Compilations of old soul material are often an iffy affair, tending toward repackaged, tired hits on the one hand and scratchy, obscure, sub-par attic finds on the other. It is tougher than it should be to find collections that balance unreleased or rare tracks with the thoughtfully glossy production that helped defined the musical era of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Thankfully, Sample My Funky Groove: Volume One does just that, bringing together heavyweights like funk progenitor Lee Dorsey and bluesman Johnny Adams (of 1969’s “Reconsider Me” fame) alongside relatively unknown but equally talented vocalists like Ironing Board Sam and Ted Taylor.

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We’ve got two new soulful releases on tap for you this week–the latest from New York’s Budos Band and the legendary Temptations.

The Budos Band - The Budos Band II

On their sophomore effort, the Budos Band’s music rolls by like the score to the credits of a long-forgotten Blaxploitation flick. Hardened, Shaft-worthy, cinematic funk explodes forth from this Staten Island group, their music a well-sealed time capsule or the soundtrack to lost scenes of kung-fu bedlam. It’s the sort of music Quentin Tarantino dreams about at night, a music supervisor’s wet dream: original compositions that feel utterly familiar, command an exceptional vibrancy, and set things off with blasts of blustering bombast.

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