Acid Jazz (UK), 1994. Very Good-
Although this set came out in 1994, after the early years of the Brand New Heavies, it's actually a great compilation of rare and unreleased early stuff by the group! The set's a real treat if you've always liked their first release, but haven't really grooved to the later ones, because the sound
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Columbia, 2008. New Copy
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
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Atlantic, 2007. New Copy 2LP
Philly-bred Musiq Soulchild heads over to Atlantic from Def Jam with his tight modern soul sound intact and better than ever -- Luvanmusiq might be his best set yet! Musiq's brand of hip hop informed, steady soul has been consistent from the get go, but this one has a tightness that surpasses his
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Ubiquity, 2008. New Copy 2LP
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
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Motown, 2003. New Copy
A nice one from Badu -- one with a depth of feeling and genuine soulful vibes that live up to its title, despite the fact that she records for one of the world's biggest media conglomerates! It's all about the vibe here. Erykah rolls her syllables, scats and emotes feelings more than an actual
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Kajmere, 2005. New Copy 2LP
The long-awaited first full length set by Rebirth -- and a record that more than lives up to all the brilliant promise the group has displayed on their first few singles! Rebirth are an amazing combo -- a fully-formed funky soul ensemble with a vision that's incredibly deep -- and a sense of power
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Stones Throw, 2006. New Copy 2LP
The most astral album ever on Stones Throw -- written, produced, played and sung by the stunning Georgia Anne Muldrow -- the deepest avant garde funky soul effort we've heard in years from anyone on a beathead record label this side of Dwight Trible! Georgia reportedly has personal roots that can
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MCA, 1997. New Copy
A strange title for a first record -- but quite fitting, given the impact that Erykah Badu has had on soul music! The record defines a whole new style of expression -- "Baduizm", if you will -- one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's worth of jazz,
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Stones Throw, 2006. New Copy 2LP
A batch of eclectic postmodern soul that's as original and instantly gratifying as anything we've heard on Stones Throw! Aloe Blacc more than lives up to the expectations we had for him after hearing his first couple of Stones Throw singles. His previous work in the adventurous hip hop outfit
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Unique (Germany), 2008. New Copy
A really classic-styled soul album -- less funk-based than most contemporary efforts, and more in the mode of some of the best mellow soul singers of the 70s! Glen Anthony Henry has some really great vocals -- an approach that's deep, yet never in a way that sounds forced or like it's trying to
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ABB Soul, 2007. New Copy 2LP
Sweet, timeless group soul from Soul ID -- the group's way too long in the works debut from neo group soul maestros Soul ID -- and one of the better albums on ABB Soul! The ID is a 4 piece group whose roots are 3 parts Africa and 1 part Belgium -- but the sound is more cosmic than regional!
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Verve (Germany), 2008. New Copy 2LP Gatefold
The deepest album we've heard in years from Till Bronner -- a beautiful collection of Brazilian-tinged tunes, performed with a host of wonderful guest stars! Bronner plays his usual trumpet, and also sings a bit too -- in that warmly raspy voice that we first grew to love during his Chet Baker
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Shanachie/Wonderwax (UK), 2006. New Copy
Spinna bats it out of the park with this one -- and lands himself a well-deserved spot in the 21st Century soul stratosphere! We've loved Spinna's work on remixes and other projects for years -- and although his Beat Generation album was great, this set is amazingly even better -- a tremendous
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ABB, 2003. Very Good+ 2LP
An instant classic -- the debut album by Lizz Fields, one of the freshest talents we've heard from the Philly scene in years! Lizz has a style that starts with the hip laidback soul of Jill Scott -- lots of low beats and keyboards underneath street smart vocals with a bit of an edge -- but she's
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Factory (UK), 1986. Very Good
One of our favorite albums from the British scene of the 80s -- a jazzy masterpiece that was an immediate precursor to the work of Swing Out Sister! Kalima have a groove that's much more jazz-based than SOS -- but share the talents of pianist Andrew Connell, whose arrangements on the set give it a
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Talkin Loud (UK), 1993. Good+
Wonderful work from Incognito -- perhaps their greatest album ever! By the time of this 1993 release, this Brit funky soul combo was in perfect form -- blending together classic modes of jazz funk into a tight modern blend that's lasted a lot longer than anyone might have thought at the time.
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Soul Brother/Expansion (UK), 2001. Very Good+ 2LP
Sick of all the modern R&B that never seems to go anywhere? Check this great collection of some of the best indie NuSoul from America -- put together by the folks at London's Soul Brother record shop -- and prepare to be impressed! The Soul Brother crew selected tunes by 5 of today's best
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Epic, 1996. Very Good 2LP Gatefold
We love this album! The set's a classic batch of jazzy grooves from a combo who were first known as Sade's backing band -- but who've rose to almost near-legendary fame through the strength of this set! The album's quite unique -- and was even more so for the time -- a cool, classy set that's
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Dorado (UK), 1997. Very Good-
The second LP from this enigmatic UK soul diva. The album, like her first, has a tightly produced sample-driven funk groove, with lots of warm keyboard touches that work well with Jhelisa's shimmering vocals. There's definitely a bit more spaciness to the production style here, but it works
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Ruffhouse/Columbia, 1997. Very Good- 2LP
Hip stuff, and a great mix of soul, funk, jazz, and hip hop. Ursula Rucker sings vocals on a number of tracks, and the record spans a number of styles without stretching itself too thin. In fact, the real appeal of the set is its fresh ability to move around through a number of influences --
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