A beautiful early album from Cassandra Wilson – a singer who already had a really deep sound, right at the start – and definitely hit her stride with music like this! The album mixes jazzy currents with rootsier elements – some of them from a more global perspective – and the production is nicely understated, so that Wilson's strongly in the lead throughout. Titles include "Sankofa", "Black Crow", "I Can't Stand The Rain", "Children In The Night", "Hellhound On My Tail", "Come On In My Kitchen", and "Tell Me You'll Wait For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Compelling compositions from the great Henry Threadgill – recorded here with a really like-minded batch of players who perfectly help him realize his musical vision! There's a nicely snakey feel to some of the tunes here – almost a journey in jazz expression from the left side of the spectrum – lead with a bit more strength than some of Threadgill's other contemporaries, but still allowing plenty of room for solo expression! Two percussionists drive the ensemble – Pheeroan Aklaff and John Betsch – and other players include Ray Anderson on trombone, Rasul Siddik on trumpet, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Deidre Murray on cello – as well as Threadgill himself on flute, alto, tenor, and clarinet. Amina Claudine Myers contributes vocals on one number – "A Piece Of Software", which features lyrics by Cassandra Wilson – and other titles include "Just Trinity The Man", "Homeostasis", "Higher Places", "Subject To Change", and "This". LP, Vinyl record album