A treasure trove of bluesy rock material – and a set that almost works as well as a straight album project from Nick Gravenites and Mike Bloomfield – as it does as the soundtrack for this offbeat film that starred Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland! The vibe here is a bit like other rock/blues indie soundtracks of the time – such as Heavy Traffic or Fritz The Cat but Gravenites and Bloomfield are also nicely focused, too – and most numbers stand very strongly on their own, not just as scene-setters for the movie. The set also features a bit of vocals from Maria Muldaur, keyboards from Merl Saunders, and some harmonica from Paul Butterfield – and titles include "If You Cared", "My Bag", "Common Ground", "Lonesome Star Blues", "Woman's Love", and "Brand New Family". LP, Vinyl record album

The only album ever from Groove Theory – but the set that introduced the world to Amel Larrieux – whose vocal talents alone are worth the price of admission! The feel here is a bit more mainstream soul than some of Amel's later work – but given the mid 90s date of release, the sound is still plenty underground – and filled with the warmer tones and deeper soul styles that wouldn't be that common until years later when the Neo Soul scene rose to prominence. The overall package is the work of former Mantronix member Bryce Wilson – who plays some keys, and ensures that the rhythms are never too bombastic to overwhelm Amel's vocals. Titles include the massive stepper's cut "Tell Me" that hit huge here in Chicago – plus "Baby Luv", "Didja Know", "Come Home", "Hello It's Me", "Hey U", "Good 2 Me", "You're Not The 1", and "Boy At The Window". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful post-Coltrane playing by the two Grubbs brothers (who get top recommendations from Pharoah Sanders and Naima Coltrane on the back cover!). The album's filled with spiritual spiralling intertwining alto and soprano sax lines, underpinned by soulful backing on piano, bass, drums, and percussion. The quality of the writing on the album is excellent – and we'd easily rank this one up there with the best work on Strata East from the time, or with Gary Bartz's first two albums for Milestone. Includes the long title cut, plus "Reflections (On New York City)", "Pisces", and a beautiful cover of "Naima". Really wonderful stuff! LP, Vinyl record album

A funky collaboration of new and old players – as trumpeter Roy Hargrove explores a range of classic styles with a host of excellent guest stars! The RH Factor project includes work by Bernard Wright, Cornell Dupree, Karl Denson, and other funk luminaries – and it also features great vocal performances from the likes of Common, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, and D'Angelo. The groove soars from Miles-inspired electric to the heavy funk of George Clinton – and makes plenty of side-trips in between – exploring a range of soulful jazz, both new and old, and coming off a lot better than we might have thought! Titles include "Pastor T", "I'll Stay", "Common Free Style", "Juicy", "The Stroke", "Poetry", "Liquid Streets", "The Joint", and "Forget Regret". LP, Vinyl record album

Keyon Harrold continues his rise from standard jazz into the realm of soulful superstar – working here with a great array of guests, and also creating a sound that's a fantastic blend of his own work on trumpet and some larger currents of soul and R&B! At some level, the record's almost Harrold's equivalent of the Black Radio projects from pianist Robert Glasper – and maybe no surprise, Glasper's in the lineup of guests here – alongside Laura Mvula, PJ Morton, Common, Jean Baylor, and others – all participants who find just the right spot in the music, yet leave plenty of room for Keyon to blow some solos in a way that mark his role as the visionary leader of the proceedings. Titles include "Beautiful Day", "Well Walk Now", "Don't Lie", "Foreverland", "Find Your Peace", "Gotta Go", "Pictures", and "The Intellectual". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff from Isaac Hayes! Although Ike had first appeared on LP with the album "Introducing", this was the first record to really expose his true soul genius – and it was also the first release on Ike's successful sub-label at Stax, Enterprise Records. The record shows that for all the years Ike was working away on other folks' songs for Stax, he was carefully cooking up his own style of soul that would forever change the way we think about the music. Back in 1969, the album must have blown more than a few minds for its incredibly baroque approach to soul music – taking common elements like strings, piano, and funky rhythms, and stretching them out into long waves of sound that cycle over and over, working a sly subtle magic along with Ike's super-sexy vocals, and his monologue-heavy approach to popular tunes. The album features incredible remakes of pop hits "Walk On By" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" – both of which run for over 10 minutes, and which completely transform the songs into something way more than simple radio fodder. Also features the psychedelic soul masterpiece "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic", which has this crazy funky piano, and a messed-up sound that would make even George Clinton weep! LP, Vinyl record album

