... CD

A limited edition radio promo LP released around the time Stillmatic came out, with a nice collection of radio playable versions of older tracks: "It Ain't Hard To Tell", "Life's A B!tch", "One Love", "The World Is Yours", "NY State Of Mind", "Halftime", "Street Dreams", "If I Ruled The World (imagine that)", "I Gave You Power", "The Message", "NY State Of Mind Pt II", "Nas Is Like" and "Hate Me Now". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Produced by Dame Grease and Timbaland, with guest vocals by Ginuwine. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the records that marked a key moment when Nas was returned to the glory of his earliest years – coming across with a renewed sort of intensity, and lyrics that maybe put even more of the man himself inside of his music! There's still plenty of street show going on here, but Nas blends that front with energy going on behind it – in ways that still hold up strongly all these many years later, and which maybe set a new standard for work of this nature at the time. Production includes key efforts from Salaam Remi and The Alchemist, and the set has a ghostly guest appearance from 2Pac, as well as features from Alicia Keys, Bravehearts, and Kelis – on tracks that include "Revolutionary Warfare", "Hey Nas", "Zone Out", "Made You Look", "Get Down", "The Cross", "Mastermind", "Warrior Song", and "Thugz Mansion NY". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the records that marked a key moment when Nas was returned to the glory of his earliest years – coming across with a renewed sort of intensity, and lyrics that maybe put even more of the man himself inside of his music! There's still plenty of street show going on here, but Nas blends that front with energy going on behind it – in ways that still hold up strongly all these many years later, and which maybe set a new standard for work of this nature at the time. Production includes key efforts from Salaam Remi and The Alchemist, and the set has a ghostly guest appearance from 2Pac, as well as features from Alicia Keys, Bravehearts, and Kelis – on tracks that include "Revolutionary Warfare", "Hey Nas", "Zone Out", "Made You Look", "Get Down", "The Cross", "Mastermind", "Warrior Song", and "Thugz Mansion NY". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Leave it to career iconoclast Nas to declare Hip Hop Is Dead on his Def Jam debut – a defiantly straight up hip hop record that's one of the leanest full lengths he's delivered since his abbreviated debut masterpiece! Hip Hop Is Dead, not surprisingly, is actually a very lively LP – and it's tried-and-true hip hop – another in Nas's strong series of subsequent LPs of the 00s. Nas once released a perfect piece of work – something very few artists in any idiom ever do – setting up a nearly impossible standard to live up to, but, Hip Hop Is Dead is well worth your time. Production by Salaam Remi (natch), LES, Kanye West, Scott Storch (who delivers a Kanye-like sound on one cut) and others. Titles include "Money Over Bullsh*t", "You Can't Kill Me", "Carry On Tradition", "Hip Hop Is Dead" feat Will I Am, "Black Republican?" feat Jay Z, "Not Going Back" feat Kelis, "Still Dreamin" feat Kanye West & Chrisette Michelle, "Hold Down The Block", "Blunt Ashes", "Play On Playa", "Where Are They Now?", "Let There Be Light" feat Tre Williams, "Hustlers" feat The Game & Marsha Ambrosious and more. CD

Leave it to career iconoclast Nas to declare Hip Hop Is Dead on his Def Jam debut – a defiantly straight up hip hop record that's one of the leanest full lengths he's delivered since his abbreviated debut masterpiece! Hip Hop Is Dead, not surprisingly, is actually a very lively LP – and it's tried-and-true hip hop – another in Nas's strong series of subsequent LPs of the 00s. Nas once released a perfect piece of work – something very few artists in any idiom ever do – setting up a nearly impossible standard to live up to, but, Hip Hop Is Dead is well worth your time. Production by Salaam Remi (natch), LES, Kanye West, Scott Storch (who delivers a Kanye-like sound on one cut) and others. Titles include "Money Over Bullsh*t", "You Can't Kill Me", "Carry On Tradition", "Hip Hop Is Dead" feat Will I Am, "Black Republican?" feat Jay Z, "Not Going Back" feat Kelis, "Still Dreamin" feat Kanye West & Chrisette Michelle, "Hold Down The Block", "Blunt Ashes", "Play On Playa", "Where Are They Now?", "Let There Be Light" feat Tre Williams, "Hustlers" feat The Game & Marsha Ambrosious and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the tracks "NY State of Mind Pt. 2", "Hate Me Now", "Nas Is Like", "Money Is My B!tch", "We Will Survive", "Ghetto Prisoners", "Small World", "Nature Shine", "Dr Knockboot" and "Life Is What You Make It". 16 tracks in all. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". CD

