Neo Soul -- Recently Added -- CD  

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 ...

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 ...

Georgia Anne Muldrow's cosmic funky soul keeps rolling on -- bring even more depth to her evolving, unstoppable creative energy with Umsindo! The album is a dedicated Afrocentric social awareness, but she steers clear of strident righteousness in favor of a funky, soulful elemental vibe -- mixing ...

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 ...

Sweet modern soul from Melba Moore & Phil Perry -- upbeat and uptempo modern soul and some smoothed out mellow moments, too! The production crisp, leaning and grooving -- taking cues of from the late 70s and 80s schools of inspirational soul and r&b -- with the duo in excellent shape ...

Modern soul prince Calvin Richardson takes on the Bobby Womack songbook -- and pulls it very well -- with takes that are faithful to the classic groove with a timeless sense of soul! Richardson has always done his thing with a genuine love of 60s & 70s soul, so it's a pretty natural fit for ...

The early recordings of Georgia Anne Muldrow -- and they're stunning -- showing Georgia's depth of soul and boundless creativity was in full force even in her late teens! As a whole, the tunes on Early are a bit leaner and less trippy than some of her more recent recording, but her spirit is as ...

Hard to believe its been over a decade since we first started digging the music of Rad -- but the groove here is stronger than ever, and filled with the kind of classic soul and funk touches that first made Rad stand out many years back! The instrumentation is incredibly tight -- great keyboards ...

Bold, funky work from Rad -- one of those singers that we've always thought should have gotten bigger fame over the past decade or so -- given that her style is almost as badass as some of our favorite funky females from the 70s! The album's got a lean groove that's plenty classic -- lots of right ...

Rad live in Japan -- laying down a wonderful version of the funky soul we've always loved on her studio albums! There's a leanness to the record that's almost more classic-styled than some of her previous work -- a really tight little groove that falls beautifully in a Bay Area legacy of jazz-style ...

A wonderful bit of jazzy soul -- kind of in the mode of Monday Michiru, but with a bit of a bay area twist. Female vocalist Rad sings and plays keyboards on the record -- giving the tracks a nice mellow soul feel with some work on Fender Rhodes, mini moog, and other keyboards -- and she's backed ...

Two Swedish cats with a great ear for slinky soul -- a duo whose sounds evoke some of our favorite mellow moments of the 70s, with a few hip 80s touches as well! For an indie set, the record's got a beautiful production sound -- a rich array of keyboards, rhythms, and jazzy horns -- wrapped around ...

Spacey soul from Coultrain -- an up-and-coming singer from the St Louis scene, and one with a really unique sort of sound! The album's a wonderful debut effort -- far more mature and complex than you might expect, with a really cosmic feel that's somewhere between 70s spacey soul and some of the ...

Plenty of drums here -- both played and programmed by Tony Royster Jr, the standout star of this set! The groove's a bit funkier than other Unwrapped volumes -- still in the smoother soul territory of the Hidden Beach style, but giving the drummer more space to get down as well -- which sounds ...

Ok so she's got a Grammy -- but that makes us love her even more! Jill Scott is one of the greatest soul artists to emerge in the past decade -- and this second album avoids the usual "sophomore slump" by showing a whole new side of her talents! Disc one is a great live set -- showing ...

A beautifully bright second set from Steve Wallace -- an artist who really caught our ears a few years back with his debut, and who's still sounding equally fresh here! Wallace has a great sense of flow in his music -- a way of singing with the grooves that almost seems schooled in hip hop, but ...

The mighty Tom Moulton takes on the Brand New Heavies -- and the results are completely sublime! We totally loved the BNH album Get Used To It -- as it was a real return to the best funky soul of their roots -- but this Tom Moulton version sounds even better, with an even heavier, more hard-hitting ...

A motherlode of rare tracks from The Brand New Heavies -- a 2CD collection of their club and house remixes over the years, most of which were originally only issued on 12" singles! Although the Heavies' core groove has always been great enough to make their best albums instant classics, the ...

