100% Dynamite (Ska, Soul, Rocksteady, Funk & Dub In Jamaica) - Various Artists

Advantages: Soulful, genuine, funky, rare
Disadvantages: None

...Subtitled “funk classics from sassy soul sisters” this album’s sentiment may have it’s heart in the right place, but it fails to describe the full picture here. These women are sexually, emotionally and vocally aggressive, leaving their men in no doubt as to who wears the trousers in their respective relationships. Each track here oozes raw sexuality, whether the role of the singer is that of a bored housewife (“Crumbs Off the Table”) or as sexual predator (“Your Thing Ain’t No Good Without My Thing”). The titles alone are sheer class. Culled from the dusty vaults of Warner Bros’ legendary, bottomless soul archives this is an album of twelve virtually unknown tracks from between 1968 and 1974 performed by fourteen virtually unknown artists (honourable exception: Gladys... Read review

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Advantages: Timeless classics; 50 tracks for £7
Disadvantages: Recording quality of older tracks

...brought out of receivership by Saga who concentrated more of albums rather than singles and consequently the 7" single under the Trojan banner was phased out. 30 of the 50 tracks on this album appear on CD for the first time given their previus rarity. This box-set is one of many themed sets currently on the market. Others include UK Singles, Dub, Instrumental, Reggae Sisters, Soulful Reggae, Reggae Brothers, Lovers, Ska and Calypso. There are many others coming onto the market. Trojan is enjoying something of an Indian summer with their reissuing of nearly every track from their vaults. I estimate there are around 30 of these themed box-sets on the market and occasionally songs from one set does overlap onto another, but with such a wealth of material available to the compilers, it does happen too much. ---WHAT DOES IT SOUND... Read review

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Advantages: Well compiled collection
Disadvantages: Not all best tracks included

...quite as well as others but whose contribution to Soul is an important one. Possibly Taylor’s adaptability for singing in various styles from Soul, Funk, R&B and later Disco precluded his ability to make any one style his own, nevertheless the tracks included here and his biggest hit "Who's Making Love?" show off his vocal ability and his easy singing style to perfection. It is a bit strange however that two other of his tracks "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) are missing. No Stax compilation would be complete without some tracks by a legend of Blues guitar Albert King. ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ the title track form the classic album of the same name in included on Disc 1 and it is a classic in every sense of the word being later covered by many other artist... Read review

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