The Soul Side Of The Street Vol. 1 - Hot Phoenix Soul Sides From The Vault Of Hadley Murrell - 1964-1972 (Wind Hit/Grounded Music - 2010)

Like in most of major American cities in the 60's and 70's, a soul and funk scene bursted in Phoenix, mainly under the impulsion of Hadley Murrell. After several stints in local rock and roll radios, Hadley ventured into promotion and then into production and publishing with the creation of his own label, Wind Hit. Behind the control board, he produced every talent that emerged from Phoenix in soul and funk. You'll find here 15 tracks the man produced between 1964 and 1972 for bands going by the name of Freddi-Henchi & The Soulsetters, The Servicemen or Bobby Soul. You won't find any hidden masterpiece but only solid and well executed deep soul and R&B, staid forgotten until now. This compilation easily compete in quality and rarity with Numero Group releases.

Download => The Soul Side Of The Street Vol. 1

Special Ed - Youngest In Charge (Profile Records - 1989)

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please: you're about to download a true hip hop masterpiece. Released by a then unkwown sixteen years old Flatbush alumni, Special Ed, Youngest In Charge starts with two absolute classics, so often sampled and quoted you probably know them even if you never heard them: I Got It Made and I'm The Magnificent. Boosted by Howie Tee stallar production, the teenager boasts classic verses of braggadocio with a perfect flow, slowly leaving the old school rhyming style to head in in a more modern direction. On Club Scene, Special Ed ventures into hip-house with an equal success while on Heds and Dreeds, he pays respect to his Jamaican roots. With this record, Special Ed made a very impressive entry in the hip hop game, with an album as good as Eric B & Rakim, EPMD or LL Cool J releases of the time. Unfortunately, Special Ed gave almost everything he had in the guts with Youngest In Charge and never released anything else that much interesting. I have posted the 2009 CD reedition that comes with must-have bonuses: a handfull of very good remixes of I Got It Made, Think About It, I'm The Magnificent and Club Scene and two rare tracks, One In A Million and Ready 2 Attack.























Download => Special Ed - Youngest In Charge

Laura Villa - Bossa Nova (Polydor - 1962)

Recently rediscovered thanks to rare groove reissue label Vadim Music, this little gem is one of the first bossa nova record ever recorded in Paris. Born in Italy, Laura Villa discovered bossa nova during a stay in Portugal. Back in Paris and signed to Polydor, she recorded this bossa nova album with the help of members of the Brazilian diaspora in Paris. Made of covers of Brazilian, and most notably Jobim, classics (Desafinado, Chega De Saudade, Corcovado, Samba De Uma Nota So) and original songs, nicely and originaly orchestrated, Bossa Nova has absolutely nothing to do with a kitsch easy listening experience. It's rather the kind of music you expect to hear in the club scenes of a Jean-Pierre Melville movie.

Download => Laura Villa - Bossa Nova