The second full album from Richard Hell & The Voidoids – issued with a bit less fanfare than the first, but still every bit as essential! Five years have passed since Blank Generation, but Hell's wit and energy are as sharp as ever – and if anything, The Voidoids have really fused into a really cohesive unit – not a slicker band, but one that has a powerful sense of instrumentation to match Richard's vocals – especially in the great guitar work of Robert Quine! Judging from the grainy cover image, Hell is keeping things as real as ever – which definitely comes through in titles that include "Time", "The Kid With The Replaceable Head", "You Gotta Move", "Downtown At Dawn", "Lowest Common Denominator", "I Can Only Give You Everything", and "Ignore The Door". LP, Vinyl record album

A really well-recorded set by Lightnin Hopkins – one that's got a crisper, cleaner sound than some of his others of the time – yet which still comes across with all his best rootsy modes too! The instrumentation here is quite spare – just Hopkins' acoustic guitar behind his vocals, with a bit of bass and drums too – recorded with some of the folksy undercurrents that were common in some of the Prestige/Bluesville dates of the period. Titles include "Shinin Moon", "The Walkin Blues", "Katie Mae", "Down There Baby", "You Better Watch Yourself", and "Automobile Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally fantastic set from the turn of the 70s, and one of Freddie Hubbard's most soulful, spiritual albums ever – a seminal chapter in the evolution of soul jazz – and a record that was a keen inspiration for changes to come on labels like Strata East and Black Jazz! The group here features Kenny Barron on both electric and acoustic piano – really stretching out with a hip, open sort of sound – possibly his first of this type on record – and other players include James Spaulding on alto and flute, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Patato Valdes on added percussion – giving a more complicated groove to the best numbers. Tunes are all long and well-penned – three by Freddie himself ("Eclipse", "Spacetrack", "Gittin' Down"), one by Kenny Barron ("Black Angel"), and one by Walter Bishop (the original recording of his classic "Coral Keys"!) LP, Vinyl record album

