Tremendous work from the mighty Ed Motta – an artist who never lets us down, and who just keeps getting better as the years move on! Back in the 20th Century, Ed asked us to move his records from our Brazilian section to Neo Soul – a move that was wise on his part, as Motta has become a soulful giant with really international appeal – a true global underground superstar, and a music maker that no home should be without! Motta's songwriting, production, and overall presentation is amazing – and he's moved far past the 70s heroes that first inspired him – including his uncle Tim Maia – to a point where a set like this is fantastic from start to finish, with a richness that belies all the focus and concentration that Ed brings to his work. Titles include "Tolerance On High Street", "Of Good Strain", "Gaslighting Nancy", "Safely Far", "Newsroom Customers", "Slumberland", "Confrere's Exile", "Quatermass Has Told Us", and "Shot In The Park". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest album so far in the Red Hot series – even amidst the unique Sun Ra subgroup – as the album's the brainchild of Meshell Ndegeocello, and comes together with all the complex soulfulness of her own recent albums! Back in the 90s, Meshell was a great but more mainstream soul artist – and over the years, she's developed into a really fascinating talent – one able to reach out with a complex blend of jazz, funk, and soul elements – woven into patterns that are always very much her own – a musical legacy that the great Sun Ra might have appreciated! Ndegeocello leads a very diverse lineup here – playing bass and keyboards, and singing a bit – next to other players who include longtime Arkestra giant Marshall Allen on alto and EWI, plus Immanuel Wilkins on alto, Christopher Bruce on guitar, Darius Jones on saxes, Daniel Mintseris on keyboards, and Justin Hicks, Pink Siifu, Kenita Miller, Nio Levon, and Hanna Benn on vocals. The album channels Ra's spirit through territory that's very much Meshell's own – and titles include "Yet Differently Not Mars Hall", "El Soul The Companion Traveler", "The World Of Shadow", "Reproductive Manatees/Sunny Said Up", "Bedlam Blues", "#9 Venus The Living Myth", and "Departure Guide Of The 7 Sisters". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest album so far in the Red Hot series – even amidst the unique Sun Ra subgroup – as the album's the brainchild of Meshell Ndegeocello, and comes together with all the complex soulfulness of her own recent albums! Back in the 90s, Meshell was a great but more mainstream soul artist – and over the years, she's developed into a really fascinating talent – one able to reach out with a complex blend of jazz, funk, and soul elements – woven into patterns that are always very much her own – a musical legacy that the great Sun Ra might have appreciated! Ndegeocello leads a very diverse lineup here – playing bass and keyboards, and singing a bit – next to other players who include longtime Arkestra giant Marshall Allen on alto and EWI, plus Immanuel Wilkins on alto, Christopher Bruce on guitar, Darius Jones on saxes, Daniel Mintseris on keyboards, and Justin Hicks, Pink Siifu, Kenita Miller, Nio Levon, and Hanna Benn on vocals. The album channels Ra's spirit through territory that's very much Meshell's own – and titles include "Yet Differently Not Mars Hall", "El Soul The Companion Traveler", "The World Of Shadow", "Reproductive Manatees/Sunny Said Up", "Bedlam Blues", "#9 Venus The Living Myth", and "Departure Guide Of The 7 Sisters". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from the mighty Ed Motta – an artist who never lets us down, and who just keeps getting better as the years move on! Back in the 20th Century, Ed asked us to move his records from our Brazilian section to Neo Soul – a move that was wise on his part, as Motta has become a soulful giant with really international appeal – a true global underground superstar, and a music maker that no home should be without! Motta's songwriting, production, and overall presentation is amazing – and he's moved far past the 70s heroes that first inspired him – including his uncle Tim Maia – to a point where a set like this is fantastic from start to finish, with a richness that belies all the focus and concentration that Ed brings to his work. Titles include "Tolerance On High Street", "Of Good Strain", "Gaslighting Nancy", "Safely Far", "Newsroom Customers", "Slumberland", "Confrere's Exile", "Quatermass Has Told Us", and "Shot In The Park". CD

The debut album from Terrace Martin, and a set that already has him stretching out and building bridges between scenes and genres – at a level that has continued to make him one of the real giants of the west coast scene! The record's never just about Terrace's keys or saxophone – although his work on both are totally great – and instead, there's an equal presence here from the guests – Robert Glasper on Fender Rhodes, or artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lalah Hathaway, Ty Dolla Sign, Musiq Soulchild, and others on vocals – balancing hip hop and soul with Martin's jazz at the core, as he awakes new ears sounds they never would have discovered otherwise! Titles include "Triangle Ship", "No Wrong No Right", "Over Time", "Watch U Sleep", "Something Else", "You're The One", "I'm For Real", "Gone", and "Motivation". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Two contemporary soul giants – coming together in a set that's even better as a whole than their work apart! As you might guess from the name, Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak are going for a classic old school style working together as Silk Sonic – soul music that's heavy on both 70s funky modes and early 80s grooves – but presented with some contemporary flourishes from time to time, at a level that really gets at the charm that both artists have on their own – somehow magnified as they work here together as a duo! The harmonies and trading vocal leads are great – and titles include "After Last Night", "Skate", "777", "Put On A Smile", "Fly As Me", "Leave The Door Open", "Smokin Out The Window", and "Blast Off". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most fantastic record to date from the hands of Adrian Younge – a project done in collaboration with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and one that features guest appearances from some of the musical giants who first inspired Dusty Groove many years Back! The core energy of the set comes from Younge and Muhammad – who are in a similar funky soul groove as their previous Midnight Hour recording serving up a blend of jazz and soul in a mode that clearly draws a lot of 70s inspiration, but which also has this very fresh, contemporary energy too. Yet there's also a strong difference here once each of the guests step into the mix – a stellar lineup that features alto from Gary Bartz, Fender Rhodes from Marcos Valle and Joao Donato, flute from Brian Jackson, drums from Ivan Mamao Conti, and Hammond B3 from the great Doug Carn – all players who really up the jazz ante for the record, and make the whole thing sound even deeper than most of Younge's other recordings. Titles include "Distant Mode", "Nancy Wilson, "Down Deep", "Apocaliptico", "Jazz Is Dead", "Hey Lover", "Nao Saia Da Praca", and "Conexao". (Deep Funk, Neo Soul) CD

A stunning NuSoul debut from Chicago! Kevin Chandler's one of our best homegrown talents – a fantastic soul musician with equal talents in many quarters. He's a hell of a writer, a great singer, plays incredible keyboards and guitar, and seems poised to become one of the giants of 21st Century Soul! This debut CD is issued on Kevin's own label – and it sparkles like the best underground soul we've been stocking over the past few years. There's killer keyboards on nearly every track, a warmly snug fit with Kevin's deeply soulful vocals, creating a style that's got a bit of D'Angelo, but a lot more jazzy finish with touches of 70s funk and 80s groove! Kevin's lyrics are great – spiritual and positive, but without the cliches that you might find in other work of the same type. Great all the way through – and with tracks that include "Nommo", "Fearless Child", "So Far, So Good", "Friday", "The Journey", "Higher", "My Father's Son", "The Art Of Dreaming", "Breathing You In", and "When Ya Lovin Me". CD