Stream US Vinyl & CDs

Review: American group The Creators are long time soul maestros who have had some of their best bits reissued by gold standard diggers Athens of the North and now it is Stream who offer up this new-old 45rpm. It features the heart rending and swopping soul sounds of 'I Can't Believe It's True (Where Did Our Love Go)' with its lavish instrumentals and slow, persuasive rhythms really leaving their. On the flip, you'll get treated to a mono version of 'I Can't Believe It's True (Where Did Our Love Go)' which is more raw.

Review: Dreamy, lo-fi souldance from Curtis Lee, a rare name in the world of soul and funk who released but one small on Canton, Ohio's Spade Records in 1979 - this now cutely-reissued single, 'Steppin'. Featuring the crooner doubling up with an uncredited female vocalist on a late-night boozy rendezvous, we're keen to learn a new meaning of the word "steppin'". 'Funkadize Me Please' is an equally charming and naive B-side, predictive of the stark minimality found in much UK soul.

Review: African American funk and soul group The Lowdown Band was made up of musicians from both the East and West coasts of the US. They rose to prominence in the 1980s across California and took inspiration from the proceeding decade's funk and soul. Their basslines were always groovy and their drums tight with plenty of catchy melodies and soaring horns. 'Music Is The Answer' was their biggest hit and it came in 1982 with the soulful vocals of lead singer Raul Gallegos. It claimed tot he top 20 of the US charts at the time and is a gorgeous cut to this day. Here it is reissued with another of their big ones, 'Somebody.'

Review: The Ritz Band are a shockingly obscure soul band from Charleston, West Virginia - once locally famous for their hosting of the local Ritz nightclub in the city. 'I Should Have Known' is the product of one of the few efforts by the establishment to release music of their own; with a constantly rotating roster of musicians, this iteration of the band hears Raye Smith on vocals - the rest has been lost to history. The tune is a sweet, hazy and soft restoration of the original 1985 gem.

Review: The Vee Gees began as 'The African Americans', but their name was later changed to 'The Versatile Gents' aka. The Vee Gees following a spate of creative differences over their original name. 'Talkin' was born from the breaksy sweet soul sound of the early '70s, which touched on the wall of emotive sound that pigeonholed the sound of rare groove. The song is devotional and improvisatory, spiffingly showing off Robert Evans' pitch-perfect dialogue with the thing upstairs.