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Quite an unusual album from Helen Merrill – but a set that also shows that quite early on, she was a singer with a keen ear for working on larger concepts too! Merrill first rose to fame as a cool-voiced singer in the 50s, but she does a surprisingly great job here with country tunes as well – sung not exactly in a western mode, but more in a jazz-based style, with arrangements from Chuck Sagle, who really helps find a creative new setting for the songs! Given that most of the themes are pretty universal, they translate well to this new approach – and Merrill really opens up on the record, in ways she'd later do on other creative sessions like this overseas. Tracks include "Maybe Tomorrow", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Heart Full Of Love", "Cold Cold Heart", "Any Time", and "You Win Again".

Nickodemus brings his Global Minute series to Beirut – Middle Eastern MCs and regional funk sounds fused masterfully with timeless, universal hop hop – a brilliant, uncompromising track! Here Nickodemus is joined by MCs Edd Fareeq L'Atrash, Yaseen, Malikah & Ram6 Al Hamorabi on the vocal version of "A Beirut Minute" – Arab hip hop all stars with deft flows each. It's no secret that Middle Eastern sounds pair wonderfully with hip hop, but this focused blast transcends all. Instro on the flip.

Amazing sounds from Sun Ra – vocal recitations, weird words, and spoken bits – all set to some mighty cosmic music! The work here is all previously unissued, and pulled from rare tapes recorded in 1966, 1968, and 1982 – an amazing discovery in the Ra archive, with a real focus on his more poetic side! The set begins with some wonderfully echoey bits – Ra's vocals in the lead, and some cool abstract sounds and electronics behind him. Other tracks have even more obscure elements in the background, and a few others provide some more familiar jazz elements – but overall, the whole thing's got a wickedly spaced-out feel – very much what you might expect if you'd ever heard the myth of Ra before hearing one of his records! Titles include "The Universe Is Endless", "The Sub-Dwellers", "Music Is A Universal Language", "The Universe Sent Me", "A Cosmic Dimension Of Music", "They Taught Me To Share", and "Worship Of A Statue".

Amazing rare grooves from Tommy Stewart – the Atlanta studio wizard who cut some of the hippest club tracks in the south at the end of the 70s! This package digs way deeper than even Tommy's classic self-titled album – to feature some obscure and unreleased material that show the tremendous power of Stewart in the studio – the kind of energy that made him a one man powerhouse to rival some of the bigger teams turning out grooves at the major labels! As with his classics, all the tunes here have a great funky feel – not really disco, but more upbeat funk, turned towards the dancefloor – served up with lots of sharp edges on the rhythms that keep things mighty nice – and which avoid any too-familiar cliches of the time. In a way, Stewart's groove is a bit like the grittier club from P&P up north – as you'll hear on this set that features the cuts "Night Flight", "Beyond Love", "Hot Box", and "Everything's Made For Love" by Stewart – plus great collaborations with vocalist Stevo on "Pay The Price", "Universal Love", "Party Night", "Starry Eyes", "Livin For The City", "Jammin", and "Messing UP A Good Thing". Also features two Al Kent remixes, too!

We've always loved the music of Jimi Tenor – but recently, he seems to get better and better with each new record – hitting a spiritual, soulful depth we never would have expected years ago! This album's one of his best efforts ever – and feels more like some lost 70s Euro/African rarity – as you might expect from the compelling cover! All the jazz elements of previous Tenor projects are in place – but there's also more of a pan-global influence going on – especially in the complicated percussion that graces most tracks, and which provides a wonderful counterpart to instrumentation that includes tenor, flutes, and piano from Jimi – plus trumpet from Julla Eskola and Tero Lindberg, trombone from Jay Kortehisto and Heikki Tuhkanen, and guitar from Kalle Kalima. Tracks are long, and have a feel that's somewhere between Strata East and Parisian Afro jazz experiments of the 70s – and titles include "Universal Love", "Afroeuropean", "Eternal Mystery", "Africa Kingdom", "Dance Of The Planets", "Curtain Of Steel", and "Starstuff".

