Every time a new one of these Eccentric Soul compilations lands on my plate for review, I always wish I had an extra week to really digest the thing before writing about it. There's always a slew of pictures to look at, tons of detailed liner notes to read up on, not to mention the always-obscure tracks on the CD itself to sift through. Well, everything I said goes double for this one, a massive 2CD set of rare tracks from Chicago's legendary Twinight label. As if Twinight weren't storied enough already, even more shady intrigue came into play when Numero was putting this treasure trove together: not only were some key players in the chain unable and/or unwilling to return calls related to the project, but the myths around the label had grown so large that a number of tracks appearing here were only RUMORED to exist! Insanity. As expected, the sounds here drift from lovely Motown-style ballads to straight up hard soul/funk, with the best tracks falling somewhere in between. These are the tunes that never made it to radio, never turned a big profit for Twinight, so expect to hear some shit you haven't heard before: The Notations' breezy "Lonely People(1)," Dynamic Tints & Pieces of Peace's slow-burning funkers "Be My Lady(2)" and "Pass It On(3)" and Annette Poindexter's charmingly stringy "Mama(4)." And that's just the first disc! On CD number two, check Kaldirons' "You & Me Baby(5)," Mist's "Life Walked Out(6)," Nate Evans' "Pardon My Innocent Heart(7)," Annette Poindexter & Pieces of Peace's "Wayward Dream(8)" and Harrison & The Majestic Kind's "Tearing Me Up Inside(9)." Like I said, a lot to sift through here, including 40 tracks from over 20 different artists, a 32-page booklet, pictures, etc. But you'll sure be happy when you get to the bottom. Highly recommended.

reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red