Kent's Cellar of Soul 3 / Various

Kent's Cellar of Soul 3 / Various

26 mid-to-late 60s classic soul tracks, including several R&B hits and a few which made the Pop Hot 100 too. Most were released in the UK, including groovy little labels such as Action, Spark, Soul City, Direction, B&C and Pama.<p>The Show Stoppers' <i>What Can A Man Do</i> is the terrific flip to the frequently re-released <i>Ain't Nothing But A House Party</i>.<p>Gene Latter was born in Wales and his great 60s soul pastiche <i>Sign On The Dotted Line</i> was recorded in London. Cliff Nobles' <i>The Horse</i> is an instrumental with that indefinable something which made it stand out from the rest; there are probably legions of fans who never knew the song's name.<p>Bill Moss' funky <i>Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother</i> is a fine example of early rap and something of a period piece with its eulogising of OJ Simpson's football rather than courtroom skills. There's girly group soul from the Ikettes and Inspirations, funky stuff from Clarence Carter, Thelma Jones and Lowell Fulsom and soulful balladry from Carl Henderson, the Ad Libs and Bob & Earl.<p>The soul group roots of Northern Soul are demonstrated by the Platters, Esquires, Showmen and Volumes while Ruby Andrews and J.J. Barnes feature the subtler productions that were the foundation stones of the 70s modern soul scene.