Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". LP, Vinyl record album

The second chapter of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah – recorded for the most part, quite incredibly, during the same period and with the same collaborators as the mind-altering, murky and righteous hip hop funk experimentalism that was Part One – some months that must be among the most dizzyingly creative in Badu's career! We're reluctant to call Return Of The The Ankh a lighter listen than its predecessor, but, it's a less dense and outwardly experimental batch in the sonic realm – the emotionalism and the head nodding warmth is at the forefront, yet she's as uncompromising and real as ever. The sound is still innovative, unique and her own on all fronts, but the songs chosen for Part Two are ones you want to approach and embrace from the opening seconds – there's not as much of a tripped out overall vibe and you don't need to acclimate from a distance – these songs pull you right in! Includes collaborations with James Poyser, Shafiq Husayn, Ta'Raach, Karriem Riggins, Madlib and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Includes "20 Feet Tall", "Window Seat", "Agitation", "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)", "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long", "Love", "Out My Mind, Just In Time" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album from the early 90s – one that not only furthered the rebirth of live funk instrumentation at a time when ditigal elements dominated the scene – but also really opened up that mode to a whole new generation of hip hop as well! At a time when the music was all about the samples and beats, Brand New Heavies took it back to the generation before – and provided live instrumentation for a host of fantastic talents – a legendary lineup that includes performances from Main Source, The Pharcyde, Black Sheep, Kool G Rap, Gang Starr, and Masta Ace – all young and at the top of their game, with a quality level that alone would make the album great – then really sends it over the top when paired with the instrumentation! The whole thing's amazing – still maybe yet to be topped in such a style – and titles include "Who Makes The Loot", "It's Getting Hectic", "Wake Me When I'm Dead", "Soul Flower", and "Bonafide Funk". (Hip Hop, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest record so far from the lovely Esperanza Spalding – a set that has her moving farther from jazz, into a wonderfully warm style of soul music overall! The mix of modes is exquisite – a blend of Spalding's jazz-trained vocals with some beautiful arrangements that sparkle and glisten with this righteous vibe we'd put right up there with the best 70s recordings by Minnie Riperton or Linda Lewis – a really rare breed that goes way beyond the wonderful promise Esperanza's always had right from the start! The album is an instant treasure – the sort that's sure to please everyone who's already followed Spalding on her journey, yet also win her a huge new audience as well. Q-Tip helped a bit on production, but most of the work is by Spalding herself – and titles include "Radio Song", "Cinnamon Tree", "Crowned & Kissed", "Land Of The Free", "Black Gold", "Let Her", "Endangered Species", "Smile Like That", and "I Can't Help It". Deluxe edition comes with bonus DVD that includes 11 short films and lots of bonus footage! CD

A hell of a classic from UK singer Lewis Taylor – one of the best blue-eyed soul albums recorded in the 90s, and a record that's still years ahead of its time! In a stretch when so many others were putting out fake soul – or breathing heavily on downtempo records – Taylor found a way to really deliver something new and unique, yet also come across with the classic mellow flow of 70s work by artists like Marvin Gaye or The Isley Brothers! Taylor's vocal delivery here owes plenty to both, but the production is very crisp and individual – handled by Lewis himself, and in a spare mix of modes that's quite different than some of the more stock "beats and keys" modes that would take over underground soul in the next decade! Instead, there's this great range of subtle tones and textures that work beautifully alongside Taylor's sublime vocals – all to suit some beautifully-written tunes too. Titles include "Lucky", "Track", "Betterlove", "Right", "Spirit", "Bittersweet", and "Whoever". 2CD set is wonderful – and includes 12 more bonus cuts from singles and other projects – including "Asleep When You Come", "You Got Me Thinking", "Waves", "Trip So Heavy", "A Little Bit Tasty", "Lewis III", "Pie In The Electric Sky/If I Lay Down On You", "I Dream The Better Dream", "Bittersweet (ext)", and "Lucky" in three different mixes by Kruder & Dorfmeister! CD

The start of an amazing new chapter in the career of Robert Glasper – one that would soon set the tone for a number of other records to come! This set features loads of Glasper's enigmatic piano lines – those fluid, elliptical sounds that are always filled with plenty of soul and imagination – matched here with guest vocals from a host of key talents – including Erykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello, Bilal, and Lupe Fiasco! The blend is surprisingly wonderful – not a sell out at all, but a way for Glasper's music to reach a rich new level of expression – as the vocals really help the instrumental elements come alive – and unlock this side of Robert's potential that was always lurking in the background. One of the best musical moments from Blue Note at the time – with titles that include "Always Shine", "Move Love", "Ah Yeah", "Lift Off", "Afro Blue", "Cherish The Day", "Black Radio", and "Letter To Hermione". Deluxe edition features great bonus material – the cuts "Twice", "Love Supreme", and "Fever" – plus the full work of the Recovered Remix EP – including "The Consequences Of Jealousy (Georgia Anne Muldrow's sassy geemix)", "Letter To Hermoine (Robert Glasper and Jewels rmx)", "Dillalude #2", "Twice (?uestlove's twice baked rmx)", "Black Radio (Pete Rock rmx)", and "Afro Blue (9th Wonder's blue light basement rmx)". (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

A really great project from Erykah Badu – a set that's quite spare compared to the fuller sound and energy of her New Amerykah records – done in a bedroom studio in Dallas with producer Zach Witness! The music is lean and stripped-down – hip hop-influenced soul, but almost at a level that has Badu playing with more popular modes of the time – showing that she can do them better than most, but always with this sense of sophistication that draws on all the other sounds she's given us over the years! Badu released the set direct to digital as a mixtape, but it's a fantastic standalone album project on its own – with titles that include "U Use To Call Me", "Cel U Lar Device", "Hi", "Phone Down", "What's Yo Phone Number", "I'll Call U Back", and "Mr Telephone Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya is sometimes an artist completely unto himself – part of a contemporary underground that's always shaking free of genres and labels with each new expression – yet here, he's also got a key partner in crime through the production work of Lynyn, who brings this soaring sensibility to the record that really takes off in a great way! Most songs start slow, the percolate quickly – with Nnamdi's vocals muted somewhere in the mix, yet a key presence in the power of the way things emerge – sometimes tinged with retro elements on the production or instrumentation, but very future forward throughout. Sen Morimoto guests on "You Don't Know" – and other cuts include "Backseat", "Doing Too Much", "Barely Reason For A Smile", and "Glass Casket (rmx)". LP, Vinyl record album

Benny Sings doesn't look too young on the cover, but his music here really has the youthful spirit promised in the title – a continued refinement of that contemporary soul style that's always made him such a standout in the scene – served up at a level that just seems to get better and better with each new record! The Cali image in the cover gives a hint to the sound on the record – as there's some slight AOR touches in the production, but used in a way that's nice and lean – sharp, but never overdone – which keeps things very intimate with the vocals, and really showcases that strong sense of charisma and hook that Benny brings to his music. Titles include "The Only One", "Distance", "Let's Go", "Movie Star", "Take Your Time", "Pyjamas", "Simple Love Songs", and "Young Hearts". LP, Vinyl record album