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

Nas' debut LP masterpiece Illmatic – a record that will probably stand forever as one of the greatest hip hop full lengths of its time! Nas has had some creative ups-and-downs over the years, but nothing can take away the impact of this damn near perfect slice of east coast street hop – truly one of the great, filler free, beginning-to-end classics with not a wasted second! Part of the strength of the record is the top-shelf choice of production – work from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock and Q-Tip – all of whom help the young Nas really find his voice with the right sort of vibe – on titles that include "NY State Of Mind", "Life's A B***h", "Half Time", "One Love", "Memory Lane", "Represent", "The World Is Yours", and "It Ain't Hard To Tell". Columbia has gone all out with the reverence on this double LP reissue, with remastered sound polish and a bonus LP with remixes of "World Is Yours", "Life's A B***h", "One Love" and "It Ain't Hard To Tell", plus bonus tracks "On The Real" and "Star Wars". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Nas tracks, and one of our favorite Large Pro productions. His second single after his part on Main Source's "Live At The Barbecue". Classic mid-tempo production by the Large Professor. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Promo version of one of our favorite Nas tracks. His second single after his part on Main Source's "Live At The Barbecue". This promo only version features a hard to get remix by Large Professor. 12-inch, Vinyl record

15 cuts, plus a handful of skits, guest appearances by Xzibit, Whoridas, Nas, King Tee, ODB, Keith Murray, LL, and Loot Pack. Madlib produced a couple of tracks, too. Includes "Likwidation", "Off the Wall" & "Hip Hop Drunkies". LP, Vinyl record album

With Nas and Joe. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Featuring Nas & Slim Thug. 12-inch, Vinyl record

It's been nearly 20 years since Natalie Cole first sang duets with her father through the magic of technology – so the time's long overdue to throw a host of other talents into the mix! The style here is a bit like the Verve Remixed albums – in that the record takes older classics by Nat from the 40s and 50s, and updates them strongly with contributions from a host of contemporary mixers and producers. However, there's also a key difference here in that the album also features a fair bit of extra vocals too – from Bebel Gilberto, Natalie Cole, Nas, The Roots, and Izza Kizza – all of whom help to make the album a bit more than the simple remix effort you might expect. Nat's own vocals are a bit buried in the mix at times, but that's no problem if you're eager to hear more from the younger generation – or re:generation, as the case may be! Titles include "Day In Day Out" with Cut Chemist, "Straighten Up & Fly Right" with Will I Am & Natalie Cole, "Lush Life" with Cee-Lo Green, "Walkin My Baby Back Home" with The Roots, "The Game Of Love" with Salaam Remi & Nas, "El Choclo" with Brazilian Girls, "Pick Up" with Just Blaze, "Nature Boy" with TV On The Radio, and "Anytime Anyday Anywhere" with Amp Fiddler. CD

Tracks include "I Never Liked Ya" feat Scarface, Raekwon, & Fat Joe, "Streetsweeper" feat the Lox, "50 Shot Ya" feat 50 Cent, "Too Much For Me" feat Nas, Baby, Foxy Brown, & Amerie, "Purple Haze" feat Diplomats feat Cam'ron, "Freestyle" feat Eminem, "Westside Driveby" feat E-A-Ski, MC Ren, & Kam, "Angels Voice" feat Flipmode Squad, and many more with many more guests. LP, Vinyl record album