We've always loved the music of Jimi Tenor – but recently, he seems to get better and better with each new record – hitting a spiritual, soulful depth we never would have expected years ago! This album's one of his best efforts ever – and feels more like some lost 70s Euro/African rarity – as you might expect from the compelling cover! All the jazz elements of previous Tenor projects are in place – but there's also more of a pan-global influence going on – especially in the complicated percussion that graces most tracks, and which provides a wonderful counterpart to instrumentation that includes tenor, flutes, and piano from Jimi – plus trumpet from Julla Eskola and Tero Lindberg, trombone from Jay Kortehisto and Heikki Tuhkanen, and guitar from Kalle Kalima. Tracks are long, and have a feel that's somewhere between Strata East and Parisian Afro jazz experiments of the 70s – and titles include "Universal Love", "Afroeuropean", "Eternal Mystery", "Africa Kingdom", "Dance Of The Planets", "Curtain Of Steel", and "Starstuff".

Funky female pop from the Japanese scene of the 70s – served up in a mix of rock, pop, and disco styles! The music here has a bit more polish than some of the previous titles in the Queen Of Japanese Pops series – more studio 70s than the garagey styles heard on other collections – but the overall feel is equally trashy, and like before, comes with some really great packaging that's filled with vintage images! You might need to know Japanese to get the most out of the lyrics, but there's a charm here that's universal too – compellingly catchy girl pop, often presented with weird instrumental twists and turns, and a nice undercurrent of funk in some of the rhythms. 19 tracks in all – with all artists and titles listed in Japanese!

An amazing dip into the widest reaches of the Universal Music vaults – an incredibly groovy set of dancefloor numbers in a variety of genre – rare soul, deep funk, modal jazz, bossa nova, French pop, and more! The set's every bit as great as other Mojo Club entries – beautifully chosen tunes that include loads of under-reissued gems – all put together as a massive 18 track package that gives you plenty of great music for the money. Titles include "Day By Day" by Greetje Kauffeld, "Descarrego" by Emilio Santiago, "Big Mama Cass" by Don Sebesky, "Noir C'est Noir" by Johnny Hallyday, "Sir Henry The Dancer" by Casey & His Group, "I Likes To Do It" by People's Choice, "I Love Every Little Thing About You" by Syreeta, "Dona Flor" by Tania Maria, "Sophisticated Wheels" by Gabor Szabo, "I Believe In Miracles" by The Jackson Sisters, and "O Orvalho Vem Caindo" by Meirelles.

Amazing sounds from the pre-Ayatollah years in Iran – an incredible blend of different global influences, coming together in the sort of sound you'd expect from one of the most progressive scenes in the Mid-East! The work here has some of the same psych elements of Turkish work from the time – but also borrows lots from other sources too – including elements of Bollywood grooves from India, heavy funk from the US, and even some of the more inventive post-colonial sounds from London and Paris! Vocals are almost never in English, but the song structures create a really universal feel to the music – a transcendent sound that's documented perfectly by the selections in this well-done set. Titles include "Asal" by Sattar, "Eshghe To" by Gita, "Dele Khoshbavar" by Shohre Soltai, "Asheghi Ham Hadi Dare" by Shahram, "Pichak" by Nooshafarin, "Tishe O Risheh" by Amir Rassaie, and "Yek Roose Taazeh" by Neli.

Amazing sounds from the pre-Ayatollah years in Iran – an incredible blend of different global influences, coming together in the sort of sound you'd expect from one of the most progressive scenes in the Mid-East! The work here has some of the same psych elements of Turkish work from the time – but also borrows lots from other sources too – including elements of Bollywood grooves from India, heavy funk from the US, and even some of the more inventive post-colonial sounds from London and Paris! Vocals are almost never in English, but the song structures create a really universal feel to the music – a transcendent sound that's documented perfectly by the selections in this well-done set. Titles include "Asal" by Sattar, "Eshghe To" by Gita, "Dele Khoshbavar" by Shohre Soltai, "Asheghi Ham Hadi Dare" by Shahram, "Pichak" by Nooshafarin, "Tishe O Risheh" by Amir Rassaie, and "Yek Roose Taazeh" by Neli.

Japan's Globe Trotter crew hits the Munich scene – and comes back with a tasty little package of tracks from Compost Records! The set's a Japanese-only one, and features some really wonderful tunes from Compost – one of the best underground labels currently in business. Titles include "Snowblind (Zimpala rmx)" by Minus 8, "Different Place (Universal Funk rmx)" by Daniel Magg, "Lady Luck (Misa Negra rmx)" by Victor Davies, "Futuristic (Grand Unified House Not House rmx)" by Joseph Malik, "Light" by Wei Chi, "The Empiricist" by Ben Mono, "Universal Love" by Truby Trio with Marcus Begg, and "Let It Go (Rima house mix)" by Rima with Julie Dexter.