A glorious send off from J Dilla – with some of the most soulful productions Dilla's ever laid down – and appearances by Common, D'Angelo, Pharoahe Monch, Madlib, MED, Black Thought and others! It's impossible to listen to The Shining without considering the sad circumstances surrounding its release, and all too easy to over praise, but this record is filled timelessly inventive production – and passionate rhymes from the honored guests. A lot of the more leftfield, abstract touches that create most of the character on the Donuts LP are really on the outskirts of the sound here – a much richer, deeper, funky drum influenced batch of sounds. We're speechless. There's one more official posthumous LP in the can, and thank goodness for that. Tracks include in-your-f**kin' face intro "Geek Down" with Busta Rhymes, "E=MC2" feat Common, "Love Jones", "Love" feat Pharoahe Monch, "Baby" feat Madlib & Guilty Simpson, "So Far To Go" feat Common & D'Angelo (come back D', the world needs you), "Jungle Love" feat MED & Guilty Simpson, "Dime Piece (Remix)" feat Dwele, "Love Movin'" feat Black Thought and "Won't Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Kanye West finally dropped the full length in early '04 – and it's one of the best hip hop albums of the year. Kanye is probably the hottest beats producer of the year, too, having dug through the greatest soul hooks of the past few decades for his samples, and piled on the chunkiest, catchiest, thickest beats anywhere. And if he doesn't have the greatest vocal delivery in hop hop (if he did, he'd be Superman considering his production pedigree), he makes up for it with some masterful lines, like "I gotta apologize to Mos and Kweli/is it cool to rap about gold if I told the world I copped it from Ghana and Mali?" from "Breath In Breath Out". Hilariously, Kanye also found just about the sharpest theme for a record that we've scene in a while – the tangential connection between gang bangers and frat boys! He ain't granola, he ain't bling bling, he's just a guy from Chicago with a sometimes astoundingly strong production aesthetic, very smart rhymes and a lot of people who owe him great guest spots, and deliver. Were you looking for more than that? It's a triumph, one that Chicago couldn't be more proud of! "We Don't Care", "Graduation Day", "All Falls Down" with Syleena Johnson, "Spaceship" with GLC & Consequence, "Never Let Me Down" with Jay-Z, "Get 'Em High" with Talib Kweli & Common,"New Work Out Plan", the great single "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Jamie Foxx and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Kanye West finally dropped the full length in early '04 – and it's one of the best hip hop albums of that year. Kanye is probably the hottest beats producer of the year, too, having dug through the greatest soul hooks of the past few decades for his samples, and piled on the chunkiest, catchiest, thickest beats anywhere. And if he doesn't have the greatest vocal delivery in hop hop (if he did, he'd be Superman considering his production pedigree), he makes up for it with some masterful lines, like "I gotta apologize to Mos and Kweli/is it cool to rap about gold if I told the world I copped it from Ghana and Mali?" from "Breath In Breath Out". Hilariously, Kanye also found just about the sharpest theme for a record that we've scene in a while – the tangential connection between gang bangers and frat boys! He ain't granola, he ain't bling bling, he's just a guy from Chicago with a sometimes astoundingly strong production aesthetic, very smart rhymes and a lot of people who owe him great guest spots, and deliver. Were you looking for more than that? It's a triumph, one that Chicago couldn't be more proud of! "We Don't Care", "Graduation Day", "All Falls Down" with Syleena Johnson, "Spaceship" with GLC & Consequence, "Never Let Me Down" with Jay-Z, "Get 'Em High" with Talib Kweli & Common,"New Work Out Plan", the great single "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Jamie Foxx and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Kanye West finally dropped the full length in early '04 – and it's one of the best hip hop albums of the year. Kanye is probably the hottest beats producer of the year, too, having dug through the greatest soul hooks of the past few decades for his samples, and piled on the chunkiest, catchiest, thickest beats anywhere. And if he doesn't have the greatest vocal delivery in hop hop (if he did, he'd be Superman considering his production pedigree), he makes up for it with some masterful lines, like "I gotta apologize to Mos and Kweli/is it cool to rap about gold if I told the world I copped it from Ghana and Mali?" from "Breath In Breath Out". Hilariously, Kanye also found just about the sharpest theme for a record that we've scene in a while – the tangential connection between gang bangers and frat boys! He ain't granola, he ain't bling bling, he's just a guy from Chicago with a sometimes astoundingly strong production aesthetic, very smart rhymes and a lot of people who owe him great guest spots, and deliver. Were you looking for more than that? It's a triumph, one that Chicago couldn't be more proud of! "We Don't Care", "Graduation Day", "All Falls Down" with Syleena Johnson, "Spaceship" with GLC & Consequence, "Never Let Me Down" with Jay-Z, "Get 'Em High" with Talib Kweli & Common,"New Work Out Plan", the great single "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Jamie Foxx and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Time will tell whether the sophomore LP Late Registration will prove to be as revolutionary of a commercial force as College Dropout turned out to be – but it's a better album! We loved the debut as much as the rest of the world did, but this one's an easier listen from beginning to end. The production is tight, the guests earn their spots, and the whole thing's furiously soulful. Much is being made of LA hipster/orch pop troubadour Jon Brion's co-production, but this is Kanye's show. On one level Kanye can rock a subject as cliched as "Gold Digger", and still come out with a fresh perspective that runs deeper than it sounds on the surface, then deliver a serious track about the evils of the diamond trade that still rocks the ice. And those are just the first singles. Another great one! Tracks include "Wake Up Mr West", "Heard 'Em Say", "Touch The Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco, "Gold Digger" feat Jamie Foxx, "Drive Slow" feat Paul Wall & GLC, "My Way Home" feat Common, "Crack Music" feat Game, "Roses", "Bring Me Down" feat Brandy, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (rmx) feat Jay-Z, "We Major" feat Nas & Really Doe, "Gone" feat Consequence & Cam'Ron and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums from The Kinks – the kind of material that pulled them strongly past their bluesy, garagey roots – into a role that has them giving some of the clearest, keenest visions of 20th Century British society – with all of its joys and worries! The tunes here are wonderful – well-penned little odes to the common man and fading scenes and styles of the UK – presented together as a sublime portrait of a late 60s England that hardly any other group would try to touch – all with wit and wisdom from the great Ray Davies, and loads of tuneful work from the rest of the band. Titles include "Do You Remember Walter?", "Picture Book", "Sitting By The Riverside", "Village Green", "All Of My Friends Were There", and "The Village Green Preservation Society". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Masta Ace – part of his early-millennium comeback moment! Ace caught us off guard with his damn strong Disposable Arts LP – which immediately went on our short list of all time best hip hop comeback LPs, along with Slick Rick's Art Of Storytelling – and he mines some of the same lyrical territory on this album – with some straight up, no BS storytelling in which he contemplates his status as one of hip hop's true pioneers, a near legend in his own medium who nevertheless has to deal with day jobs and bills! There's also some more common street hop stuff, but Ace that pretty deftly – on titles that include "Big City", "Good Ol' Love", "Da Grind", "Beautiful", "Soda & Soap", "The Ways", "Wutuwankno", "Oh My God", and "Revelations". LP, Vinyl record album

