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The second set for Columbia by evolving R&B great Raphael Saadiq – possibly the best album he's ever done! We were knocked out by the preceding The Way I See It, his neo throwback gem, especially for the way he so masterfully flaunted decades of soul/R&B influences on that album while still giving it a modern and timeless sense of urgency. He takes that superb craftsmanship even deeper on Stone Rollin'! Raphael rolls with raw, punchy rhythm & blues backdrops tricked out with mellotron and other unique twists – with strings and brass on some tunes – all with a tight, hooky accessibility that's so damn catchy! It's so immediately appealing on the surface level, you could roll through this a dozen times before the innovative, impeccable skill really sinks in. Truly brilliant material from one of the best of his generation! He gets some help from Taura Stinson, Amp Fiddler, Wah Wah Watson and other excellent musicians on the sessions, but Raphael handles a heap of the instrumentation himself – and the guests are utilized beautifully. Titles include "Heart Attack", "Go To Hell", "Radio", "Over You", "Stone Rollin'", Movin' Down The Line", "Day Dreams", "Just Don't", "Good Man" and "The Answer".

A tough title to live up to – but Raphael makes it happen! The album's as wonderful as you might think – all the deeply soulful styles Saadiq worked out with Tony Toni Tone, taken back through a historical range of soul music – firmly planted in a legacy that begins with Stevie Wonder, runs through Maxwell and D'Angelo, and which points the way towards the future of urban soul. Backings are very much in the beats-n-keyboards mode, but Raphael works out such a wide range of moods and modes that the album avoids any of the shortcomings of other albums in such a style. Includes guest performances by Angie Stone, Leslie Wilson, T-Boz, Calvin Richardson, and D'Angelo – and titles that include "Doing What I Can", "Be Here", "Still Pay", "You're The One That I Like", "Excuse Me", "Tick Tock", "People", "Faithful", "Make My Day", "Blind Man", "Different Times", "What's Life Like", and "Skyy, Can You Feel Me".

Raphael Saadiq takes throwback soul and r&b to the next level on The Way I See It – rolling in a groove that recalls 60s Motown, grittier group soul, the sophisticated strings of the 70s scene, and subtle contemporary touches that keep it in the here and now! An awareness of the past and the ability to replicate the sounds would be useless without great songs and vocals – and Raphael brings it in both realms – his voice has never sounded better and there's a catchiness to each of these tunes that betters the best pop soul of the past couple years. If that's not enough, Raphael handles most of the instrumentation himself, too! Niceness from one of the pivotal singers/songwriters/producers of the past couple decades. Titles include "Sure Hope You Mean It", "100 Yard Dash", "Keep Marchin", "Big Easy", "Just One Kiss" featuring a fine background turn by Joss Stone, "Love That Girl", "Calling", "Staying In Love", "Never Give You Up" featuring Stevie Wonder's inimitable harmonica & CJ Hilton on vocals, "Sometimes". and the bonus track "Oh Girl" featuring Jay Z.

Larry Graham's definitely got his groove back – and steps out here with his funkiest album in years! Graham's not content to just recall the glory days of Graham Central Station – as he really goes for a nice range of flavors in the set – including a taste of New Orleans, heard in the opening drumline on the record – then echoed by some of the tight horn parts in other sections – even though other numbers move into a tighter electric funky style. As before, the bass is definitely driving the bus on most numbers – and Larry's got help on the set from both Prince and Raphael Saadiq – whose vocals really help expand the sound too. Titles include "Throw N Down The Funk", "Raise Up", "Shoulda Coulda Woulda", "Higher Ground", "Welcome 2 Our World", "Movin", and "One Day".

A landmark LP by Eddie Harris – one that we go back to again and again over the years! The album shows not only the brilliance of the young Eddie Harris (a brilliance that was not easily matched later in his career), but also the brilliant way that the Chicago jazz scene of the 60's could absorb so many different influences and styles, and mix them up into a fantastic sound that was totally unique. Take, for example, the cut "Oliphant Gesang", which has an exotic groove, and weird solos on the horns that sound like Elephant noises, and which are much more in the Sun Ra camp. Or the track "Dancing Bull", which uses electric guitar to create a cool Spanish sound. The group's filled with super-hipsters – and players on the record include Melvin Jackson, Richard Evans, Willie Pickens, Charles Stepney, John Avant, and Raphael Don Garrett! Other tracks include "Fantastic Waltz", "Cuttin Out", and "Down".

A beautiful set of tributes to the legendary Albert Ayler – presented here in a series of improvisations from different assemblages of players – some solo, some duo, and some in larger groups – all working together in a legacy of sound that really takes off from the amazing tones and textures that Ayler first forged in the 60s! The range of musicians is as exciting as the music itself – and the performances feature reeds from Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Urs Leimgruber, Raphael Imbert, John Tchicai, and Michel Portal – plus trumpet from Jean-Luc Cappozzo, bass from Joelle Leandre, Jean Jacques Avenel, and Barre Phillips, drums from Simon Goubert and Christian Rollet – and a mixture of sung and spoken passages from Lucia Recio, Steve Dalachinsky, and Jacqueline Caux.