With Nas, Foxy Brown, Baby, and Amerie on "Too Much For Me"; and Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and A Bless on "Take A Look At My Life", with remix by Buckwild. 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Amerie, Baby, Foxy Brown, and Nas on "Too Much For Me"; Fat Joe, Raekwon, and Scarface on "I Never Liked Ya Ass"; and E-A-Ski, Kam, and MC Ren on "Westside Driveby". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A posthumous album from the mighty DMX – mirroring his career in way, from rugged and raging street anthems to soulful confessions and pleas to family. Exodus is heavy on guests appearances – and under the circumstances that feels right and fitting, to give this legendary voice the stars-studded sendoff he deserves – with one time rivals Nas and Jay-Z teaming up as show of respect, and appearances by Snoop Dogg, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Wayne & Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Westside Gunn and more. Includes "That's My Dog", "Bath Salts", "Dongs Out", "Hold Me Down", "Skyscrapers", "Hood Blues", "Take Control", "Letter To My Son (Call Your Father)", "Prayer" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes remixed versions of "Woo-Hah!!" by Busta Rhymes, "Masta IC" by Mic Geronimo, "Danger" by Blahzay Blahzay, "Shook Ones Pt III" by Mobb Deep, "Fakin Jax" by INI, "Microphone Master" by Das EFX, "If I Ruled The World" by Nas, and "PLO Style" by Method Man. LP, Vinyl record album

With Styles P, Common, Nas, and Anthony Hamilton on the "Why?" remix, and Snoop Dogg and DJ Quik on "Shine". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A beautiful collaboration between two of our favorite Brazilian artists ever – the lovely Joyce and bossa piano legend Joao Donato – both of whom have held onto all of their best early charms of their music! The session's definitely got a Joyce flavor upfront, as she's the main vocalist – but Donato's piano is a strong factor too – pulsating wonderfully with those warmly-crafted rhythms he's always done better than anyone else – that unique stop/start groove first forged in the 60s, heard best on his 70s work, and resurrected here to provide a fresh new setting for Joyce! Arrangements are by Donato and Joyce, and by Jesse Sadoc, who plays trumpet in the group – and the production's got a slightly rootsy quality, without any too-slick modes that might hurt the intimacy of a special session like this. Titles include "Amazonas No 2", "Feminina", "Aquarius", "Chama O Donato", "Tardes Caricas", "Caymmi Visita Tom", and "Amor Nas Estrelas". CD

We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! CD

Time will tell whether the sophomore LP Late Registration will prove to be as revolutionary of a commercial force as College Dropout turned out to be – but it's a better album! We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Nice, nice, nice New York hip hop from Keith Murray – his one and only full length on Def Jam! The album features production by Clark Kent, Rockwilder, Pete Rock and others and it's just the kind of no nonsense street hop we love around here. Keith rocks it like Nas in a way – he's all about soulful introspection with rhymes that go way beyond call-and-response hoopty rockers and party blasters. His style on the best cuts are definitely of the hard street mentality, but Keith has a genuine thoughtfulness that makes him a lot more complicated than the typical street rhymer – and bely his reputation as a violent hothead. The beats are tight and carefully crafted, and catchy enough to get play with the commercial jams. It's the kind of album that will still sound nice years from now – hardly a trendy concession to be found. Cuts include the great single "Candi Bar", "Carnage", "Oh My Goodness", "Christina", "Say Whaatt" featuring Redman, "Child Of The Streets" (Man Child)", "On Smash" with Busta Rhymes and more, plus some sharp skits with Jamie Foxx. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most hard-edged work we've ever heard from Alicia Keys – a great record to follow her new stripped-down, no-nonsense attitude – and maybe one that we could include with a bold wave of energy from the mainstream, in a new wave of pride and politics – which would include recent sets by Beyonce and D'Angelo too. The set features guest appearances by A$ap Rocky and Nas – and titles include "Blended Family", "The Gospel", "Pawn It All", "Kill Your Mama", "Illusion Of Bliss", "Girl Can't Be Herself", "Holy War", "Where Do We Begin Now", and "Work On It". CD

Featuring Nas & Rakim. 12-inch, Vinyl record

It may not be the BeAllEndAll that the Matador hype machine is trying to cook up, but Large Professor's waaaay too long in the making first LP (first to be officially released, anyway) is a very solid effort, and a strong, raw head bumper all the way through. Nothing fancy, just tried and true hip hop, with a loud and clear, confident verbal flow and stable beats and samples. A welcome trip back to not so distant era of hip hop that the Professor first made his mark (Breaking Atoms, Illmatic, etc) without sounding self-consciously retro. Includes "'Bout That Time", " Kool", "Blaze Rhymes", "Stay Chisel" featuring Nas, "In The Sun" featuring Q Tip, "Born To Ball", "Alive In Stereo", and more. CD