An early vocal set from Les McCann – quite unusual, and pretty darn soulful as well! The album's done in a mode that foreshadows Les' move to soul during the 70s, and features him singing to some hip arrangements by Gerald Wilson – in a soulful, jazzy style that was common for LA of the mid 60s – somewhere in a space between Lou Rawls and Arthur Prysock – with all the hip, adult aspects you'd expect from those references! Tunes include a fair bit of standards, but swung in really fresh ways by Wilson – and McCann's got this restrained style of singing that's really great – almost as if he's hiding a broken heart beneath his groove. Tracks include "It's Way Past Suppertime", "Next Spring", "Bye Bye Black Bird", "Deed I Do", "I Cried for You", and "Wonder Why". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer live set from Hammond genius Jack McDuff – one of a few totally smoking records he did in this style for Prestige during the 60s! The group's a quartet, with stunning work from the young George Benson on guitar, burning tenor from Red Holloway, and amazing drums from Joe Dukes – one of the few players on the kit who really got the right energy to match McDuff on the keys! The album's filled with screamin' groovers throughout, including a great version of "Girl From Ipanema", plus originals like "Another Goodun" and "S'Okay". McDuff was always best in a live setting – and this rare gem is a great testament to that fact! LP, Vinyl record album

To fans of the group Rush, the title of this record has a very different meaning than the common one – and, no surprise, pianist Brad Mehldau is actually referencing that song by the group here – which he performs on the record, along with some of their other work – and adds in his own music too – all in pursuit of this amazing blend of spirituality informed by progressive rock! The concept is one that's a bit hard to describe in words, and it's also kind of a mindblowing surprise from Mehldau – music we never would have expected from any of his previous records! There's still a current of jazz on the album, but there's all sorts of other things going on too – a guitar solo on one number, heavy drums on another, and even a vocal contribution from Cecile McLorin Salvant, who also sounds nothing like usual. In addition to remakes of "Tom Sawyer" and "Jacob's Ladder", the set also features the titles "Maybe As His Skies Are Wide", "Herr Und Knect", "Cogs IN Cogs", "Voy Correndo Te Encontrar/Racecar", and "Heaven". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the rare mid 50s treasures from the team of tenorist Jack Montrose and baritonist Bob Gordon – a great pairing from the LA scene of the mid century! Although both players were steeped in the sounds of their scene at the time, they also have a way of moving past cliche and common expectations – offering up music that's filled with surprise and delight, and which is always arranged with a great balance between tightness of execution and open personality of the players. Montrose arranged the album, and wrote a good number of the tunes – and other players include Paul Moer on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, and Bob Gordon on baritone – on titles that include "April's Fool", "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town", "A Little Duet", "The News & The Weather", "Dot's Groovy", "Cecilia", and "Paradox". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of vocal tracks from Judy Roberts – a mix of original tunes and a few covers, all done with a warm fusiony style, and plenty of Brazilian touches! Judy's at the height of her powers here – partly jazzy, partly in a songstress mode that's inspired by the advances that female singers made during the 70s – stretching out in the new freedoms, but never forgetting the lyric, or a need to swing. Includes a great remake of Ivan Lins' "Common Ground", plus the tracks "Two & A Half", "Country Samba", "Save That Time", "Nights In Brazil", "I Can't Help It", and "Starlight Haunted Ballroom". LP, Vinyl record album

