El-P and Killer Mike finally deliver a killer duo record! We knew that this one would be a win, considering how great the El-P produced RAP Music album by Killer Mike turned out to be, how versatile the El-P futuristic production vibe is and how timelessly inventive each rapper is on their own. They didn't team-up to coast on their reputations, though, as Run The Jewels is nearly as great as anything either one has done in the preceding couple of years. Includes "Run The Jewels", "Banana Clipper" feat Big Boi, "DDFH, "Sea Legs", "No Come Down", "Get It", "Twin Hype Back" feat Prince Paul as his Handsome Boy alter-ego Chest Rockwell, "A Christmas F**king Miracle" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Danny Brown steps up his game on Old – delivering on all the promise of his much-hailed previous Fool's Gold LP – and actually topping it! Danny's XXX was a mix of next-level smarts and production, balanced with knowlingly gutter dwelling rhymes – but this one is knowingly more "mature" on the vocal tip, to a degree – but don't worry, it's still Danny Brown! Once again, the production is brilliant – but with better pacing throughout, making this one of the stronger hip hop full lengths of '13. Includes production by Paul White, Rustie, SKYWLKR, A-Trak and others. Includes "(Old)", "The Return" with Freddie Gibbs, "Wonderbread", "Gremlins", "Torture", "Lonely", "Clean Up", "Red 2 Go", "Dubstep" feat Scrufizzer, "Dip", "Kush Coma" with A$ap Rocky & Zelooperz, "Smokin & Drinkin", "Break It (Go)", "Way Up Here" feat Ab-Soul, "Float On" feat Charli XCX and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual moment for Procol Harum – still riding strong here onto their ninth album as a group – but also bringing in the legendary production team of Leiber & Stoller to help sharpen their sound! Yet apart from a few well-placed covers, all the genius of Gary Brooker and the group is firmly intact – organ work is maybe trimmed down a little, but his own vocals and piano are tremendous – as is the overall sense of song structure throughout! Titles include "Fool's Gold", "The Unquiet Zone", "Pandora's Box", "Eight Days A Week", "Without A Doubt", "The Piper's Tune", "I Keep Forgetting", and "Typewriter Torment". LP, Vinyl record album

There's few folks who can put together an album like Alabaster DePlume – and even amidst the heady company of his labelmates on International Anthem, it seems like DePlume has a really special way of mixing live performance with a whole host of studio-based conceptions! Alabaster's previous album was already a groundbreaking effort – but this set really pushes things over the top, with this really hypnotic blend of words and music, recorded at London's Total Refreshment Centre – at a level that's every bit as genre-breaking as any other work we've heard from that legendary locale. It's kind of impossible to describe the sound here in words – as DePlume mixes his tenor, guitar, and voice with a host of different instruments – contributions from London contemporaries on tablas, cello, electronics, guitar, and a range of other elements – including other voices added to the mix. Titles include "Don't Forget You're Precious", "I'm Gonna Say Seven", "Do You Know A Human Being When You See One", "I'm Good At Not Crying", "Now Stars Are Lit", "I Will Not Be Safe", "Who Is A Fool", and "The Sound Of My Feet On This Earth Is A Song To Your Spirit". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful album of Etta James material for Chess – 10 of her biggest tracks for the label, including some really hard-hitting R&B numbers, mixed with other tunes that represent the sadder, softer side of Etta's wonderful voice! Tracks include "Stop The Wedding", "Something's Got A Hold Of Me", "At Last", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Fool That I Am", "Trust In Me", "Would It Make Any Difference To You", "My Dearest Darling", "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Trust In Me" and "Pushover". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest work ever by The Main Ingredient – a selection of their singles for RCA records from the late 60s and early 70s – but one that goes way past just the hits, in order to fully trace the evolution of their heavenly vocal style! The trio started out as an already-great harmony act in the late 60s – a group who were even sweeter and more soaring than some of their contemporaries – making them perfectly placed to move into some of the more righteous harmony modes of the 70s – including some surprising turns towards more righteous, political material. The 22 track package is the greatest we've ever seen on the group – 15 pages of deeply detailed notes, in true Ace/Kent mode – plus singles that include three by The Insiders, "I'm Better Off Without You", "If You Had A Heart", and "I'm Just A Man" – as well as Main Ingredient singles that include "Black Seeds Keep On Growing", "California My Way", "Magic Shoes", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "You've Got To Take It If You Want It", "Girl Blue", "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", "I Was Born To Lose You", "Brotherly Love", "You've Been My Inspiration", "I'm So Proud", "Spinning Around", "I'm Leaving This Time", "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "The Gold Old Days", and "Shame On The World". CD

