An all-star record from three contemporary forces in soul, hip hop, and jazz – yet one that's also got a nicely lean vibe as well – as the whole thing focuses on the best strengths of all three talents involved! Much of the music features Karriem Riggins on drums, Robert Glasper on keyboards, and Common delivering lyrics – usually with a style that's much more compact and down to earth than some of his own records of the past few decades! Glasper's right at home in the setting, and really helps set the tone – and singer Samora Pinderhughes is on many tracks, balancing out Common's rhymes with her vocals. Other guest singers include Bilal and Brandy – and titles include "Black Kennedy", "Practice", "Fly Away", "Aya", "Let Go", "The Time", "Optimistic", and "No Apologies". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and gritty soul from D'Angelo – who takes a huge step into deeper territory on Voodoo – and it's one of the most monumental records of its time! On one level, Voodoo works as a nicely stripped-down session with a very classic soul feel. Gone are the overzealous flourishes that sometimes overwhelmed his earlier songs, and in their place are some sweetly crafted vocal parts with a classic Marvin Gaye/Al Green feel. That warmth is probably what made Voodoo a massive popular success – but what makes it such a creative triumph are the darker undercurrents – hinting at a troubled soul struggling for spiritual truth. One of the rare cases in popular music when great art became music for the masses! Titles include "Left & Right (feat Method Man & Redman)", "The Line", "Spanish Joint", "Africa", "Feel Like Makin Love", "The Root", "Playa Playa", "Devil's Pie", and "Greatdayndamornin/Booty". CD

Sweet and gritty soul from D'Angelo – who takes a huge step into deeper territory on Voodoo – and it's one of the most monumental records of its time! On one level, Voodoo works as a nicely stripped-down session with a very classic soul feel. Gone are the overzealous flourishes that sometimes overwhelmed his earlier songs, and in their place are some sweetly crafted vocal parts with a classic Marvin Gaye/Al Green feel. That warmth is probably what made Voodoo a massive popular success – but what makes it such a creative triumph are the darker undercurrents – which hint at a troubled soul struggling for spiritual truth. One of the rare cases in popular music when great art became music for the masses! Titles include "Left & Right (feat Method Man & Redman)", "The Line", "Spanish Joint", "Africa", "Feel Like Makin Love", "The Root", "Playa Playa", "Devil's Pie", and "Greatdayndamornin/Booty". LP, Vinyl record album

A really strong debut from Anthony Hamilton – easily the strongest album we've ever heard on the usually much more commercial So So Def label! Anthony seriously vibrates the rich depth of southern soul on every cut here, as filtered through late-model natural hip hop beats and vibes. He's definitely influenced by Erykah Badu's sound and Voodoo-era D'Angelo (which HAS to be the most influential serious soul album of the last decade or so), but the groove is a lot sweeter and less tortured than D's. It's really warm and inviting all the way through – crisp beats, tight keys, bass and percussion, and light guitar accent Anthony's lilting and layered vocals very nicely. All of the elements are just familiar enough to let you cozy up to the material right off the bat, but Hamilton's his own man here – nothing's directly bitten, just nicely approximated. Tracks include "Mama Knew Love", "Cornbread, Fish and Collared Greens", "Since I Seen't You", "Charlene", "I'm A Mess", "Comin' From Where I'm From", "Lucille", "Float", "My First Love" and more. A nice record from the not-so-dirty south! CD

That's a spooky cover on this single from Hiatus Kaiyote – and they definitely bring some of that energy to the title tune "Canopic Jar" – a track that begins with a bit of a horror introduction, and moves into some of the eeriest funky soul we've heard from the group! The tune's got a great heavy drum breakdown in the middle, peppered by vocal shrieks – and preceded by the cool intro track "Journey To The Crystal Tomb" – the followed by an instrumental and acapella track too. (New Grooves, Neo Soul) 12-inch, Vinyl record