A very cool set from the Texas scene – one that's overflowing with new work by some of the hippest soul, funk, and hip hop artists in the Lonestar State – and a few others too! The set features work from Black Pumas, Leon Bridges, N'Dambi, Sha La Das, Holy Hive, Badbadnotgood, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Adrian Quesada, Flower Child, Bastards Of Soul, Keite Young, Sam Lao, Sarah Jaffe, and others! (Deep Funk, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

You might know London bassist Daniel Casimir from his work in the group of Nubya Garcia – but this stunning debut shows a side of his talents we never would have expected – a really visionary performance that has Casimir really exploding both a composer and musician! There's a core group here that features Garcia on tenor – along with Moses Boyd on drums, James Copus on trumpet, and Al Macsween on keyboards – but Daniel also adds in these brilliant larger arrangements that use horns and strings to really give the album a soaring, righteous sort of power – maybe some of the energy that we loved in the early work of Chris Bowden, but much more contemporary too. An instant classic – with titles that include "New Waters", "Boxed In", "Get Even", "Your Side", "The Truth", "Rewind The Time", and "Safe". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet and gritty soul from D'Angelo – who takes a huge step into deeper territory on Voodoo – and it's one of the most monumental records of its time! On one level, Voodoo works as a nicely stripped-down session with a very classic soul feel. Gone are the overzealous flourishes that sometimes overwhelmed his earlier songs, and in their place are some sweetly crafted vocal parts with a classic Marvin Gaye/Al Green feel. That warmth is probably what made Voodoo a massive popular success – but what makes it such a creative triumph are the darker undercurrents – which hint at a troubled soul struggling for spiritual truth. One of the rare cases in popular music when great art became music for the masses! Titles include "Left & Right (feat Method Man & Redman)", "The Line", "Spanish Joint", "Africa", "Feel Like Makin Love", "The Root", "Playa Playa", "Devil's Pie", and "Greatdayndamornin/Booty". LP, Vinyl record album

Faada Freddy already has a very striking style – a blend of gospel and soul with some elements of his Senegalese roots – yet here, he pushes the boundaries even more by just working with voice and human percussion elements, but in a mode that makes for a mighty full groove! Freddy's voice mixes with others in the group, rising up with a very righteous vibe that's wonderful – served up with English lyrics that, if there were any justice in the world, would get Faada some exposure on our side of the Atlantic too! The approach is great – hardly gimmicky at all, and really lean and stripped down to just the groove and voice – on titles that include "The One For Me", "Tables Will Turn", "Happy Together", "Day To Day Struggle", "Aladdin", and "Truth & Lies". 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

A very hip group from the London scene, and one who've got a slightly different origin than most – in that they initially started out as a house band for a spoken word event – then grew into a really great group on their own! In the best contemporary London fashion, there's a real openness to genres and styles here – jazz at the core, but plenty of contemporary soul – especially considering the range of guests on the record – a lineup that includes Joe Armon Jones, Shabaka Hutchings, Sampha, Kae Tempest, and others. The core lineup features Biscuit on flute, Raven Bush on violin, Peter Bennie on bass, and Kwake Bass on drums and percussion – but the record flows with so many other contributions, sounds, and styles as well. Titles include "Acute Truth", "Fix", "On Grounds", "Can We Do This", "Soapbox Soliloquy", "Hither Green", "Dreaded", "Wavelet", and "Round Again". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A double-length collection of remixes from the first two albums by Amy Winehouse – a set of tracks that take all the funk of the originals, and add in some elements of hip hop and club as well! A few tracks here get multiple mixes, but with a nice sense of variety – and titles include "F*ck Me Pumps (MJ Cole rmx)", "In My Bed (CJ mix)", "Rehab (Hot Chip rmx)", "Stronger Than Me (Harmonic 33 rmx)", "You Know I'm No Good (Ghostface UK version – with Ghostface Killah)", "Tears Dry On Their Own (Al Usher rmx)", "Love Is A Losing Game (Kardinal Beats rmx)", "F*ck Me Pumps (Mylo rmx)", "Back To Black (Rumble Strips rmx)", "Love Is A Losing Game (Truth & Soul rmx)", "You Know I'm No Good (Skeewiff mix)", and "Rehab (rmx with Jay Z)". LP, Vinyl record album