Cultures Of Soul US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Having previously delivered two near-perfect compilations of gospel-powered disco (the essential Divine Disco volumes one and two), Greg Belson has now turned his attention to obscure gospel-soul and gospel-funk. As you'd expect, the standard is exceptionally high throughout, with Belson digging deep into his crates to present top-notch gems that will be all but unknown to all but the most hardcore gospel collectors. Highlights come thick and fast from start to finish, with our picks including the fiery, breakbeat-driven funk of the Wearland Singers' 'If You See Me Doing Wrong', the organ-heavy sweetness of Allen Gauff Jr & His Combo's 'I Don't Want To Be Alone' and the Gospel Ambassadors' sensational cover of gospel classic 'This Little Light of Mine'.

Review: Renowned record collector Greg Belson has dug even deeper on this superb follow-up to his essential 2016 gospel disco anthology, "Divine Disco". In truth, very few will recognize any of the included tracks, many of which originally appeared on private-press releases, but that's entirely the point: Belson has chosen to share some of his secret weapons with us and we're delighted. Amongst the many highlights you'll find the sparkling, synth-heavy '80s gospel soul of Calvin B. Rhone, the soaring and celebratory brilliance of Harrison Jones & The Voices Of Harmony, the low-down gospel disco-funk of the Johnson Family Gospel Singers and the Blaxploitation-era hustle of Paradise's "Keep The Fire". Also impressive is Steve Cobby's wonderfully swinging, floor-friendly tweak of Mr Jesse R McGuire's "Jesus Is On The Mainline".

Review: Trinidad's Wild Fire was a popular local group that formed in the 70s and disbanded in 1985. They amassed plenty of varied tunes after their name change from the Sparks, a name they had as far back as 1962. They were a house band at clubs like Disco Tracks and Upper Level so knew how to get a party going with their hot mix of Caribbean sounds, disco and funk. This Dance Hits album is a great collection of their more dance-friendly material. Some are slow burners like 'Check It Out' which brings racial issues to the fore and the more sunny funkers like 'The Rebels.'