Various

The idea of digging for absolutely ridiculous rare funk records and compiling them for us inferior music fans is basically a concept that will never get tiresome. The proof is in the pudding when you hear the unearthed soul explosions that were taking place in various regions of the world, and in this case Luv N’ Haight has zoned in on Michigan. These were the cats that didn’t get sucked up by the Motown hit machine, staying underground and producing these dirty numbers with their own means and, in the Detroit Sex Machine’s case, their father’s instruments. Searching for Soul not only deals with the prime funk era of the late ’60s and early ’70s but it also brings us up to speed on the Detroit sound when disco rolled into town; so we get some polished dance numbers courtesy of Aged in Harmony and Wendell Harrison, but thankfully it’s still quality even if it’s not as raw as the others. It’s always a shame when these pioneers of music get lost in the dust of those who blew up, but thankfully due to a new generation of break-thirsty young record label owners out there the voice of Dee Edwards and the hook and swing of the Soul Searchers will not be forgotten.