One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records – a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times – especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis – and although there's some of the usual Kudu electric funk in the mix, there's also some deeper soul elements too – a vibe that's often a bit laidback and open, almost more Atlantic Records at points – which is a mighty good fit for Esther's wonderful voice! As usual for Kudu, the players are an all-star lineup – one that includes Richard Tee on keyboards, George Benson on guitar, Maceo Parker on tenor, and Bernard Purdie and Billy Cobham on drums – and Don Sebesky's also on deck a bit, to sweeten a few tracks up with light strings. The album's got a great version of Bill Withers' "Use Me" that features a tasty break in the intro – and other titles include a great version of "Alone Again (Naturally)", plus the cuts "Let's Move & Groove", "Cherry Red", "Let Me In Your Life", and "You & Me Together". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

A whole host of tunes that will help you say goodbye to winter and hello to spring – a light and lively mix of postwar cuts in a variety of styles – from early rockers, to instrumentals, radio pop gems, and even a bit of R&B – all put together with a very playful vibe! The set's similar to the other "season" titles from Bear Family – showing how similar themes move through American music in different ways – almost like you're tuning into some old AM station in the month of May, discovering a whole host of tunes you might never have heard otherwise! Oddly, there's also a theme of chickens and eggs running through the set – which features 28 titles that include "Chicken Rock" by Fat Daddy Holmes, "Spring Fever" by Vilas Craig & The Kollege Kings, "One Fried Egg" by The Charioteers, "Rock Chicken Rock" by Ray Coleman & His Skyrockets, "Jungle Bunny" by The Fabulous Pearls, "The Rooster" by Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm, "Chicken Reel" by les Paul, "Easter Day" by The Dixon Brothers, "April Love" by Shirley Jones & Pat Boone, "Egghead" by Al Allen, "Spring Fever" by The Velvets, "End Of Spring" by Les Baxter, and "It Might As Well Be Spring" by Jerry Duane with the Monarchs. (Rock, Vocalists) CD

Think what you may about this groove-patched hipster – we still think he's one of the best jazz vocalists of our time! Kurt Elling's carrying a torch that few other singers could handle – a direct line back to the genius male jazz vocal work of singers like Mark Murphy and Jon Hendricks, armed with the confident emotionality and freely expressive style of the former, and the jazz-based virtuosity and sense of humor of the latter. This recent Blue Note session is very much in Elling's best mode – a bit too sweet in parts, but filled with some great numbers that show him always pushing the envelope, not content to just be a "modern classic" vocalist, as might be said for some of his female contemporaries in the jazz vocal realm. Titles include "Say It", "While You Are Mine", "I'm Thru With Love", "Orange Blossoms In Summertime", "Detour Ahead", "Lil Darlin", and "Easy Living". And sure, we wish there were more original compositions – as on other albums – but Elling really still does a great job with the standards! CD

A tribute to Billie Holiday – tracks include "God Bless The Child", "Don't Explain", "Them There Eyes", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", and "Left Alone". CD

Classic tunes, in the hands of Nnenna Freelon – wonderfully transformed with a soulful spirit that's really wonderful! The approach here is still jazz at the core, but there's a freshness to the arrangements that makes the versions way more than just simple standards – the kind of dynamic vibe that you might hear in a record by Carmen Lundy, although Nnenna's take is very much it's own thing, too! Instrumentation is small combo on all tracks, usually with piano or Fender Rhodes in the lead – and titles include "Get Out Of Town", "The Lamp Is Low", "I Feel Pretty", "Valley Of The Dolls", "Smile", "You & The Night & The Music", and "Lift Every Voice & Sing". CD

One of the last great records ever cut by Jon Hendricks – one of our favorite singers of all time! The album's a bit of a "tour de force" – with Hendricks singing alongside a host of famous jazz musicians and vocalists, working in an all star setting that's sometimes too good for its own good, but at other times works magically! The best moments are those when Jon actually takes the lead himself, singing in that warm, raspy, honest style that's always made him the kind of a singer that brings meaning to lyrics that always leave us cold from other vocalists. The album's got a wonderful re-reading of the Italian classic "Estate", redone here with English lyrics as "In Summer" – and one of Hendricks finest moments on record! Other tracks include "Listen To Monk", "Sugar", "Freddie Freeloader", "High As A Mountain", "Trinkle Tinkle", and "The Finer Things In Life" – and players include Tommy Flanagan, George Benson, Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine, and Al Jarreau. CD

One of Nina's greatest records – recorded with her cool combo that included Weldon Irvine! Weldon's on organ on the set, and he co-wrote the two-part track "Revolution" with Simone, one of the album's strongest numbers! That track is set amidst covers of other hip 60s material, including "Turn Turn Turn", "To Love Somebody", "I Can't See Nobody", and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" – all done with a freely righteous style that has Nina cutting loose at the end of the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album