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The first full-length set from The Who – a blistering batch of rough-edged tunes that run the gamut from bluesy soul to sweeter pop to guitar-driven grinders that show an incredible amount of power – even at this early point! The album's somewhat all over the map, but in a good way... read more

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Titles include "Kamera", "Radio Cure", "Jesus Etc", "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Reservations", "Poor Places", "Pot Kettle Black", "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", and "Ashes Of American Flags".... read more

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An album that crossed over for Deniece in a big way – and it's a great one, with crisp, lean pop soul production that's as gratifying as any of the era – with a few ballads that are totally top notch, too! This is definitely the best of her more pop oriented records, with hooks galore... read more

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A brilliant session of modernist hardbop – one of the few records ever cut as a leader by trumpeter Richard Williams! Williams was a key part of the Charles Mingus group for a few years – and his soulful approach ranks with Ted Curson as some of the most compelling underground trumpet... read more

Startling! This album is one of two that a young Tony Williams cut for Blue Note, back when he was just hitting the age of 20, and when he was already blowing the minds of masters like Jackie McLean (who first hired him) and Miles Davis (who stole him from Jackie for his own group!) with an... read more

A seminal jazz rock statement from drummer Tony Williams – one that has him stepping out quite far from his original "new thing" recordings of the mid 60s! The album's got a genre-forming sound that's incredibly fierce – a power trio churning of Williams drums, John... read more

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Funky psychedelic hip hop from Willie Isz – aka cosmic hip hop beatmaker and Khujo Goodie of the legendary Goodie Mob – a set that manages to be both hazy and tripped out, but pretty hard hitting, too! It was hard to get around a Stankonia-or-later Outkast or Gnarls Barkley comparison... read more

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A sublime album by one of our favorite talents in 60s jazz – pianist Jack Wilson, making his second Blue Note appearance here amidst a group of other more likely label players that include Lee Morgan on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto, and Billy Higgins on drums! Despite the presence of those... read more

Quite an obscure little record by singer Julie Wilson – the kind of a vocalist you'd expect to come off sounding all cool and icy, but who really puts an unexpected Billie Holiday sort of spin on things – this raspy sort of soul that's way different than some of the cheesecake singers... read more

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Amy's dad.... read more

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Beautifully smooth soul from Robert Winters & Fall – a great mix of 80s groove and modern mellow – handled with lots of warm touches that make Winters' vocals come off wonderfully! The feel here is a bit like some of the smoother sets from DJ Rogers – as Winters' voice has a... read more

Amazing sounds from Witch – a Zambian group of the 70s, and easily one of the heaviest things happening in Africa at the time! Witch stands for "we intend to create havoc" – and the group's style here definitely gets that vibe right – serving up a heady brew of fuzzy... read more

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A much groovier set than usual from vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon – thanks to some great backing from the combo of organist Jack McDuff, which also includes guitar from a young Melvin Sparks! The sound here is definitely in keeping with the "blues" in the title – but McDuff's... read more

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Smooth soul from Asaph – the self-proclaimed "son of soul", and a strong talent bubbling underground! Asaph first made his appearance in the R&B world as the lead singer of the early 90s group True Image – but since that time, he's really developed richly as an artist,... read more

The first of Bobby's highly successful Poet albums from the early 80s – wonderfully done albums that showed the world that he was still very much on top of his game at the time! The sound here is great – still with that older Womack rasp and warmth, but also done in a slightly smoother... read more

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One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway... read more

A pivotal album from Stevie Wonder – one of his first really heady records, and a tremendous little set from start to finish! The Wonder heard here is light years from the simple pop of the early days – really stretching out both as a songwriter and musician – coming up with a... read more

A sweet little double CD – one that had some folks saying that Stevie should have stayed away from the "2LP syndrome", but for us a real treasure with lots of hidden gems. Besides the hits "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke", which were more than enough to carry... read more

One of the classics, and an album that's filled with a sense of majesty and power that will knock you dead – despite the stupid cover of Stevie sitting on a hill, playing in the dirt! By this point, Stevie knows he's on top of the world – and he's honing the sophisticated experiments... read more

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One of the few American albums cut by saxophonist Chris Woods – a wonderfully talented player who cut some of his best work in Paris during the early 70s! The album captures some of the charm of Woods' best European records – with a lightly dancing groove on the best tracks, one that... read more

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A Phil Woods album that's as upbeat and colorful as its cover – one of those great overlooked later recordings by Phil, of the sort that always make digging through his catalog so rewarding! Woods has a great sense of swing here – but one that's never too formulaic or forced – a... read more

One of the greatest soul groups from the UK in the 80s – a real bright spot in the years before Soul II Soul and the rise of acid jazz – and a set we'd rank right up there with Sade's best work of the time! Working Week have a very jazzy sound at their core – acoustic rhythms,... read more

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Incredibly beautiful work from Willie Wright – an album of folksy soul with a slight island spirit – one that nicely nestles Willie's music in a space somewhere between the best 70s work of Terry Callier and Jon Lucien! The sound is wonderful – lean, stripped-down, and... read more

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Robert Wyatt in brilliant form in the late 90s – and with quite an all star line up! Here Wyatt is joined by Eno, Phil Manzanera, Philip Catherine, Paul Weller and Evan Parker amongst others. It's wonderful stuff in some of his more pastoral, elegantly furnished style – certainly... read more

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Sweet and sunny 70s Latin – the standout album from Yambu, a pretty hip group! The group's mostly a jazz-based one – and works with percussion from direction Milton Hamilton to forge a sound that's cleaner and more stripped-down than a lot of other groups at the time. There's some... read more

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A more pop oriented release from YMO. 10 tracks in all including "Kini Ni Mune Kyun", "Expected Way", "Focus", "Lotus Love", "Kai-koh", and "Wild Ambitions".... read more

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A fresh serving of genius from Madlib – served up here in yet another manifestation of the Yesterday's New Quintet combo! Sound Directions have a groove that's quite similar to YNQ, but which focuses a bit more on the skittish percussion of Otis Jackson and "Sloppy" Joe Johnson... read more

The deepest jazz funk material Madlib has ever laid down – possibly the best album yet from Yesterday's New Quintet – featuring turns at freewheeling avant funk, electro jazz groove, furious sound library styles, a few chill moments, and a boundless sound overall! Yesterday's Universe... read more

A great title, and a great little album to match – one that features two guitars, plus bass and drums – in an open-ended style that's mighty nice on the ears! The set's got a lean kind of sound – as you might expect from the lineup – and Japanese players Shoji Yokouchi and... read more

Solo guitar pieces performed by the composer.... read more

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Bernie Young with Young's Creole Band, Viola Bartlette, Ozie McPherson, Blythe's Sinful Five, Ida Cox, Ma Rainey, and Arthur Sims & His Crewole Roof Orchestra.... read more