Nothing says “hot diggity, thats doggone good” like the Muscle Shoals and Stax sound that poured out of those studios back in the day. Nothing except Neal Hemphill and The Sound Of Birmingham, that is. The follow up to a previous compilation of vintage soul from Neal Hemphill’s Sound of Birmingham and Hemphill Studios, these ditties are the result of 20 years worth of music from Bessemer, Alabama.

Neal Hemphill WAS grassroots American Idol, no joke. He would allow anyone and everyone to come into his studios and play, and if they were better than the next guy, they could come back by way of a personal invitation from the man himself. Out of those studios came the likes of Frederick Knight, who would later write one of disco’s most memorable: “Ring My Bell,” and Roscoe Robinson.

The album, officially titled The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill Vol. 2 , boasts the return of artists like Ralph “Soul” Jackson and David Sea, new soul greats Bobby Dobyne, Cortez Greer and Sam Frazier, and more!

As if the new release wasn’t enough to grovel over, the Rabbit Factory Southern Soul Revue is returning to NYC with Ronnie Spector for a show at JellyNYC McCarren Park Pool Parties July 6th at 2 PM and is very easy on the wallet–FREE.

So, check out this sweet pile of soul out on Rabbit Factory, or even live if you so prefer, and see if you’re still missing ol’ Alabamy–all y’all gotta do is wait until July 7th!

Poster after the jump!