Today, we're taking a look at three recent releases from Big Break Records that you just might have missed!
Spyder Turner may be best remembered today for a novelty single.  His 1967 reworking of Ben E. King's classic "Stand by Me" found him channeling his inner Rich Little or Sammy Davis, Jr. to impersonate such famous voices as James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Smokey Robinson.  Love it or loathe it, Turner's "Stand by Me" made it all the way to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.  But the West Virginia native and Detroit local was a more than capable soul man in his own voice.  This is more than clear on BBR's anthology Is It Love You're After: The Whitfield Records Years (1978-1980).  After a decade in which he largely eschewed the recording studio in favor of live performances, Turner was signed by Motown album Norman Whitfield to his new Whitfield Records label.  He recorded two LPs there, both of which are included in full on this new collection.

Though Turner had proved himself as a songwriter to Whitfield with "Do Your Dance," proffered by the producer to his hot new act Rose Royce, Whitfield preferred to use Turner's 1978 label debut as a proving ground for songwriters signed to him.  Love Web was penned almost entirely by Miles Gregory (four tracks) and Rochelle Runnells (three tracks), with one song allotted to Spyder.  Featuring strong arrangements by David Blumberg and Gene Page, Love Web touched on disco, funk, and straight-ahead soul with a blend of ballads and uptempo numbers befitting the versatile singer who could so comfortably channel the voices of so many greats.  Turner got his chance to write his own material on the album's 1980 follow-up, Only Love, which also featured a cover of Whitfield's "Sunshine" (also recorded by The Undisputed Truth) and "You're So Fine," a Turner/Whitfield co-write.  Turner took the production reins on Only Love himself, earning a co-producer credit with the label head, and Gene Page returned to add luster with his lavish string and horn charts.   A strong Philly soul influence brings a new flavor to Only Love, as well.  Any fan of classic soul or Motown will find this a worthwhile addition to the shelf.

Spyder Turner tells his own story, ripe with fun and fascinating anecdotes about his relationship with the mercurial Whitfield, in Stephen "SPAZ" Schnee's liner notes which fill the 12-page booklet.  Reissue producer Wayne A. Dickson and Nick Robbins are responsible for the sound.

BBR then turns the clock forward to the nineties - in particular, to 1995, for a deluxe 2-CD expanded edition of Randy Crawford's Naked and True.  Since bursting onto the scene singing with the likes of George Benson and Cannonball Adderley, Crawford has kept one foot in the realm of vocal jazz and one in R&B.  She made her solo debut for Warner Bros. in 1976 with Everything Must Change, tackling not only Benard Ighner's famous title track but also songs by an eclectic group of writers from Neil Sedaka to The Beatles.  A guest appearance on The Crusaders' 1979 "Street Life" brought Crawford further fame, especially in Europe.  A top 40 Pop/top 20 R&B entry in the U.S., "Street Life" climbed to No. 5 in the U.K. and the top ten in Norway and Sweden.  It also set the stage for a pattern of greater commercial success in Europe than in her native United States that continued throughout the 1980s.  She was still riding high when the next decade rolled around, topping the Norwegian chart with 1992's Through the Eyes of Love. Though Don't Say It's Over (1993) marked the end of her 17-year tenure at Warner Bros., she re-signed with the label's German affiliate for Naked and True.

The album, crafted with Crawford by producer Rolf Droesemeyer, was influenced by the popular U.K. acid jazz movement, which rekindled the seventies crossover fusion of jazz with R&B styles such as funk, dance, and pure soul. Droesemeyer brought Crawford's smooth, malleable and clarion voice to sessions featuring both German pros and Americans Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell of P-Funk as well as Fred Wesley of The J.B.'s.  The tunestack was richly diverse, befitting the melding of styles.  Crawford brought ebullience to a revival of her friend George Benson's hit "Give Me the Night," slowed down Prince's "Purple Rain" to ballad form, added a smoky touch to The Spinners' Thom Bell-penned "I'll Be Around," and shimmered on Stevie Wonder's "Joy Inside My Tears."  She even tackled a jazz standard with an upbeat yet still laid-back, flute-adorned take on "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," following in the footsteps of Esther Phillips' R&B/disco treatment of decades earlier.  The rhythmic grooves and jazz-based instrumentation lent Crawford's reinterpretations a fresh feel that was both respectful of the originals and wholly different.  The album hit big in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, and Germany, and even became a top five Jazz record in the United States as well as spinning off three charting singles.

BBR's splendid deluxe edition poises Naked and True as a hidden treasure waiting for a new generation to discover - a tribute to classic songs performed by an indelible, soulful voice.  Fourteen bonus tracks have been appended, primarily collecting up the various remixes of U.S. singles "Forget Me Nots," "Give Me the Night," and "Cajun Moon."  Two mixes of "I'll Be Around" are also included, as well as the instrumental version of "The Glow of Love."  It's all packaged in a double Super Jewel Box also containing Christian John Wikane's fine liner notes (featuring quotes from Crawford and Droesemeyer).  Wayne A. Dickson and Donald Cleveland have seen to the strong sound quality.  Call it acid jazz, call it R&B, call it smooth jazz, call it adult contemporary, call it soul...Naked and True defies easy labeling, but remains a compelling effort from a top-tier vocal artist.

Lastly, Big Break's got soul - Detroit soul, that is!  Sunshine: The Enchantment Anthology 1975-1984 shines a spotlight on one of that city's most underrated vocal groups.  The roots of Enchantment date as far back as the mid-1960s, but the quintet really didn't take off for another decade, beginning with 1975's self-titled album on the Roadshow label.  Introducing the hit singles "Gloria" and "Sunshine," it set Enchantment on a musical path that's still being traveled today.