With Chubb Rock, Nasty Nas, and Red Hot Lover Tone on "Here It Comes"! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The masterful second album from Mobb Deep – served up at a level that's raw, gritty, and real – in ways that transcended the scene and cemented the duo's legacy! Production is nice and spare – and provides the perfect raw framework for the bleak storytelling – really pulling you in to the lyrics, and beautifully balancing things so that the record neither glamorizes its topics, nor gets to heavy either. The set features guest appearances by Q-Tip, Ghostface, Nas, Raekwon, and Big Noyd – and there's not a moment of filler at all, on titles that include "Shook Ones Part II", "Temperature's Rising", "Drink Away The Pain", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Trife Live", "Eye For An Eye", and lots more. Classic! LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Nas and production by Ski. 12-inch, Vinyl record

George Adams and Don Pullen knock it out of the park on this one – finding great company in each other's presence, and really moving things forward in the process! The set begins with a long track titled "Mingus Metamorphosis", and that really sums up the spirit of the record – an 80s reworking of all the ideas that the players had learned from Mingus, but with an individual, personal sense that's all their own – and very different than some of the more standard modes of the Mingus Dynasty group that continued the legacy in a more direct manner. Adams is bold one minute, lyrical the next – and plays both tenor and flute – alongside Pullen on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums. Titles include "Mingus Metamorphosis", "Samba For Now", "City Gates", "Thank You Very Much Mr Monk", and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen". LP, Vinyl record album

George Adams on tenor sax and vocals, Hannibal Marvin Peterson on trumpet, Jean Paul Bourelly on guitar, Ray Gallon on piano, Santi DeBriano on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

The best work ever from the great Johnny Adams – a Crescent City soul singer with a hell of a lot of power, brought into wonderfully strong focus here on these early recordings for the Ric & Ron label! Johnny recorded later in Nashville and Jackson, but he's never sounded better than on these early sides – which have a depth of feeling and timeless power that we'd rank right up there with some of the most important names during the early years of soul. The material is nicely free of overdone New Orleans styles – and instead has this care and class that really reaches out from the roots of the material, to showcase Johnny as a singer with a great deal of care and class, but one who's still able to let loose in the best deep soul modes too. Adams hardly ever got the chart coverage he should have deserved – but this 24 track set will more than support his strong legacy – with detailed notes, and a stunning array of tracks that include "Closer To You", "Teach Me To Forget", "Who You Are", "Showdown", "A Losing Battle", "Life Is Just A Struggle", "Cold Cold Heart", "Coming Around The Mountain", and "Nowhere To Go". CD

A set that's right on target, right from the start – and one that has the young Cannonball Adderley really coming into his groove! The set's a lot more soul jazz-oriented than some of Cannon's records from a few years before – played by a rock-solid group that includes brother Nat Adderley on cornet, Junior Mance on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – hitting a groove that's got plenty of nascent elements of that Cannonball sound that would virtually take over jazz in the 60s! Yet there's also a nicely different vibe going on here too – a bit less structure, and a looser approach to the mode – spun out with some modern moments too, on titles that include "Straight No Chaser", "Jubilation", "Our Delight", "Fuller Bop Man", and "Stay On It". CD

The return of a legend – and a tremendously groovy little record! Brazilian keyboardist/composer Antonio Adolfo's been making records for years – but easily his greatest albums were those cut at the end of the 60s with his Brazuka group – a cool combination of funky rhythms, electric keyboards, spacious production, and female vocals – all wrapped up with that glorious Blue Brazil sound of the EMI/Odeon label. Here, Adolfo recaptures that sound beautifully – returning to modes he hasn't touched in decades – and getting tremendous treatment from the Far Out label, who really help him hit that classic sound right. The record's an instantly timeless set that rivals all of Antonio's wonderful work from many years back – recorded with Adolfo on keyboards, live jazzy rhythms, a bit of strings, and twin harmony vocals from daughters Carol Saboya and Luisa Saboia – soaring out beautifully with a really groovy sound. The whole thing's wonderful – even better than you might expect – and titles include "Bola Da Vez", "Papo Furado", "Luizao", "Eu E Voce", "Tudo E Brasil", "Domingo Azul", "Tao Iguais", "SOS Amazonas", "Sonho Estelar", and "Dono Do Mundo". CD

