A damn great record from Aquakulture – and a set that's way more of an R&B album than we might have expected – fleshed-out, fully formed, and with a sense of tracks and timing that really makes for a great flow al the way through! There's a lot of guests on the record, and while we might almost even say that they get in the way a bit – the timing of the record always comes back nicely to the role of its leader, who may well have what it takes to become a shining star in the mainstream in the next few years! The set's definitely got inspiration from soul classics of years past, but is completely fresh and very much its own – with titles that include "It's All Good", "Milk & Honey", "I Can Wait", "Getting Close", "You Got Feets", "Hitwoman", "Magic", and "Lunch". CD

Really mindblowing work from Jose James – an artist we loved right from his very first record, but one who has us completely over the top with this record – a set that may well push James from the soul underground into firmly classic territory – the sort of space that will have the record standing strong with soul classics from decades back, and for a long time to come! Jose's tremendous vocally, but there's also an extra-special spirit to some of these tunes – one that's still very strongly in the hands of the man himself, even though James opens the door for plenty of guests – a lineup that includes Ledisi, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, Aloe Blacc, Lizz Wright, Eric Truffaz, and others – not the kind of guests who overwhelm and take a too-strong turn in the spotlight, but the right sort of addition to the core sound. Titles include a surprisingly great remake of "Just The Way You Are" – plus "Turn Me Up", "I Need Your Love", "Saint James", "Take Me Home", "Oracle", "Feels So Good", "I Found A Love", and "You Know What I Do". LP, Vinyl record album

A stylistic triumph for southern hip hop soul hero Sleepy Brown – a late 90s throwback to smoky, sultry late 70s funk & soul in style and approach, but with the bright and thumping sound of the finest, most soul-steeped Organized Noize/dirty south hip hop of the time, a la peers and frequent collaborators lik Outkast & Goodie Mob. Sleepy's Theme sounds especially good in hindsight, as it was really ahead of it's time circa 1998 in the way blends classic funky soul influences with a contemporary vibe, prefiguring what would be a huge hitmaking formula for Cee-Lo and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below-era Outkast come the early 00s! Includes "Can't Let Go", "Court Room", "Choked Out Saturday Night", "Still Smokin'", "Simply Beautiful", "Fallin' In Love Again", "Curse On You", "Black Cherry", "Grind On", "The Ride (Private Party)", "Conversation", "Menage A Trois" and more. CD

Trombone Shorty just keeps on honing his groove – finding a way to add in new bits with each new album, while still holding on to enough of his New Orleans roots in the process! This set's definitely got Shorty reaching for the sky – as much of a soul album as a jazz one, with his trademark horn in the mix, but also plenty of vocals too – handled by the leader with a style that's even more confident, more powerful than before! Titles include "What It Takes", "Come Back", "Lie To Me", "Everybody In The World", "Lifted", "Forgiveness", "Good Company", "Might Not Make It Home", and "I'm Standing Here". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible debut from Ben Westbeech – easily one of the greatest artists so far to emerge from Gilles Peterson's Brownwood label – and one of the best new UK soul singers we've heard in years! The album's got a freshness and brilliance that takes us back to the first time we heard Omar, Jamiroquai, or Lewis Taylor – kind of an instant smile that hits our face after the first few notes of each tune – a joy of discovery that's every bit as rewarding as the music itself! Ben's warm vocals are mixed nicely with subtle arrangements that get slightly cosmic, but never too much so – and which instead always veer towards organic territory that beautifully respects the lyrics of the tunes, and Westbeech's role as soul singer first and foremost. The record's one you'll be playing for years to come – and it's filled with great tracks that include "Bright Future", "Get Silly", "Welcome", "So Good Today", "Gotta Keep On", "Taken Away From", "Grey Skies", "Stop What You're Doing", "Dance With Me", and "Hang Around". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) CD

