A sparkling debut from Detroit's Dwele – a sweet vocalist in the Donny Hathaway tradition, but with a tight, beat heavy soul sound that glides between 70s soul jazz, mellowed-out Jay Dee synth hop groove, and the natural soul vibe ?uestlove brings to his productions! We first caught wind of Dwele on Slum Village's "Tainted" single, and that's a good indication of the sound you'll find on the debut. Mellow, trippy keys and sound washes drench the album from beginning-to-end, with Dwele's often deeply layered vocals weighing the bright, modern groove aspects of the sound with a rich sense of soul history. There's a slight 70s soul jazz vibe, too, in spots – a sophisticated studio groove with bright bass and some sunny, soulfully strummed electric guitar. Dwele finds some truly nice middle ground between the natural soul scene, modern groove, and the mellower beats and grooves of the best Detroit hip hop of recent years – a scene that Dwele indeed was a player in before finding his soul muse. Great stuff – similar enough to some of his contemporaries – but still wholly unique in Dwele's embrace of a bright, sunny, polished sound that still manages to maintain naturally soulful grit and grease! The title track is a classic – crackly, thumping beats, sweetly chiming keys, and capital M Moody vocals – and many others are nearly as strong! Includes "Truth", "Find A Way", "Day At A Time", "Subject", "Sho Ya Right", "Possible", "Money Don't Mean A Thing", the bonus track "Let Your Hair Down", and more. 15 in all on the CD. CD

Severely funky jazz from trumpeter Russell Gunn – working here in an electrified mode that reminds us a bit of recent work from Nicholas Payton or Roy Hargrove – but which comes off sounding a lot hipper overall! The set's got a bouncing, bass-heavy groove that's clearly rooted in older funk traditions – but it's performed by Russell with a host of cutting edge up and comers, in a style that's pushing lots of new styles and sounds of its own! Gunn himself plays acoustic and electric trumpet, as well as keyboards – and he's joined by Stefon Harris on vibes, Nick Rolfe on Fender Rhodes, and Kebbi Williams on tenor and electric tenor. The set's got lots of extra space for added instrumentation that includes work on alto, percussion, pro tools, turntables, and voice – and the overall sound somehow manages to come off with a lot harder-hitting edge than other recent projects of this sort! Titles include "East St Louis", "John Wicks", "No Separation", "The Critic's Song", "Yesterdays", and "Stranger Fruit". (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad really sound fantastic here – stepping off their great work on the soundtrack for Luke Cage, and taking their music in an even stronger direction with help from an array of guest singers and musicians! Things are as rich and funky as you might expect – steeped in the same 70s traditions that Younge's used on all of his tremendous projects right from the start, but maybe given an even leaner, more crackling vibe here – as the duo moves through some wonderful soulful modes – with help from Bilal, Questlove, Keyon Harrald, James Poyser, Raphael Saadiq, Ladybug Mecca, Ceelo Green, No ID, Karolina, and others. Titles include "Possibilities", "Better Endeavor", "Mare", "Questions", "So Amazing", "Gate 54", "Do It Together", "Together Again", "Bitches Do Voodoo", "Dans Un Moment D'Errance", and "Feel Alive". (Deep Funk, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The first full album by Miguel Migs – the soulful DJ who's the number one force behind the Naked Music sound! The album's right up there with Miguel's previous collections, remixes, and production work – a smooth, sensuous approach to the groove – steeped in soulful traditions, but with a fresh and futuristic air. Titles include "Messages", "Soul Vibe", "Days Of Color", "Surrender", "The One", "Breakin It Down", "Waiting", and "The Night". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) CD

A mindblowing record from the great Ed Motta – a set that continues all the warmer, English language elements of his recent albums – but one that also seems to have Ed hitting a new sort of sophistication too! The sound is incredible – almost out-AORing all the global AOR references that Motta's given us in both his own music, and some of the great collections he's done over the years – but there's also more of a special small combo vibe, with some instrumentation on the record that seems even more compelling than usual – and which includes some great guitar moments from Ed, in addition to Fender Rhodes. Take it from us, the whole thing is superb – as appealing to fans of the older soul tradition that Motta inherited in his youth, as it is to people who love jazzy vocals, and even those elite few of us who think that Steely Dan were one of the highest points in 20th Century music. (Ed's with us on that one, by the way!) Titles include "Lost Connection To Prague", "Novice Never Noticed", "The Required Dress Code", "X1 In Test", "The Tiki's Broken There", "Shoulder Pads", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine". Great bonus tracks here – "Sweetest Berry (alt version organ)", "Sweetest Berry (alt version piano solo)", "Novice Never Noticed (alt solo)", "X1 In Test (alt take 2)", "The Tiki's Broken There (alt take)", and "Your Satisfaction Is Mine (inst version)". CD