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A beautiful second record from Abiah – warmly wonderful material that's as sensitive as a singer/songwriter set, yet also has a deep sense of soul as well! Vocals and piano are wonderfully intertwined – in a mode that has the depth of jazz, yet the focus of soul music as well –... read more

Do you need a dollar? You just might get one with this stellar and soulful single by Aloe Blacc – rawly produced, memorably composed, and one of the finer underground soul singles of 2010! "I Need A Dollar" may sound familiar – it's the theme song to How To Make It In... read more

Amalia's future soul full length debut for Tokyo Dawn! On Art Slave, Amalia does a pretty amazing job of showing off a broad range of inspiration, but delivering a record that's fresh and uniquely her own. She's one of more expressive contemporary soul vocalists on the international scene –... read more

An incredible debut – and the birth of a genre! India Arie burst upon the Neo Soul scene with this sweet little set a few years back – and her career's been burning up ever since! The set's got all the best elements of some of the best indie soul of recent years – sweet beats,... read more

A great second album from India Arie – sweet, smooth, soulful, and one we like even better than the first! The style is wonderful – a mix of warm vocals, spare production, and acoustic guitar – which gives the set a folksy quality that really offsets the smooth backings nicely. ... read more

The third album from Maya Azucena and here debut for the Half Note label – brilliant true soul from one of our favorite voice of the past decade – really at her best here! Maya may be drawing from a more diverse stylistic spectrum here – there's some classic brass backed soul... read more

Great stuff from Eryka Badu – sweet, mellow, soulful, and with a very righteous vibe! The record's got some impeccable production – and the best cuts have a stripped-down groove that mixes keyboards and vocals in a way that's similar to recent work by D'Angelo and Jill Scott. Eryka's... read more

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses... read more

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses... read more

The second chapter of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah – recorded for the most part, quite incredibly, during the same period and with the same collaborators as the mind-altering, murky and righteous hip hop funk experimentalism that was Part One – some months that must be among the most... read more

A great little tune from Erykah Badu – smooth, mellow, with a nice downtempo vibe, but still a warm finish that works perfectly with her voice! This is the kind of tune that made us all fall in love with her right away – and which still sounds great years later!... read more

Erykah and The Roots, what else do you need to know?... read more

A nice one from Badu – one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an... read more

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A sweet instrumental tribute to the 70s soul genius of Thom Bell – plus the Delfonics and Stylistics as well – served up with lots of mellow keyboards from the mighty Bob Baldwin! Given that Bob's got a firm lock on soulful sounds of the 21st Century, he's a great choice to revive the... read more

Maybe the greatest record we've ever heard from Beggar & Co – a set that sparkles strongly from a host of excellent guest work – not just from Incognito, but also from some key American musicians as well! The groove is tighter than ever – and very much in the 70s-inspired... read more

Tremendous work from Bilal – and further proof that his life on the indie side of the soul spectrum has been a very good thing! There's a crispness to the record that crackles right from the start – slight cosmic touches in the beats, but never too over the top – just enough to... read more

An excellent upbeat club number – sung in Japanese by the lovely Bird, and produced by Shinichi Osawa of Mondo Grosso. The track's probably one of our favorites from Bird's latest LP – and it's got these kick-start beats at the beginning that are mixed with burst of strings that sound... read more

No need for a leap of faith where Bluey's concerned – as we've been loving his music with Incognito for many many years, and we're more than happy to hear the man on his own! The vibe here is every bit as soulful and righteous as the best Incognito work – but there's also a more... read more

A long-overdue debut from Onita Boone – a singer who's worked in the background with many others, but who finally gets her time in the limelight! Onita's got a great way with a lyric – and most of the tunes on the set feature original words by the lady herself – deep and mature,... read more

Jesse Boykins on Nina Tune – a surprisingly great combination, and one that seems to give Jesse an even bolder sound than usual! The feel of the record is very much like before – a loose, homegrown set of grooves – sometimes funky, sometimes spacey – definitely aware of hip... read more

