Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". CD

A sweet late entry in the girl group style of the 60s – rare material from The Goodees, recorded in Memphis and Muscle Shoals for the rock-oriented Stax affiliate Hip Records! Many of the arrangements have a gritty, Memphis rock & soul backdrop that's a nice counterpoint to the girls' trio vocals – which are sweet as syrup and loads of fun! Includes the great little teen mellow drama "Condition Red" (complete with car crash sound effects) and less archly thematic, straight up groovy songs like "Sad Song For Harry", "Double Shot", "My Boyfriend's Back", "Jilted", "Girl Crazy", "Worst That Could Happen", "Didn't Know Love Was So Good" and more from the original Candy Coated Goodies LP – plus non-album singles "Love Is Here", "Goodies" and others. Also includes 7 previously unreleased tracks! CD

One of the most obscure sessions by Duke Pearson, and one of his first for Blue Note too! The album features Duke hitting a laidback and lyrical groove – working in a trio with Gene Taylor on bass and Lex Humphries on drums – overall pretty much in a soul jazz mode, but with more of Pearson's wonderful touches on the keys to open things up. The album's a nice counterpoint to Duke's later work for the label – much more intimate than his bigger band sides, but still put together with the depth that he'd later show more famously with his fuller arrangements. Titles include "3 AM", "On Green Dolphin Street", "I Love You", and "The Golden Striker". CD

A pair of classics from Strawberry Alarm Clock – back to back on a single CD! First up is their classic Incense & Peppermints – dreamy pop psych from Strawberry Alarm Clock – a great late 60s group who skirted the worlds of Sunshine Pop and more jamming garage rock! This album's got a lot more to offer than you might guess from just the title hit – as the instrumentation sometimes gets nicely tripped out – with cool use of organ, harpsichord, and guitar – plus plenty of special effects in production – and even some of the song styles and lengths are unusual too, making the album way more than just a batch of cute little tunes. Titles include the classic "Incense & Peppermints", the eight minute jammer "The World's On Fire", the instrumental "Pass Time With SAC", and the cuts "Paxton's Back Street Carnival", "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow", "Strawberries Mean Love", and "Unwind the Clock". Next is Wake Up It's Tomorrow – a great little second set from Strawberry Alarm Clock – much headier and tripped-out than their first! For the record, the group's not just working off the success of a previous single – and instead is really taking time in the studio to try out new ideas, musically, lyrically, and (most importantly) in the range of cool production techniques used on the set! There's still a warm harmony vocal approach on some of the album's best tunes, but they're also matched here with some more progressive guitar parts and fuzzier instrumental touches – in a way that brings a bit of darkness into the sunshine, and creates the wonderful sense of counterpoint that was always the group's strongest suit. Most tunes are nicely unfamiliar, and titles include "Curse Of The Witches", "Black Butter – Past, Present, & Future", "Soft Skies No Lies", "They Saw The Fat One Coming", "Nightmare of Percussion", "Tomorrow", "Sit With the Guru", and "Pretty Song From Psych-Out". CD also features single mixes of "Tomorrow" and "Sit With The Guru". CD

Not "Misty" in an Errol Garner sense – although Tsuyoshi Yamamoto serves up his own version of the tune here – and instead a hip set from the Three Blind Mice scene of the 70s, with a very open, freewheeling approach to piano trio work! Yamamoto's a bit straighter than some of his contemporaries on the label, but still finds a way to really open things up with a fresh approach – a style that's strongly helped by the round, warm bass tones of Isoo Fukui – who's a great counterpoint to the jaggedly brilliant solo work from Yamamoto himself. Tetsujiro Obara plays drums, and the album's a masterpiece of space and understatement – with titles that include "Yesterdays", "Misty", "Blues", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". CD

