Neo Soul — CDs  

Soulful luxury at a mighty nice price – 3CDs and 35 tracks of music from both the contemporary underground, and back in the day! The package is one of the best so far in this annual series – and like the others, it has a great way of turning up unusual numbers we might have missed otherwise – some subtle gems and overlooked sleepers, which makes the package as much of a place for new discovery as it is a musical bargain. Titles include "So Inspired" by Big Brooklyn Red, "Suddenly" by Adriana Evans, "On The Rebound" by Dave Appell & Friends, "When I Think Of You" by Holloway & John Whitehead, "Rise" by Beggar & Co, "Someday We'll All Be Free (Yam Who rmx)" by Diplomats Of Soul, "Just Like Me" by Junk Funk, "Major Bossa" by Khari Simmons, "Loving You" by Soul Talk, "Believe" by Lady Alma, "Blown Away" by Kevin Leo, "Time For The Party" by Sheree Brown, "Taste of Your Love" by Valentine Brothers, and "Dime" by Kloud 9.

A positive, powerful set from the always-great Sheree Brown – a new recording, but one that sparkles just as much as her rare classics for Capitol Records at the start of the 80s! Like those gems, there's a blend of jazz and soul here that's really wonderful – a special sound that puts Sheree in the rare company of artists like Minnie Riperton or Patrice Rushen – able to embrace so many ideas at once, and turn them into a rich new groove of her own! Rushen actually helps out a bit on the record, as does Leon Ware – although the main production credits go to Brown herself, who only seems to have stepped up her game in these recent years. Great proof that the great ones still keep on keepin on, if given the chance – with titles that include "Messages From The Heart", "Time For The Party", "Just A Simple Love", "I Think I'm Gonna Pray", "Getting Started", "We Can Chance The World", and a bonus version of Minnie Riperton's "Inside My Love".

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 with the Platinum Pied Pipers and Hawthorne Headhunters, and work on other projects as well. But we've always loved the man himself out front of the spotlight – sharing his really unique vision of cosmic soul music – a sublime blend of inventive sounds, creative beats, and songwriting that will take you way way way past the usual! This album's been well worth the wait, and shows that our faith in Coultrain has certainly been well-placed – a beautiful set that features the tracks "A Gem Iza Jewel", "Gazelle's Dance", "Y Not", "Deception", "Sassyphrass", "Wanted", and "Asherah Le Chameleon".

Tremendous work from N'Dambi – a set that really moves her career forward strongly, while still holding onto the best soulful sound of her roots! The album's N'Dambi's first for a big label – the newly-reformed Stax – but it's got a perfectly balanced sound that's sure to please any past fans of her music, and win her a lot more in years to come! Grooves are spare, stark, and simple – with a soulful depth that definitely fits the legendary Stax imprint – and the vocals are fantastic – and proof that there's still some great female deep soul singers working today, if you know where to look. Yet there's also a deeper, more sophisticated vibe running through the mix – that spirit we loved on her Tunin' Up & Cosignin album – and the production by Leon Sylvers is surprisingly wonderful, at a level that really has us loving his studio talents all over again. Titles include "Mind Blowin", "The One", "Take It Out", "Daisy Chain", "Can't Hardly Wait", "What It Takes", "Nobody Jones", and "LIE".

The breakout album for singer Frank Ocean – the featured voice and name attached to some stellar material by other acts leading up to this career-making set for Interscope! Simply put, Channel ORANGE is the hella rare pop phenomenon that not only lives up to the pre-release hype, it actually transcends it! Ocean has a unique and distinct voice and style, and we hope he's here to stay. Includes "Thinkin' About You", "Sierra Leone", "Sweet Life", "Super Rich Kids", "Pilot Jones", "Crack Rock", "Pyramids", "Lost", "Bad Religion", "Pink Matter" and more.

A great batch of modern soul grooves galore – some from the more natural nusoul realm and others with a slightly clubbier of funkier feel, and really solid stuff all around – and a bargain at under $20!!! Soul Lounge 5 continues the tradition of presenting some of finer tunes from recent releases on Dome Records UK and other soul groove merchants in the UK label scene – with tunes by Incognito, Rahsaan Patterson, Conya Doss, Hil St Soul, Don E, Maysa, Sunburst Band, Seek, James Taylor Quartet and many more! 40 tracks on 3CD: "Oh Lord (Take Me Back)" by Rahsaan Patterson, "Play" by Angela Johnson & Frank McComb, "Stay Ahwile" by Don E, "Head To Toe" by Eric Roberson, "Come Over" by Conya Doss, "In Time" by Beverley Knight, "Step Aside" by Joey Negro, "The Bottle" by Maysa, "Cleo's Mood" by James Taylor Quartet and more.