Neo Soul — CDs  

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 electrify the vocals and push Bilal past any sort of mainstream soul – and help him deliver the rich promise we first heard in his music so many years ago – but never found this fully formed during his major label stretch! There's some nice electric bits that percolate forth – moogy keys or sparkling samples – yet the vocals still have all the core warmth that's kept us coming back. Titles include "Astray", "Lost For Now", "West Side Girl", "Back To Love", "Longing & Waiting", and "Butterfly", which features a guest appearance from Robert Glasper!

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, and served up with this strong sense of flow that really sends the tunes home. Production is relatively stripped-down, too – although has a few classic elements percolating amidst more contemporary modes – maybe a bit more on the album's few well-chosen covers. Onita hails from the US, but gets a big push here from Universal Germany – which means that this one might oddly fall under the radar for audiences back home. Titles include "Who's Crying Now", "I Know", "I'll Carry You", "Ain't Nobody", "Joined", "I Don't Wanna", "Let The Funk Come Out", "25 To Life", and "Pay".

Angie Stone's first for Saguaro Road – one that she's calling a more personal project than some of her recent work – and sure enough, it's a strong one! We actually dug Angie's couple of albums for the rebooted Stax label in the late 00s – but you know what, if Angie's happier with this one, we are, too. It's filled with solid songs, from easygoing modern soul ballads, to some classic dancefloor soul inspired gems, and beyond – and it's all done with Angie's true soul vocals out front. It’s well produced, but done with an eclectic, indie soul spirit that's indeed a bit less pop than some of her later recordings. A win! Includes "Do What You Gotta Do", "Backup Plan", "Proud Of Me", "First Time", "Guilty", "Alright", "Livin' It Up", "Right In Front Of Me", "Rich Girl", "Push 'N'Pull", "U Lit My Fire", "Sisters" and more.

A bold step forward for British soul in the 21st century – and the smash second album from the great Terri Walker! Terri's got a sound that's loud, proud, and completely in the pocket – emerging here with a fully-formed groove that should not only please the fans of underground soul who dug her first album, but which should also push her out into new audiences very strongly! There's a punctuated quality to the production on the set that almost seems to further enforce the power of Terri's great voice – a snapping sort of rhythm that really pushes the whole thing over the top. Titles include "What The Hell", "Hurt By Love", "LOVE", "Whoopsie Daisy", "The Woman You Want", "Feel Love", "The One That Got Away", and "Star".

Warm instrumentation blended nicely with electronics and soulful vocals – and the first we've heard from Positive Flow in a little while – sounding as fresh as ever here on the first PF full length for the Tokyo Dawn label! Keys and beats flow nicely under live strings, flute, sax and other elements on a set that plays like an all stars project – with a roster that includes Omar, Heidi Vogel, Vanessa Freeman, Stacy Epps, Colonel Red and others. Includes "Children Of The Sun" and "Stronger Than A Mountain" feat Heidi Vogel, "My Prediction" and "Do What I Do" feat Omar, "Hold On" feat Colonel Red, "Orange & Brown", "Capoeira", "The Quest – Parts I & II" feat Tesia Rolle, "In The Garden Of Your Life" with Vanessa Freeman, "Axis", "Push" with Stacy Epps and more.

A tremendous little album from reedman Darryl Reeves – jazz at the core, but served up with plenty of cosmic soulful touches too – thanks to help from a great lineup of guest singers! Darryl's work on alto sax is more than enough to make us fall in love with the album – especially when it's lined up here with 70s-styled spacey keyboards, and given some crisp 21st Century funky production – but the addition of voice to the mix really helps push the whole thing even further, and give the record a glowing sort of warmth that comes from all the collaborative efforts on the tunes! Guests include Carmen Rodgers, Valencia Robinson, Rasheeda Ali, Gwen Bunn, and Ingride Sibley – and titles include "Coldstone", "Southern Lights", "Everytime I See You", "Peach Lady", "Mercenaries", "The Messenger", and "Star Of Detroit".

The most deeply soulful set so far from Ivana Santilli! The beats and bottom of the record are a lot heavier than before – and set perfectly to Ivana's well-voiced lyrics, which go far beyond simple soul cliches, and really show a nice push forward in her songwriting abilities over the years. It's hard to believe it's nearly a decade since Santilli's first record – but hearing the mature, focused sound of this set, that passage of time is no surprise! This could well be the record that breaks Santilli biggest with American listeners, and titles include "Been Thru This", "Leave It Alone", "Still Anymore", "All Afternoon", "Always Better", "Hollywood", "Keep It 2 Yourself", and "Depend On U".

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 modes from a century ago – using them with just the right balance to spice things up without pushing Di Lauro into a style that's too far from before. Many numbers have a slight vamp in the rhythms – a gentle swing that bounces around in the way you might have heard in Kid Creole work from the early 80s, but tuned here towards a style that's more 21st Century overall. Some cuts are a bit more straight ahead – and whatever the setting, Dessy sounds great! Titles include "Mysterious", "Bringin It Back", "Never Existed", "Lost In The Jungle", "Why U Raggin", and "Popularity Contest".

A brilliant batch of NuSoul tracks from Jimi Tenor's very talented wife! Jimi's been trying to hit a soulful note for years – but he never really got it right until he hooked up with Nicole Willis, a sweet voiced soulstress with a classic approach to a lyric, crafted here alongside some very compelling arrangements produced with Jimi and Maurice Fulton. The album's got all the icy soul of Jimi's own work, but opens up wonderfully thanks to Nicole's wonderfully warm vocals – creating a mix of styles that pushes past expectations you'd have from any new work, either electronica or NuSoul. Titles include "Siesta", "Curiosity", "Bliss Of Life", "Heed The Sign", "I'm Not Going", "All The Time", "Dinosauri", and "Xibeca".