A beautiful slice of Japanese jazz from the 70s – grooves that mix together older bamboo flute sounds with modern styles – bits of funk, modal, and fusion that work perfectly with the warm tones of the flute! The blend is completely seductive – very Japanese, but with a really universal appeal – and as you'd guess, most of these cuts never made it out to the rest of the world at the time – so we've got the cats at Wax Poetics Japan to thank for bringing them all together in a killer set like this! There's plenty of funky numbers on here that really make the set worth getting – a real musical discovery, as you'll hear on cuts that include "Eli's Coming" by Singers Three, "Left Right" by Richard Pine & Company, "See See Rider" by Singers Three, "Blue" by Takeshi Inomata & The Sound Limited, "Loving You" by George Ohtsuka, "Negative & Positive" by Minoru Muraoka, and "Judy's Samba" by Seiichi Namakura Quintet.

The sun shines brightly on Mario Biondi – really making this record sparkle with a charm that goes way beyond Mario's previous albums – a quality that's less retro than before, and which shows Biondi as a growing soul star with really universal appeal! There's still some of the old school jazz in the mix that we love from Mario's Schema work – but the album's also got a fuller production style at times, one that really expands the palette of Biondi's colors, and which has him working here with help from key guests who include Omar, Leon Ware, Al Jarreau, Incognito, and Chaka Khan – and even a bit of organ from the James Taylor Quartet! Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick helped co-write a good number of tracks on the set – and titles include "Shine On", "Come To Me", "Woman Woman", "What Have You Done To Me", "Never Stop", "La Voglia La Pazzia L'Idea", "Girl Blue", "Light To The World", and "Catch The Sunrise".

A set of sweet funky jams from saxophonist Tyrone Washington – a player who's probably known best for his late 60s session for Blue Note, but whose heard here in an electrified mode with plenty of choppy rhythms on the bottom – very much in the spirit of some of the best Gary Bartz work from the time! Washington is joined by keyboarist Hubert Eaves for the record – and Eaves weaves (can we say that?) lots of snakey electric piano lines underneath Tyrone's soulful work on tenor, alto, and flute – making for a Bartz-ish mix that's totally great, and sometimes augmented by vocals. Other players include Idris Muhammad on drums, Billy Nichols on guitar, and Rene McLean on alto sax – and the whole thing's great – a wonderful mix of soul and spiritual modes from the time! Titles include "Land Of Eternity", "Paradise", "Brother Man", and "Universal Spiritual Revolt", which is a bit "out" there.

A massive batch of funky soul jazz – the Second Movement (to the first album Swiss Movement) of the collaboration of Eddie Harris and Les McCann! The vibe here is even freer, and hipper, than on the first set – with a host of long tracks that have Les really working the Fender Rhodes into some great grooves, as Eddie blows along some mean, mad Varitone with equal charm! Players include Bernard Purdie, Buck Clarke, and Cornell Dupree – and titles include "Saima", "Carry On Brother", "Universal Prisoner", and the brilliant sample cut "Shorty Rides Again"!

A fantastic bit of hard jamming funk from Mandrill – rougher than later work, with a mix of soul, jazz, and Latin influences, all coming together in a mode that reminds us of early 70s LA groups like War or El Chicano. The best element of the album's the mix of keyboards, bass-driven rhythms, and flute – which cuts across the top of the heavy jams in a light way that really spices things up! Tracks include "Cohelo", "Ape is High", "Universal Rhythms", "Central Park", and "Git It All".

The funky sitar of Ananada Shankar – recorded in the 80s, but with all the brilliance of his 70s work! Like his other great albums, the production's a mix of soundtrack and funky instrumental styles with more traditional Indian ones – and the bulk of the set comes off sounding like some lost Bollywood score from the 70s – funky and spacey at the bottom, without as much of the clunky styles that you might expect from the cheesy 80s image on the cover. The set includes the long mellow tune "2001", plus shorter groovier numbers that include "Planet X", "Flights Of Fantasy", "Universal Magic", "The Voyager", "Vibrations", and "Explorations".