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel.

Hard to believe that Gilles Peterson is up to the 6th volume of his excellent Bubblers series – and maybe even harder to believe that the music continues to be this great! You might think that Gilles P would run out of goodies by now – but no, the man with the golden ears proves once again why he's been one of the most important folks to turn us onto new sounds over the past 20 years! The vibe is nicely contemporary throughout – and even when artists are playing with classic references, they've got a way of turning them into something new – often with that 21st Century Soul vibe that Peterson first proclaimed in the 90s – finally come to fruition on releases like this. Titles include "No Clear Reason" by Gang Colours, "Finest Hour (Planas rmx)" by Submotion Orchestra, "Here On The Plains (iambic rmx)" by Half Seas Over, "Intervales Theme" by Javelin, "Reality & Fantasy (Gilles Peterson rmx)" by Raphael Gulazzi, and "Let's Do It Again" by Great Weekend.

Another stellar batch of Simply Good Music – a far-reaching selection of boundary-stretching jazzy soul – collected by Giant Step Records! The set features singles, album tracks and lesser known numbers from long-established talents such as Raphael Saadiq, Bebel Gilberto, Fertile Ground and Los Amigos Invisibles, nusoul divas Liz Fields and Adriana Evans, plus some incredible heaters by Platinum Pied Piers, Plantlife and others! 13 tracks in all: "I Know Shuggie Otis" by Raphael Saadiq, "Your Day Is Gone" by Platinum Pied Piepers feat Georgia, "Live In The Light" by Fertile Ground, "Appreciate" by Plantlife, "Ever After" by Jiva Vs. Seek, "In Search Of" by Adriana Evans, "Antonia" (TKN Re-edit) by Renovation Unlimited featuring Roy Ayers and more!

The sound of spiritual jazz from the European underground of the 60s and 70s – a really rich music-making scene that's every bit as impressive as the one going on in the US – as you'll hear from this amazing set of tracks! As with the first volume in the series, the collection is filled with modal jazz and other groovers – mostly long tracks that really stretch out, yet still always have a tight sense of rhythm – one that makes the music completely infectious right from the start! It might be tempting to think of European jazz of this sort as kind of a copy of a US mode – but instead, it really happened simultaneously – as younger players were really pushing past the styles of previous years – and drawing not only on American jazz for inspiration, but also a range of different post-colonial modes particular to the European scene – bits of African, Latin, Brazilian, and other styles that really helped influence their approach. And in a way, it might even be said that the Europeans of the 60s had a much looser approach to rhythm, one that really allowed for experiments like these – and which, in turn, went back to have an influence on the American side as well. Titles include "Temple Dancer" by Michael Garrick, "Communion" by Erich Kleinschuster, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Africa Freakout" by Barney Wilen, "Corrida" by Nicolai Gromin, "Duke & Trane" by Hiekki Sarmanto, "Nana Imboro" by Wroblewski Jazz Quintet, "Las Morillas De Jaen" by Pedro Iturralde, "Bosnia Calling" by Dusko Goykovich, and "Candy Clouds (part 2)" by Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Natural.

The sound of spiritual jazz from the European underground of the 60s and 70s – a really rich music-making scene that's every bit as impressive as the one going on in the US – as you'll hear from this amazing set of tracks! As with the first volume in the series, the collection is filled with modal jazz and other groovers – mostly long tracks that really stretch out, yet still always have a tight sense of rhythm – one that makes the music completely infectious right from the start! It might be tempting to think of European jazz of this sort as kind of a copy of a US mode – but instead, it really happened simultaneously – as younger players were really pushing past the styles of previous years – and drawing not only on American jazz for inspiration, but also a range of different post-colonial modes particular to the European scene – bits of African, Latin, Brazilian, and other styles that really helped influence their approach. And in a way, it might even be said that the Europeans of the 60s had a much looser approach to rhythm, one that really allowed for experiments like these – and which, in turn, went back to have an influence on the American side as well. Titles include "Temple Dancer" by Michael Garrick, "Communion" by Erich Kleinschuster, "Archangelo" by Raphael, "Africa Freakout" by Barney Wilen, "Corrida" by Nicolai Gromin, "Duke & Trane" by Hiekki Sarmanto, "Nana Imboro" by Wroblewski Jazz Quintet, "Las Morillas De Jaen" by Pedro Iturralde, "Bosnia Calling" by Dusko Goykovich, and "Candy Clouds (part 2)" by Hans Dulfer & Ritmo Natural.

