A double disc CD & DVD package showcasing one of our favorite souful acts on the contemporary landscape – Nicolay & Phonte's brilliant and ever-evolving Foreign Exchange project! Dear Friends showcases an acoustic concert performed for a private audience –- the great touring lineup that includes Zo!, Sy Smith, and singer/songwriter Jeanne Jolly. From the get go, we've been impressed by both the original songwriting from Foreign Exchange as well as the way they filter diverse influences into their own unique vibe – and this acoustic setting really gets to the heart and soul of it. This is an essential document for fans of the group, but it's also a fine intro if you're just now coming aboard! The live set includes "Fight For Love", "All Roads", "Take Off The Blues", "Lose Your Way", "Greatest Weapon Of All Time", a nice cover of James Taylor's "Something In The Way She Moves", "Laughing At Your Plans", "Daykeeper", "House Of Cards", Zo!'s "Greatest Weapon Of All Time" and "I Wanna Know". Also includes 2 new studio tracks: "Steal Away" feat vocals by Jeanny Jolly and piano by Zo! and "All The Kisses" feat Amber & Paris Strother of KING. (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

Espen Horne has a great way of mixing jazz influences with a range of other styles – sometimes cosmic, sometimes kicking – and served up with guest help on vibes, keyboards, and vocals too! There's a vibe here that's almost like that point years ago when Nicola Conte started getting a bit more spiritual – but Espen's also keeping things more in his own production mode – with more soul-based points on the album, depending on the singer in the lead. Vocalists include Fay Houston, Olav Wollo, and Selim Mutic – and titles include "Bakeren", "Bergen Sunrays", "Nada Pode Me Calar", "Rory's Sunrays", "Den Frankse Gitaren", and "O Mar E A Lua". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the richest and most complex recordings we've ever heard from Silent Poets – a brilliant blend of strings, soul, and sounds! The style here is a bit more cinematic than before – taking cues from recent Silent Poets work, but unlocking a new sense of majesty in the music – one that unfolds gently as the tunes go on, and really finds a unique place for itself in the modern sound spectrum. There's a sense of confidence and power here that goes way beyond the last few Silent Poets records – and the initial forays into this type of music have finally found their place, and come together much more strongly here. Shawn Lee delivers a bit of guest work on the record, and titles include "Rock Star", "From Earthling", "Future", "Dumb Girl", "Next Episode", "Man On The Street", "Fate", and "Wonder". CD

A wonderful collection of work by Alex Attias – pulled from a variety of collaborative projects over the past few years, most of which were instantly "lost" on hard to find singles and obscure import titles. As a whole, the album stands as one of the best introductions to Alex's groundbreaking work you'll ever find – and in a way, it's more of a cohesive album, featuring the full scope of his talents expressed in the company of a variety of like-minded talents. Cosmic, soaring, spiritual, and wonderful – with tracks that include "Sunrays" by Vanessa Freeman, "Waenda" by Emelda, "Sarasowju (Nu mix)" by Plutonia, "Cascade (Nu mix)" by Idema & Co, "Daylight" by Xela Saitta, "Desert Vinyl (rude dub)" by Son Of Scientist, and "Willo The Wisp" by Pavel Kostiuk. 12 tracks in all. CD