A funky soul instrumental classic – all the way through! The team of Eldee Young and Redd Holt first came to prominence with Ramsey Lewis' first Chicago trio, then branched out on their own as a jazz act – but by the time of this set, they'd picked up a hipper, funkier late 60s sort of soul groove – and were working with larger backings and a nice deal of extra bass! The pianist in the group is the super-dope Ken Chaney – a player who uses space as much as he uses notes – providing a cool counterpoint to the funky and jazzy riffing of the Young/Holt bass/drum combo. The album includes the landmark track "Soulful Strut" – with tinkling piano over funky backings mixed with sweetened strings – and other tracks include "Funky Is As Funky Does", "Baby Your Light Is Out", "Who's Making Love", "Ain't There Something Money Can't Buy?", "Be By My Side", and "Please Sunrise". A high point in the Chicago soul scene – with backings by Willie Henderson! CD

One of the most unusual projects we've ever heard from the legendary Joao Donato – not the bossa jazz of his roots, but instead a fresh new groove created with his son Donatinho! The music is heavy on keyboards, and definitely has the 80s vibe promised by the cover – with the younger member of the duo handling keyboards from that generation, and singing with a bit of electric crackle in his voice – while the older Donato brings in all his classic charms, and creates a great sense of counterpoint in the process! The whole thing's nicely funky – sweet 80s electro overall – but Joao's presence also gives the whole thing a lot more depth, and it's clear from their duo moments that the pair really have a lot of warmth in their hearts for each other. Titles include a remake of "Quem E Quem", plus "Luz Negra", "Clima De Paquera", "De Toda Maneira", "Lei Do Amor", "Interstellar", and "Vamos Sair A Francesca". CD

Not "Misty" in an Errol Garner sense – although Tsuyoshi Yamamoto serves up his own version of the tune here – and instead a hip set from the Three Blind Mice scene of the 70s, with a very open, freewheeling approach to piano trio work! Yamamoto's a bit straighter than some of his contemporaries on the label, but still finds a way to really open things up with a fresh approach – a style that's strongly helped by the round, warm bass tones of Isoo Fukui – who's a great counterpoint to the jaggedly brilliant solo work from Yamamoto himself. Tetsujiro Obara plays drums, and the album's a masterpiece of space and understatement – with titles that include "Yesterdays", "Misty", "Blues", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". CD

Bill Evans meets Bill Evans – in a uniquely-styled session that features overdubbed solo lines from Bill, creating a multi-piano sound that's really great! The approach sounds gimmicky, but it's not – and Evans carries all the sensitivity you might expect from the title and image on the cover – a personal, up-close style that's nicely free from piano solo cliches, given the extra work of the overdubs. There's a nicely rhythmic feel to most numbers, and the piano lines often work in chromatic counterpoint to create a warmly sparkling quality to the set. Titles include "Round About Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Theme From Spartacus", "Stella By Starlight", and "NYC's No Lark". CD

Maybe the most complex album so far from Lighthouse – a set that begins with some great heavy drums, then rolls into the group's trademark blend of jazzy riffing, rocking rhythms, and soaring arrangements! There's a bit more Sunshine Pop in Lighthouse compared to some of their contemporaries in the jazz rock world at the start of the 70s – no attempts to be unnaturally soulful in the lyrics, nor too posturing either – and instead, there's almost a vocal gentleness that makes for a nice counterpoint to the full instrumental modes of the large horn-heavy ensemble. A few cuts get nice and funky, and titles include "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo/Let The Happiness Begin", "The Country Song", "Sausalito", "The Fiction Of Twenty Six Million", "On My Way To LA", and "Daughters & Sons". CD

A record that moves far beyond familiar piano trio format – so much so, that it's probably wrong to even call it a piano trio record at all – as the keyboard work of Alexander Hawkins is equally wrapped around the bass of Neil Charles and drums of Stephen Davis, as all three rise and soar together on these freewheeling waves of sound! Hawkins plays a bit of keyboards at times, and all three musicians add in percussion as well – and throughout the set, there's a very fresh vibe that has all three players linked together in sound and spirit, on titles that include "Puzzle Canon", "Rupture", "Rapture", "Counterpoint Celestial", "Canon Celestial", and "Unlimited Growth Increases The Divide". CD