Ed Motta knocks it out of the park with this one – taking things in an even more soulfully classic direction than on his killer AOR album – and giving us key proof that he's one of the most important soul singers of the 21st Century so far! Ed's got a way of opening doors wherever he goes – as part of a huge global legacy he's left in the past decade or soul – and this time around, he's opening the doors to a classic style of studio production from the LA scene – the kind of warm soul that works perfect for Motta's incredible voice, and which makes the album one of the best he's ever given us! Ed plays Fender Rhodes in the small combo backing here – and is working with a key group of jazz musicians that includes Patrice Rushen and Greg Phillingaines on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, Rickey Woodard and Charles Owens on tenor, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums – a stunning lineup that makes for amazing sounds throughout. All lyrics are in English, and Ed effortlessly blends jazz and soul on original titles that include "Captain's Refusal", "Forgotten Nickname", "The Owner", "A Town In Flames", "Good Intentions", "Hypochondriac's Fun", "Heritage Deja Vu", "Overblown Overweight", and "Reader's Choice". (Neo Soul, Brazil) CD

A lovely set of dancefloor work from Clara Moreno – one that seems to take equal parts inspiration from the sounds of Rio, and from the sounds of the global club circuit! There's certainly a groove here that belies Clara's heritage in Brazilian music – but many of the tunes also bubble with traces of the globally-conscious rhythms that have been coming out of the New York, London, and Japanese scenes in recent years. Clara's vocals are especially sweet on the mellower tunes, but the uptempo ones still sound great too – and the album also features some guest work by Joe Claussell and Ashley Beedle. Titles include "Zazueira", "Banana", "When You Gonna Learn", "I Want You Here", "Mutante", "Partido Alto", "Hello Rio", "Feminina (Bambino & Samba mix)", and "Another Star". CD