New Grooves — CDs  

We've been digging the keyboard grooves of James Taylor for decades – and still, after all that time, he's one of the tightest, most soulful cats around! This sweet set takes Taylor back to the groove he was first hitting in the mid 90s – that blend of Hammond with funky 70s modes – somewhere in the late Prestige Records, or sublime Fantasy soul style – served up here by a core quartet, with added horns, flute, harmonica, and male vocals on a few tracks. Taylor's keys are wonderfully tight and soaring – very much in Hand Of The Inevitable territory, with a 70s Johnny Hammond vibe – and titles include "Loneliness", "Koko", "Song For My Dad", "Light Up Your Soul", "Woman", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", and "The Template".

Hard to believe that Gilles Peterson is up to the 6th volume of his excellent Bubblers series – and maybe even harder to believe that the music continues to be this great! You might think that Gilles P would run out of goodies by now – but no, the man with the golden ears proves once again why he's been one of the most important folks to turn us onto new sounds over the past 20 years! The vibe is nicely contemporary throughout – and even when artists are playing with classic references, they've got a way of turning them into something new – often with that 21st Century Soul vibe that Peterson first proclaimed in the 90s – finally come to fruition on releases like this. Titles include "No Clear Reason" by Gang Colours, "Finest Hour (Planas rmx)" by Submotion Orchestra, "Here On The Plains (iambic rmx)" by Half Seas Over, "Intervales Theme" by Javelin, "Reality & Fantasy (Gilles Peterson rmx)" by Raphael Gulazzi, and "Let's Do It Again" by Great Weekend.