The massive second album from Adriana Evans -- head and shoulders above her debut! The sound here is a lot more complicated than on the first LP -- with a righteous vibe that mixes together elements we never would have expected in her previous work! Adriana's working here with longtime ...

A long-awaited full length set from Yolanda Johnson -- an artist who first grabbed our ears with her Violet Flower EP a few years back! Yolanda's really grown a lot in the space since that first record -- moving her groove into some fresh territory that almost has a bit of an 80s soul vibe at ...

Killer work from Ledisi -- one of the best underground soul singers alive! This album has Ledisi opening up her bag a lot from her Soulsinger debut -- moving into some more jazz-based material, sung with a sweet mellow vibe that still retains all the soulfulness of earlier work, yet which also has ...

An excellent bit of modern soul -- very much in the vein of Jill Scott, Laurnea, N'Dambi, or some of the other current underground divas from the US indie soul scene! Ledisi's got a heck of a voice -- very rich and mellow, in a style that reminds us a bit of classic work by jazzy soul singers like ...

The Brand New Heavies, Live In London, and very much at the top of their game! Ever since the group reformed with singer N'Dea Davenport, they've really sounded great -- returned strongly to their tight funky roots, without any of the mis-steps of the middle period -- as you'll hear in this great ...

The amazing debut of Ledisi -- presented here in the original mix and with the original cover! Ledisi's got a heck of a voice -- very rich and mellow, in a style that reminds us a bit of classic work by jazzy soul singers like Jean Carn or Dee Dee Bridgewater, but with more of a bite, and more of ...

Joy Jones is an artist with a name that definitely fits her music -- as we feel plenty of joy when we hear her sing! This full length set is a wonderful treat -- the first extended batch of music we've ever heard from Joy, produced with help from Kaidi Tatham, Leroy Brown, Ty, and others -- and ...

Sublime soul from Peven Everett -- a beautifully-crafted album that moves well beyond some of his homemade productions of recent years! This set's got all the silky soul that first made us love Peven's music -- that open, flowing groove that's almost organic, and which makes you feel like Everett's ...

Meshell Ndegeocello has been delivering one masterful set of astral soul, funk and avant groove gems after another since her commercial peak in the 90s -- and Devil's Halo is as excellent, if not better than all of the others! If there's one thing we absolutely love more than any other fascinating ...

Tremendous work from N'Dambi -- a set that really moves her career forward strongly, while still holding onto the best soulful sound of her roots! The album's N'Dambi's first for a big label -- the newly-reformed Stax -- but it's got a perfectly balanced sound that's sure to please any past fans ...

James Poyser's genre skirting Rebel Yell -- shaking off any preconceived notions and laying out a mix of electro soul, thumping hip hop, cosmic r&b and more -- a wildly eclectic set of catchy hooks and sprawling atmosphere! James is the ringleader of a group featuring vocalist SupaStar, plus ...

Sweet, laidback modern soul from Gianna -- warm, sophisticated, and with some jazzy touches -- produced by Kendall Duffie of Kloud 9, and with a sound that's floats nicely in that kind of easygoing mode! Gianna hails from Texas, but she has a universal style, with a casual, elegant sound -- with ...

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 ...

Mindblowing work from the Soul Unsigned series -- only three volumes old, but already one of the best sources we know for tapping into the Neo Soul underground! As with the previous two sets, the quality level here is very high -- music of the sort that really keeps us digging for hip soul sets ...

Sweet sweet work from Teodross Avery -- a musician who's way more than the smooth jazz player you might expect! Teodross steps out here as a mini-maestro in soul -- writing and producing the whole album with a well-rounded, soul-based approach that has Teo in the lead on saxes -- but also makes ...

There's no escaping the Detroit in the grooves here -- as the album's got a classic sound that stretches back to the city's crossover days at the end of the 60s -- that magical time when soul, rock, and funk acts were playing to the same crowds all over town -- and breaking down a lot of musical ...