Amazing rare grooves from Tommy Stewart – the Atlanta studio wizard who cut some of the hippest club tracks in the south at the end of the 70s! This package digs way deeper than even Tommy's classic self-titled album – to feature some obscure and unreleased material that show the tremendous power of Stewart in the studio – the kind of energy that made him a one man powerhouse to rival some of the bigger teams turning out grooves at the major labels! As with his classics, all the tunes here have a great funky feel – not really disco, but more upbeat funk, turned towards the dancefloor – served up with lots of sharp edges on the rhythms that keep things mighty nice – and which avoid any too-familiar cliches of the time. In a way, Stewart's groove is a bit like the grittier club from P&P up north – as you'll hear on this set that features the cuts "Night Flight", "Beyond Love", "Hot Box", and "Everything's Made For Love" by Stewart – plus great collaborations with vocalist Stevo on "Pay The Price", "Universal Love", "Party Night", "Starry Eyes", "Livin For The City", "Jammin", and "Messing UP A Good Thing". Also features two Al Kent remixes, too!

A mighty tribute to one of the greatest soundtrack composers of the 50s and 60s – served up in a host of jazz and vocal gems from the equally mighty Universal catalog! Most of the numbers here are from the 60s, and showcase Mancini at his jazziest – the period from Peter Gunn onward, when it seemed like every tune Hank touched turned to gold – and became a great jumping-off point for expression in a wide variety of musical styles. The 18 track package features some gems we've never seen reissued before, plus more familiar tunes that sound even better in this ultra-hip setting – and together, the tracks are a tremendous testament to the genius of Mancini at a time when he was working at his fullest potential. Titles include "Sally's Tomato" by Cal Tjader, "Wait Until Dark" by Walter Wanderley & Margie Dotson, "Peter Gunn" by Art Healie & The Electric Saxophone, "Days Of Wine & Roses" by Dizzy Gillespie, "A Shot In The Dark" by Shirley Scott, "Nothing To Lose" by Claudine Longet, "Moon River" by Billy Eckstine, "Shadows Of Paris" by Elsie Bianchi, "Baby Elephant Walk" by Bert Kaempfert, "Experiment In Terror" by Kai Winding, "Charade" by Johnny Hartman, "Slow Hot Wind" by Sarah Vaughan, "Bird Brain" by Quincy Jones, and "Two For The Road" by Gunter Kallmann Choir.

A great contrast to some of the American jazz remix projects in recent years – because the work here is hipper and deeper – and also offered at a mighty low price! They might as well have called the set MPS Remixed – as a good number of the original tunes here are from the classic MPS catalog of the 60s and 70s – redone here in versions from recent years, which are combined with a few more from the larger Universal remix catalog. Trippy touches abound, and the package features 14 numbers that include "Mathar (Frank Popp rmx)" by Dave Pike Set, "Feel (Spacek rmx)" by George Duke, "Morning Song (DJ DSL mix)" by Don Menza, "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men (dZihan & Kamien's biologypolyphony)" by Peter Herbholzheimer, "Color (Salut's intro edit)" by Orchester Erwin Lehn, "Just Bring It Out (Andy Smith & Scott Hendy rmx)" by Wolfgang Dauner, "Monticello (Vinyl Vibes rmx)" by Monty Alexander, "Speech Craft (No Sleep Til Dawn rmx)" by Horst Jankowski, "Sunshine Of Your Love (Rockers Hifi rmx)" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "It Don't Mean A Thing (Incognito rmx)" by Space Jazz Dub Men.

A masterpiece of bossa nova – and one of the best compilations you could hope to buy! The set is the third volume in the all-wonderful Trip To Brazil series – and like the others, it's a boundary-less selection of tunes in the bossa mode – pulled from the global catalog of Universal music, and featuring tracks from Brazil, France, Germany, New York, LA, and other points worldwide – all unified with a magical love of the gentle groove, and served up in a sweet looking package that's a bargain at any price! And even if you own a good bit of bossa work already – as we certainly do – the set's a delight in the way that it brings together tunes that you might have either forgotten about or passed over, and which re-emerge here to sparkle in a whole new light! The sound is great, the look is wonderful, and the whole thing's put together with a 24 page booklet that includes notes on all of the album's 47 tracks! Titles include "Zazueira" by Luiz Eca, "Que E Que Voce Vai Fazer Nesse Carnaval" by Azymuth, "Bahia Soul" by Luiz Bonfa, "Voce E Eu" by Sylvia Telles & Tamba Trio, "Lalari Olala" by Jorge Ben, "The Dolphin" by Bill Evans, "Diz Que Fui Por Ai" by Neyde Fraga & Walter Wanderley, "Wave" by The Sandpipers, "Hey Jude" by Edu Lobo, "Festa No Sertao" by Zimbo Trio, "Casa Forte" by Helen Merrill, "Little Boat" by Lorez Alexandria, "Seu Encanto" by Rio 65 Trio – and lots lots lots more!