Wonderful grooves from trombonist Jeff Bradshaw – arguably one of the only artists to keep the Hidden Beach sound going this strongly over the years! The album's a double-length set – which means even more magic than usual from Jeff – still plenty of those sweet instrumental... read more

Brand New Heavies back in action – and sounding every bit as great as always! The group still has that sublime mix of soul, jazz, and funk that's made them so great right from the start – a mode that's steeped in classic influences from the 60s and 70s, yet finds a way to come out... read more

Early, early work from the Heavies, with their original singer Jay Ella Ruth, working a tight funky groove that's very much like a slicked up James Brown sound, rather than the poliched modern soul vibe they'd move towards later.... read more

US pressing, with 8 mixes, several by David Morales.... read more

Strongly emotional and slowly simmering craft from Ty Causey – a veteran of the midwestern smooth, jazzy soul scene – and his efforts are as strong as ever here! There's an easygoing confidence in Ty's approach that he's carried for a while – and that continues in full effect... read more

Ten years since his underground Headphone Masterpiece and Cody Chesnutt is finally back with a proper follow up – one that has a more fully-fleshed out production – and it’s pretty damn great! There's some striking differences in approach, but thankfully, the idiosyncratic... read more

Ten years since his underground Headphone Masterpiece and Cody Chesnutt is finally back with a proper follow up – one that has a more fully-fleshed out production – and it's pretty damn great! There's some striking differences in approach, but thankfully, the idiosyncratic creative... read more

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Modern live soul from Cooper – Live at Portland's Star Theater. Includes a cover of Aretha Franklin's "Baby I Love You".... read more

The long-overdue return of Coultrain – an artist we've been digging right from the start, when he dropped off a pile of handmade CDs as freebies to give away in our store! Since that time, Coultrain has emerged to become one of the freshest talents of the underground – through work... read more

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Sweet and gritty soul from D'Angelo – who takes a huge step into deeper territory on Voodoo – and it's one of the most monumental records of its time! On one level, Voodoo works as a nicely stripped-down session with a very classic soul feel. Gone are the overzealous flourishes that... read more

Anthony David's one of those cats that just keeps getting better and better – taking an already-great sound, and finding a way to dig deeper to the core with each new record – and serve things up with a freshness that always keeps us wanting more! This time around, Anthony's working... read more

Damn great work from Raheem DeVaughn – the full promise of his soulful sojourn in the underground mixtape scene! Raheem first got his start laying down vocals over beats and other folks' tracks on self-crafted CDs that changed hands covertly in the east coast scene – and that... read more

An infectious batch of soul tunes from Raheem DeVaughn – his long overdue debut for Jive Records! Raheem stands apart from many in the mainstream soul and neo soul, not because he wears his influences so proudly on his sleeve, but in the way he wears them. Raheem's soul style is born of... read more

Quite a chance for singer Dessy Di Lauro – but no surprise, either – given that Dessy's always been one of the more inventive talents of the underground! The set definitely takes its title seriously – and although served up in a contemporary soul style, the music sometimes echoes... read more

The best in years from Dwele – who honestly has yet to really make any kind of a creative misstep – and Greater Than One is one of his greatest records to date! Detroit singer and producer Dwele has long balanced a love for classic soul of the Donny Hathaway school with contemporary,... read more

Brilliant work from Adriana Evans – quite possibly her greatest record so far, and that's saying a lot, given how much we've loved everything she's done! There's a perfect, professional vibe to the whole set that's really amazing – soul music like soul music's supposed to be done... read more

A soul set from Spain – a really sweet debut from Veronica Ferreiro, a singer with depth to rival the best of the American underground! There's a surprisingly non-commercial feel to the music – nicely laidback production, and strong traces of jazz that really make the backings sparkle... read more

A great spacey groove! "Your Best Friend" has an airy, spaced-out sort of feel – one that almost reminds us of some of the best Cali soul in recent years – a bit abstract, but right on the money – and with the vocals flanged out wonderfully next to the beats! "Look... read more

The Floacist, sounding better than ever – in a record that may well top any of her previous work – and maybe even music by Floetry too! The set begins with a wonderful duet with Raheem Devaughn on the cut "Start Again" – a cut that feels like some lost treasure from the... read more

