A totally great package – one that brings together some of the coolest cuts ever from the early solo years of Weldon Irvine! Side one of the record features two takes on his great "Deja Vu" – the initial short version, which has more of a take on the catchy jazzy lyrics – and the longer version, which runs for almost ten minutes, and has more jazzy solo work! The flipside features the totally wonderful "Feelin Mellow" – a cut with a few singers working next to Weldon's electric piano lines, giving the whole thing a very righteous vibe – which is carried through on the cool "Watergate Don't Bug Me" – complete with melodica from Weldon, Fender Rhodes from George Cables, and some cool extemporaneous lyrics about Watergate! LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at a key moment in the Japanese scene – an early 70s stretch when musicians were going for a style that was warmer and more intimate overall – which would then lead to all the big changes in music to come, but in very surprising ways! Gone are the more postured rock modes and Anglo-aping styles of the previous decade – and in their place are more confident, personal styles delivered in this mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that maybe echoes some of the sophistication of the early 70s Cali scene, but which has a very unique approach overall. Most music here is from the first few years of the decade – and titles include "Beautiful Song" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Hitoribotchi" by Niningashi, "Gingatetsudo No Yoru" by Ken Narita, "Man In No Ki" by Takashi Nishioka, "Kawa" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Anmari Fukasugite" by Tokedashita Galasubako, and "Kaze Wo Atsumete" by Happy End. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique selection of Japanese reggae tracks from back in the day – and work that's very different than sounds from both the underground scene in Kingston, and the big wave of reggae hits on the major labels! The pace of many of these cuts has them moving in almost a lovers rock sort of mode – easygoing, warm, and with lots of soulful touches – often served up with instrumentation that echoes some of the city pop generation as well, although maybe a bit more down to earth, given the genre! You might almost think of these tunes as city pop reggae variants – mostly with female singers in the lead – and titles on this second volume include "Tropical Love" by Teresa Noda, "Jamaican Blue" by Risa Minami, "Red Drip" by Kei Ishiguro, "Kanashiki Vaudevillian" by Tomoko Aran, "Yellow Moon" by Teresa Noda, "3 Trois" by Yuki Nakayamate, and "Oshiete Ageru" by Juicy Fruits. LP, Vinyl record album

Dane Donohue gave the world a great AOR gem back in the late 70s, but hasn't done another record since – so it's great to hear him back in action, and serving up a set that still has all the greatness of his debut! Some of the instrumentation and production are a bit more contemporary – but the overall presentation is very classic, and the whole thing shimmers with the blend of soulful inclinations and easygoing grooves that made Dane's debut such an underground classic. There's not much in the way of contemporary work like this that we embrace – and it's almost as if Donohue's been locked in a time capsule since 1978, then set free to step into the studio and create little gems like "Lonely Day In Paradise", "High Life Dream", "Sunrise On The Water", "Own This Heartache", and "Fair Enough". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual late life project from the great Weldon Irvine – one done after a decade or more of having an influence on hip hop, which then led Weldon to create a hip hop album of his own! There's a nice vibe here that almost updates the style of his 70s Time Capsule record – as if this 1999 effort is a Time Capsule of its time, with tracks that move between sung, spoken, and instrumental modes – handled with help from a great array of guests who include Don Blackman, Mtume, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Carla Cook! Weldon raps at times, then steps aside for others – and titles include "Love Supreme", "Sun Drops", "Blues For Amadou", "Hollow Points", "My DNA's OK", "Mota Goddess", "Destiny's Finger", "Black Mail", "Break Bread", "Prayer For Peace", and "Prankster Gangster (remix)". LP, Vinyl record album