The first, independent, Roots LP with so many classics that never made it to their later import and major label releases. What more can we say... Tracks include "The Roots Is Comin", "Pass The Popcorn", "The Anti-Circle", "Writers Block", "Good Music", "Grits", "Leonard I-V", "I'm Out Deah", "Essawhamah? (Live At The Soulshack)", "Popcorn Revisited", "Common Dust", "The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)", "Carryin' On", "Peace", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark effort from the Legendary Roots Crew – one that a lot of folks hail as their greatest album – and there's a strong case to be made for that! Jazzy soul backdrops and lyrics that both personally and culturally reflective – and it's also the best produced Roots album to this point, with an unpredictable, yet perfect flow from track to track. Guests include Mos Def, Common, Erykah Badu and JazzyFatNastees. Titles include "The Next Movement", "Step Into The Realm", "The Spark", "Dynamite", "Without A Doubt" "Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New", "Double Trouble", "Adrenaline!" and "Don't See Us". LP, Vinyl record album

A self-titled set from Motown giant David Ruffin – and a record that pairs him with producer Bobby Miller, who'd worked some real late 60s magic with The Dells! As with that group, Miller has a wonderful way of letting the rough lead vocals come right to the front of the mix – while still serving up a batch of backings with a lot of power and focus – and a sense of complexity that comes through in both Miller's original tunes for the date, and the following arrangements from David Van DePitte. This unified approach gives the record even more focus than other Ruffin albums of the period – and the whole thing stands not just as a lasting tribute to his talents, but also to the way that Motown was getting better and better at recording full albums over singles. Titles include "Common Man", "I Miss You", "A Little More Trust", "Go On With Your Bad Self", and "Day In the Life of the Working Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly chromatic work from guitarist John Scofield – full of tones and textures that shift and shimmer about a soulful center – always as chromatic as you might guess from the album's cover and title! There's certain 80s elements in the instrumentation – especially the use of more electric bits, as was common for the Gramavision label at the time – but Scofield finds a way to keep things interesting by drawing on the deeper roots of his previous work for his solos. Titles include "The Nag", "Time Marches On", "Now She's Blonde", "Make Me", and "So You Say". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from The Spinners – one that has the Detroit vocal group making a hip trip to the Philly scene – picking up a whole new sound and rich new energy in the process! A few years later, working in Philly studios would be common for many artists – but this self-titled Spinners set really helped launch the trend – and for good reason, too – given the strength of the production and arrangements from the legendary Thom Bell! Bell's at his best here – helping the group reach whole new territory in their wonderful harmonies – and backing them up with some of the best musicians the Sigma Sound Studios had to offer. The album's overflowing with hits – like "One Of A Kind (Love Affair)" and "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" – but it's also got some excellent lesser-known material too, like the extended "I Could Never (Repay Your Love)" and "We Belong Together". Other cuts include "Ghetto Child", "Just You & Me Baby", "I'll Be Around", and "Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include the "Movement For The Common Man" suite – plus "Right Away", "What Has Come Between Us", "Quick Is The Beat Of My Heart", and "Best Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira Sullivan at his best, along with some great local players that include tenorist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, and bassist (Raphael) Don Garrett. The music is what you'd expect – loving renditions of Bird standards like "Klacktoveedesesteene" and "Love Letters" – but there's also a lot more going on underneath, and the album's as much a Charlie Parker tribute as it is a batch of bop and soul jazz numbers with a good underground feel. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most soulful albums ever recorded for the Kudu label – and one of the few full LP releases to feature vocal work by Chicago soul singer Tennyson Stephens! Tennyson's working here with Phil Upchurch, the legendary Chicago guitar player whose talents graced countless soul, jazz, and funk sessions over the years – and the pair are grooving nicely in a set of jazzy electric arrangements by Bob James, who also plays piano and Arp on the record. The mix of electric grooves and vocal soul is mighty nice – and titles include "You Got Style", "Tell Me Something Good", "In Common", "South Side Morning", "Evil", and "Black Gold". LP, Vinyl record album

Vic Mensa's a very different artist than on his previous record – a rapper who's taken the long years between the two sets to undergo a personal and spiritual rebirth, with results that come through instantly on the tracks on this set! There's an urgency that Vic never had before – partly inspired by the political changes in the country from 2020 onward, but also viewed with a maturity that puts aside some of his own personal needs for a larger agenda – one that's got a lot more pride and positivity than you might guess from the somewhat stylized image on the cover. Common joins Vic for a great look at Chicago past on "Southside Story" – and other tracks include "Sunset On The Low End", "Lvln Up", "Victor", "Rumors", "Weeping Poets", "Blue Eyes", "Sunday Evening", "Strawberry Louis Vuitton", "14 Days", "Eastside Girl", and "Blessings". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from Ella Washington – a lesser-known force in southern soul during the late 60s, but a singer whose music really leaves us breathless! Washington's work on this set is impeccable throughout – far beyond the simple southern soul cliches that were coming to be common in the generation of Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner – and instead, very much in her own space – recorded with sophistication and emotion that so many other singers wouldn't tap this well until a few years later. The themes of the tunes are great – heartfelt, but still with an emotional inner strength that really matches Ella's vocals – and titles include "Stop Giving Your Man Away", "Sweeter & Sweeter", "Fragile", "Starving For Love", "He Called Me Baby", "All The Time", and "The Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