One of the most progressive albums on the American scene of the late 60s – a set that's definitely psych, but which has a put-together quality that's something else as well! The group still have plenty of the optimistic charms you'd expect from their placement on the SF scene of the period – but there's a way of stepping out and really letting loose instrumentally that's pretty great too – in ways that are different than the Dead on record, at least at the time – and captured surprisingly well by Capitol. Dino Valenti delivers some great lyrics – and titles include "Gold & Silver", "The Fool", "The Pride Of Man", "Light Your Windows", and "Dino's Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring piano work from the great Paul Smith – a player who's working here with a much more vibrant sound than on some of his Capitol sides of the 50s! Smith's got a much harder approach to the keys than during his "liquid sounds" years – one that's possibly a bit influenced by some of Oscar Peterson's most successful trio sides for Verve in the early 60s, but which still retains most of Smith's sense of lyricism and flowing energy. The trio features Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass and Frank Capp on drums – and titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "That's All", "How About You", "Laura", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "Satin Doll", and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album

Ok, so can we admit that we love this one for just what it is? Thin Lizzy's always been tops in our book – and at this point, they're at their best, and sound like everything that AM rock dreams are made of, albeit with a heavier crunch. However, in order to regain our credibility, we'll also point out that the album also contains the monster old school break "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed" – with lots of tasty drums on the intro! Also includes "Johnny", "Rocky", "Borderline", "Don't Believe A Word", "Fool's Gold", "Old Flame", "Massacre", "Sweet Marie", and "Boogie Woogie Dance". CD

One of the few things K-Tel ever got right was the seventies soul compilation – even though they only included shorter versions of the tunes, mostly 7" versions. This classic, once available on TV, contains the cuts Honey Cone "Want Ads", Main Ingredient "Everybody Plays The Fool", Chairmen Of The Board "Give Me Just A Little More Time", Freda Payne "Band of Gold", Detroit Emeralds "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms", Timmy Thomas "Why Can't We Live Together" and loads more nice early 70s soul numbers, 20 of them in all! LP, Vinyl record album

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Bassist Neil Swainson almost never gives us a record as a leader, but when he does, it's usually something special – which is definitely the case on this well-crafted set! Swainson's kind of a secret talent – a great player in his own right, an excellent composer, and one of those leaders who really seems to pull something extra out of the players in his group – as you'll hear here in the quintet session with Rene Rosnes on piano, Lewis Nash on drums, Brad Turner on trumpet, and Kelly Jefferson on tenor! Both Turner and Jefferson aren't as well-known as the rhythm players, but they do a fantastic job of illuminating Swainson's set of all-original material – tracks that really set things up for the horn solos as they take off. Titles include "Late Afternoon", "Fell Among Thieves", "Standing Back", "Cascades", "Fools Gold", "Kyushu", and "Silver Mine". CD

Always-beautiful work from the Mastersounds – the unique late 50s group that featured Buddy Montgomery on vibes and Monk Montgomery on bass! The pair work together wonderfully with pianist Richie Crabtree and drummer Benny Barth – in a well-crafted approach to jazz that borrows a bit from the MJQ, but which also has a more exotic, and more soulful approach. Monk's work on electric bass is especially striking, and the live setting of the record gives them a bit more room to muse around than usual – on tracks that include "Love For Sale", "Our Very Own", "Star Eyes", "Somebody Love Me", and "These Foolish Things". LP, Vinyl record album

Andy Bey on piano and vocals, with no other support – still sounding great after all these many years on the planet – and still one of the most unique singers in jazz! The album's based on a set of familiar standards, structured into "pages" – at a level that almost gives the record a sense of narrative structure – but although the tunes are well-known, Bey's performances certainly aren't – as he manages to break down the rhythms and melodies in really unusual ways with his piano lines, then match their energy with his singing, which still has all the old angular inflections you'd know from his work with Horace Silver or Gary Bartz. At some level, the spareness and deep roots take us back to his work with the Bey Sisters – without them in place, obviously – although there's a much richer sense of life and world presence holding the music together here. Titles include "Dog Eat Dog", "My Foolish Heart", "Jealousy", "All That Glitters Is Not Gold", "Everything I Have is Yours", "Humor Keeps Us Alive", "Good Morning Heartache", "Love For Sale", and "Lover Come Back To Me". CD

