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A sweet surprise from Andy Compton of The Rurals – work that's even more profoundly steeped in deep soul atmosphere – with Compton collaborating with seductive female vocalists for one of the sultriest underground soul sets we've heard in a while! This is one of those records that you'd expect to be good, given Andy's previous work – and it's actually a knockout! It's elegant and slow cooking, but it's too hypnotic and intoxicating to call it laidback. Smolders with keys, beats and bass with some jazzy soul flourishes. 9 of the 13 tracks are sung by Jaidene Veda, with some great spoken passages, too. Other vocalists include Diviniti, Kafele and Ladybird – and the singers write their own lyrics, giving the album a collaborative vibe as a whole. Includes "And It Rains", "Bluenotes", "Believing", "Imagined", "Where Do We Go", "Record By Record", "Tomorrow", "Oh Love I", "7 Days", "Soon" and "No Limits".

A sweet surprise from Andy Compton of The Rurals – work that's even more profoundly steeped in deep soul atmosphere – with Compton collaborating with seductive female vocalists for one of the sultriest underground soul sets we've heard in a while! This is one of those records that you'd expect to be good, given Andy's previous work – and it's actually a knockout! It's elegant and slow cooking, but it's too hypnotic and intoxicating to call it laidback. Smolders with keys, beats and bass with some jazzy soul flourishes. 9 of the 13 tracks are sung by Jaidene Veda, with some great spoken passages, too. Other vocalists include Diviniti, Kafele and Ladybird – and the singers write their own lyrics, giving the album a collaborative vibe as a whole. Includes "And It Rains", "Bluenotes", "Believing", "Imagined", "Where Do We Go", "Record By Record", "Tomorrow", "Oh Love I", "7 Days", "Soon" and "No Limits".

By far CMW's best track, with deep, low tempo West Coast funk production using mostly samples instead of keyboards.

Melodic and atmospheric sounds from Gang Colours – fragile and tuneful material that’s somewhat of a surprise from the Brownswood label! I guess we shouldn't really think of what Gang Colours does here as that much of a departure for the label, given their unpredictable oeuvre is never all that easy to pigeonhole, yet it still caught us off guard – in the best kind of way. Piano and synth float over intermittently spare and busier beats, vocals and textural waves of sound. What really sets it apart is the mood – we don't want to call it somber, but it's definitely got a haunting feel! Includes "Heavy Petting", "Forgive Me?", "To Repel Ghosts", "Pebble Dash", "Tissues & Fivers", "Botley In Bloom", "Fancy Restaurant", "On Compton Bay", "Rollo's Ivory Tale" and more.

Willie Hutch's classic score about pimpin' & mackin'! The album (and film) is virtually a handbook for junior grade hoods, and we can remember back around 1990, when the first wave of candy-ass hardcore hip hoppers were coming up, this was sort of a holy grail. And it still holds up nicely, despite the legions of Compton wanna-bes who've overplayed it to death – with classic cuts like "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", "Vampin", "Theme Of The Mack", "Mack's Stroll/The Getaway", and "Slick".

Long-overdue reissue to Willie Hutch's classic score about pimpin' & mackin'! The album (and film) is virtually a handbook for junior grade hoods, and we can remember back around '90 when the first wave of candy-ass hardcore hip hoppers were coming up, and this was sort of a holy grail. Still hold up nicely, despite the legions of Compton wanna-bes who've overplayed it to death – and with classic cuts like "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", "Vampin", "Theme Of The Mack", "Mack's Stroll/The Getaway", and "Slick".

Tim Dog name-checks all Bronx projects, with a little help from Kool Keith, and disses Compton/Ruthless again. Some nice instrumental remixes by Ultra's TR and Moe Love.

Tim Dog name-checks all Bronx projects, with a little help from Kool Keith, and disses Compton/Ruthless again. Some nice instrumental remixes by Ultra's TR and Moe Love.

Recorded in 1987, but never officially released until 1994, when Prince was trying to get out of his Warners contract. Prince's attempt to return to his more funky side after flirting with more straight pop songs was a Holy Grail amongst collectors for a time, and though we don't like it as much as his first couple of albums, there are more than a few good moments on here, and it certainly stands up better than most of what came after. 8 songs: "Le Grind", "Cindy C", "Dead On It", "When 2 R In Love", "Bob George", "Superfunkycalifragisexy", "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" and "Rockhard In A Funky Place".

Always great to hear from The Rurals – one of the most consistent groove-making groups of the past decade! The sound here is everything we love from previous Rurals albums – warm, soulful, and very free-flowing, but without ever being too forced – a perfect balance between soul and club, yet also delivered here with an even more stripped-down approach than before – nice and lean, but mighty darn deep too! The Rurals almost have a Naked Music sort of vibe here, and Andy Compton's put together some great rhythms for the set – really furthering the 21st Century spirit – while Charlie Hearnshaw plays soulful sax lines, alongside vocals from Julie Monnin and others. Titles include "It's Magic", "Into Life", "Ocean", "It's Hot In Africa", "Gratitude", "On My Way", "A Little Something", and "Hermosa Blues".