Spent a while on the final Sunday of September inside Som Records, and grabbed a few nice ones…

1.  Johnny Lytle – The New Village Caller [Milestone Records]
Funky soul-jazz on the 1971 Soulful Rebel LP from vibist Johnny Lytle. The grooves are tight yet very funky, thanks to solid backing from Billy Nunn (organ), Ron Carter (bass), Jozell Carter (drums) and Ray Baretto (conga).

2.  Wynder K. Frog – Green Door [Island Records]
British Hammond B-3 whiz Wynder K. Frog tears it up on this mod rave-up from the rare British Blue-Eyed Soul comp. Faves Spencer Davis and Chris Farlowe, among others, round out the set.

3.  Boca45 – Boca’s Breakdown [Grand Central Records]
Boca45 is an easy favorite. His tracks always feature big fat funky drums. This b-side from the Take A Ride single on the now-defunct Grand Central label is killer.

4.  Curtis Mayfield – Future Shock [Curtom Records]
Classic funk-soul from the Back to the World LP, Mayfield’s follow-up to Superfly.

5.  Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators – Feelin’ Free [Timmion Records]
Rediscovered (as in: pulled it out of a box) this Finnish 45 from Nicole Willis recently. Tough northern soul sounds with a disco-funk twist for today’s dancefloors.