Ian McCann

Features11 months ago

‘A Motown Christmas’ Album: The Most Soulful Seasonal Offering

A generous offering for the holidays, the ‘A Motown Christmas’ album includes seasonal classics from Stevie, Smokey, The Supremes, and Jackson 5.

Features11 months ago

‘A Very Special Season’: Celebrating The Holidays, Diana Ross Style

Revealing just how she feels about the holidays, ‘A Very Special Season’ is a heartfelt Christmas album from Motown legend Diana Ross.

Features11 months ago

Night Fever: Bee Gees And The Birth Of Disco

With the release of their soundtrack for ‘Saturday Night Fever’, in 1977, Bee Gees were at the birth of disco, pointing the way for others to follow.

Features11 months ago

‘Soul Limbo’: How Booker T And The MGs Set The Bar For 60s Funk’n’Soul

From over-easy grooves to gritty, energised instrumental funk, ‘Soul Limbo’ found Booker T And The MGs working at their peak.

Features11 months ago

‘Green Onions’: Stax Soul Food From Booker T & The MGs

Stax house band Booker T & The MGs were the rulers of instrumental soul, and they cooked up a soul food storm on ‘Green Onions,’ their debut album.

Features11 months ago

‘Soul Explosion’: A Dynamite Compilation From Stax Records

Stax’s motto for 1969 was 'getting it all together' – and they did, on ‘Soul Explosion,’ one of the great soul music compilations of all time.

Features11 months ago

Stax ’68: Easing A Nation’s Sorrows, One Song At A Time

As political unrest swept the world in 1968, Stax Records faced a tumultuous year saved only by the legendary label’s own soul power.

Features12 months ago

Millennial Motown: The Sound Of Young America In The 80s And 90s

With some of its icons still making hits, and a new breed of R&B star rising through the ranks, Motown continued to dominate the charts in the 80s and 90s.

Features12 months ago

‘Computer Games’: How George Clinton’s Solo Debut Played To Win

Brilliant and inventive, George Clinton’s debut solo album, ‘Computer Games’, was a funky return to form from the P-Funk mastermind.

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Features12 months ago

‘Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants’: Further Flowerings Of Genius

Both baffling and astounding, ‘Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants’ found Stevie Wonder branching out into soundtrack work for the first time.

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Features12 months ago

‘Death Certificate’: Why Ice Cube’s Second Album Is A Certified Classic

Uneasy listening on a mission, ‘Death Certificate’ shocked many at the time, with Ice Cube kicking ass musically, verbally, and politically.

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Features12 months ago

‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’: How Black Sheep Stood Out From The Herd

With ‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing,’ Black Sheep made a classic laced with satire and sarcastic, acrid wit.

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Features12 months ago

‘Frank’: Amy Winehouse’s Bold, Bittersweet And Unflinching Debut Album

In thrall to the jazz music she grew up with, Amy Winehouse’s debut album, ‘Frank’, found her at turns optimistic and wry.

Features1 year ago

‘Wattstax: The Living Word’: Bringing Soul Straight To Your Home

The soundtrack album to the 1972 festival, ‘Wattstax: The Living Word’ captured the power, heart and sense of unity and purpose behind the pioneering event.