A classic slice of Jamaican roots! No collection of Lee Perry's work is complete without this chapter, which has been hard to get in spite of being reissued in a number of different formats. This version features a slight twist on the original cover art, but is an expanded double LP set with a bonus disc of later self-produced material. On the original album, recorded at the Black Ark in 1976, Cedric Mytton teams up with Roy Johnson on harmony vocals, with Lee Perry steering the Ark with a heavyweight supporting crew, for a true milestone in Jamaican music, and a classic of universal proportions. The second LP features material from 4 different sessions, all great, with tracks from the 1979 LPs Cvongo Ashanti and Image of Africa, the 1981 LP Face The Music and a couple of tracks from 1999. 22 tracks in all, including "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Open Up The Gate", "Children Crying", "La La Bam-Bam", "Can't Come In", "Sodom & Gomorrow", "The Wrong Thing", "ArkOf Covenant", "Don't Blame On I", "Solid Foundation", "Days Chasing Days", "Youth Man", "Only Jah Know", "Music Maker", "Stay Alive (ext)", "Problems", "Face The Music", "Enemy & Spy (ext)" and "Aaron & Moses (ext)".

A well-done love letter to the record store – pitched in the title as a vanishing breed, but well-demonstrated by the film as alive and well! The documentary takes a look at industry shifts that had led to a lot of closures of record stores, but also features a pretty celebratory look at the new independent spirit in record retailing, now that most of the giants are gone. Filmed from a British perspective, but pretty universal overall – with great appearances by Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, Norman Cook, Johnny Marr, and others. 124 minutes, with lots of bonus features!

One of their best 70s LPs – with a great spacey sound, and arrangements that are a lot more complicated than their earlier albums. Contains the incredible cut "Cosmic Sea", which has a great funky bassline and cool flanged drums under a string section. It begins with a nice break, and stays funky all the way through! Other tracks include "I Am, It Is", "Universal Mind", "The Seventh Plane", and "The Awakening".

The soundtrack album to the concert film Dave Chappelle's Block Party! As in the film, the tracks are live and unvarnished – making this an honest snapshot of the day, with a few interludes and transitional material added to make it gel. It doesn't include all of the performances of the film, but most of the things left off the soundtrack are bits by acts that already have just about all the cache they need. Includes 12 live performances including "Hip Hop" by Dead Prez, "Definition" by Black Star, "Golden" by Jill Scott, "Universal Magnetic" by Mos Def, "Blast" by Talib Kweli feat Erykah Badu, "Boom" by The Roots feat Big Daddy Kane, "They Way" by Jill Scott, "The Light" by Common feat Badu & Bilal and more.

One of the more far-reaching compilations in the Jazz Club series – reggae covers by jazz mainstays and more from late 60s onward, with a focus on great stuff from the 70s! All of the material was culled from the vast Universal vaults – and it's a pretty sweet set of jazzy reggae and reggae jazz, from artists as diverse as Ernest Ranglin, Bernard Pretty Purdie, The Skatalites, Bill Fraser, Deodato and Medeski, Martin & Wood! 14 tracks in all: "54-46 – (Was My Number)" by Ernest Ranglin, "Jammin'" by Monty Alexander, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Junior Mance, "Natty Never Get Weary" by Dean Fraser, "Rock Fort Rock" by Skatalites, "Montego Bay" by Pretty Purdie, "I Shot The Sheriff" by Deodato, "Walking On Sunshine" by Bill Summers, "Pressure Drop" by Brass Fraser and more.

An incredible compilation of dancefloor soul & disco from the early 80s – rare, extended and previously unreleased mixes by NYC legend John Morales – featuring essential material from Logg, Universal Robot Band, Tony Adderly, Class Action, Inner Life and more! Morales was a part of the DJ remix scene that made club ready soul gems out of a bunch of the pop and soul hits of the day, but this compilation on BBE goes deeper than that for the cream of the crop of the post disco grooves of the day, most running on the long side for that unstoppable dancefloor approach, while keeping the song based soul sound fully in place. Essential! CD version has 19 tracks on 2CDs: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough Part I" (JM 4AM mix), "Breaking Down (Sugar Samba)" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Julia & Company, "Barely Breaking Even" (club version) by Universal Robot Band, "I Ain't Mad At You" (JM extended M&M mix) by Tony Adderly, "Never Can Say Goodbye" (demo version) by La-Rita Gaskin, "All Over Your Face" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Ronnie Dyson, "(Knock Out) Let's Go Another Round" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Inner Life, "You Got (That Something)" by Logg and more, "Down For Double" (JM After-Session M&M mix) by Cubie Burke and more.