A fantastic little set that looks at the huge wave of top-shelf AOR material recorded in recent years – part of a huge global re-awakening to the charms of the genre – often with results that are even groovier than the classic records of the 70s! One of the compelling things here is that the music isn't being made by big names on major labels – and instead is an almost-underground thing – but handled at a level that's completely faithful to the best Cali styles of the 70s – from sweet jazzy instrumentation right down to the perfect production styles to get the whole thing right. You'll recognize a few names here – and will hopefully discover a lot more too – as titles include "Tell Me" by William Sikstrom, "Quiet Storm" by Workshy, "Liberation Groove" by Incognito, "You Make My Life A Better Place" by Mamas Gun, "What You Deserve" by Chris Cauley, "See Me Slumber" by Young Gun Silver Fox, "Melt The Night" by Lucas Arruda, "All Smiles" by Jeremy Passion, "Walkin On Air" by Tomi Malm, "Good To Live" by Monkey House, "Thoughts" by Michael Carreon, "Dangerous" by Umii, "Hello Monday" by Briamarie, "The Greatest" by King, "Perish The Thought" by Ned Doheny, "Sweet Life" by Mike Champion, and "Don't Disturb This Groove" by Meshell Ndegeocello. (Funky Compilations, Neo Soul) CD

10 tracks that sum up the hopes for modern funk and underground soul – circa 1995! The set was a big one back in its day, and it still provides a good picture of what the kids were digging during those difficult years for modern groove. Titles include "Hell Is Round The Corner" by Tricky, "Friendly Pressure" by Jhelisa, "Eine Kleine Hed Musick" by Coldcut, "Boundaries" by Leena Conquest & Hip Hop Finger, "Get It Together" by The Beastie Boys, "Nouveau Western" by MC Solaar, "Revenge Of The Number" by Portishead, and "Deep S**t (parts 1 & 2)" by Kruder & Dorfmeister. CD

The title track on this one's a slammer, and the whole album has Leela James really working at the top of her game – maybe using a touch of her maturity to really sharpen her songwriting edge, and serve up the kind of material that really lets us focus on her strengths! There's a confidence here that's great – as James makes no bones about her ability to inhabit a tune, and come across acting like she owns it – a quality that's emphasized by the also-maturing talents of Rex Rideout as co-producer of the set. Yo Yo makes a guest appearance on "I Was Your Woman" – and other cuts include "Thought U Knew", "Good On Me", "Right Back In It", "Satisfied", "Be Your Baby", "Whatcha Done Now", and "When It's Over". CD

A tremendous album from Thundercat – an artist who just seems to get better and better with every new record, and who's maybe here defining a genre that's completely unto himself! The record is soulful, and has a lot of contemporary cosmic currents – but it's also more far-reaching and fluid than anything that Thundercat's ever given us before – still done with key help from Flying Lotus, but with a majestic, confident quality that seems to have the duo ready to take over the universe! The airy soulful vocals are great, but the rhythms and instrumentation are maybe even more compelling – as there's a number of tunes here that are almost impossible to describe in words, even though they're instantly appealing and wonderfully soulful – a balance that's the sort of special genius from an artist who's ready to write himself into the pop music history books with a key release like this. There's a whole host of guests – including Ty Dolla Sign, Childish Gambino, Louis Cole, Kamasi Washington, Badbadnotgood, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, and many others – but it's clear that the Thundercat/Flying Lotus axis holds all the power – on titles that include "Fair Chance", "Funny Thing", "How Sway", "Miguel's Happy Dance", "Lost In Space/Great Scott/22-26", "Interstellar Love", "Overseas", "Dragonball Durag", "King Of The Hill", and "Existential Dread". (New Grooves, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in this series that not only always delivers the goods, but does so at a price that's a hell of a great bargain for all the excellent music involved! Expansion Records brings together a handful of titles from their own releases in recent years, plus other neo soul gems from the global underground – both American and British artists, some better-known names, some great up-and-comers waiting to be discovered – all of which makes for a package that packs plenty of punch! Most tracks appear here on CD for the first time ever – and the 3CD set features 35 titles that include "I'd Rather Be In Love With You (the sax way)" by Sheree Brown, "Intoxicated Love" by Castella, "If You Wanna Know What's Missing" by Julian Jonah with Dutch Robinson, "Think About" by Sugar & Heath, "Soul N'Samba" by Tyrone Lee, "Baby Let's Go (soul mix)" by Narada Michael Walden, "Step With Me" by Victor Haynes, "I Love Me Too" by Carol Riddick, "Do You Remember" by Steven Thad, "I Found Love" by Rose Spearman & Soul City Connection, "Harvest For The World" by Patrice Isley, "Keep On Giving (rmx)" by Shaila Prospere, "Smooth" by Con Funk Shun, "Elementary" by Robert Imtume Owens, "Sometimes" by Brian Power with Cornell CC Carter, "Right The Wrong" by Natasha Watts, and "Could It Really Be" by Mike Lindup with Tony Momrelle. CD