superstar, Marvin Gaye). The Grateful Dead took Martha’s advice to heart, adopting the song as a vehicle for extended jamming (and, of course, dancing) as early as 1966, then reviving it in the late 70s in a revamped arrangement referred to by some as “Disco Dead” (but which also left room for some very un-disco improvisational tangents). Happily, Dead & Company also didn’t forget the aforementioned Motor City when scheduling their 2017 Fall tour, opening their evening there with that timeless native-born hit and going on to deliver a show that did full justice to Detroit’s hallowed place in America’s musical heritage.
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Daryl Hall – Can’t Stop Dreaming (1996/2003)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 52:02 minutes | 613 MB | Genre: Pop Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd
Can’t Stop Dreaming has a rather tangled release history. It was originally issued in Japan in 1997 on the BMG International label, and in 2003 it appeared in America but missing two tracks. Anyway, as those who witnessed the resurgence of Hall & Oates will attest, Hall has never sounded better. His vocal range is all that it once was and more. He is still, along with his main collaborator, Alan Gorrie from the Average White Band, a talented pop songwriter – though admittedly pop music itself has changed by its very nature in the early 21st century. Pop itself no longer has a space for what is timeless and dateless. Hall’s smooth hooks, tight love songs, and crisp arrangements are timeless but not timely and that’s far from his fault. Tracks such as “Cab Driver,” with its sheeny Steely Dan feel, and the Marvin Gaye/Leon Ware-inspired “Let Me Be the One” are classic in virtually every way, especially vocally. Hall doesn’t reach for notes at all anymore, they just come, flowing up from the pit of his belly like a river expressing itself as a waterfall of intonation and melodic invention most jazz singers would give their eye teeth for. Only Al Green is Hall’s equal in the contemporary soul genre. His disciplined singing graces the deep, mysterious funk of “Never Let Me Go,” with its roiling basslines, and the spare acoustic ballad “Holding Out for Love.” The big surprise is in the remake of the Hall & Oates classic “She’s Gone” near the end of the album with a thoroughly (post)modern arrangement with a subtle drum loop. If ever a song didn’t need to be recut, this is it. It was perfect the first time around. That said, Hall’s new read of the tune as an older man singing his grief – in higher pitch – is as authentic and spine-tingling as the original. While the backing vocals lack a little of the deep soul the duo’s version had, the smooth gospel flavor inherent in them and restrained exuberance of Hall’s delivery make the song a much more reflective and sorrowful expression, and it’s dynamite. The slick, mat black and chrome disco surfaces of “All by Myself” and “Fools Rush In” have Hall revealing that there is still plenty of life in that form of songwriting and recording. With all the guitars careening over a babbling-brook bassline and Hall punctuating each bar with his vocal acrobatics, these songs become dancefloor necessities. In sum, Can’t Stop Dreaming works as an album for listening or dancing too. It also works on another, much more intimate level. – Thom Jurek
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