Neo Soul — LPs  

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 of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

A stunner from Nicole Willis – her second album to date, and head and shoulders above the first! The record's a wonderfully dark set of soul tunes – done in a mode that's similar to that of much of the American underground work in recent years – but touched with lots of cosmic and trippy touches that belie her connection to the Scandinavian scene. Jimi Tenor had a hand in a number of the tracks on the set – as can be expected – but the album's got a more soulful finish overall than any of Jimi's own work, and really showcases Nicole as a strongly-growing vocalist and songwriter. Titles include "You Better Change", "Downtime", "Though U Tried", "Say It", "Sunday Nite", "Didn't Feel No Pain", "Just The Way", "Something Doesn't Fit (Ercola rmx)", and "We Won't Miss A Thing".