A sweet little group with a real 70s Cali vibe – very much in the spirit of the cover, with kind of a blue-eyed soul approach to jazzy AOR! The instrumentation is great – plenty of Fender Rhodes and other keyboards – providing this warm glow for the lead vocals of the group's two different singers – both of whom have a nice sort of rasp in their approach, which brings a sense of humanity to the record amidst the well-crafted rhythms and guitar lines. The whole thing almost feels like a lost set from the era of the Doobies – and titles include "Take The Shine", "Keep On Believin", "Nostalgia", "One More Try", "All I'm Trying To Say", "Before It Started", "Donnie", and "Back Against The Wall". LP, Vinyl record album

David Boykin works here in a very different guise than his usual role as a saxophonist – stepping out here with a range of different singers, in a set of tracks that showcase a whole new side of his talents! The music is a mix of modern jazz vocals and contemporary soul modes – different depending on the singers, who shift from cut to cut – at a level that sometimes echoes June Tyson or Abbey Lincoln, other times reflects more contemporary work from the underground! As always with Boykin's CDs, the notes are a bit spare, so it's hard to tell who did what in terms of the music – but we can say that the set features vocals from Abeeku, Consuela Ivy-Vaughn, Dark Mery, Liz Mputu, and Ugochi – on titles that include "Listen Up", "She Was Screaming", "What The Afrofuture Say", "Slow Sweet Burn", "Conspiracy", and "Of My Voice". (Jazz, Neo Soul) 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

Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". (Soul, Neo Soul) CD

Some of the most striking work we've heard from Neneh Cherry in years – and a great follow-up to her previous project with The Thing! This set has Neneh working with producer Kieran Hebden – who returns Cherry to the offbeat, arty sound of her early years on the British scene – particularly her excellent work with Rip Rig & Panic! As with that period, the rhythms here are key – but are also rhythms that really veer from the usual – odd basslines and beats that provide a jagged bottom underneath Cherry's soulfully flowing vocals – a sense of counterpoint that really gives the album a lot of power. Titles include "Naked", "Spit Three Times", "Blank Project", "Cynical", "422", "Out Of The Black", "Dossier", and "Everything". (Soul, Neo Soul) CD

A set that furthers Takuya Kuroda's experiments in pushing farther past the jazz of his roots – still graced with plenty of strong trumpet work and bold solo lines – but amidst rhythms that have a nice complexity, and which really push the envelope at times – mostly played live, but with a richness that evokes both the initial broken beat experiments in London, and some of that city's more contemporary modes. There's a few straighter jazz cuts that balance things out – a mellow moment or two that Freddie Hubbard might have added to a CTI session – and titles include "Dead End Dance", "Old Picture", "Time Coil", "Midnight Crisp", "Choy Soda", and "Fade". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest record we've ever heard from Moonchild – a set that's an all-acoustic outing, and one that offers up fresh takes on some of their older tunes – in ways that are maybe even more soulful and stunning than before! The instrumentation often includes some great work on reeds, especially flute – and the vocals of Amber Navran have this way of folding together with the grooves, which are also more seductive, through the live interplay of bass, drums, and percussion. The only electric element at times is a bit of Fender Rhodes – which we can hardly argue with – and the performances are all live, on titles that include "Back To Me", "The List", "Cure", "Run Away", "Money", and "The Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

Sampha's a singer who's always hard to peg, but one who grabs you right away – with a voice that's one of the most unique, distinct, and powerful in contemporary soul music – and which deserves to be heard in all its brilliance on a record like this! We're not sure how to describe what we like so much – there's a raspiness at times that make his lyrics almost feel conversational and up-close, and a touch of a London accent that makes familiar words a bit more meaningful, and maybe a slight sense of warmth amidst it all – an indication that Sampha's never too full of himself, even though you might guess that from his image on the cover! Production and instrumentation is nicely understated – really letting the voice flow over the keys and other elements – on titles that include "Spirit 2.0", "Wave Therapy", "Only", "Rose Tint", "Inclination Compass", "Stereo Colour Cloud", "Jonathan L Seagull", "Satellite Business", "Time Piece", "Only", and "Can't Go Back". CD

Sampha's a singer who's always hard to peg, but one who grabs you right away – with a voice that's one of the most unique, distinct, and powerful in contemporary soul music – and which deserves to be heard in all its brilliance on a record like this! We're not sure how to describe what we like so much – there's a raspiness at times that make his lyrics almost feel conversational and up-close, and a touch of a London accent that makes familiar words a bit more meaningful, and maybe a slight sense of warmth amidst it all – an indication that Sampha's never too full of himself, even though you might guess that from his image on the cover! Production and instrumentation is nicely understated – really letting the voice flow over the keys and other elements – on titles that include "Spirit 2.0", "Wave Therapy", "Only", "Rose Tint", "Inclination Compass", "Stereo Colour Cloud", "Jonathan L Seagull", "Satellite Business", "Time Piece", "Only", and "Can't Go Back". LP, Vinyl record album

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