A totally cool little album from DJ Harrison – one that offers up a whole host of unusual cover versions – these soulful re-styles of a host of well-chosen cuts – all given a lean, funky sort of style – lots of jazzy keyboards in the background, and raspy vocals from Harrison up top! This is almost bedroom soul at its best, but there's also an ear for a wider range of music – no surprise, given that the mix of original sources here runs from the Ohio Players to Donald Fagan to Vince Guaraldi – a wide reach that DJ handles beautifully, on titles that include "Little Birdie", "Together", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Contusion", "Sweet Sticky Thing", "Galaxy", "IGY", and "Ebony Moonbeams". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool live set from Nitin Sawhney – definitely working here "unplugged", as you might guess from the image on the cover! Yet Nitin's also not solo – as there's a cool combo here that features work tablas, bansuri, and cello – plus just a bit of electricity on keyboards from Nitin in a few spots! There's very strong use of duo female vocals on the set – sung by Eva Stone and Nicki Wells – who harmonize, then break apart, in a way that really brings a lot of richness to the material – on titles that include "Breathing Light", "Nadia", "Riverpulse", "Sunset", "Dark Day", "Homelands", and "Redshift". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool live set from Nitin Sawhney – definitely working here "unplugged", as you might guess from the image on the cover! Yet Nitin's also not solo – as there's a cool combo here that features work tablas, bansuri, and cello – plus just a bit of electricity on keyboards from Nitin in a few spots! There's very strong use of duo female vocals on the set – sung by Eva Stone and Nicki Wells – who harmonize, then break apart, in a way that really brings a lot of richness to the material – on titles that include "Breathing Light", "Nadia", "Riverpulse", "Sunset", "Dark Day", "Homelands", and "Redshift". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) CD

Snarky Puppy find a whole new global current here – coming together in a style that mixes their usual soulful funk with a range of interesting percussion elements – in styles that sometimes remind us of our favorite creative sounds from the Brazilian or Afro Funk instrumental scene, but with a much groovier vibe overall! Half the instrumentation hits that usual Snarky groove – warm keyboards, tight horns, and sharp rhythms – but other elements inflect some cool tones and fresh feelings – as the group work in an all-instrumental format, and really allow their creative side to sparkle! It's great to see these guys break down the boundaries a bit – and the record's one of their freshest in a while – with titles that include "Tarova", "Palermo", "Big Ugly", "Beep Box", "Go", "The Simple Life", and "Semente". CD