A warm, wonderful example of what would in a better world be a textbook example of hip hop soul! Floetry bring fellow Okayplayer headliner Common aboard for "Supastar" – featuring the gorgeous and, well, flowing Floetry vocals, a booming, rubbery rhyme by Common, and uncommonly... read more

An amazing new chapter in the career of Robert Glasper – one of our favorite new jazz musicians of the past decade or so! This set features loads of Glasper's enigmatic piano lines – those fluid, elliptical sounds that are always filled with plenty of soul and imagination –... read more

An amazing new chapter in the career of Robert Glasper – one of our favorite new jazz musicians of the past decade or so! This set features loads of Glasper's enigmatic piano lines – those fluid, elliptical sounds that are always filled with plenty of soul and imagination –... read more

Sweet remixes from Robert Glasper's Black Radio album – all of them tunes that sound even more soulful than the originals! Given that the core record itself was a bit of a "remix" – Glasper's keyboards, funky beats, and hip contributions from a range of soul singers –... read more

Sweet remixes from Robert Glasper's Black Radio album – all of them tunes that sound even more soulful than the originals! Given that the core record itself was a bit of a "remix" – Glasper's keyboards, funky beats, and hip contributions from a range of soul singers –... read more

Macy Gray's steps to a higher level on The Id – this is no "sophomore slump" to our ears – actually a helluva lot better than her big selling debut! As on her first set, Macy's vocals are wonderful – totally unique, with that warm raspy soulful style that makes her one... read more

Vivian's in the green room, and more than ready to step out on the stage – sounding tighter, smoother, and more confident than ever – easily one of the strongest leading lights in contemporary soul today! The set's got a nice sort of crackle right from the start – a crispness... read more

Man, it's been forever since we heard from Groove Stu – and during that time, they've really grown a lot! This excellent set is full of soul and charm right from the very first night – a very unique nu school harmony record – yet done without any chart cliches or some of the... read more

Live concert DVD plus bonus CD of never before-released recordings of "Comin From Where I'm From" and "Charlene".... read more

A 12 X 7" box set version of Mayer Hawthorne's breakout How Do You Do – with each track from the album paired with its own previously unreleased instrumental version – in individual photo sleeves that lay out as a full mosaic! The Mayer Hawthorne story was a strange one from the... read more

Mayer Hawthorne moves to the majors on How Do You Do – bringing that fun, neo classic bedroom soul sound he did so well on Stones Throw with him – pretty much picking up right where Strange Arrangement left off! The Mayer Hawthorne story was a strange one from the start – white... read more

A limited edition slice of goodness from Mayer Hawthorne – a live performance recorded for the Morning Becomes Eclectic program on KCRW in LA! The material's a nice addition to the studio Hawthorne we already love – and shows a new sort of warmth that comes through not just in the... read more

The full length debut of Mayer Hawthorne for Stones Throw – with both classic Motown and 60s & 70s Detroit indie soul influences, done the right way, and all of it wonderful and true to his heroes – after some promising early singles, we can now say emphatically that Mayer Hawthorne... read more

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The best set yet from Atlanta singer Heston – whose warm, emotive voice and timelessly crafted style has long put him in the upper tier of independent soul artists for the better part of decade leading up to this excellent album! The songs are are supremely catchy and brilliantly draw from... read more

James Hunter at the Daptone Studios – working here with Bosco Mann production, and a sound that's much rawer than before! James has always had one hell of a voice, but this time around he also gets a bit more bite in his music too – a funky undercurrent that's more late 60s soul than... read more

Soulful, not surreal – a sublime set of sounds from Incognito – one of the few groups who could ever stay this great for so long! The record's overflowing with everything we love about Incognito – that warm blend of soul, jazz, and funk – trained in the best 70s elements at... read more

A brilliant second set from Jose James – and that's saying a lot, given that his debut was already a classic in our book! The sound here is a little more full, and a little more confident – a magical blend of James' raspy vocals with some jazz and funk-inflected rhythms – never... read more

