Leroy Burgess - Leroy Burgess Anthology - Volume 1: The Voice (2002)

As house producer Ashley Beedle states in the liner notes, "If James Brown is the godfather of funk then surely Leroy Burgess deserves the same title for his badass disco boogie." No single disc could possibly put a full perspective on the career of Burgess, a writer, producer, instrumentalist, and vocalist who has been smack in front of some of the best disco and boogie to have inspired people to cut a rug or shed a tear in life-affirming joy. The title of this package, Anthology, Vol. 1: The Voice, thankfully gives the promise of further strides to put Burgess' deep discography back into circulation and to lasso rare gems from someone who operated as/with so many names that only die-hard fans were able to keep tabs on him throughout the better part of two decades. This focuses on his Logg project for Salsoul and his partnership with Taharqa and Tunde-Ra Aleem for the Aleems' Nia imprint, and it also includes the A-side of a proper solo single for Salsoul and a previously unreleased cut. The three Logg jams -- "You've Got That Something," "I Know You Will," "Dancing Into the Stars" -- are presented in their extended mixes and make for the highlights of these highlights. These co-productions between Burgess and Greg Carmichael continue to complement sunny Saturday afternoons and activate sweat-drenched dancefloors over 20 years after their committal to tape. Burgess' boundless energy is funneled through that expressive voice of his that goes straight to the heart ("expressive" in this case should be capitalized, italicized, and underscored). If there's any indication as to how deep Burgess' discography runs, this disc doesn't include two of his hottest, best-known cuts: Black Ivory's "Mainline" and Convertion's "Let's Do It." Bring on round two. Quick!