Sunshine: The Enchantment Anthology features 32 tracks on two discs, drawn from the group's six albums released between 1975 and 1984 for Roadshow, RCA, and Columbia Records, as well as a rare, pre-Roadshow single on Polydor and selected 12-inch mixes.  Songwriter-producer Michael Stokes (with credits including Bill Withers and Creative Source) became closely associated with the group, co-writing "Gloria," "Sunshine," and many more with lead singer Emanuel "E.J." Johnson.  Sunshine showcases the group's strengths at both lush ballads and dancefloor grooves, arranged by such talents as Johnny Allen (a Motown and Stax veteran), Don Davis, and Tom Tom 84.  Davis, who also boasted credits at both of those powerhouse labels, took over from Stokes as producer as of Enchantment's 1980 RCA/Roadshow debut, Soft Lights, Sweet Music.  Although William Anderson and Raymond Reid helmed 1982's Columbia effort Enchanted Lady, Stokes was back for 1983's Utopia.

As always with the label's stellar series of anthologies, Sunshine paints a picture of the group that's both broad and detailed.  Malcolm McKenzie has provided the new liner notes, and compilation producer Wayne A. Dickson and Nick Robbins are jointly responsible for the fine sound quality.  This is one collection that lives up to its enchanting pedigree.

All three of these BBR titles are available now at the links below!  Watch this space for a review soon of BBR's latest: For Those Who Like to Groove - The Essential Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio!

Spyder Turner, Is It Love You're After: The Whitfield Records Years (1978-1980) (Big Break/Cherry Red WCDBBRX0370, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Get Down
2. Is It Love You're After
3. I've Changed
4. Stop
5. I've Been Waitin'
6. Tomorrow's Only Yesterday
7. You Never Had This Before
8. Reincarnation
9. God Bless (The Lady on the Radio)
10. Sunshine
11. I Just Can't Stop Loving You
12. Only Love
13. Let's Rock (Until We're Satisfied)
14. There's No Love (Without You)
15. You Can Always Count on Me
16. You're So Fine

Tracks 1-8 from Music Web, Whitfield WHK 3124, 1978
Tracks 9-16 from Only Love, Whitfield WHK 3397, 1980

Randy Crawford, Naked and True: Deluxe Edition (WEA 0630 10961-2, 1995 - reissued Big Break/Cherry Red WCDBBRD0280, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Cajun Moon
2. Give Me the Night
3. The Glow of Love
4. Purple Rain
5. Forget Me Nots
6. I'll Be Around
7. Joy Inside My Tears
8. Come Into My Life
9. What a Diff'rence a Day Makes
10. Holding Back the Years
11. All the King's Horses
12. The Glow of Love (Instrumental Version) (Bonus Track)

CD 2

1. Give Me the Night (Chill Night Mix)
2. Cajun Moon (Long Trip Mix)
3. Forget Me Nots (Delaney's Mix)
4. I'll Be Around (Surprise Mix)
5. Give Me the Night (Mousse T's Old Skool Mix)
6. Cajun Moon (Cajun-Trip-Club Version)
7. Forget Me Nots (Femi Fem Rotation Mix)
8. I'll Be Around (Extended Club Version)
9. Give Me the Night (Mousse T's Classic Club Mix)
10. Cajun Moon (Bluemoon Mix)
11. Forget Me Nots (Radio Mix)
12. Give Me the Night (Radio Mix)
13. Cajun Moon (Radio Mix)

Enchantment, Sunshine: Anthology (1975-1984) (Big Break/Cherry Red CDBBRD0371, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Call on Me (From "Deliver Us from Evil")
2. Come On and Ride
3. Hold On
4. Gloria
5. Sunshine
6. Dance to the Music
7. Thank You Girl for Loving Me
8. It's You That I Need
9. If You're Ready (Here It Comes)
10. Trying to Get Over (With You)
11. Angel in My Life
12. Silly Love Song
13. Anyway You Want It
14. Where Do We Go From Here
15. Oasis of Love
16. Forever More
17. Magnetic Feel

CD 2

1. Settin' It Out (12" Version)
2. Moment of Weakness
3. I Can't Be the One
4. I Believe in You
5. You and Me
6. I Know Your Hot Spot (12" Version)
7. Only You
8. I Can't Forget You
9. Enchanted Lady
10. Toe Jammin'
11. Here's Your Chance (12" Version)
12. Don't Fight the Feeling
13. Love Struck
14. I'm Dreaming
15. Somebody's Loving You

CD 1, Track 1 from Polydor PD 14287, 1975
CD 1, Tracks 2-7 from Enchantment, Roadshow UA-LA682-G, 1976
CD 1, Tracks 8-12 from Once Upon a Dream, Roadshow RS-LA811-G, 1977
CD 1, Tracks 13-17 from Journey to the Land of Enchantment, Roadshow BXL13269, 1979
CD 2, Track 1 from RCA/Roadshow 12-inch single PD-11213, 1980
CD 2, Tracks 2-5 from Soft Lights, Sweet Music, RCA/Roadshow AFL1-3824, 1980
CD 2, Track 6 from Columbia 12-inch single 44-03081, 1982
CD 2, Tracks 7-10 from Enchanted Lady, Columbia FC 38024, 1982
CD 2, Track 11 from Columbia 12-inch single 44-04171, 1983
CD 2, Tracks 12-15 from Utopia, Columbia FC 35859, 1983