Here are my top Soul and R&B music related CD’s for 2008.  They have been broken down by the following categories.  Top individual or group, top various artists and honorable mention.  My choices are in no particular order and the label is listed in parenthesis.

       Top Individual Or Group CD’s:

1. Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves – Roll With You (Q Division)
2. Wiley & The Checkmates – We Call It Soul (Rabbit Factory)
3. James Hunter – The Hard Way (Hear Music)
4. Sam Baker – I Believe In You (Soulscape U.K.)
5. Linda Hopkins – Rock And Roll Blues (Shout U.K.)
6. Otis Redding – Live In London And Paris (Stax/Concord)
7. Jimmy Hughes – The Best Of (Fame)
8. Ella Washington – He Called Me Baby (Soulscape U.K.)
9. Mitty Collier – Shades Of: The Chess Singles 1961-1968 (Kent U.K.)
10. The Flirtations – Sounds Like The Flirtations (RPM/Retro U.K.)
11. Linda Hayes – Atomic Baby (Shout U.K.)

Top Various Artist CDs:

1. Blame It On The Dogg: The Swamp Dogg Anthology 1968-1978 (Kent U.K.)
2. The Bert Berns Story: Twist And Shout Volume 1 1960-1964 (Ace U.K.)
3. The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is On My Side 1953-2003 (Ace U.K.)
4. New Breed R&B With Added Popcorn (Kent U.K.)
5. Carolina Funk: First In Funk (Jazzman/Now Again)
6. More Dirty Laundry: The Soul Of Black Country (Trikont Germany)
7. Memphis 70 (BGP U.K.)
8. Play The Game: The XL And Sounds Of Memphis Recordings Vol. 2 (Kent U.K.)
9. The Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill Vol. 2 (Rabbit Factory)
10. On With The Jive: 1950’s R&B From Dolphins Of Hollywood Vol. 1 (Ace U.K.)
11. In The Naked City (Kent U.K.)

Honorable Mention CDs:  

1. Little Willie John – Nineteen Sixty-Six: The David Axelrod and H.B. Barnum Sessions (Kent U.K.)
2. Various Artists - Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story 1961-1977 (Kent U.K.)

    Note:  I have not yet heard the CD’s in the honorable mention category. However, I
    feel they belong on any best of Soul and R&B list for the year.

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