A really compelling blend of jazz and electronics – served up here in a way that's very different than any other project of its nature! This isn't one of those records where reed improvisations mix with free analog electronics, yet it's also not one where electric rhythms provide the base for jazz samples – as Konrad Agnas criss-crosses all sorts of lines and styles with the record – sometimes reveling in the acoustic warmth of the saxophone work of Per Texas Johanssen, other times letting rhythms get crisp and crackling from his own drums, informed with work on an OP1 synthesizer! Torbjorn Zetterberg provides some amazing bass – almost funky at times, and certainly some of his most soulful work on record – and the group also features Hammond B3 and piano from Johan Graden. Titles include "Manech Och Vargen", "Bismillah", "Half Year Song", "Siwa", "Untitled 1972", "Don Rythmicon", "Rite Of Passage", and "Arthur & Jeremiah". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic debut of Air – one of the fresher avant pop albums of the late 90s to say the least, and one of the best since then, too! Perhaps the greatest achievement here is how they deftly layer such broad influences of the preceding few decades – from soaring string film schools, to nascent electronic pop, to fusiony jazz keyboards and much in between and beyond – into a wholly original vibe all Air's own that's as breezy today as it was at the end of the 90s. Includes "La Femme D'Argent", the standout classic "Sexy Boy", "All I Need", "Kelly Watch The Stars", "Talisman". "Remember", "You Make It Easy", "Ce Matin La", "New Star In The Sky" and "Le Voyage De Penelope". CD

The classic debut of Air – one of the fresher avant pop albums of the late 90s to say the least, and one of the best since then, too! Perhaps the greatest achievement here is how they deftly layer such broad influences of the preceding few decades – from soaring string film schools, to nascent electronic pop, to fusiony jazz keyboards and much in between and beyond – into a wholly original vibe all Air's own that's as breezy today as it was at the end of the 90s. Includes "La Femme D'Argent", the standout classic "Sexy Boy", "All I Need", "Kelly Watch The Stars", "Talisman". "Remember", "You Make It Easy", "Ce Matin La", "New Star In The Sky" and "Le Voyage De Penelope". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Toshiko Akiyoshi on piano – with either Ray Drummond or George Mraz on bass, and Lewis Nash or Al Harewood on drums! CD

One of the few recorded meetings of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano and pianist Toshiko Akioshi in the studio – quite strange given that they were a couple at the time! The session's easily one of the last great American sessions by either player – a work that shows Mariano's alto really building on the strengths of his work in the 50s, and Akioshi's piano shedding some of its early bop influences, and going for the richly-toned sound that would serve her greatly in the 70s. The long tracks here offer plenty of space for Charlie's sharp tone to really do its thing – and that raspy warmth of the 50s is even more deeply soulful at this point – and augmented by a new sense of composition that gives the record some of its best tracks. There's almost a nascent sense of spiritualism here – quite unusual for the time – and titles include "When You Meet Her", "Toshiko's Elegy", "Deep River", and "Little T". CD

One of the few recorded meetings of alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano and pianist Toshiko Akioshi in the studio – quite strange given that they were a couple at the time! The session's easily one of the last great American sessions by either player – a work that shows Mariano's alto really building on the strengths of his work in the 50s, and Akioshi's piano shedding some of its early bop influences, and going for the richly-toned sound that would serve her greatly in the 70s. The long tracks here offer plenty of space for Charlie's sharp tone to really do its thing – and that raspy warmth of the 50s is even more deeply soulful at this point – and augmented by a new sense of composition that gives the record some of its best tracks. There's almost a nascent sense of spiritualism here – quite unusual for the time – and titles include "When You Meet Her", "Toshiko's Elegy", "Deep River", and "Little T". LP, Vinyl record album

With James Williams on piano, John Patitucci on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, Bob Berg and James Carter on tenor sax, and Steve Wilson on soprano sax. CD

