For a label so focused on the here-and-now potential for contemporary jazz and improvised music, it might seem a little counterintuitive for International Anthem to put out a Numero Group-style archival excavation of a beloved cult artist’s home recordings from half a century ago. But when the cult artist is Charles Stepney, the transformative Chicago-rooted producer/arranger/songwriter who helped shape the sounds of psychedelic-soul greats like Rotary Connection and Earth, Wind & Fire, that’s an exception to be thankful for. Beyond the novelty of hearing future iconic hits in nascent 4-track one-man overdub mode — the demo for EWFs “That’s the Way of the World” and its synth-burble/drum machine atmosphere makes for a remarkable surprise — these stripped-down yet lively keyboard-heavy recordings let you clearly hear the worldly, Stevie-rivaling melodic sensibilities that underpinned the more baroque and orchestral arrangements in his studio work. It’s tempting to imagine and wish for a world in which previously-unnamed instrumentals like the summery-yet-wistful “No Credit for This” or the prog-soul euphoria of “Funky Sci Fi” found their culmination in a fully finished studio project, but even in prototype form the optimistic uplift of Stepney’s compositions is more than enough to carry the music. And what Step on Step lacks in lyrics and vocals — or at least the vocals of greats like Minnie Riperton or Maurice White — is easily made up for by getting to hear his daughters reminisce over how the music made by their gone-too-young father played such an important role in their lives.