While the title suggests this compilation was created with DJs or hip-hop producers in mind, Sample My Funky Groove, Vol. 1 brings together 16 rare funk and soul tracks from the ’60s and ’70s that ought to please anyone with an appreciation of vintage R&B, and this is suitable for either dancing, listening, driving, or general keeping on. Kicking off with Lee Dorsey’s classic “Everything I Do Goh Be Funky (From Now On)” (with the Meters backing him up), this disc brings together nearly an hour of top-shelf funk-soul grooves, some from well-known acts (Dorsey, Robert Parker, Johnny Adams, and Brian Auger) and others from obscure performers best remembered by crate-diggers with sharp memories (Ironing Board Sam, the Backyard Heavies, and Moody Scott). But whether famous or unknown, everyone on Sample My Funky Groove steps up with some potent old-school funk, ranging from the slinky, laid-back sounds of Lee Dorsey to the tougher, furious rhythms of “How Do You Spell Love” from Bobby Patterson, and the folks who compiled this thankfully didn’t shy away from the socio-political messages of Moody Scott’s “(We Gotta) Bust Out of the Ghetto” and Afro-centric feel of “Black Water Gold” by African Music Machine. If Sample My Funky Groove, Vol. 1 really is the first part of a series, the folks at Great American Music can start letting us hear more from this series any time they’re ready — this is great stuff. – Mark Deming