MFSB - Deep Grooves (1999)

While the previous Love Is the Message: The Best of MFSB remains the best introduction to the genre-defining sound of the Philadelphia International label's ace house band, the aptly titled Deep Grooves is even more of a funk primer, plunging further into the thick, badass soul aesthetic that distinguished its era. Always a study in contrasts -- impeccably tight yet possessed of a loose-cannon edge, elegant and sophisticated yet down-and-dirty -- MFSB's music remains electrifying, boasting a timelessness that has eluded the work of many of their contemporaries; their instrumental renditions of classics like "Back Stabbers," "Family Affair," and "Freddie's Dead" expand on the funk potential of the originals, pushing the groove to cavernous new extremes. -- Jason Ankeny