Wonderful work from Incognito – perhaps their greatest album ever! By the time of this 1993 release, this Brit funky soul combo was in perfect form – blending together classic modes of jazz funk into a tight modern blend that's lasted a lot longer than anyone might have thought at the time. From the perspective of nearly a decade later, this album glistens like a lost soul jewel – perfectly fitting in between some of our favorite 70s albums, and a few of the better sides from recent years. The vocals are great, the riffing is tight, and the production is smooth and soulful all the way through. Tracks include "Still A Friend Of Mine", "Positivity", "Smiling Faces", "Do Right", "Talkin Loud", and "Thinkin About Tomorrow". CD

Early early work from the Brit jazz funk ensemble Incognito! Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick was just starting out when he cut this album during the early 80s – but the record's got a tightly grooving sound that shows all the power that he'd later have during the 90s, mixed with some excellent "end of the 70s" smooth funky jazz playing. This CD reissue of the album features the bonus single with tracks "Parisienne Girl" and "Summer's Ended" – plus the tracks "Sunburn", "Smile Of A Child", "Walking On Wheels", "Shine On", "Wake Up The City", and "Chase The Clouds Away". CD

That's almost an Earth Wind & Fire-styled image on the cover – and the Brit Funk Association definitely live up to the spirit of that scene – which is maybe no surprise, given that group members have a legacy that goes way back for many years on the UK soul scene! There's a warmth to the record that's really timeless – an updating of classic 70s modes that's almost in the Incognito mode, but which is often jazzier at times, with some great focus on horn solos over the vocals – a bit like the mix of jazz, soul, and funk that Wayne Henderson brought to his classic production efforts back in the day! The group give a nod to one of those classics with a sweet cover of "Always There", and serve up a nice take on "Pick Up The Pieces" – alongside tracks that include "Freedom Dancin", "Driftin", "Snowfall", "Elevation", "Let It Flow", and "Take It In Stages". CD

A flagship record from the wonderful Dome label – one of the hippest homes to contemporary soul on the other side of the Atlantic – and a company that's given us great music for over two decades! This set is one of their key early releases – a brilliant set from Hil St Soul – a singer who just grew and grew in popularity after this release. Hil's got a sweetly jazzy style – a bit like some of the underground NuSoul singers in the US in at the same time, but maybe with some of the crispness of the London scene too – and she sings here with some nicely restrained arrangements that have a good focus on beats and lots of warm instrumentation over the top, never too hype, just right for her personal style. Titles include "Strictly A Vibe Thing", "Just A Matter Of Time", "Nostalgia", "Concrete Jungle", "Free Spirit", "There For Me", "Until You Come Back To Me", "For Your Love", and "Props". CD

The long-awaited "real" second album from Jill Scott – finally out 4 years after her massive debut! Fortunately, the passage of time has done nothing to dampen Jill's genius – and the sound, style, and overall quality of this set is every bit as great as we could have hoped. The production is a bit fuller at times, but never cloying or overly mainstream – and still very much in the lean, mean, stripped-down Philly groove that Jill brought to the masses with incredible force. Jill's got help from a host of great Philly talents too – including Andre Harris, Jazzy Jeff, and Larry Gold – all of whom work with Jill in a sinister blend of beats, keys, strings, and soul! Titles include "I'm Not Afraid", "The Fact Is", "Bedda At Home", "Cross My Mind", "Family Reunion", "Can't Explain", "Not Like Crazy", "Rasool", and "My Petition". CD

(New Grooves, Neo Soul) CD

A great package that sees the work of Incognito getting remixes and souped up a bit more – jazzy grooves gone dancefloor, served up by a host of great talents from the mid 90s. Titles include "Always There (MAW rmx 96)", "Givin It Up (Rober Sanchez Uplifting club mix)", "Pieces Of A Dream (Roger Sanchez 7 Minutes of Soul mix)", "Still A Friend Of Mine (Bluey's mix for 96)", "Roots (Pete Rock rmx)", "Jump To My Love", "Jacob's Ladder (NuYorican dub)", and "Barumba (Daniel Maunick's mix)". 12 tracks in all. CD

Hard to believe it's the 30th Anniversary for Incognito – but Bluey's been at it for that long, and to celebrate, he's having one hell of a party with this record! The album's got way more going on than even a regular Incognito set – even though those are plenty darn great – as Bluey's invited plenty of folks along for the celebration, a range of great singers who really open up the sound, and deepen the core jazzy grooves of the set! In addition to regular vocalists like Joy Rose, Tony Momrelle, and Maysa, the set also features work by Leon Ware, Chaka Khan, John-Christian Urich, Ursula Rucker, Vanessa Haynes, and Mario Biondi – the last of whom really brings a lot to the set, with that cool vocal approach used on his Schema albums. And as usual for Bluey, the sound is way more than just straight soul – with plenty of classic jazz funk elements, and a strong nod to the underground sounds of the British scene who've always fostered his music. Titles include "Line In The Sand", "1975", "Your Sun My Sky", "Put A Little Lovin In Your Heart", "All Of My Life", "Expresso Madureira", "Make Room For Love", "Lowdown", "Tell Me What To Do", and "The Winter Of My Springs". CD