A bold shift for N'Dambi -- and a record that's far different than the jazzy introspection of her Tunin Up & Cosignin album! The sound here is much tighter and more focused -- witth N'Dambi hitting a funkier groove overall -- a style that hearkens back to her initial debut, but which also ...

The Soul Lounge is back again -- serving up a hell of a lot of great music, all at a ridiculously low price! The package is overflowing with contemporary soul cuts from both sides of the Atlantic -- great material from UK labels Dome and Expansion -- both companies we've really come to trust for ...

A tremendous second set from Tuomo -- a Finnish singer, but one with a voice to rival that of American soul greats from the 70s! The sound here is a bit more complex than Tuomo's debut -- sometimes in a warm, laidback vibe that reminds us a bit of Hi Records production -- other times with a bit ...

A wicked set of soul from overseas -- a mix of clubby numbers and mellower tracks, all put together with a quality level that definitely lives up to the title! Most of the work here is from the French scene, which has really been getting back on track in recent years -- returning to some of the ...

Jiva gets plenty of love, and spreads the loving back, too -- in this sweet little collection that not only features remixes of their own work, but also has some Jiva-remixed tracks as well! The core vibe is very much in the best Jiva Atlanta soul mode -- warmly righteous, and filled with positive ...

Jazzy goodness from Saunders Sermons -- a damn great talent we're happy to be hearing -- and just the sort of artist we need to keep things fresh in the contemporary soul underground! Sermons plays trombone on the record, as well as sings, and that mix of talents definitely comes through in his ...

Jill Scott's a singer with a mighty generous spirit -- and in addition to her own (all too few) recordings over the years, she's made some tremendous appearances on records under the leadership of other artists -- a good deal of which are included in this set! Jill's not the kind of singer to just ...

A brilliant solo debut from Tuomo -- a singer we know from his work with the Finnish group Quintessence, stepping out here in even more soulful territory on his own! Tuomo's got a warmly raspy sound that's all-classic, all the way -- a unique voice that could well become one of our favorites from ...

A sweet soul set from Alessia Piermarini -- an Italian singer, but one with a vibe that matches some of our favorite American artists from the contemporary underground! The album's got a wonderful feel throughout -- lots of warm Fender Rhodes on all tracks, which makes for a perfect combination ...

Funky soul from The Revelations and lead vocalist Tre Williams -- a deeply soulful set that's a great mix of classic soul and funk influences, but hardly a throwback -- actually quite a timeless, live band soul set! Some of the tunes feel like a modern spin on Hi Records style soul, with punchy ...

A massive package of tracks -- 3 CDs' of music from the Unwrapped series, plus a great bonus disc too! The core work is a batch of smooth, jazzy instrumental takes on hip hop hits -- from Hidden Beach Records! If you scratch just a little bit below the surface of the Hidden Beach roster, digging ...

A nice collection of modern soul from a roster of independent singers -- including LaSonya Gunter, Rena Scott, LeNora Jaye, Stephanie Renee and more -- put together by Astral22 for Trans Phatt Records! Trans Phatt is positioning themselves, in their own words, as a venue for "nu groove with ...

Not sure what the Tokyo connection is here, apart from the cover image, but this second volume of Independent Soul Divas is even better than the first -- a sweet collection of the best Neo Soul around, featuring some familiar names, and some equally great artists who are still bubbling up in the ...

A righteous blend of soul and jazz -- handled by an up-and-coming trumpeter from the Chicago underground scene! Kafele's not a Chicago native, but he definitely draws strongly on the city's soulful roots -- blending spiritual jazz modes with smoother soul styles in a mix that reminds us a lot of ...

Soulful stuff from the Scandinavian scene -- a great album from this overlooked Finnish singer who's got a sound right up there with some of the best British female soul artists of recent years! The backings are often tight and funky mostly played live, with nice drum and keyboard bits that keep ...

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 ...