A diverse selection of artists encompass the collection, from lascivious soul stirrer R. Kelly to the rugged Latin hip-hop of Fulanito, along with many other noteworthy diversions that represent the many flavors of contemporary urban soul. Most of the material focuses on John Shaft's street smarts and bravado, or the film's pimps, hoes, and gangsta imagery. As expected, Southern hip-hop is well represented, with Outkast, Mystikal, and Big Gipp from Goodie Mob contributing. The tracks offer typically gritty observations on street life, over bleak, minor chords and busy percussion. T.I.P. featuring Beanie Sigel offers "2 Glock 9's," one of the soundtrack's most rugged grooves, a minimal, stripped-down drum break that stutters and skids backwards and forwards over a Notorious BIG vocal sample and is easily the eeriest track on the album. The only light relief is provided by Too $hort's "Pimp Sh*t," a humorous foray into playa politics.

The title track's perennially recognizable hi-hat and wah-wah guitar intro, interlocking horn/string parts, and smooth, proto-rap verses conjure the name SHAFT as surely as a snake-charmer's incantation. It also conjures the name of Isaac Hayes--the songwriter, arranger, musician, and producer responsible for the p henomenally successful soundtrack to the landmark 1971 Blaxploitation film. Hayes's status as a key player in the Stax/Volt soul empire, and as a solo artist of considerable renown, went through the roof with this double-LP (now compiled on a 70-minute CD).

Despite its codification into our collective pop culture consciousness, Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" is a highly original composition. It's been remade by Hayes himself for the remade Shaft film, and appropriately kicks off this collection of tunes from the movie by some of R&B's New Jacks.


  Definitive Collection CD
  by Stevie Wonder
Our Price: $10.39 CD / $10.89 MP3
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Missing in action for much of the 1990s, Stevie Wonder is a living legend whose consistent creative output is sorely missed. THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION provides a snapshot overview of Wonder's stellar legacy starting back in 1963 as a teen musical prodigy with the exuberant "Fingertips Part 2." This jubilant tune, showcasing Wonder's much-touted facility on the chromatic harmonica, is a powerful harbinger of things to come. Along the way are classics that find this Michigan native going from being a one-man Motown hit machine to a young artist whose vision eschewed singles-based sensibilities for album-long artistic statements.

Wonder's '60s gems include "I Was Made to Love Her," "For Once in My Life," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours." Of course, his '70s work is just as stunning, particularly socially conscious numbers like "Higher Ground" and "Living for the City." Equally stellar if less political are this legend's tributes to Duke Ellington ("Sir Duke"), Bob Marley ("Master Blaster [Jammin']"), and Caribbean music in general ("Boogie on Reggae Woman"). THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION is an excellent primer for both die-hard fan and passing admirer of Stevie Wonder's genius.

Compact selection of great early hits from the former boy wonder of the keyboard and resident genius of Berry Gordy's Motown Records.


  Greatest Hits CD
  by Earth, Wind, And Fire
Our Price: $9.59 CD / $9.99 MP3
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Columbia's 1998 collection of Earth, Wind & Fire's Greatest Hits in many ways stands as the group's definitive compilation. Even though there have been more extensive overviews of the group's work, such as the triple-disc set The Eternal Dance, this is the first collection to contain all of the group's biggest hits on one disc. All but one ("Love Music") of the ten songs from 1978's The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire are included, while six of the ten songs from The Best Of, Vol. 2 are featured; the remaining two cuts on the 17-track collection are the minor early single "Kalimba Story" and the album cut "Gratitude." These are fine additions to the album, but the true meat of the collection lies in the hits -- "Shining Star," "That's the Way of the World,

All tracks have been digitally remastered.


  Purple Rain Soundtrack CD
  by Soundtrack
Our Price: $9.49 CD / $7.59 MP3
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A soundtrack to a movie so appalling that it is infinitely wiser to let the record stand on its own merits. While Prince cavorted in purple kitchen foil and rode his Harley in high heels, the real star of the film, the music, was doing all the talking. A knit of funk and rock, a heavily stylized Hendrix guitar lick here and there, and a wilfully danceable backbeat all made for a huge commercial smash, and the first real international introduction for many people to a star-in-waiting. 'Darling Nikki' accidentally set the PMRC ball rolling, but the heady lilt of the title track and the crushing 'When Doves Cry' can pardon him that.

CMJ (1/5/04, p.14) - Ranked #15 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1984" Vibe (12/99, p.162) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century

Prince & The Revolution: Prince (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Wendy Melvoin (vocals, guitar); Lisa Coleman, Matt "Dr." Fink (vocals, keyboards); Brown Mark (vocals, bass); Bobby Z (percussion).


  Lotusflow3r/ Mplsound/ Elixer CD
  by Prince
Our Price: $15.99 CD
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Prince has never shied away from ambitious projects, and 2009's LOTUSFLOW3R/MPLSOUND/ELIXER is just the latest in a long, illustrious string. The three-disc package builds on the variety evident throughout Prince's career, mixing up rock, funk, R&B, silky-smooth balladry, and left-field genre influences. The third disc, ELIXER, is devoted to Prince's protégé, Bria Valente, who performs Prince-penned songs in the light, female R&B tradition of Prince-sponsored acts like Vanity 6.

But fans will be most interested in the first two discs, which feature the man himself performing new material. LOTUSFLOW3R takes a page from psychedelic rock, and it's a pleasure to hear Prince bring his guitar to the fore and let his Hendrix-influenced playing loom large (right down to the distortion-drenched cover of "Crimson and Clover"). MPLSOUND finds the icon looking back to his funk-fueled earlier work, throwing in some falsetto ballads like "U're Gonna C Me." While the set doesn't prove as consistent as immediate predecessors such as 3121 and PLANET EARTH, it still delivers a monstrous amount of Prince for the price.Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "On LOTUSFLOW3R, Prince has a specific mission: showcasing his long-underrated guitar playing....The music kicks into high gear when Prince starts soloing, delivering one epic face melter after another..."

Billboard (p.29) - "LOTUSFLOW3R has Prince channeling his Hendrix spirit guide on a cover of 'Crimson & Clover' shot through with riffs from 'Wild Thing'..."


  Jive Bunny - The Album CD
  by Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers
Our Price: $8.39 CD
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Live Recording

Editors: Andy Pickles; Rob Adlin; Dave Roarthy; Rick Stuart; Ian Morgan; Darren Ash; Martin Smith ; Les Hemstock.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Andy Pickles; Rob Adlin; Dave Roarthy; Rick Stuart; Ian Morgan; Darren Ash; Martin Smith ; Les Hemstock.

  Hot Buttered Soul CD
  by Isaac Hayes
Our Price: $9.65 CD / $5.94 MP3
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A staff songwriter with the legendary Stax label, Isaac Hayes, with partner David Porter, composed material for many of the company's artists, including Sam And Dave, Carla Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. Frustrated with this backroom role, he began recording in his own right, and with Hot Buttered Soul, redefined the notion of soul music. Although the tracks were lengthy, there was no sense of self-indulgence, each one evolving over sensual rhythms and taut arrangements. Hayes' vocal anticipated the 'rap' genre of Barry White and Millie Jackson without slipping into self-parody, lending an air of sophistication to a highly influential collection.

It's the third cover, Jimmy Webb's 'By The Time I Get to Phoenix,' that blows minds with its 9-minute spoken intro and superlatively heraldic horns."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.91) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[G]enuinely revolutionary, signalling a way in the way soul music was consumed -- no longer as the three-minute 45, but in album form."