Damn great work from Ledisi – an artist who hasn't missed a beat since moving to the majors a few years back – sounding almost funkier than ever before, thanks to some impeccable production and razor-sharp instrumentation! Ledisi's vocals are beyond challenge – old school deep soul we first came to love years back, on her classic indie sets – and this time around, the instrumentation seems even rawer than we remember – as if there's an old school funky combo backing the singer up on some tracks, mixed with other numbers that have some fuller backings, but still really retain their edge. Production is by a crew with some really great ears for this sort of sound – Rex Rideout, Raphael Saadiq, and others – and from the songwriting credits, it's clear that Ledisi's still very much in charge of the overall shape of the album. Titles include "Runnin", "Everything Changes", "Turn Me Loose", "Love Never Changes", "Knockin", "Goin Thru Changes", "I Need Love", "Say No", "Please Stay", and "Trippin".

The long-overdue release of an album that should have been a Neo Soul classic! The team of Otis Cooper and Shugg David recorded this gem of a set back in the mid 90s along with help from longtime friend and producer Raphael Saadiq – but due to shifting priorities at the major label, the set was shelved and is only now finally seeing the light of day! Despite the wait, though, the album bristles with electricity and has a totally fresh sound – bubbling over with the warmth and soul of the best Saadiq production work of the time, and hitting a vibe that's almost in the same mode as his own recent Ray Ray recordings. But even more charming are the talents of Otis & Shugg – two down-to-earth vocalists who work in a style that's nicely free of cliché, and which really shows them setting a tone that would be followed by many other make singers in the Neo Soul years to come. Titles include "Right On Track", "Fantasy", "If You Want It", "My First Mistake", "Round & Round", "Indiana", "This Is My Phone Call", and "Something Inside Of Me".

Another fine couple of slices from Speakerboxx/Love Below! "Way You Move" comes from Big Boi's half, and it finds BB pimpin' his smooth, fast rhyme style over some very soulful modern electro soul beats and handclaps. Sleepy Brown provides the sung chorus over some loud and proud synth for a serious Raphael Saadiq kinda vibe! Andre 3000's "Hey Ya!" rocks that catchy-as-hell synthy funk-n-roll style that NERD shoots for in their electro incarnation – and really nails it too. It could almost be mistaken for a lost Cameo single! Nice stuff on both sides, and another hint that the upcoming double album is gonna be another trailblazer!

The mothership has landed! While attempting to make a definitive compilation of all of Scratch's productions would take well more than 3 CDs, this set does a fine job of touching on important highlights and unearthing a few hidden gems, from the fertile Black Ark period. 55 tracks in all, with a fat 52 page book with extensive notes and loads of great photos, we'll let the exhaustive track list speak for itself: Max Romeo "One Step Forward", "War In A Babylon", "Chase The Devil" and "Norman", Devon Irons "Vampire", the Heptones "Sufferer's Time", "Mr. President" with Jah Lion, "Why Must I (version)" with Lee Perry and "Make Up Your Mind", Junior Dread "Sufferer's Heights", The Congos "Don't Blame On I", "Feast Of The Passover" and "CongoMan", The Meditations "Much Smarter", "Life Is Not Easy", and "No Peace", Junior Murvin "Tedious", 'police & Thieves", "Bad Weed" and "Roots Train" with Dillinger, Mikey Dread "Dread At The Mantrols", Errol Walker "In These Times", "John Public" and "John Public (version)" with Enos Barnes, Glen DaCosta "Magic Touch", Jah Lion "Soldier & Police War", Raphael Green & Doctor Alimantado "Rasta Train", Augustus Pablo "Vibrate On", The Upsetter Review with Junior Murvin "Closer Together", Keith Rowe "Groovy Situation", George Faith "To Be A Lover (Have Some Mercy)", Lee Perry "Dub Revolution Pt. 1", "Dreadlocks In Moonlight", "Soul Fire", "Curly Locks" and 'Roast Fish & Cornbread" and The Upsetters "One Step Dub", "Vamp A Dub", "Sufferer's Dub", "Much Smarter Dub", "Life Is Not Easy Dub", "Revelation Dub", "In These Times Dub", "Grumblin' Dub", "No Peace Dub", "Party Time pt. 2", "Vibrator", "Bird In Hand", "Dyon Anasawa" featuring Full Experience, "Rastaman Shuffle", "Groovy Dub" and "Corn Fish Dub".

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa".

Yep, her milkshake really is better than yours! Hip hop future funk chanteuse Kelis Rogers takes a big step out on her own for her first full length effort for Star Trak – and the result is one damn fine, wholly unpretentious funky party album, a tasty and unique confection! The production by longtime collaborators/mentors the Neptunes is all about swirling, chest shaking synths and treble-heavy clapping beats – and Kelis spreads her wings this time with additional booth work by Dallas Austin, Andre 3000, Rockwilder, and Raphael Saadiq. If you only caught up with Kelis with the aggressively catchy, pounding "Milkshake" single, you'll dig the rest of the album, too – even the more earnest, Raphael Saadiq-produced soul tunes are designed to get you’re a** moving a little. Tracks include "Milkshake", "Trick Me", "Keep It Down", "Protect My Heart", "In Public" with Nas, "Millionaire" featuring vocals and production by A3K (this one would sound perfectly in place on The Love Below), "Glow" and "Attention" with Raphael Saadiq, "Marathon", "Rolling Through The Hood" and more.