Disco Discharge: Disco Ladies (Deluxe Edition)

A disco compilation spotlighting female vocalists seems almost as silly as a collection of Al Green love songs -- no one is bound to read the title of this compilation and think, with relief, “It’s about time!” -- but Disco Discharge: Disco Ladies offers too enjoyable a mix of established disco classics and cult favorites to let that issue get in the way. Released alongside the Classic Disco, Euro Disco, and Gay Disco & Hi NRG volumes of the Disco Discharge series, the Harmless label pulls up 22 additional club singles spanning the mid-‘70s through the early ‘80s. Most of the selections would make just as much sense on the other double-disc Disco Discharge comps, as is the case with two relatively unassuming productions from Euro-disco architect Giorgio Moroder, Suzi Lane’s “Harmony” and Janis Ian’s “Fly Too High,” the latter a highlight of the Foxes soundtrack (present here in its lengthier 12” version). Even if you’ve snapped up dozens of disco compilations since the early ‘90s, there shouldn’t be too much overlap, with Andrea True Connection's “More, More, More” as the only truly comped-to-death inclusion here. Plenty of ‘80s gems here, including Suzy-Q's “Get on Up,” Vicky "D"'s “This Beat Is Mine,” and the Shep Pettibone mix of Phyllis Nelson's “I Like You.” ~ Andy Kellman