A great new chapter in the career of Jose James – and a record that really seems to take his already-amazing vocals to a whole new level! In a relatively short career, Jose's already been turning a lot of heads with his work on other projects, his jazz-based recordings, and his debut for... read more

A great new chapter in the career of Jose James – and a record that really seems to take his already-amazing vocals to a whole new level! In a relatively short career, Jose's already been turning a lot of heads with his work on other projects, his jazz-based recordings, and his debut for... read more

The group's first full length album – and a classic batch of soulful funky tunes, handled with the charm and care that would make Jamiroquai one of the best new soul acts to come out of the UK during the 90s. Think Brand New Heavies meets Stevie Wonder meets Steely Dan, and you'll get only... read more

A killer of an album from Jamiroquai – the first time we really sat up and took notice, and said "hey, these guys are onto something good!" The record's pretty darn great all the way through – a warm batch of tunes that starts with a classic 70s mode that's part Stevie Wonder... read more

A mindblower from Jamiroquai – the album that really broke them out of the box, thanks to an increasingly complicated sense of rhythm! For the set, Jay and the group pulled up some of the more dynamic sounds from the London underground, and wove them together with their increasingly great... read more

A nice little second set from Javier – funky, chunky, and with a stripped-down sound that's mighty nice! The record avoids the sometimes sophmore tendencies to pack things up a bit more than before – and Javier's held onto all of the charm that made his first record so nice, and most... read more

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A fantastic full length set from Deborah Jordan – a singer we know mostly for her wonderful work with Silhouette Brown on an album that was one of our favorites from the London scene a few years back! This set has all the cosmic crackles of Jordan's previous work with Dego & Kaidi Tatham... read more

A classic bit of London funky guitar from Ronny Jordan – the heir apparent to Grant Green and Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones – and one of the best new players of his generation! The set takes the older funky guitar styles of the 60s soul jazz generation, and fuses it with a 90s nujazz... read more

The second album from Washington's K'Alyn – a great singer/songwriter with a magically soulful feel! K'Alyn's music has a great blend of warm styles with light acoustic touches – one that takes us back to the glory days of Donnie Hathaway and Bill Withers, but with a style that's also... read more

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A smoking little set from DJ Kemit – done in that great old school mode we used to love – in which a hip producer gets vocal help from a range of key contemporary singers! Vocals here are from the best of the best – Eric Roberson, N'Dambi, Osunlade, Frank McComb, Lady Alma, Carl... read more

Philly has got to be the center of the Nu Classic Soul universe. This is the latest group to come from the city of Brotherly Love with a rich, soulful approach to contemporary sounds. King Britt steps it up a bit on the flip, for a nice club take on the midtempo album version.... read more

The full length debut for Michael Kiwanuka – a record that stands out brilliantly, not only for it's strength and depth – but also because almost no one is making airy, often acoustic soul music on a major label in 2012! The record has been compared to Terry Callier's work with... read more

The full length debut for Michael Kiwanuka – a record that stands out brilliantly, not only for it's strength and depth – but also because almost no one is making airy, often acoustic soul music on a major label in 2012! The record has been compared to Terry Callier's work with... read more

Neither pop nor fusion – but a great little record that reminds us why we love William Kurk so much! There's definitely some of the jazzy styles promised by the title, but they're mixed in with Kurk's inventive approach to soul music – warm instrumentation wrapped around compelling... read more

Neither pop nor fusion – but a great little record that reminds us why we love William Kurk so much! There's definitely some of the jazzy styles promised by the title, but they're mixed in with Kurk's inventive approach to soul music – warm instrumentation wrapped around compelling... read more

A great modern soul album – and the new release from Maysa Leak, the lovely voice behind some of Incognito's best albums! If you know Incognito, you can guess the sound here – but the overall approach is different, with a lot more emphasis on soul sounds and jazzy arrangements, all... read more

Killer work from Ledisi – one of the best underground soul singers alive! This album has Ledisi opening up her bag a lot from her Soulsinger debut – moving into some more jazz-based material, sung with a sweet mellow vibe that still retains all the soulfulness of earlier work, yet... read more

