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Review: The Staples' "Take This Love Of Mine" is a soulful trip through love's many different complexities but delivered with unmatched passion and sincerity. Mavis Staples' rich, emotive vocals effortlessly convey the meaning of the song's poignant lyrics and evoke a profound sense of longing and devotion. Backed by lush instrumentation and tight harmonies, the track showcases the group's musical prowess while offering up messages to which we can all relate. Add in the irresistible groove and heartfelt delivery of flipside cut 'Precious, Precious', and this is a powerful 7" from The Staples' that fuses the best of soul and gospel music

Review: "You've never really lived" is usually the kind of thing one might hear in a school playground, but Frederick Knight meant it to lament a close love interest's lack of ever having fallen in love. "Do you know how it feels to fall in love?" trills the Alabama soul great's distinctively high vocals, as a complex yet lulling backing beat sends us bowling straight down the love train's tracks. Fun fact: these tracks are never-heard-before rarities, preceding the artist's biggest run of commercial success in the mid 1970s. The B, as well, is a highly sampleable and minimal synth-soul affair, with honest sonics and sad themes to boot.

Review: The goddaughter of Pharoah Sanders, Adriana Evans is a mid 90s soul artist who emerged with a throwback sound. Rather than leaning on the synths and drum machines of the post-disco era she looked to the golden instrumental years. Her debut album in 1996 is a real classic and is the source of the two gorgeous tunes here. 'Looking For Your Love' is a lush, mid-tempo tune with crisp drums and exquisite horns and chords making for a golden vibe. On the reverse is the equally great 'I'll Be There', which is a laced with plaintive piano and flutes that are airy and emotive.

Review: Sam Diss has a buttery voice that immediately melts the heart. His tunes on the likes of Outta Sight and Kent Dance and albums on Pure Pleasure always sell out. This 7" single was written by the man himself and is one of his many majestic cuts from a career that started in the late 60s and found him recording for the next 30 odd years. An original will be hard to find and probably too costly if you do so grab this limited edition 7" and prepare to get smoochy as soon as you drop the needle on the record.

Review: This fine new double-sided soul release from Soul4Real features two legendary producers and one legendary singer. When Dionne Warwick joined Warner Brothers in 1972 it brought an end to her work with Bacharach and David and saw her hook up with new soul producers of the era such as Holland/Dozier/Holland, Jerry Ragovoy and Thom Bell. The ensuing collabs are some of the best in her career and include two incredible mid-70s tracks that feature here. This essential 45 was unheard for almost 40 years but then made it to CD in 2003 and now vinyl. Essential stuff.