The last in Beau Williams' great run of albums for Capitol Records in the mid 80s – and a sweet little set that equally balances quiet storm ballads with more uptempo groovers! Williams is one of the great unsung male vocal acts of his generation – and he's got a great way here of putting over a mellow track with a level of care and sensitivity that weren't always that common in mainstream soul at the time – a approach that reminds us more of Marvin Gaye or The Isley Brothers in years before, than you might guess from the date of the album. Production is by William Reinhart, McFadden & Whitehead, Williams, and others – and titles include "I Found A Love", "All Because Of You", "There's Something About You", "Give Me Up", "Don't Be Gone To Say", "No More Tears", and "Been Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Stevie Wonder – one of his real standout albums of the 60s, and a set that's filled with majestic power all the way through! The title track was an instant hit, and the rest of the set follows through nicely with sounds that are way different than common Motown hits – almost an undercurrent of darkness, with a gleaming sense of righteousness coming through in the end – that powerful vibe that Wonder would really unlock in the 70s, but which is already sounding great here! Credit should also be given to producer Henry Crosby, who hits these groovy tones that work perfectly with Wonder's vibe – perfect on the original numbers, and equally great on the album's covers – which come off with a surprisingly great sound. The record includes one of our favorite tracks by him – the great "Angie Girl", which has a wonderful hook, and great production that makes Stevie's voice extra cool – and other titles include "My Cherie Amour", "At Last", "Give Your Love", "I've Got You", "Light My Fire", and "Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto gave us some sublime records in the 70s on the Three Blind Mice label from Japan – and he really continues the spirit of those records here, on a set of tracks that demonstrate that, if anything, his sense of space and timing have gotten even more amazing as the years have gone on! With Yamamoto, it's never a matter of the material he chooses, which is usually common – but the way he puts the tune over while working with a trio – and the way that trio is recorded, which was always a key aspect of Tsuyoshi's records in the 70s. His classic Blues For Tee album was dedicated to his older producer back in the day – as this set is dedicated to Yoshihiko Kannari, who did a great job of capturing the magic from a trio that also features Hiroshi Kagawa on bass and Toshio Osumi on drums. Titles on this first volume include "You Go To My Head", "Misty", "Blues For K", "But Not For Me", and "I'm Glad There Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto gave us some sublime records in the 70s on the Three Blind Mice label from Japan – and he really continues the spirit of those records here, on a set of tracks that demonstrate that, if anything, his sense of space and timing have gotten even more amazing as the years have gone on! With Yamamoto, it's never a matter of the material he chooses, which is usually common – but the way he puts the tune over while working with a trio – and the way that trio is recorded, which was always a key aspect of Tsuyoshi's records in the 70s. His classic Blues For Tee album was dedicated to his older producer back in the day – as this set is dedicated to Yoshihiko Kannari, who did a great job of capturing the magic from a trio that also features Hiroshi Kagawa on bass and Toshio Osumi on drums. Titles on this second volume include "Love Theme From Sunflower", "Darn That Dream", "Midnight Sugar (alt take)", "Blues In The Closet", and "Gentle Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful solo set from this amazing Japanese avant pianist – with the original "On The Road", plus offbeat takes on "Greensleeves", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Let's Cool One", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

