Joe Armon-Jones provides some mighty keyboards here – these great lines on Wurlitzer electric piano that flow out mightily next to skittish live work on bass and drums, and which are augmented by a bit more electronics on the side! The tune's got this flowing, cosmic energy that really showcase the best of the current London mode – completely fresh, but also very much jazz as well! "Aquarius" is on the flipside, and is more processed – both on the vocals and rhythms, but still with some nice keyboard solo moments peppered throughout. (Jazz, Neo Soul) 12-inch, Vinyl record

Johnny Benavidez hits it right on the money here – serving up a set of laidback soul that feels like the classic material that would play big on the scene in East LA – music that's heartbreaking, but deep at the same time – graced with these very personal vocals from Johnny, and given just the right sort of backing from Cold Diamond & Mink! The whole thing is nice and easygoing – sweet soul, of the variety that you'd be more likely to hear from a harmony group, but with Benavidez giving a lead presence that's a bit like Joe Bataan in a similar mode – which makes for the kind of record that's perfect to put on late into the night, windows open, breeze blowing in, when you just want to kick back and turn down. Titles include "Playing The Fool", "Dedicated To You", "Somebody Cares", "Your Last Song", "Let's Get Together", "Do What You Wanna Do", "My Echo Shadow & Me", and "Tell Me That You Love Me". (Deep Funk, Neo Soul) CD

That's retox, not detox – a set of funky instrumentals from saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, who's also got some great vocalists along for the ride! This is the first we've heard of Benjamin – and she's definitely a fully-formed talent right from the start – not just on her work on alto and soprano sax – but also on the larger arrangements done for the record, which have a sweet mix of jazz, funk, and soul that's mighty nice! Guest singers really flesh out the sound of the record – which features contributions from Tracy Nicole, Amp Fiddler, Maya Azucena, Krystle Warren, and Jacoria Marzett – and titles include "Soul Squad", "Get Down", "Human Being", "My Love", "Share My Life", "Maceo", and a cover of "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing". (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

Funky soul from Harriet Brown – a record that's very well-steeped in 80s modes, including a bit of funk from Prince and some of the leaner currents of the boogie generation! Yet Harriet's got a style that's very contemporary, too – a leaner, more independent approach to soul that's really great – very personal, probably because Brown handles just about everything here himself, with just a bit of assistance from co-producer Alex Talan. Titles include "Cybernetiplegia", "Obsession", "Cryptid", "Atlantis", "In My Head", "Paralyzed", "Contact", "Mother", and "ESP". CD

The genius of Terry Callier – remixed! One of the greatest things to happen to Chicago soul legend Callier in recent years was his discovery by a host of cutting edge producers and DJs on the European scene – important talents who took his work to a whole new audience, by fusing Terry's original grooves with some more ambitious rhythmic progressions, keyboard lines, and other studio touches. And while you might fear that such knob-twiddling would muddy the waters and dampen Callier's spirit, such was not the case – as work in this vein only seemed to inspire Terry further, to stretch out his wings and reach new musical horizons. The tracks on this set offer a number of recent Callier recordings, remixed by the cream of the current UK and European scene – all as proof of how great this format is when applied to Callier's work. Titles include "Monuments Of Mars (Hopper mix)", "Running Around (Fug city mix)", "Love Theme From Spartacus (4 Hero No Skins mix)", "Sierra Leone (Block 16 mix)", "Darker Than A Shadow (Mitchell & Dewbury mix)", "Love Theme (Zero 7 rmx)", "Imagine A Nation (Funky Lowlives mix)", and "Just My Imagination (Tom Findlay & Keeling Lee mix)". (Soul, Neo Soul) CD

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

The great CD release of two previous albums from this hip contemporary combo – two vinyl albums back to back on a single CD! Both albums have a fantastic blend of jazz, contemporary soul, and hip hop – served up by a group who can really get the sound right – Terrace Martin on keyboards and alto, Robert Glasper on keyboards, Kamasi Washington on tenor, and 9th Wonder on beats! Vocals on most tracks are by Phoelix, who really helps give the instrumentation some focus – yet the jazz component of the record is never buried under the lyrics, as the players get plenty of space to do their thing – with a vibe that's a bit like some of Glasper's Black Radio project, yet given much more the kind of cool Crenshaw vibe that we've loved in Martin's previous records. All four artists are credited with songwriting and production and you can really hear that balance in the sound – on tracks that include "Love You Bad", "Sleepless Nights", "The Mighty Tree", "Freeze Tag", "Luv U", "Sleepless Nights", and "From My Heart & Soul". The Dessert album offers up a reworked version of the core record – with titles that are partly remixes, partly reworks – with guest appearances from Snoop Dog, Cordae, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Vincent, and others! (Jazz, Neo Soul) CD

Heavy soul from the Bay Area scene – a fantastic set of tracks from the enigmatic Goapele! Goapele's an underground singer with a really righteous feel – and she's not afraid to use some heavy beats and funk to send her message home. The set's got a really well integrated instrumental feel – shifting slightly in style from track to track, but always with a positive and progressive approach only serves to push Goapele's lyrics all that much deeper. No softness here – just a mad kicking approach that's made us give the Bay Area another listen these days! Features guest work by Soulive, Pep Love, Zion I, and Casual – and titles include "It Takes More", "Closer", "Ease Your Mind", "Got It", "Romantic", "Too Much The Same", "Catch 22", "Salvation", and "Back To You". CD