Kara Jackson has a really amazing voice – a range that goes nicely deep at all the right times, and which sounds especially strong here amidst the often lean but really effective instrumentation on the record – put together at a level that's very fresh and unexpected, especially in the way that acoustic guitar might be used upfront next to some more processed elements! That guitar seems to emphasize the honest quality in the very personal tunes put together by Jackson – a hell of a songwriter who almost makes you feel as if you've stumbled upon her working her craft on her own, overhearing things she might not be ready to share with the world. Yet by that, we don't mean that the album's unpolished – it's really well put-together, thanks to production help from Sen Morimoto, Nnamdi, and Kaina – on titles that include "Free", "Rat", "Therapy", "Dickhead Blues", "No Fun/Party", "Brain", "Pawnshop", "Liquor", and "Recognized". CD

A duo who really take the hemispheres in their title seriously – as lyrics and vocals are all by Otis Junior, and the album's spare rhythms and instrumentation are from Dr Dundee! Otis is a hell of a frontman – as he's got this laidback, raspy style that really fits the open, honest quality of his words – lyrics that are spacily spoken as much as they're sung – in this haunting style that really fits the crispy core elements provided by the doctor. The duo are surprisingly strong together – really supporting each other in the best way, and not lapsing into too-familiar beats-n-lyrics cliches – on titles that include "Hemispheres", "Bubble", "Why Can't You Just Come For Conversation", "The Mixture", "3 Winds", "Bye From Space", and "Under My Skin", which features a guest appearance by Jim James. CD

We've loved the music of Benny Sings for years – and can't understand why the man's not a much bigger success at a worldwide level – because his songs have the gentle soul and careful construction of the sorts of music that used to grace the airwaves decades back! Yet maybe the obscurity is always what makes Benny so great – as the songs here feel like lost AOR gems from a time when folks really knew how to make a record – but also sifted down to a core approach that never lets things get too overly-polished or commercial – kind of that modern love of classic modes that we also find in the music of Ed Motta, even though Ed's a very different singer overall. Titles include "Familiar", "Not Enough", "Duplicate", "Dreamin", "Summerlude", "Everything I Know", and "Nakameguro". LP, Vinyl record album

Take it from us, Leon Bridges is no gold-digger – as with music like this, he'll be bringing plenty of the gold himself – as the record is the sort that should really put Bridges over the top! Leon's already been giving us some great sounds in recent years – but this set has Bridges emerging as a fully-formed soul star in his own right – not just the voice that's been winning us over already, but a sense of confidence and power in his lyrics – not ego, but self – wide enough so share space here on collaborations with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, and Ink – who all get a chance to bring a strong something extra, and not just show up as names on paper. Titles include "Born Again", "Motorbike", "Why Don't You Touch Me", "Magnolias", "Steam", "Sho Nuff", "Gold-Diggers", "Blue Mesas", "Don't Worry", and "Sweeter". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most righteous music we've ever heard from keyboardist Robert Glasper – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given his legacy of albums over the years! This project feels different than the previous Black Radio releases by Glasper – different than his initial blending of jazz modes and contemporary soul – and maybe more strongly driven by mission and purpose, with a quality that really comes through right from the very first note! Glasper's piano and keyboards still have that strong sense of shape we love so much – but they're maybe more heady and serious, and really set a fantastic tone for the album's many contributions from important voices like Esperanza Spaulding, BJ The Chicago Kid, Amir Sulaiman, Lalah Hathaway, Common, Posdnuos, Q Tip, Gregory Porter, Ledisi, HER, and others – a lineup who really elevate the already-sublime tone of the record. We've always found inspiration in the music of Robert Glasper – but it's also an amazing thing to see him rise to an almost statesman-like position with a project like this – on titles that include "Black Superhero", "Shine", "Why We Speak", "Better Than I Imagined", "Everybody Love", "It Don't Matter", "Heaven's Here", "Forever", and a surprisingly strong cover of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". (Jazz, Neo Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The most sophisticated album to date from this wonderful musician – a set that has Sly5thAve working with a large ensemble of players who shift along from track to track – delivering a very righteous reading of his core musical ideas, at a level that feels even more powerful than anything else he's ever given us! Many know Sly as a soulful production talent – but here, he's showcasing himself more as a composer/arranger – mixing jazz with larger instrumentation, yet all still set to funky beats and rhythms that tie the whole project to his roots. The whole thing is a huuuuge step forward for the artist – as Sly5thAve plays saxes, flute, bass clarinet, and keyboards – with a huge lineup of players on trumpet, tenor, keyboards, trombone, bass, flute, and other instrumentation too. Two tracks have vocals – sung by MacKenzie on one cut, and Kyle Rapps on another – and titles include "Water Suite", "Liberation", "No No No", "Exodus", "Monoxide", "Proverbs", and "Actin Whyte". LP, Vinyl record album

Sault have always been fantastic, but it also seems that with each new release, they get even more powerful and progressive – opening up a more radical agenda that really comes through in their music! The group don't state their position with the title of the record – which is essentially untitled – but their message comes through loud and clear in the way the righteous lyrics mix perfectly with their spare, stark instrumentation – a range of rhythms that often make it hard to tie Sault to any one category or scene, but which also makes the record bristle with excitement – on titles that include "Don't Shoot Guns Down", "Wildfires", "Sorry Ain't Enough", "Black Is", "Stop Dem", "Hard Life", "Hold Me", "Only Synth In Church", "Why We Cry When We Die", and "Bow", which features a guest appearance from Michael Kiwanuka. (New Grooves, Neo Soul) CD