A really beautiful record by young Chilean pianist Enrique Rodriguez – a set that's got little more going on than piano and keyboards, but which really makes the most of those elements! Rodriguez plays in a style that's not entirely jazz – maybe more moody instrumentals with a slight bit of rhythm in the background, but always at a gentle pace – so that the tunes have a flow that's really driven by the keys, which sound equally great, whether acoustic or electric! Some tunes glow with a soundtrack theme style, others have a deeper soul vibe – and titles include "Chao", "Estamos Bien Aqui", "Una Pared", "Mantener El Arriba", "Ambos", "Lograr Decidirnos", "Lo Que Somos", and "Ni Siquiera Se Si Quiero Encontrarte". (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

A lovely little record from Ceu – a record that balances the Brazilian singers' vocals with a great sense of space in the instrumentation – just the right use of acoustic rhythms, keyboards, and other elements – never as electronic as other albums on the Six Degrees label, in a way that let's the more gentle, subtle aspects of Ceu's vocals really come through beautifully! The record starts with a spare number that only features cavaquinho behind the lyrics – and although other tracks expand the sound out a bit more, that spare mode of the start still holds on nicely. Titles include "Rosa Menina Rosa", "Grains De Beaute", "Nascente", "Cangote", "Sobre O Amor E Seu Trabalho Silencioso", and "Ponteiro". (Brazil, New Grooves) CD

Lovely stuff! The work of singer Cesara Evoria is remixed by a host of modern club talents – no surprise, as her best tracks of the past few years have been getting plenty of action on the 12" front – taking her from the world music scene into the clubs, with very surprising results! The record is really pretty darn wonderful overall – appealing to fans of a modern groove, but touched with all the depth, soul, and history of Cesara's fantastic voice. Titles include "Angola" remixed by Pepe Braddock, "Miss Perfumado" remixed by 4 Hero, "Nutridinha" remixed by Kerri Chandler, "Besame Mucho" remixed by Senor Coconut, "Angola" remixed by Carl Craig, "Negue" remixed by Chris Prolific, "Sangue De Beironia" remixed by Francois K, and "Bondade E Maldade" remixed by Osunlade. (Global Grooves, New Grooves) CD

A really lovely soundtrack from Forever Pavot – contemporary, but with some of the best touches of our favorite French film scores of the late 60s – a blend of sentiment and subtle instrumentation, light melody and occasional groove – all handled with excellent keyboards, flutes, and other sweet touches throughout! Pavot often has the sense of space and tune of Francis Lai – which makes the record a great hit in our book – and the organ, piano, and harpsichord moments are especially great – on titles that include "Au Chalet 2", "La Ballade De Poulenc", "Dans L'Aquarium", "Generique Debut", "En Voiture", "Les Amants", and "Marche Dans La Niege". (Soundtracks, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A group that's as lovely and lively as their name! "Sim Ou Nao" is a sweet Brazilian groover – very jazzy, with a warm and sunny finish, great percussion from Chris Franck, and breezy vocals from Guida De Palma! "Constelacao" follows along similar lines – a bit more mellow, almost modern bossa, but with some very slight electric touches. Remixes take the tracks to the dancefloor a bit more, but still keep all the best bits! CD

A soulful dance album from the legendary King Britt – released on the house groove heavy Nervous label! Britt's always been one of the most diversely adaptable artists/producers and also one of the most reverently soulful dance music trailblazers out there and Intricate Beauty is as it's titled – with sultry, sweetly soulful club grooves and more globally influenced beats alike. It's dancefloor geared from front to back, with a soulful beat and lilting keys and atmospherics bringing the beauty along with some lovely guest singers – including Rucyl Mills, Astrid Suryanto, Kim English, Lady Alma and others. The the numbers flow one to the next in a continuous groove, demonstrating King Britt's skills as a DJ as well as material demonstrates his club groove production prowess. Include "Love What You Have " (main mix) feat Rucyl Mills, "Now" (main mix) feat Astrid Suryanto, "Nightlife" (King Britt mix) by with Kim English, "Try Love" (main mix) feat Lady Alma, "Blackhand Side", "Peak Inside", "Inner Self", "The Intricate Beauty" (main mix) feat Ryat and more. CD

Beautifully airy work from the Korpi Ensemble – an up-and-coming Finnish ensemble, but one with the power to cross over big in the rest of the world! The music here carries echoes of some of the more recent Finnish underground – a mixture of folksy and jazzy instrumentation, all topped by some lovely female vocals in English – singing lyrics that are contemplative, but never overindulgent – all wrapped together with simple production that keeps the whole thing clean and lean! The work's a bit sweeter than some of the other titles on the Jupiter label, but in a good way – and tracks include "Witness", "Seasons", "Echoes", "Moment Of Love", "Impro", "Uncertain", "I Wish I Knew", and "Still Loving You". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

Always-lovely work from Sabrina Malheiros – serving up a sublime blend of Brazilian roots and soulful overtones – a style that's easily made her one of the best artists on the Far Out label over the years! Sabrina's got a family lineage that traces back to Azymuth – and the music here has the similar blend of fusion instrumentation, earthy Brazilian percussion, and soaring American soul that you'll find in the best classics by that group – all with the added special spark that comes from her sweet vocals too! Production and arrangements are by Daniel Venom Maunick, who brings in a slight dose of Incognito soul too – really making for a record that's quite possibly the best we've heard from Sabrina so far – and that's saying a heck of a lot. Titles include "Lirio De Venus", "Bobeira", "Opara", "Candeia", "Fragil", "Can't Hide Love", "Primeira", and "Paranoia". (Brazil, New Grooves) CD

Wonderfully jazzy work from Micatone – a rich album filled with lots of lovely twists and turns, all of them coming off with a level of care and class that we wouldn't expect! The group's core is the instrumental combo – very heavy acoustic bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, vibes, and other jazzy sample bits – and some of the best tracks on the set feature vocals by singer Lisa Bassenge – singing in English, with a very accented tone, on moody and smokey tunes that really stand out from the usual retro jazz diva mode. The instrumental tunes are equally nice – a mixture of electronic club jazz and more classic elements – standing up quite well on their own with a depth of construction and solid instrumentation. Titles include "Plastic Bags & Magazines", "Sit Beside Me", "Another Road", "Sweet Child", "To The Sound", "Mon Coeur", and "Quiet Boy". CD

The best album to date from Orange Pekoe – a lovely blend of light rhythms, acoustic instrumentation, and sweet female vocals! The instrumentation here has a more jazz-based sound than before – with lots of light percussion, guitar, and keyboard bits – creating an almost bossa-like sense of intimacy, one that really lets the breezy vocals of Tomoko Nagashima dominate the set. Most of the lyrics are in Japanese, and titles include "Story", "Heavenly Summer", "Cradle", "Songbird", and "Niwaka-ame". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

The soulful second set from Quintessence – even better than their debut, and the kind of record that's sure to take the world by storm! The Finnish combo seem to have refined their sound even more – working in a cool, laidback groove that's got lots of sweet jazzy bits in the instrumentation – but which also comes across with an unabashedly strong crossover groove! Vocalist Emma Salokoski sounds especially lovely – singing in English with a really universal appeal – hardly what you'd expect from the icy north of Finland, and much more what we'd expect to hear from the London scene. Titles include "Delirious", "You Don't Care", "Burn On With A Bitter Flame", "Speciality", "Broken", "Dig Deeper", and "Friday". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD