Great remixes from Monday Michiru's Routes album – and a set that really continues her strong tradition of collaboration with some of the hippest talents of the underground! As with some of our favorite Michiru remixes from years back, the tracks here are more re-imaginations or re-recordings of her music than anything else – hardly just new beats or keyboards added into the mix, and often versions that have the tunes taken in rich new directions – always with the soulful, positive energy we love in Monday's originals. Collaborators include Part Time Heroes, Jephte Guillame, and Carlos Mena – and titles include "The Right Time (Yellowtail rmx)", "Hung Up (PTH sprung up mix)", "You Don't Know (feat Part Time Heroes)", "Philosophy Road (PTH hideout mix)", "The Right Time (Jephte's tet kale mix)", and "Don't (Casamena backyard mix)". CD

A great one from Monday Michiru – sweet, soulful, and totally right on the money! The set's almost a return to the warm soul territory that first won us over in Monday's work from the 90s – as she takes on a whole host of older American soul tunes by Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, and others – sung with a wonderfully mature vocal approach, and set to jazzy backings that really help change things up – and make the record way more than just a simple set of cover versions! There's a great blend here – the instrumental depth that Monday's shown in recent recordings, and the straightforward soul of the early years – all handled with just the right production balance to make it come off perfectly. Titles include "Best Of My Love", "Um Amigo", "I Can't Help It", "Ooh La La La", "Don't Disturb This Groove", "You Are The Universe", and "As". LP, Vinyl record album

A set with maybe the most striking cover image that Monday Michiru's given us in years – and a record that really delivers on that promise, too – filled with really captivating tunes that represent a new high level in Monday's already-high career! There's a depth and maturity to the record that we never would have guessed when we first fell in love with her music – and we thought she was already pretty darn deep way back then – as Monday delivers hers vocals alongside musical complexity that takes strong advantage of the many great guest jazz musicians in the lineup – players who include Misha Tsiganov and David Kikoski on Fender Rhodes, Gil Goldstein on piano, Lew Tabackin on flute, and Steve Wilson on soprano sax. But at the center of it all is Monday – far more a jazz singer in recent years than the soul artist of her start – but balancing the spirit of both worlds beautifully, and with command of her vocal instrument that's completely stunning! Where most singers seem to get a bit more casual about their craft over the years, Michiru's just continued to master her natural instrument with a fantastic range and wonderfully expressive quality. Titles include "Ombre Of Time", "Pivot", "Cycles", "The Sound", "Ringo Oiwake", "Hope Pretend To Sleep", "Rise Above", "Life", and "Gossamer's Touch" – plus "Untethered", which features some great guest work from Ursula Rucker! LP, Vinyl record album

The single's a stunning house remix of the tune "Higher", lifted from Monday's Optimista album, and redone here as a monster dancefloor track with a bucketfull of soul! Joe Clausell handled the mixes, and he brings out the best side of Monday's songwriting – and blends some warm deep house grooves with a nice spare acoustic breakdown in the middle of the track. Excellent stuff – and super-soulful! 12-inch, Vinyl record

An EP release – but one that offers up a great standout moment in the career of Monday Michiru – and a record that has the power to knock away most other contemporary soul of the time! Monday's picking up a bit more of a clubby vibe than her earlier years – getting great help from Masters At Work on a remix of "Sunshine After The Rain" – which was one of our favorite tracks from the Jazz Brat album! She also serves up a uniquely rhythmic take on the Minnie Riperton classic "Lovin You" – alongside other good cuts that include "Love Flow", "Far To Go", "Where Is The Passion", and the instrumental track "Mermaid". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from our favorite Japanese soul star – a nice batch of remixes, filled with guest appearances by the likes of Incognito, Basement Jaxx, Shinichi Osawa, Soul Society, Byron Wallen, Rob Playford, and others – all packaged in an extremely captivating cover with great graphics! Titles include "You Make Me (Shin Shin's Mix)", "Yellow Bird (Incognito Capoeira Mix)", "Cruel 2 Be Kind (Basement Jaxx Nite Dub)", "Change Of Scenery", "Double Image (Live At Manic One Remix)", "Love Flow (Mango Margarita Mix)", and "Freed Or Bound (Reconsideration Mix)". Very nice stuff, with more focus on the dancefloor side of Monday's work, than the pop-hook sort of side. A mixture of jazzy bits, drum and bass bits, and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of hard-to-find work by Monday Michiru – featuring mixes and covers that have been issued as singles in the past, and which fit together surprisingly well as a full LP! If you know Monday's work, you know that her singles often feature versions of tracks that are quite different than the LP versions – recrafted with the help of some of the best NuSoul producers and remixers, like Joe Claussell, Masters At Work, Shinchi Osaway, and Bluey, all of whom contribute work to this set. The package is great – and with a total of 11 tracks in all, it will save you a lot of time (and money) tracking down those expensive import 12" singles! The set's mixed together – but not strongly, so that all the songs are very much intact – and titles include "I Wanna Be Where You Are", "Lovin You (acoustic live version)", "Double Image (live at Manic One rmx)", "Chasing After The Sun (Banda Black Lero mix)", "Yellow Bird (Incognito Capoeira mix)", "Tomorrow's Sunrise (Murphy meets Titomaxx)", "Love Flow (Mango margarita mix)", "Mysteries Of Life (Ananda Project Black Tail dub)", and "Higher (higher dub)". CD

A classic groover from Yasuko Agawa – proof that the Japanese scene had an ear for soul in the years before Monday Michiru! The early 80s set is made up from equal parts jazz, soul, and Brazilian influences – all used nicely with tight, fusiony production that really works nicely with Yasuko's lighter-voiced approach to the lyrics. One of the highlights of the record is a remake of Viva Brasil's "Skindo-Le-Le", a great little groover with a catchy riff that's right in the Gilles P mode – but other tracks are pretty great too, and come together in a mix of different modes that's somewhat similar to an American jazzy soul album from the same time. Most of the arrangements are by keyboardist Naoya Matsuoka – and titles include "She-Senior Dreams", "Cinema", "Island Breeze", "Here & Now", and the very appropriate "Pardon My English". CD

A hokey title and cover, but a great little record – a lesser-known gem from the Toshiko Akioshi big band, recorded in the mid 80s for Japanese release! Toshiko's still working strongly with reedman Lew Tabackin here – and as always, the sound of the reeds really make the record – not only on the bold ensemble passages, but also on the snakey, well-crafted solos that slide out of the fuller arrangements – letting Lew, Frank Wess, and Jim Snidero contribute some really great work on the longer tracks. Titles include "Ten Gallon Shuffle", "Fading Beauty", "Blue Dream", and "Happy Hoofer" – and in case you're wondering, that's a young Monday Michiru on the cover! CD

A very unusual album from the great Toshiko Akiyoshi – and a set that features her young daughter Monday Michiru playing flute on the record! Monday's part of a flute quartet, who play here alongside Toshiko on piano, Bob Bowman on bass, and Joey Baron on drums – on original tunes "Chic Lady", "Blue Dream", "Last Minute Blues", and "Falling Petal". LP, Vinyl record album

What a great idea! The classic Motown work of The Jackson 5 is remixed and remade by a host of super-hip producers! The cuts really retain a lot of their Motown soul flavor, and the remixers do an excellent job of pulling out some of the best elements – like guitar riffs, piano lines, and drumbeats – while still preserving the original vocal direction of the songs. The new versions of the tracks are equally great – like Monday Michiru's version of "I Wanna Be Where You Are", which has sweet vocals from Monday, and some great Fender Rhodes work! Titles include "It's Great To Be Here" remixed by Kenny Dope, "ABC" redone Kayoko Kimura & The Fireflys, "Hum Along & Dance" remixed by United Future Organization, "Never Can Say Goodbye" by Shinichi Osawa, "I'll Be There" remixed by Small Circle Of Friends, and "I Want You Back" remixed by Kei Kobayoshi. LP, Vinyl record album

Dang, these guys have really come a long way since their last album – into territory that's even more soulfully uplifting! Jazzin Park work very strongly in that upbeat, all-soul mode that we loved in some of our favorite Japanese artists from years back – that positive groove we remember from the early years of Monday Michiru – carried beautifully here into the 21st Century by the Jazzin Park duo, with help from guests who include Heather Johnson, Emi Tawata, Ryohei, and others. Most tracks have English lyrics, and instrumentation is a great mix of keyboards and acoustic elements – in grooves that are usually midtempo, but with a few more house-based moments – on titles that include "Free To Believe", "Dold Inside", "Brand New Day", "New Sun", "11 AM", "Shatterlove", "Long Way", "Joy", and "Your Love Has Freed Me". CD

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 Laurnea. The production on this album's a bit heavier than on his first one – with more beats creeping into the mix, and a bit more bass pumping up his voice – but this doesn't make Lewis falter a bit, as he holds it firm all the way through, with a vocal intensity that we wish was showing up in most of the chart soul these days! Titles include "Never Be My Woman", "You Make Me Wanna", "Lewis II", "Into You", "Blue Eyes", and "The Way You Done Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim – one recorded especially for the Japanese market, and featuring original recordings by some of our favorite Japanese artists – including Monday Michiru, Bird, Tica, Orange Pekoe, Akiko, Noa Noa, and Ino Hidefumi! The lyrics here are often in English, and the overall style's a bit like some of the American bossa sessions of the 60s – warm and jazzy, with backings that are full, but never too lush to be sleepy – cast in just the right blend of influences to make the package a really fresh take on the sound of Jobim – one that honestly sparkles a lot more than most recent efforts of this type from Brazil. French bossa maestro Pierre Barouh also works on the record – and titles include "Double Rainbow", "Samba De Maria Luiza", "Two Kites", "Quiet Nights", "One Note Samba", "Ela E Carioca", "Someone To Light Up My Life", "No More Blues", and "Wave". CD