The debut release from Terri Walker – an incredible soul singer set to take the world by storm! The album's got a stripped-down, syncopated approach that's quite nice – lots of laidback beats and keys coming together in a style that's clearly informed by hip hop, but without any of the cliches that have crept into so much other modern R&B work. Terri's vocals are great too – really honest and not overdone, set to simple and straightforward lyrics that give the album an instantly appealing quality. Titles include "Brand New Day", "Drawing Board", "Love Fool", "Ching Ching", "Dirty Weekend", "4 Feet Under", "Da Business", and "It's All Good" – plus "Guess You Didn't Love Me", featuring a guest appearance by Mos Def! LP, Vinyl record album

A synthy soul funk project from the team of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo – a set that's just trippy enough – and it's possibly the best full length from either party, ever! You don't need us to tell you that DM has had a finger in a handful of the best fringe pop/leftfield hip hop projects of the mid 00s, and Cee-Lo has been threatening to deliver a strange soul classic for years – and he brings it with Gnarls Barkley. The sound runs from stuttering synth funk, to bubbling hip hop soul, to funky modern pop in a way that equals any other genre blending cats out there – and probably betters them! Tracks include "Go Go Gadget Gospel", "Crazy", "St. Elsewhere", "Gone Daddy Gone" (Yup, THAT "Gone Daddy Gone"), "Smiley Faces", "The Boogie Monster", "Feng Shui", "Just A Thought", "Transformer", "Who Cares?", "Online", "Necromancer", "Storm Coming" and "The Last Time". (Hip Hop, Neo Soul) CD

Jamila Woods already blew us away with her debut – but this second set has the singer ready to take on the world with a huge step forward in her style! Jamila caught us almost by surprise when she first emerged – a Chicago soul singer who wasn't on our radar, and who already had this fully-formed, completely unique style – but here, she embraces legacies of past musical and cultural inspirations, folding them into a instrumental settings created almost completely on her own, and which are topped by these shape-shifting lyrics that really live up to their references. The album shows a powerful, personal, and completely self-contained approach to the music – something that many of Jamila's contemporaries can hardly match – and titles include "Miles", "Baldwin", "Basquiat", "Eartha", "Giovanni", "Zora", "Betty", "Frida", "Sun Ra", and "Octavia". CD

Severely funky jazz from trumpeter Russell Gunn – working here in an electrified mode that reminds us a bit of recent work from Nicholas Payton or Roy Hargrove – but which comes off sounding a lot hipper overall! The set's got a bouncing, bass-heavy groove that's clearly rooted in older funk traditions – but it's performed by Russell with a host of cutting edge up and comers, in a style that's pushing lots of new styles and sounds of its own! Gunn himself plays acoustic and electric trumpet, as well as keyboards – and he's joined by Stefon Harris on vibes, Nick Rolfe on Fender Rhodes, and Kebbi Williams on tenor and electric tenor. The set's got lots of extra space for added instrumentation that includes work on alto, percussion, pro tools, turntables, and voice – and the overall sound somehow manages to come off with a lot harder-hitting edge than other recent projects of this sort! Titles include "East St Louis", "John Wicks", "No Separation", "The Critic's Song", "Yesterdays", and "Stranger Fruit". (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

Lizz Wright continues to grow and grow with each new release – with a style that's maybe more globalist than just the jazz and soul vocal modes that first informed her music – this really expressive mode that's moved into territory that's all Lizz's own – and which takes all these different shapes throughout the set! A key force in creativity here is bassist Chris Bruce – an artist we loved years back, when he was part of our Chicago scene – clearly a talent who's also evolved tremendously, and is a great partner for Wright, with whom he co-wrote some of the album's best tracks. The set features guest appearances from Meshell Ndegeocello, Brandee Younger, and Angelique Kidjo – and titles include "Root Of Mercy", "Sweet Feeling", "Lost In The Valley", "Circling", "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", "No More Will I Run", "This Way", "Your Love", and "Sparrow". CD

Lizz Wright continues to grow and grow with each new release – with a style that's maybe more globalist than just the jazz and soul vocal modes that first informed her music – this really expressive mode that's moved into territory that's all Lizz's own – and which takes all these different shapes throughout the set! A key force in creativity here is bassist Chris Bruce – an artist we loved years back, when he was part of our Chicago scene – clearly a talent who's also evolved tremendously, and is a great partner for Wright, with whom he co-wrote some of the album's best tracks. The set features guest appearances from Meshell Ndegeocello, Brandee Younger, and Angelique Kidjo – and titles include "Root Of Mercy", "Sweet Feeling", "Lost In The Valley", "Circling", "Who Knows Where The Time Goes", "No More Will I Run", "This Way", "Your Love", and "Sparrow". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of a great singer on Blue Note – and one who plays her own piano and Fender Rhodes as well! Kandace Springs has a gentle style that's part soul, and part jazz – as expressive as the former at most moments, but with a lot of jazz-based phrasing in the instrumentation, which underscores the message in her music in a really wonderful way! Light keyboard currents step nicely through more acoustic instrumentation – all with a laidback flow that's the perfect pace for the singer at her best. Terence Blanchard plays guest trumpet on two tracks – and titles include "Soul Eyes", "I Thought It Would Be Easier", "Place To Hide", "Novocaine Heart", "Rain Falling", "Too Good To Last", "Fall Guy", "Neither Old Nor Young", and "The World Is A Ghetto". CD

That's retox, not detox – a set of funky instrumentals from saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, who's also got some great vocalists along for the ride! This is the first we've heard of Benjamin – and she's definitely a fully-formed talent right from the start – not just on her work on alto and soprano sax – but also on the larger arrangements done for the record, which have a sweet mix of jazz, funk, and soul that's mighty nice! Guest singers really flesh out the sound of the record – which features contributions from Tracy Nicole, Amp Fiddler, Maya Azucena, Krystle Warren, and Jacoria Marzett – and titles include "Soul Squad", "Get Down", "Human Being", "My Love", "Share My Life", "Maceo", and a cover of "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing". (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

Gregory Porter arrives on Blue Note Records – and the result is Porter's most fully-formed set so far – just the kind of album that will push him firmly into the limelight – a place that we've felt he's deserved for quite a few years! Porter's a hell of a singer, and a hell of a songwriter too – and although his roots are in jazz, he's got a rare ability to step between genres with plenty of soul – a special space that belongs to a very rare few – like Nina Simone, Bill Withers, Roberta Flack, or Gil Scott-Heron! Gregory's voice is amazing, his lyrics are both personal and pointed – and he does so much here with so little, the album should be handed out to the hundreds of mis-directed vocalists who think that a few extra tweaks in the studio is all they really need. Most numbers just feature small combo backing, with wonderfully warm piano from Chip Crawford – and the whole thing's got a timeless feel that makes us think this is the beginning of a rich new season for Porter. Titles include "Free", "Water Under Bridges", "Lonesome Lover", "Liquid Spirit", "No Love Dying", "Brown Grass", "When Love Was King", and "Wind Song". This great 3LP deluxe version features special guest bonus tracks on the fifth side – Water Under The Bridge" with Laura Mvula, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" with Jamie Cullum and "Grandma's Hands" with Ben L'Oncle Soul – plus Rainer & Grimm, Claptone, 20syl, St Germain and Knuckle G remixes on the sixth side! (Vocalists, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album