Best Funk Soul
Released in 1984 on Warner Bros. Records, this is the sixth studio album by Prince. It served as the soundtrack to his film of the same name and was the first to officially feature his backing band, the Revolution. The record blends heavy rock guitars with synthesizer-driven funk and pop, featuring...
Stevie Wonder's 1972 album released on Tamla Records. The record marks a fully realized period of his creative independence, utilizing the TONTO modular synthesizer and Fender Rhodes to blend soul, funk, and rock elements. It features the number-one US Billboard Hot 100 single "Superstition," which...
Sly and the Family Stone's 1969 album released on Epic Records. The album consolidates the band's fusion of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelia, utilizing fuzz bass lines, horn charts, and dual lead vocals. It incorporates political messaging about racial harmony and social justice alongside upbeat da...
"Fulfillingness' First Finale" is a 1974 studio album by Stevie Wonder, released by Tamla/Motown Records. It served as a more intimate and reflective follow-up to his critically acclaimed 1973 album, "Innervisions." The album features contributions from musicians such as Paul Anka, Minnie Riperton,...
"That's the Way of the World" is a 1975 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released on Columbia Records. The album was originally conceived as the soundtrack to the Sig Shore film of the same name, which featured the band members themselves. Produced by Maurice White, the record blends funk, soul,...
"Music of My Mind" is a studio album by Stevie Wonder, released in March 1972 on Tamla/Motown Records. It was his debut under a renegotiated contract that granted him full creative control and ownership of his publishing. Co-produced with the electronic music pioneers Robert Margouleff and Malcolm C...
Released in 1973 on T-Neck Records, "3 + 3" marks a pivotal shift in The Isley Brothers' sound by integrating the younger generation of the band into the core lineup. This expanded lineup formally introduced guitarist Ernie Isley, whose playing added a pronounced rock and funk edge to their classic...
"All 'n All" is a studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1977 on Columbia Records. The record is distinguished by its incorporation of Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz fusion, and lush funk arrangements, building upon the band's established pop-soul sound. It features the heavily rotated hit single...
3 + 3 is a 1973 studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck label. Its title refers to the expansion of the established vocal trio with younger family members Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, and Chris Jasper, whose guitar, bass, and keyboards helped define the group's funk-rock sound. Th...
"Gratitude" is a live and studio double album by Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1975 on Columbia Records. The majority of the album was recorded during their tour, capturing the high energy of their live performances, and it is supplemented by a few new studio tracks. It includes the hit singles "S...
Go for Your Guns is a 1977 studio album by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck label. The record moves between hard funk, guitar-led rock, and romantic soul, with Ernie Isley's guitar, Marvin Isley's bass, and Chris Jasper's keyboards supporting the family's vocal group. It includes "The Pr...
Go for Your Guns is a 1977 album by The Isley Brothers on their T-Neck label. It reached number one on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number six on the Billboard 200. The album features the ballad "Voyage to Atlantis" and "Footsteps in the Dark," later sampled in the 1992 single "It Was a Good D...
The Heat Is On is a 1975 studio album by the Isley Brothers, released through the group's T-Neck label. Its first side emphasizes forceful funk and includes "Fight the Power," while its second side turns toward slower, romantic soul songs such as "For the Love of You." "Fight the Power" reached numb...
"The Heat Is On" is a studio album by the Isley Brothers, released in 1975 on their T-Neck Records label. The album features the expanded six-member lineup that integrated rock guitar and synthesizers into their funk foundation. It is anchored by the extended funk workout "Fight the Power," which re...
Lovesexy is a 1988 studio album by Prince, released after he withdrew the planned Black Album. Its songs combine funk, rock, gospel, pop, and dense electronic production while framing desire and spirituality as opposing but connected forces. The original CD edition presented the entire album as a si...
Open Our Eyes is a 1974 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire and an important early release in the group's development. It combines funk, soul, jazz-influenced arrangements, layered vocals, and spiritual themes, while featuring the horn-centered ensemble sound that became central to the band's identit...
Rags to Rufus is a 1974 studio album by the American funk band Rufus and the group's first album to prominently feature Chaka Khan's lead vocals. It includes "Tell Me Something Good," written by Stevie Wonder, and "You Got the Love," written by Khan and Ray Parker Jr. "Tell Me Something Good" became...
"Golden Time of Day" is the second studio album by the American R&B band Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, released in 1978 on Capitol Records. The album cemented the San Francisco-based group's reputation for combining smooth soul, funk, and jazz influences. Beverly wrote and produced the entire reco...
"Chaka" is the debut solo studio album by American funk and soul singer Chaka Khan, released in 1978 on Warner Bros. Records. Released while she was still the lead vocalist for the band Rufus, the album established Khan as a formidable solo artist. It features the hit single "I'm Every Woman," writt...
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" is a studio album by American singer James Brown, released in 1965 on King Records. The title track is widely recognized as a watershed moment in the development of funk music, noted for its sharp rhythmic focus and emphasis on the downbeat. The album assembles various s...
Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan is a 1975 studio album by the American funk and soul band Rufus, with Chaka Khan formally emphasized in the album credit. It combines rhythm-driven ensemble playing with Khan's lead vocals and includes "Sweet Thing," written by Khan and Tony Maiden, as well as "Dance Wit M...
Hotter than July is a 1980 studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, combining soul, funk, reggae, and pop. It includes "Master Blaster (Jammin')," "All I Do," and "Happy Birthday," which Wonder used to support the campaign for a United States federal holiday honoring...
Midnight Love is Marvin Gaye's seventeenth and final studio album, released by Columbia Records in 1982 after his departure from Motown. Recorded largely in Belgium, it uses synthesizers, electronic percussion, and layered vocals to create a streamlined early-1980s soul and funk sound. Its principal...
Rufusized is a 1974 studio album by the American funk and soul group Rufus, featuring lead vocalist Chaka Khan. Released after the breakthrough of Rags to Rufus, it combines prominent bass and keyboards, rock-influenced guitar, ensemble vocals, and Khan's powerful singing. The album includes "Once Y...
Bobby Womack's 1971 United Artists Records album blending gritty soul and R&B, recorded during his most prolific early-seventies period as a solo artist. Womack began his career as a gospel singer with the Womack Brothers before working as a guitarist for Sam Cooke in the early 1960s. Communication...
A 1974 funk-soul album by Chicago band Rufus featuring Chaka Khan on ABC Records, containing the R&B hit Once You Get Started. The band formed in Chicago in the early 1970s and had previously released their self-titled debut with Khan in 1973. Rufusized continued the band's blend of funk, soul, and...
Ask Rufus is a 1977 studio album by Rufus featuring lead vocalist Chaka Khan. Released by ABC Records, it presents the Chicago group's blend of funk, soul, rhythm and blues, and polished ensemble playing during its commercially established period. The record includes "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift...
Head to the Sky is a 1973 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire and the group's first release to enter the top forty of the Billboard 200. It captures an early phase of the ensemble's development, combining funk and soul with jazz-influenced instrumentation, layered percussion, and spiritual themes. Th...
Shotgun is the debut album by American funk and soul group Junior Walker & the All Stars, released in 1965 on the Motown subsidiary label Soul Records. The record captures the band's raw, energetic, and saxophone-driven instrumental style, which provided a grittier edge compared to Motown's polished...
Soul Searching is the fourth studio album by Average White Band, released in 1976. The Scottish group continues its blend of funk, soul, rhythm and blues, prominent bass lines, and tightly arranged horns, with vocals shared by members including Alan Gorrie and Hamish Stuart. The album is intended fo...