The full length debut of the Yancey Boys – Frank Nitt & Illa J – the former of the venerable duo Frank N Dank, the latter J Dilla's rhyme centric younger brother – who come together with the dual purpose of keeping J Dilla's production pedigree alive, and to simply deliver timeless, top notch Detroit hip hop! Production is provided by J Dilla's archive – and a pretty impressive roster of Dilla friends and collaborators take part as guests – include Common, Talib Kweli, Posdnuos of De La Soul, Dank, Rhettmatic, Eric Roberson, Guilty Simpson, J Roc and others. Titles include "Dilltro" with Dank, "Fisherman" feat Vice, J Rocc & Detroit Serious, "Flowers" with Kweli, Niko Grey & Rhettmatic, "Without Wings", "Beautiful" with Posdnuos, "Quicksand" with Slimkid3 & Niko Gray", "The Throwaway", "This Evening" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Collection of mostly previosly released underground hip hop tracks on 3 LP's. Standout cuts include Common Sense "Soul By The Pound", the Thump Mix version previously available on 12-inch only plus Afu-Ra "Whirwind Thru Cities", High & Mighty "The Meaning", Big L "Ebonics", Missing Linx "M.I.A", Dilated Peoples "Global Dynamics", Giant (aka A.G.) "Hidden Crates", Primeridian "Mental Void", I.G. Off & Hazadous "This Ain't Livin", Pablo "Due Praises", Dr. OOP feat. Thes One & Dub K "Just The Three Of Us", Swollen Members "Counterparts", People Under The Stairs "Everybody." LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collection – an important re-investigation of the unusual mix of sounds and styles on the New York scene in the years after disco – a time when funk, punk, hip hop, and art were all colliding at once – providing a really fresh antidote to the staid sounds of Studio 54! The "disco" in the title should be taken lightly – as these cuts didn't play at the slick uptown dance spots – but were instead the soundtrack for the cool spots happening downtown, as the previous loft culture morphed into clubs, in this very special blend of the energy of CBGB and the underground soulful dancefloors. The set list is filled with classics from this time – and titles include "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, "Tell You Today (voc)" by Loose Joints, "Walking On Thin Ice (re-edit)" by Yoko Ono, "Over & Over" by Material, "Spasticus Autisticus (version)" by Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players, "Kiss Me Again (original edit)" by Dinosaur, "Move" by Nicky Siano, "School Bell/Tree House" by Indian Ocean, "I Walk" by Don Cherry, "Voices Inside My Head" by Common Sense, and "Wheel Me Out" by Was Not Was. LP, Vinyl record album

Heady sounds from a variety of different scenes – served up here in a compilation that was one of the first to turn western ears onto the sounds of the east! The music is a fuzzy blend of sounds from Southeast Asia, Korea, India, and even Turkey – and the package was one of the first times we'd ever heard some styles that have now become much more common in the psych market – the kind of groundbreaking overseas moments that we love on labels like Guerssen/Pharaway or Finders Keepers! Titles include "Simla Beat Theme" by The Fentones, "Gonul Sabreyle Sabreyle" by 3 Hur El, "26 Miles" by The Quest, "Korean Titel A2" by Jung Hyun & The Men, "Istemem" by Erkin Koray, "Magic Colors" by Teddy Robin & The Playboys, "A2" by Cambodian Rocks, "Blind Bird" by The Mpos, and "You Know What I Mean" by Justin Heathcliff. LP, Vinyl record album

The movie "Soul In The Hole" may have come and gone without anyone paying too much attention, but the soundtrack is dooope, with a lot of tracks that are unavailable anywhere but on this LP. We're not sure how Loud did it, but instead of MC's supplying throwaway tracks, they gave up some of their best material. Includes Common "High Expectations", Organized Konfusion "Late Night Action", OC "Your Life", Mobb Deep "Rare Species", Dead Prez "The Game of Life", MOP "Ride", Brand Nubian "A Child is Born", Wu All Stars "Soul In The Hole" Xzibit "Los Angeles Times", Wu-Tang Clan "Diesel", Sauce Money "Against The Grain", Cocoa Bros "Won On Won", Darc Mind "Visions of Blur" and Dwellas "Main Aim". LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty amazing music from new immigrants to the US – a range of different sounds from Eastern European cultures, reworked here for recordings on American 78s! The music has echoes of Jewish styles, and bits of early polka – although polka itself as a genre wouldn't emerge until years later, as these various cultures tried to find a common ground in the mainstream. Most of the recordings are relatively rootsy – and feel more like ethnographic sounds captured in the old world – and the LP comes with a really great booklet of notes, with way more detail than usual for Mississippi! 16 tracks in all – with work by Edward Mika, Wladyslaw Polak, Stanislaw Mermel, Orkiestra Majkuta, and others. LP, Vinyl record album