Classic '70s-style funk enjoyed a massive resurgence in popularity during the '90s, not only providing the basis for the vast majority of hip-hop recorded during the decade, but also becoming a party music of choice on college campuses otherwise dominated by politically correct alternative rock; moreover, funky jazz acts like Medeski, Martin & Wood moved into the good graces of neo-hippie, jam-band audiences, and even most alternative metal bands bore some semblance of the music's stamp, thanks to predominantly rock-oriented acts like Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So it's somewhat surprising, even with the advent of sampling technology, that a full-scale funk revival movement, centered around old-school bands who played live instruments, never quite took shape. Thankfully, the New York-based Desco Records, founded by Philippe Lehman and Gabriel Roth, moved in to fill that vacuum in 1997, releasing a series of 45 rpm records devoted to funk of every flavor. The company moved into the CD market in 1998, and anyone who missed out on those vinyl issues can easily catch up with Spike's Choice: The Desco Funk 45 Collection, which collects the A and B sides of the company's first 12 singles. The dominant influence here is James Brown, both in the straight-ahead, late-'60s-style funk of singers like Sharon Jones, Joseph Henry, and the masterful Lee Fields, and the J.B.'s-derived instrumentals by the Other Side and the label's house band, the Soul Providers. Elsewhere, the groundbreaking Ravi Harris and the Prophets deliver a trancey, sitar-driven variation on the sound, and the Sugarman Three proffer a greasy brand of soul-jazz boogaloo reminiscent of artists like Lou Donaldson. It's all performed live, and it all sounds astoundingly authentic and organic, which makes this already enjoyable music even more infectious. Whether the singles collected on Spike's Choice prove to be the start of something big or not, they stand on their own as some of the funkiest of the decade. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide