Leroy Burgess Anthology Volume 1: The Voice

This excellent comp gathers some of singer, producer, songwriter and instrumentalist Leroy Burgess’ most well loved vocal performances from a few of his many various guises into one convenient, accessible and highly listenable package. All the music here is genre-defining, prescient, and influential: the three Logg tracks for example, demonstrate Burgess rediscovering the funk in the post-disco period, moving the rhythmic emphasis from the 4/4 disco stomp to the 2 step groove of boogie, and the four tracks from Burgess with the Aleem twins show the move to electro funk and to the purely synthesised beats of early house music. But more than that, this collection is also just the most glorious and euphoric listen, where a soaring pre-chorus, exemplar rhythm track, or uplifting chord turnaround is never far away. A great intro to the man’s catalogue.