Neo Soul -- Recently Added -- CD  

These guys just keep getting better and better -- growing up with a mature sound that we never would have expected a few decades back -- to a level where they're easily one of the hippest, most sophisticated acts around! As on other recent albums, there's a really classic vibe going on here -- a ...

The title's an apt one -- as Leela James "does it again", by reprising a host of classic soul songs from the 60s and 70s! The sound of the album's somewhat contemporary -- very much in the spirit of Leela's other work -- but the tunes are all familiar classics, performed with even more ...

A 10th Anniversary set of grooves from Naked Music's Jay Denes (aka Blue Six) -- working here in a style that's every bit as great as classic work from the label! The tunes are slinkily seductive -- not entirely club, but not entirely soul either -- often moving at a midtempo groove with a gentle ...

A richly collaborative effort from one of our favorite soul singers of the 21st Century -- a record that features a tremendous input from top-shelf talents who include Vikter Duplaix, King Britt, Atjazz, Slope, Sandboy, Meitz, and Georg Levin! The range of producers really help shift the sound a ...

It's been over 5 years since we heard from Omar last -- but dang, this album is more than worth the wait! Unlike some of his contemporaries, who sometimes spread themselves a bit too thin, Omar has a great way of holding his talents in for a number of years -- then burst forth with a record like ...

A diverse mix of styles from William Kurk -- soulful, jazzy and unpredictable from one tune to the next! William's channel's 70s Stevie Wonder here, as he's done on previous Sounds, but he draws from deeper well of influences, too -- and applies his own unique approach. The record starts out ...

Killer early work from Casey Benjamin and Nicole Guiland, aka Heavy -- featuring unreleased material, rare vinyl only gems, and otherwise hard to come by grooves -- it may be the First Sessions, but it sounds like the future of tripped out soul to us! The stuff here pre-dates the underrated Jazz ...

Man, Akiko always knows how to keep things interesting -- always moving between different genres and styles, to serve up a fresh new groove with each release! This set's got the singer hitting a host of British rock tunes, mostly from the 80s -- doing them with a harder edge than you might expect ...

A great bit of blue-eyed soul from Greg Walters -- a singer with a sound a lot bigger than you might expect from the cover -- offered up here in a surprisingly strong debut EP! The tracks are all originals by Greg, and have a joyous sort of approach -- a catchy, upbeat groove that's put together ...

Bob Baldwin's looking back at some great music here -- range of tracks pulled from albums of the past decade or so, with some surprising extra bits thrown in for good measure! The set's a perfect illustration of Baldwin's mighty keyboard powers -- that groove that's smooth, but never too slick -- ...

Brilliant work from America's next great soul singer -- the incredible Eric Roberson, one of the freshest male soul vocalists in years! At one level, Eric's work is steeped in the classic styles of Donnie Hathaway and Marvin Gaye -- but at another, it's completely without cliche or stylistic ...

A bigger and more uniquely soulful sound for Triple P -- aka cosmic DJ production duo Platinum Pied Pipers, rechristened as PPP with the addition of vocalists Coultrain and Karma to the group on the wonderful Abundance! The vocals, and a tighter focus on great songs than on an overall vibe, makes ...

A wonderful overview of contemporary female soul -- none of it commercial, and nearly all of it from the mighty Expansion family of labels -- home to some of the hippest Neo Soul around! Work here is from both American and overseas sources, and although a few tracks are issued under the name of a ...

Great soul from maestro James Day -- working here with a variety of different singers to realize his well-crafted groove! The set's got the perfect balance of mainstream and underground that you'll find on other albums from the Expansion label -- polished enough to take it past the indie ...

Funky soul from the great Alice Russell -- the first effort on her own label, and a killer set that's right up there with the greatness of previous albums! TM Juke produced, but the record has an even more stripped-down and soulful feel than before -- a blend of funk and soul backings that allow a ...

A remixed version of Incognito's Tales From The Beach album -- but one that feels more like a collaborative effort from all the talents involved, working together with the original tunes almost in tribute to the mighty power of the group! The mixers here are all either contemporaries of Incognito, ...