A recent tribute to Albert Ayler – but one that's performed by some of his immediate musical heirs of the 70s! The performance picks up nicely where Ayler left off – and although some of the tunes are famous Ayler numbers, the overall style is almost a loft jazz extrapolation of Albert's ideals – deconstructing them a bit from their original intensity, and allowing new avenues of sound to open up in the process! Tracks are quite long, and build with a beautifully organic sensibility – and Campbell's great work on trumpet is mixed with McPhee's tenor and pocket trumpet – in a group that also features William Parker on bass and Warren Smith on drums and percussion. Titles include "Prophet John", "Universal Indians", "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe", "Muntu", "Obama Victory Shoutout", and "Truth Is Marching In".

VP reissue of this classic slice of Jamaican roots music. No collection of Lee Perry's work is complete without this chapter, which was hard to get for many years, but reissued here in it's original format, with the origial cover art. Recorded at the Black Ark in 1976, Cedric Mytton teams up with Roy Johnson on harmony vocals and Lee Perry steering the Ark with a heavyweight supporting crew, for a true milestone in Jamaican music, and a classic of universal proportions. 10 tracks, just like the original version: "Fisherman", "Congoman", "Open Up The Gate", "Children Crying", "La La Bam-Bam", "Can't Come In", "Sodom & Gomorrow", "The Wrong Thing", "ArkOf Covenant" and 'Solid Foundation".

A massive look at the music of Franco – the guitarist whose music really helped transform the sound of Africa in the 60s and 70s! The career-spanning set features tracks from three different decades – beginning with some very rough early sides, then moving into a rich array of recordings that shows an incredible transformation in sound. Franco's guitar work is often a lot more sensitive than some of his contemporaries, but still as rhythmic as the rest – and his vocals have this sweetly crackling sound that makes the tunes come alive with a sense of universal soul that goes way beyond the boundaries of language – something that helped him and his OK Jazz group reach a very wide audience over the years. The package features 2CDs and a 44 page booklet that's filled with notes and vintage photos – plus a whopping 28 tracks that include "Esengo Ya Mokili", "Azda", "Mambu Ma Miondo", "Liberte", "Alimatou", "Kinsiona", "Mabele", "Infidelite Mado", "Nazube Oleka Te", "Bomba L'Heure", and "Marie Naboyi".

A cool bit of bossa jazz from Italy – recorded by a group who clearly draw inspiration from Sergio Mendes, but also take their tunes in some bold new directions! Like other Euro bossa work of the time, there's really a strong respect here for the original Brazilian sound – but also a different sort of vibe too, one that clearly brings in some sunny Mediterranean moments to really spark things up! Percussion is heavy, vocals are often sung together and sweet – and there's some nice use of organ bubbling around in the background, which links the record a bit to some of the Italian film scores that we love from the time. Very groovy stuff throughout – with lyrics in Italian, but a universal appeal to any lover of warm bossa grooves! Titles include "Ci Vuol Pazienza", "Inquinamento", "Ride La Citta", "Davvero", "Foglie Gialle All'Imbrunire", "Gli Avvoltoi", "Muore Ormai La Domenica", and "Cento Volte Addio".

The sun shines brightly on Mario Biondi – really making this record sparkle with a charm that goes way beyond Mario's previous albums – a quality that's less retro than before, and which shows Biondi as a growing soul star with really universal appeal! There's still some of the old school jazz in the mix that we love from Mario's Schema work – but the album's also got a fuller production style at times, one that really expands the palette of Biondi's colors, and which has him working here with help from key guests who include Omar, Leon Ware, Al Jarreau, Incognito, and Chaka Khan – and even a bit of organ from the James Taylor Quartet! Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick helped co-write a good number of tracks on the set – and titles include "Shine On", "Come To Me", "Woman Woman", "What Have You Done To Me", "Never Stop", "La Voglia La Pazzia L'Idea", "Girl Blue", "Light To The World", and "Catch The Sunrise". CD has a great package – hardcover book-style, with pages inside!