An excellent bit of modern soul – very much in the vein of Jill Scott, Laurnea, N'Dambi, or some of the other current underground divas from the US indie soul scene! Ledisi's got a heck of a voice – very rich and mellow, in a style that reminds us a bit of classic work by jazzy soul... read more

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The NuSoul super group with Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Rafael Saadiq and Dawn Robinson. This remixed version features Talib Kweli.... read more

A contemporary set, but one with a sweet 80s groove throughout – as you might guess from the image of Magoo's hand-held keyboard guitar on the back cover! The sound here is mean and lean, every bit in the best boogie/80s groove mode that the Boogie Times label explores on their reissues... read more

Bits of jazz and bits of soul, perfectly folded together with a raspy brilliance that really grabs our attention – a subtle depth of singing that almost takes us back to Nina Simone at times, but which also has some leaner 21s Century styles that are mighty nice too! Malia's vocals alone are... read more

The first record in awhile from Patricia Marx – but a set that's definitely worth the wait! Patricia's working here with partner Bruno E – and they've both moved into territory that's quite different than their skittish, clubby work of the Trama years – a warmly gentle groove... read more

A massive return to form for Maxwell – his first album in many years, but definitely well worth the wait! The set's supposedly the start of a trilogy – but hell, we're more than happy to have it all on its own – a wonderful reminder of the deeply soulful sound that first made us... read more

The soulful vocalist of Incognito strikes out on her own – serving up an excellent debut LP! This one's got a bit more of a modern R&B approach than the jazzier work of Incognito – but still stays in the hip London soul mode, thanks to some great production work by Ray Hayden of... read more

A heck of a lot of music for one mighty nice price – a fan-selected collection of the best tracks from Frank McComb, packaged here with a bonus disc of rare material too! Frank's always been very plugged in to his followers – and for this collection, he went to his audience and asked... read more

A sweet slice of work from Frank McComb – and a wonderful example of the warmth and soulful energy he brings to his live performances! The album captures Frank in front of a very appreciative hometown audience in Atlanta – mixing his amazing vocals and sweet keyboard lines beautifully... read more

A brilliant setting for the soulful Frank McComb – a stretched out live performance that unlocks a whole new side of Frank's talents, and makes us love him even more than before! The tunes are very laidback – and McComb accompanies himself on Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano with an... read more

A beautiful debut from Frank McComb – a singer we've really grown to love and know well from his indie releases of the 21st Century, but who surprisingly got his start on a major label! The album's near perfect all the way through – as wonderful a mellow soul document as you could hope... read more

A slim little package, but a record that's overflowing with soul – one of the best full sets to date from the mighty Frank McComb – one of our favorite contemporary soul singers of the past few decades! Frank's got a joyous, soulful flow that's somewhere in a space between the 70s work... read more

Incredible work from neo soul maestro Frank McComb – the kind of a record that will have you saying "dang, what's that classic jam" – and then being amazed that it's a brand new set from Frank! The record surpasses even the quality of Frank's amazing album The Truth –... read more

Mindblowing work from the mighty Frank McComb – an all-instrumental set, but one that's every bit as soulful as his vocal outings! As you might guess from the title, Frank's paying tribute to some of the greats from years past – and as you'd think from the electric piano on the cover,... read more

Mena's living her life with a really wonderful groove – one that's a bit jazzy at times, and always laidback and soulful – with a depth and complexity that goes beyond just simple Neo Soul, and which marks the lady as one of the more sophisticated soul singers of her generation! A few... read more

Miguel Migs has often skewed more towards the soulful side of the house and otherwise club groove sound, and he does so on an even deeper level with Outside The Skylike! This one features a diverse roster of guests – and an impressive one, too – Meshell Ndegeocello, Bebel Gilberto,... read more

Modern blue-eyed soul from Kendra Morris on Wax Poetics Records – and it delivers in full on the promising couple of Wax Po singles leading up to this solid full length! If the title Banshee brings to mind a shrill spooky cry, fear not – because Kendra is a natural, truly soulful... read more