Don't let anyone tell you that compiling a CD is difficult. It's a piece of cake. Honestly, all we do is select 14 tracks that we've featured on the radio show, assemble them into some sort of logical order, pop them on a CD, barcode it, shrink-wrap it and get it out of the door! That’s why I feel a bit of a fake when we release a new compilation and Soul Unsigned gets more praise than the artists featured on the CD. The people who really deserve the credit are those who produce such wonderful new music for us to listen to. And you'll find 14 fine examples of new soul music on this latest instalment in our "unsigned" series, which includes two familiar names (Dreemtime and The Black Style Mood), together with twelve Soul Unsigned débutantes. Before starting work on this latest compilation, I locked myself away in my office and listened to Volume 1, 2 and 3, back-to-back. Some people say that Volume 3 was our best so far. Others maintain that Volume 1 and/or Volume 2 were better. Personally, I think the overall production quality on the tracks on Volume 3 was higher than on its two predecessors, but I understand why some people prefer the "live" and "organic" feel on Volume 1 and Volume 2. So, with that in mind, I've tried to bring back the elements that people enjoyed in the first two volumes, but also maintain the lift in production standards that we saw on Volume 3. I'll leave you to decide whether I've succeeded in that goal...! Around the time that I started working on this compilation the names of Woody Cunningham and Teddy Pendergrass were added to the ever-growing list of departed soul artists, which of course also now includes Michael Jackson. I'm sure all the artists on this CD would admit that their music hasn’t quite reached the heights of those soul greats, but the world is a different place from the 70's and 80's, and the environment under which those artists were discovered, nurtured and promoted simply doesn't exist any more. Given the resources available to them these days, the quality of music being produced by today’s independent soul artists is incredible, especially when you consider that most of them work alone, on limited budgets and while continuing to hold down regular day jobs. Labels like Soul Unsigned, and compilations like this one, help to provide independent artists with a common voice. As well as raising awareness of their music, being included on a compilation also gives artists an impartial vote of confidence, and helps to add further credibility to their work. And you, the record buying public, do your bit too. By paying for your music, you’re ensuring that independent artists around the world can continue to provide us with a stream of new material to enjoy. I've been a fan of soul music since 1975. I love listening to oldies, but nothing quite compares to the thrill of hearing a brand new track for the first time. I couldn’t imagine a world without new music. And neither, I suspect, could you. Phil Driver