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 Emanon really only hints at his solo work – and it's even more bold in its idiosyncratic approach to an appealing groove! The almost entirely self-produced Shine Through (Oh No and Madlib produce one track each) is rife with an electronic sheen, touching on a bubbling psychedelic soul vibe we've never really heard before. A couple of tracks have guitar, bass, and keys that bring a more organic, but still kind of otherworldly groove – even touching on a cosmic Latin vibe on a couple of tunes! Tracks include "Whole World", a totally re-imagined take on Sam Cooke's "Long Time Coming" (produced by Oh No), "Are You Ready", "Busking", "Bailar", "Nascimento", "Dance For Life", "Patria Mia", "Shine Through", "Caged Birdsong", "Arrive", "Want Me", "One Inna" (produced by Madlib) and "I'm Beautiful". CD

A stellar set from one of the most underrated reed players of all time – a brilliant bit of searching soul jazz, cut at a time when Curtis Amy was leaving behind his Texas roots for the new sounds of the Coltrane generation! The album's quite different than the organ and tenor dates that Amy had previously cut with Paul Bryant – and instead, is put together with a nascent spiritualism that's really wonderful – a sound that definitely lives up to the bold title and cover image, with lots of modal moments in the rhythms! The group features some equally under-acknowledged geniuses – including trumpeter Dupree Bolton, pianist Jack Wilson, and guitarist Ray Crawford – all coming together perfectly with Amy's work on tenor and soprano sax. The best tunes here are originals by the group members – including "Lonely Woman" (not by Ornette), "Katanga", "Native Land", and "Amyable". Plus, this CD reissue also includes some great bonus cuts that were not on the original album! CD

The title's a great one for a number of reasons – first because there's some nicely muted trumpet on the session, played both by Magnus Broo and Goran Kajfes, both players we really love – and secondly, because the energy of the session is nicely muted too – like a fire that's kept slow-burning and under control, but which ends up delivering a lot more heat over a lot more distance – and that's saying a lot from a lineup of players who could easily go off like a firecracker! There's a strong sense of composition and individual identity here – kind of an evolution of a Charles Mingus spirit, but taken to territory that's perfect for the contemporary Scandinavian lineup – which also features Mats Aleklint on trombone, Mattias Stahl on vibes, Alexander Zethson on piano, Johan Berthling on bass, Konrad Agnas on drums, and Martin Kuchen on alto sax – the last of whom composed the three long titles on the set – "A Muted Reality", "The Hidden Balcony", and "Fkk Down Fkk Off". CD

An obscure album of southern funky soul from Chuck Armstrong – an artist we know from his earlier funky 45 work in Chicago, but who sounds quite different on this set! The album was produced by George Kerr in New Jersey, but it's got a rolling, vamping approach on most cuts – a sound that's somewhere between Muscle Shoals and the nascent Jackson style of the 70s – a bit smoother than 60s deep soul, but still with a mighty nice edge – and handled perfectly by Kerr! Chuck's vocals are well-suited to the set, and a few numbers bear traces of his earlier more northern sound – and the whole thing's the kind of rare soul killer that only turns up once in a blue moon. Titles include "Sweet Foxy Woman", "You Got To Deal With It", "Shackin Up", "Goodness Gracious", "I'm A Lonely Man", "She Had The Right", and "Nightmare". LP, Vinyl record album

An overdue reunion for Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll (now billed as Tippetts) – and a late 70s session that sounds quite a bit different than their mod soul of the 60s! The format here is still somewhat in a soul-based vein – but the sound is much more 70s, and much more "adult" as well – sometimes smooth, sometimes mellow, with Julie singing in a way that's still heartfelt, but not with the clear nod to American soul of her earlier work. Brian's still playing plenty of keyboards, although not getting in as many licks as on his own albums of the decade – yet still with enough space to help transform some of the best tunes. Titles include "Git Up", "Freedom Highway", "Spirit", "Future Pilot", "Rope Ladder To The Moon", "No Time To Live", and "Nothing Will Be As It Was" – a great English remake of a song by Milton Nascimento! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer from Camilo Azuquita – a set that features his own great vocals lined up with his super-tight combo – all produced to perfection by Johnny Pacheco! Titles include "La Llorona", "Milongas Espanola", "Ganas", "Amor Genuino", "Mira Mi Amor", "La Justicia", and "Yo No Se Nada". LP, Vinyl record album