Boogie soul inspired gems from club legend Ron Trent! "Boogie Down" is a richly layered gem working on a number of levels – first and foremost as a dance floor win, pairing non-stop beats with spacey keys – and going to a deeper level with some wonderful use of vibes! The flip side's "In The Light" is similar to Side A in the dance floor friendly aspect, but this one nods to early Prince in the tight pop funk/soul keyboards. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Marc Mac knocks it out of the park once again – serving up just four songs, but with a sense of soaring power that beats most other full length records in this territory! The album's the last in Mac's series of global efforts, and although Japan is the focus this time around, it's mostly in the titles of the tunes – as the record continues that really strong evolution past 4Hero roots that have made Marc's recent releases so wonderful, and which have us hoping that he'll soon be giving us lots more full length records too! Titles include "Tokyo Nightlife", "Kambei", "Electric City Don't Sleep", and "Yasuke Soul". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A beautiful debut from Ruth Koleva – a singer with roots in Bulgaria, but an ability to sing in a really universal style – a crisp take on 21st Century soul music that's bound to make her a real up-and-comer in the global soul underground! The album's got a perfect groove from start to finish – tight live instrumentation that's heavy on Fender Rhodes, served up with a focus that really serves Ruth's wonderful vocals – which have this floating, flowing quality that really matches the keyboards, but has more than enough power to drive home the English language lyrics too. And while we're not sure that Bulgaria's going to be the next hotbed of soul music, we've got great hopes for Ruth herself! Titles include "Falling Back", "Dissonant", "Freak & Fly", "What Am I Supposed To Do", "4AM", "Gone", and "Sista Said No". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique album, and one that's a bit hard to describe on words (which means you might want to run over to the bandcamp link!) – as Naima Farao has all the jazzy currents you might expect from her first name, but also opens up here in a blend of cosmic soul, spacey instrumentation, and all sorts of other really cool touches – a bit like some of the post-jazz London experiments in recent years, but with some deeper soul currents in the mix on most numbers! Naima's got a breathy way of singing at times, which really sparkles with the instrumentation – yet she can then swing into a deeper style that's equally powerful, and which takes off and runs on the best tunes. The set features guest appearances from Ilhan Ersahin and Napoleon Maddox – and titles include "Vortex", "Heirloom", "Run", "Buoyancy Of Water", "Process", "Roll Back In", and "Increase The Light". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album