★Strongly Felt
Baby Huey Story
*2026 repress* This is the only solo album by American soul singer James "Baby Huey" Ramey. He died at the age of 26 while recording his solo debut, and the album was finished and released posthumously. A quarter century after its release, The Baby Huey Story went on to become a cult classic among soul musicians and fans. Its single "Hard Times" has been sampled many times by a lot of artists and was covered by John Legend and the Roots in 2010 for the album Wake Up!
Soul Makossa
Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango is a groundbreaking Afro-funk and jazz-fusion record that blends hypnotic African rhythms, funky basslines, soulful horns, and dance-oriented grooves with makossa, a traditional Cameroonian style. Centered around Dibango’s warm saxophone playing and infectious percussion, the album became hugely influential in the development of disco and world music, especially through the iconic title track “Soul Makossa”, whose famous vocal chant was later echoed by artists like M…
Investigation No.1
Originally released in the early 1970s, Investigation No. 1 by Carl Sherlock Holmes Investigation stands as an obscure but compelling chapter in the story of experimental jazz-funk. Blending the spiritual depth of jazz with the rhythmic pulse of funk and a distinctly Afrocentric consciousness, the album reflects a transformative period when musicians used groove and improvisation as tools for both artistic discovery and social expression.
Musically, Investigation No. 1 sits at the crossroads o…