Another amazing soul set from the Numero peeps, this time in the form of a 50-track double CD chronicling the little-known Tragar and Note labels out of Atlanta. Ranging from Modern/Northern soul dancers to deep Southern sounds and nice helping of good ol' R&B, this volume of Eccentric Soul manages to cover almost the entire spectrum of black music at the time (1968-77). Such a massive buffet of treats, you won't know where to start!

Numero's well-regarded Eccentric Soul series of releases -- which celebrate labels that barely operated as such -- turns its focus to the Atlanta-based imprints headed by Jesse Jones Jr. Jones was a well regarded and seasoned music business veteran who had unsuccessfully tried to run a couple of labels in LA in the early '60s before setting up shop in Georgia. The "Tragar sound" at its best was an interesting mix of Motown-styled soul-pop and the clean-bottom, heavy rave-up funk of Wexler-produced Atlantic sides. Tracks such as Bill Wright's "You Put a Spell on Me" and "I'll Be There" by Franciene Thomas are great examples of that sound. Both are sweaty, soul steppers that could've easily have been hits of that era. There's also a great selection of gritty, soul ballads in the tradition of Otis Redding like Richard Cook's "Love Is So Mean." But the real jewels in this collection are the ones from teenaged vocalist Eula Cooper, who sounds like a bit like Carla Thomas and the raw, Wilson Pickett-esque stylings of Richard Cook. This is the most solid offering from this series in a while and, with fifty-plus tracks, there are more than enough helpings of sweet soul to satisfy your cravings for a long time. [DH] (September 5, 2008)