Customer Reviews

Aurra Anthology

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Aurra,the spin-off group of Slave,had a string of successful soul hits in the early 1980s. Consisting of former Slave members such as Starleana Young,Curt Jones,Tom Lockett & Steve Washington,Aurra combined the Signature Sound of Slave with a Twist of Aurra Flavor in the mix & made it their own Original,Unique Groove. This 2-disc set reveals the Musical Magic that was Aurra. It highlights nearly all of their career and captures the essence of Aurra's Smooth,Soul-Funk Style. Driven by the raw energy & Distinctive Soulful Vocals of Curt & Star,Aurra proved to be a Dynamic Force in the Soul & Funk Scene of the early 80s. The Stand-out Tracks on this Cd are Cool & Breezy Summertime Jams such as the Mind-Blowing Funk of Make Up Your Mind and the Smooth Grooves of Are You Single? & Checking You Out. Other tracks worth checking out are: Thinking of You,A Little Love,Positive,UnderCover Lover,& Baby Love. This Smoking Set also includes tracks from Aurra's first album released in January 1980,while Aurra's members were still in Slave like the Monster Funk of In The Mood To Groove & When I Come Home. As one might expect,these pulsating party cuts have a distinctly obvious Slave Sound in the vein of Slave Jams like Stellar Fungk & Stone Jam. They even feature many Slave Members like Floyd Miller & Mark Adams. You can instantly recognize those throbbing Bass Lines to be Mark Adams' Inimitable Style. Steve Arrington also makes an appearance with the inclucsion of his 12" Single,Summertime Lovin',backed by the Slave Lineup. Steve Washington's role in Aurra was also crucial since he now played multiple musical instruments such as Bass & Guitar. His Bass Style sounds very much like Mark Adams'. You can tell that he was heavily influenced by his Musicianship. Enuff Said. If you haven't gotten this Slammin' Collection yet,then you seriously need to buy this cuz it's an excellent addition to your Slave collection.

I disagree that there are just too many tracks. The stuff by Aurra is very hard to find these days unless you go looking for vinyl records (which I haven't...yet!). I'd rather see the precious music preserved digitally this way than see them go totally forgotten. The price is reasonable for such a huge 2-CD set as well.

To me, the charm of soul/funk music in this era is the fusion of sophisticated yet still warm-sounding synths and drum machines layered on top of funky, totally danceable beats. Oh, don't forget those beautifully catchy melodies that are so quintessential of 80s music! Aurra has it all --- that tight bass & guitar by Steve Washington, sultry vocal interplay of Starleana Young (man her voice is lovely) and Curt Jones --- totally addictive stuff for an 80s music buff! Guitar and bass cuts of Aurra are simply amazing. Unfortunately Aurra didn't last long as a group, and this compilation is mostly made of material done by Steve Washington in the early 80s. More modern, urban stuff from Young and Jones (e.g., as Deja) after their departure from Washington aren't in this album.

Stand-out tracks for me are: "Send Your Love," "Are You Single," "Checking You Out," "Nasty Disposition," "Keep on Doin' It," "Patience," and "Baby Love." I actually like most dance songs on this gem.

I highly recommend this album if you are looking for really cool old school grooves...this thing totally cheers you up.

Being a huge Slave fan, I loved Aurra. Stevie Washington (the fearless leader) demonstrated both his superior songwriting and ability to flat out play. (His bass work sounds alot like Mark Hicks') Starleana Young and Curt Jones provide the great vocals.

I was especially pleased to get 12-inch versions of "Are You Single?" and "Checking You Out". My only knock? This should have been a 1 CD set, but that's just knitpicking.

AURRA was Tight.An OFFSPRING OF SLAVE THE FUNK BAND OUT OF OHIO which has had many Great Bands come from their.Make Up Your Mind,Are You Single,etc.. are still the Jams.THE VOICES ARE Great&THE MUSIC still Grooves.

Aurra is one of my favorite groups, but this anthology should have been limited to one CD instead of two. There are clearly some tracks that do not represent the best that the group has to offer. Other than that mild complaint its a great package.

Aurra didn't really last too long in the 80's, especially since thier music was often confused with their mentors "Slave". But, that does not mean that they weren't good. Their harmonies and slammin' music stood the test of time. But, I totally agree with the "Music Fan", it should have focused on narrowing down the best songs to a single disc. But, I think i understand the focus. I believe since most of their music is not in print, the compilator tried to squeeze all they could from them on 2 cd's to please us for missing their music for so long. Otherwise, it's a decent set plus songs that were not very popular, and others that we would like to forget.

Unlike some who didn't approve of Aurra having released a 2 disc greatest hits Cd, I am pleased with both Cd's.
I am a big fan of Slave also. The vocals from songstress Starleana Young and her male counterpart Curt Jones brings back fond memories of the year 1981 when music to me was really Slammin!,they really harmonized good! together And according to my opinion no one or any female singer today sounds better than Starleana,to bad she didn't get the recognition she so richly deserves, Oh yeah! just mentioning Aurra puts a smile on my face.

I already own the "Best of Aurra" import disc (Paid $26/US) to get it. I enjoy it very much. This anthology, however is a better value for the money! Salsoul Records comes through once again with a 2-Disc set (the cover is different than shown, by the way). I paid $15/US for it.

Standout songs: Make up your mind, Are you single? (The BEST song in my opinion! Also, there is an informatinal error on the back of the disc. Are you single? is listed at 4:33. It's actually the 6:33 extended version!!), In the Groove, Keep On Doin' it and Patience. An excellent value for the money, $15/US well spent! Five stars!!

Excellent CD. The tunes are bumping from start to finish!

Aurra has a great sound and this compilation makes that clear but I don't understand how, in this 2 CD compilation, they could have left out 'HAPPY FEELING' and 'LIKE I LIKE IT'!