Wonderful work from one of our favorite soul singers of recent years – the amazing Lewis Taylor, one of the freshest voices in R&B of the past decade! The album's Lewis' second on his own label – and it's even better than the first, with a tightness and sweetness that are instantly infectious. Lewis has dropped some of the experimental moments of earlier albums, and gone for a song structure that's more straightforward and direct – but never commercial or slick – just honest, open and fresh! His vocals have a lightly floating feel that's a bit of a change – set up perfectly next to skipping drums, sweet keyboards, and nice touches on guitar that really pull out some of his jazzier tendencies, and almost create a Shuggie Otis feel at times! Another instant classic from Lewis, filled with great tunes that include "Out Of My Head Is The Way I Feel", "Carried Away", "Keep Right On", "When Will I Ever Learn 2", "Throw Me A Line", "Won't Fade Away", "Keep On Keeping On", and "Positively Beautiful 2". (Neo Soul, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking album by soul singer Lewis Taylor – his first self-released album, issued on his own after parting company from Island Records! The album's incredible – every bit as great as the albums Lewis Taylor 1 & 2 – and in fact even better, as Lewis has a lot more freedom here to explore his own ideas. The sound is a blend of compressed rhythm and keys, filtered with Lewis' excellent vocals – deeply soulful, and instantly captivating, steeped in a tradition that stretches back to Marvin Gaye, and which makes him one of the best underground soul singers alive today. Songs are sweet, slow, slinky, and seductive – coming off amazingly well, with a deeply soulful production style that's handled a heck of a lot better than the cover! In fact, if the silly cover art's making you worry that the album won't be great, even if you're a fan of Lewis' other work – don't worry, because the music is the thing that really matters, and the whole album here is top-shelf! Titles include "Send Me An Angel", "Stoned", "Shame", "Til The Morning Light", "Positively Beautiful", "Lovelight", and "Sheneverdid". (Neo Soul, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from the great ZZ Hill – a set that has the singer making a brief appearance on Columbia Records, and working with the mighty Bert DeCoteaux in the process! Bert brings this full, rich style to bear alongside ZZ's vocals – an approach that's still quite respectful to Hill's deep soul roots, but which also creates this whole new setting for his voice – a bit like the shift that Tyrone Davis and Johnnie Taylor were making at Columbia at the time – and with similar great results! The choice of material is great – as the record features songs penned by indie soul great Jimmy Lewis, Fredrick Knight, Harvey Scales, and ZZ himself – and titles include "Let's Make A Deal", "Message To The Ladies", "Universal Love", and "Near But Yet So Far". LP, Vinyl record album