Contemporary soul from France -- a great second set from Mayrina Chebel! The lyrics aren't in English, but the album's got an appeal to fans on this side of the Atlantic -- thanks to Mayrina's well-crafted vocals, and overall slinkily seductive approach -- a sound that steps around the beats ...

It's been four years since Lewis Taylor's stunning debut album -- but it's been worth the wait! Few recent singers have grabbed our attention so much -- and we'd put Lewis into an "instant classic" soul category that would include the elite group of Omar, Monday Michiru, Jamiroquai, and ...

A great overview of work by one of the brightest stars in soul music of the past 25 years -- London's Omar, a singer who virtually reinvented the sound of soul in the 90s! The set includes tracks from Omar's early albums on Talking Loud -- starting with his home-produced classic There's Nothing ...

There's plenty to love in the music of Jaspects -- a groove that's fresh, instrumentation that's real, and a solid, soulful sound all the way through! The group have a wonderful way of mixing jazz with heavier rhythms -- a dose of hip hop production, yet never in ways that kill the instrumental ...

An incredible record! Suga Hill is the debut album from Kim Hill -- a soul singer that will soon be huge -- trust us! Kim spent some crucial years in funky Philly during the mid 90s -- where she honed her talents with the city's hip underground vibe -- then she moved west to LA, where she's ...

Wicked, wonderful stuff from Choklate -- a record that we dig even more than the singer's great debut a few years before! If you're digging for underground soul, this set's definitely one to dig -- as it's one of that rare breed of record that grabs you from the start, and makes your smile grow ...

Brilliant work from Monday Michiru -- one of her jazziest records to date, and one of her most soulful too! There's a really deep feel going on here -- light years past the basic soul and dancefloor grooves that Monday was cutting a decade ago, with a musically evolved sound that's really ...

Astral soul, spacey hip hop and funked out grooves from Ms One & The Gang -- aka Georgia Anne Muldrow and a stellar roster of guests, as well as alter egos and pseudonyms for both Georgia and fellow traveler Dudley Perkins -- including Stacey Epps, Black Milk & Big Pooh, Ms One (Georgia), ...

A heavily reworked version of Eric Roberson's massive Vault album -- one of our favorite new soul releases of the past few years! This version shares a cover and title with the first version, but overall, it's practically a whole new record -- with 8 songs out of 12 that are completely new, ...

Another top-shelf session from Monday Michiru -- one of the few current artists who's been able to hold our attention for so many years, thanks to an ever-deepening quality in her work! Back at the end of the 90s, we were first amazed when Monday moved simpler dance-based work into more ...

A batch of lost tracks from Anthony Hamilton -- record from '99 through '01 for the now defunct Soulife label -- finally seeing the light of day now that Hamilton's a bonafide neo soul superstar! Soulife finds Anthony in a mode that has him channeling Bill Withers in a modern way -- with tunes ...

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 ...

A fantastic follow up to Alice Russell's first Munka Moon set -- and a collection of some of her greatest musical contributions over the past few years -- a range of singles, remixes, and special projects that are all touched beautifully by her super-soulful vocals! Although only still an up-and-co ...

A brilliant set from one of the greatest voices in 21st Century soul -- and a record that has Alice exploring even more territory than her first! Russell's got a sound that's effortlessly classic -- one of those voices that grabs you like some lost jazz vocalist or soul singer from years past, but ...

A great second album from India Arie -- sweet, smooth, soulful, and one we like even better than the first! The style is wonderful -- a mix of warm vocals, spare production, and acoustic guitar -- which gives the set a folksy quality that really offsets the smooth backings nicely. Songs are very ...

A wicked little debut from Keite Young -- one of the freshest stars in the Hidden Beach galaxy! Keite's got roots in gospel, but comes across here with a solidly soulful sound -- a style that echoes some of the modes of his Hidden Beach contemporaries, but which also has some grittier elements too ...

A great step forward for the Soul Unsigned series -- a full album of never-issued tracks, and a collection that really shows the label's talents for unearthing great music! As you'd guess by the name, none of these artists have contracts with other labels -- so the set's about as fresh as you can ...

