A great document of the way that Jane Birkin really flourished in the second half of her musical career, especially in the years after the passing of Serge Gainsbourg – a time when Birkin was emerging to be one of the real giants of French music on her own, as testified to in the power of this series of live performances! The Jane Birkin here is very different than the breathy voice next to Serge on her early recordings – and instead, she commands the stage with the presence of singers like Maria Bethania or Gal Costa – maybe no surprise, as the very generous presentation of these performances will attest. The box brings together live sets from 1987 up to 2023 – albums that include Au Bataclan, Au Casino De Paris, A L'Olympia, En Concert Au Japon, Arabesque, Au Palace, Sings Serge Gainsbourg Via Japan, Le Symphonique Live, and Oh Pardon Tu Dormais. CD

That's a sweet image on the cover – and the grooves inside are equally dynamic too – a really wonderful collection that's easily one of the most compelling in Numero's Eccentric Soul series! The work here all hails from the tiny San Antonio scene of the late 60s – but much of the music has a sound that's way different than you might expect from Texas soul – often with great harmonies that recall the best of the east coast groups of the time, and occasionally with a few brown-eyed touches that echo the style of East LA! There's a wonderfully heartbreaking feel to many of these tracks – and the set's heavy focus on mellower numbers is totally great – and gives the whole thing a wonderful late nite sort of vibe that's usually quite hard to find in compilations like this. As usual, Numero's done a great job with the notes and history of the label – but the music alone is more than enough – a heady brew of cuts that include "Little Girl Blue" and "Try Loving Me" by The Webs, "I Gotta Know" by Tonettes, "Give Your Love To Me" and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Little Jr Jesse & The Tear Drops, "Cry & Wonder Why" by Doc & Sal, "Must Be Alright" and "Hey It's Love" by The Commands, "She's Gotta Have Soul" by Bobby Blackmon & The Soul Express, and "I Can't Take No More" by Willie Cooper & The Webs. CD

A great title for this album from Bobby Hutcherson – given the way he commands such great tones from his work on the vibes! The album's a real gem from his Landmark Records years – that great back-to-basics point when Bobby was almost doing more by doing less – especially in a record with understated brilliance like this. The group's a warmly sensitive one – with Mulgrew Miller on piano, John Heard on bass, Airto on percussion, and Billy Higgins on drums – a perfect rhythmic accompaniment for Hutcherson's hip vibes. Titles include "Rosemary Rosemary", "Remember", "Never Let Me Go", "Recorda Me", "Bemsha Swing", and "Whisper Not". LP, Vinyl record album

That's a sweet image on the cover – and the grooves inside are equally dynamic too – a really wonderful collection that's easily one of the most compelling in Numero's Eccentric Soul series! The work here all hails from the tiny San Antonio scene of the late 60s – but much of the music has a sound that's way different than you might expect from Texas soul – often with great harmonies that recall the best of the east coast groups of the time, and occasionally with a few brown-eyed touches that echo the style of East LA! There's a wonderfully heartbreaking feel to many of these tracks – and the set's heavy focus on mellower numbers is totally great – and gives the whole thing a wonderful late nite sort of vibe that's usually quite hard to find in compilations like this. As usual, Numero's done a great job with the notes and history of the label – but the music alone is more than enough – a heady brew of cuts that include "Little Girl Blue" and "Try Loving Me" by The Webs, "I Gotta Know" by Tonettes, "Give Your Love To Me" and "Ain't No Big Thing" by Little Jr Jesse & The Tear Drops, "Cry & Wonder Why" by Doc & Sal, "Must Be Alright" and "Hey It's Love" by The Commands, "She's Gotta Have Soul" by Bobby Blackmon & The Soul Express, and "I Can't Take No More" by Willie Cooper & The Webs. CD

One of the more obscure Roberta Flack albums from the classic years – but maybe not as obscure as the movie for which it was created – as the strength of the record has helped the album circulate a lot longer than the film stayed on the screens – to the point where it's a great chapter of Roberta's rich career, and one that goes way past the hits! Flack produced the whole set herself – and there's a nice mix of modes going on here, including some jazzier bits that get to showcase keyboards nicely – played both by Flack and by Barry Miles. Peabo Bryson sings on one track, and Luther Vandross helped Flack with the vocal arrangements – on titles that include "Love Always Commands", "Lovin You Is Such An Easy Thing To Do", "Rollin On", "Qual E Malindrinho", and "Hittin Me Where It Hurts". CD

One of the more obscure Roberta Flack albums from the classic years – but maybe not as obscure as the movie for which it was created – as the strength of the record has helped the album circulate a lot longer than the film stayed on the screens – to the point where it's a great chapter of Roberta's rich career, and one that goes way past the hits! Flack produced the whole set herself – and there's a nice mix of modes going on here, including some jazzier bits that get to showcase keyboards nicely – played both by Flack and by Barry Miles. Peabo Bryson sings on one track, and Luther Vandross helped Flack with the vocal arrangements – on titles that include "Love Always Commands", "Lovin You Is Such An Easy Thing To Do", "Rollin On", "Qual E Malindrinho", and "Hittin Me Where It Hurts". LP, Vinyl record album