Customer Reviews

Searching for Soul: Rare & Classic Soul Funk

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True funkateers know that in terms of funk there was far more to Michigan than Motown...

- - take for example the greatest greasiest and grittiest funk label WESTBOUND.

This compilation features select gems, obscure as they are, that would make any hardcore funk fanatic or DJ wet himself... If you liked COLD HEAT and the FUNKY 16 CORNERS compilation, you may very well like this even more(!) - - (There's also an OOP collection of rare WESTBOUND tracks out too!)

As for the tracks on this album... the range from gritty psychadelic black rock, to Jazzy (yet oh so funky) instrumental jams... some of the tracks are funny too... (Alcohol especially.) My favorites however include the totally tripped out somewhat "Bodyheat"/Bowie's "Fame" influenced DO IT RIGHT by El Riot, drum break waiting to happen wa wa laiden "Farewell to Welfare", The JB like RAP IT TOGETHER... Jake Wade's "Seaching for Soul".... awwww heck, they're all good... and the drum beats on virtually every track are Meters NASTY! ("Searching for Soul" is particularly interesting... as with a lot of classic funk recordings, the groove is tight, but the tuning on some of the instruments are a little off... actually in the case of the bass player WAY off, however, it actually adds to the groove and grit of the track making it sound way way funkier than it would have if all the instruments had been tuned perfectly. Learn your lessons all you digital tuning device carrying mo'fo Berklee heads!)

If you like really hard funk, this compilation is definitely a much welcomed jewel in the ruff! Put simply, it is RUDY RAY MOORE funky... that's how funky it is...!

P.S. If you like this album, another good (but probably out of print) compilation is SON OF STAX... or also check out THE PROPOSITIONS or MAGNUM's REVOLVER.

I bought this from Amazon on the strength of the good reviews it got ... and I was not disappointed in the least. This is a very solid compilation of obscure soul tracks, even a couple with a nice funky-jazzy vibe. A definite keeper.

Real good audio document of rare soul and funk from the state of Michigan. Lots of good stuff here from Wendell Harrison, Tommy McGee, and Jake and the Soul Searchers. Most tracks survey the underground soul scene that existed along side of Motown during this era. Also includes artists from Grand Rapids and the metro Detroit area. Great variety of sounds: some jazzy, some gospel like, a little light disco flavor. Many will leave you wondering why some of these tracks were the lone releases for the creator artist. A must have for all the Soul Funk Brothers from Michigan, and a good pickup for any collector seeking rare and unique material.

This stuff is not soulful, jazzy stuff you find on other CDs that are called soul. This stuff is heavy funk. It is much closer to, say, Getting It Off, than anything else called soul. It's real good, too.