Beautiful work from Monet -- one of the hippest flute players around, and an artist who's definitely taken over the soulful legacy of Bobbi Humphrey! Although this set's only an EP, it sparkles with the depth of classic flute jazz albums of the 70s -- especially the soulful, fusion-styled ones we ...

Great work from a series we've really learned to trust for the hippest in underground soul -- a rich assortment of work from some of the best acts in the underground, most of whom you probably don't already have in your CD collection! The cut selection here is fantastic -- really the best of the ...

A wonderfully soulful set that instantly gets past Gemma Genazzano's cheesecake image on the cover -- and a record that features both English and Spanish language lyrics, which is quite a change for a Neo Soul set! Gemma's got some great help on the record from Marlon Saunders -- and the whole ...

Timeless soul sounds from Darien -- an expressive, emotional vocalist working well here with a solid production and a strong batch of songs -- really coming into his own here in a seductive soul vibe! Darien is working with influences of some of the best soul of the past few decades, but keeping ...

Another dazzling batch of tunes from Meshell Ndegeocello -- an incredible songwriter and performer who may have peaked commercially a few years back, but she is still maturing in ways that stretch far, far beyond the chart singles she scored in the past! The woman has never put out the same album ...

The long awaited debut album from DWH -- a UK combo we've been digging on singles, finally stepping into the light with their first full length statement! DWH have a deeply righteous sound that blends together jazz with bits of soul -- all served up in a blend that's never forced, and never done ...

Lean, mean guitar from U-Nam -- working in a groove that's slightly different than before, but equally groovy! The album's got a funkier feel than his last set -- a bit more playful in the arrangements, although still always with a classic-styled approach that makes U-Nam's guitar lines echo the ...

Wonderful work from a group who mix jazz performance with a bit of influence from hip hop -- but mostly in a way that still keeps things soulful throughout! At their core, Jaspects are a killer sextet who could have really shone strongly in the soul jazz underground of the 70s and 80s -- a combo ...

The long-overdue release of Inside My Love -- a sublime little set recorded by Trina Broussard in the late 90s -- originally planned for the So-So Def label, but never properly issued at the time! The album's years ahead of most soul of the time -- a great precursor to the Neo Soul explosion that ...

Nothing medicinal here, at least not in the way we remember as kids -- nothing bitter or off-putting, as Preston Glass has a sound that's every bit as smooth as his name! Preston's a producer with a few decades of mainstream soul and jazz work under his belt -- famous recordings with big name ...

80s-styled soul from Cool Million -- a contemporary duo, but one with a great ear for the classic sounds of the past! There's a fair bit of keyboard and bassline interplay on the set -- very much in the best spirit of the 80s groove generation, especially some of the less hit-oriented work of the ...

Wonderful work from Karen Gibson Roc -- part singer, part poet -- with a style that's as hip as you might expect from such a blend! Karen's approach is a bit like that of Ursula Rucker, although somewhat warmer overall -- deeply personal in its lyrical content, and delivered over soulful backings ...

The wonderful Hidden Beach groove continues -- smooth, but never slick -- and a great attempt at bringing instrumental work to a much younger generation! There's a really jazzy sensibility here that's moved far beyond the roots of the series -- a style that completely transforms the hip hop tunes ...

These guys have really grown up a lot over the years -- moving bast the simple, stiff beats that first marked their music -- into a sound that's much warmer, much jazzier overall! There's a pretty spontaneous vibe to the set -- almost a live jazz funk vibe that comes across with a lot more charm ...

"Destined To Be A Modern Soul Classic" says the sticker on the front -- and for once, they finally got it right! The album's the first-ever full length from Donnie -- a brilliant young soul singer who's been bubbling out of the Atlanta scene over the past few years, and who has only ...

One of the greatest soul albums of the past 20 years -- an instant classic the day it was released! When this killer came out in the UK in 1991, it was one of the best soul records we'd heard in years. Carleen Anderson, the then-unknown daughter of Bobby Byrd & Vicki Anderson, sung some of ...

A short set, but one that's filled with plenty of soul -- even tighter grooves than before from the Tortured trio, showing their unique approach is right on the money! As before, most instrumentation is live, and nice and lean -- with a feel that's almost like the group are working with beats and ...