A huge breakout album for Def Leppard – and a record that maybe set the style for so many other mainstream hard rock acts in the mid 80s – thanks to a mix of crisp drums, searing guitars, and screaming vocals with an anthemic feel that really sends things over the top! And sure, it's not art rock by any stretch of the imagination – but it's also a bit fresher than some of the hair rock imitators that copped the sound a few years later – with titles that include "Rock Rock Till You Drop", "Photograph", "Rock Of Ages", "Foolin'", "Billy's Got A Gun", "Action Not Words", "Die Hard The Hunter", and "Stagefright". CD

Four fantastic records from a time when Johnny Mathis was really evolving his sound! On Me & Mrs Jones, Johnny Mathis takes on the sophisticated soul modes of the 70s, and also adds in a few other styles too – on an album that shows just how much the singer had changed in nearly 20 years of recording – sometimes shaped by all those other artists he'd inspired along the way! The title version of the Billy Paul classic "Me & Mrs Jones" is superb – maybe worth the price of the record alone, and perfect for the mature Mathis approach – and Johnny shines equally well on the album's blend of other 70s tunes, arranged by D'Arneill Pershing with a bit of help from Larry Muhoberac. Titles include "Summer Breeze", "Sweet Surrender", "Corner Of The Sky", "Remember", "You're A Lady", "If I Could Reach You", "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", "Soul & Inspiration/Just Once In My Life", and "Me & Mrs Jones". Johnny takes on a mix of sweet & tender and more melancholy tunes on Killing Me Softly, showing a surer hand at making a batch of then contemporary hits his own much more successfully than other veteran pop vocalists of his generation. Jerry Fuller produced, and the titles Includes "Aubrey", "And I Love You So", "Break Up To Make Up", "Sing", "Good Morning Heartache", "Neither One Of Us Wants To Say Goodbye", "Show And Tell" and "Ariane". On I'm Coming Home, Johnny Mathis gets a great new sound – thanks to Philly production and arrangements from the great Thom Bell! Thom had quite a hand in the songs, too – as almost all numbers were written by the team of Bell and Linda Creed – really sensitive songwriters who've got an adult, mature approach to the music – one that still respects Mathis' roots in other vocal territory, but which also gives him a bit more soulful depth, too. The setting is wonderful, and the record's a real standout in Johnny's 70s career – one that helped reignite interest in the singer at a time when so many folks had left him behind. Titles include "I'm Coming Home", "Foolish", "I'm Stone In Love With You", "A Baby's Born", "Life Is A Song Worth Singing", "I Just Wanted To Be Me", and a classic version of "Stop Look & Listen To Your Heart". Feelings is a prime 70s Columbia era Mathis gem, with production by Jack Gold and this time out, arrangements by Gene Page that mix tender hearted intimacy and lightly sweeping touches as sweetly as can be. Titles include "One Day In Your Life", "Stardust", "Midnight Blue", "Feelings", "That's All She Wrote", "Solitaire" and more. CD features the bonus track "Crazy Little Love Makin Ways". CD

It's hard to believe that after just a few short years of recording for Atlantic records, Aretha Franklin could come up with enough gold records to warrant a full album of hits for the label – but that's definitely the case with this classic collection from 1969! The fantastic evolution of Franklin's genius is very much on display here – with arrangements by Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd – on tunes written by Otis Redding, Dan Penn, Steve Cropper, Don Covay, and even Aretha herself! Titles include "I Never Loved A Man", "Do Right Woman", "Respect", "Dr Feelgood", "Think", "Chain Of Fools", "Natural Woman", "Ain't No Way", "Since You've Been Gone", "The House That Jack Built", "See Saw", "Baby I Love You", and "I Say A Little Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

Very early work from Chico Hamilton – recorded in a piano trio mode that predates his more famous chamber quintet – working with pianist Freddie Gambrell and bassist Ben Tucker on a set of tunes that are mostly standards, and a few bluesy piano explorations. Titles include "Ex Ray's Friends", "Reservation Blues", "These Foolish Things", "You're The Cream In My Coffee", "Five Minutes More", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

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A beautiful collection of work from the legendary James Carr – a singer that those in the know place at the same level as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, or any of the deep soul greats of the 60s! Like Otis, James recorded heavily on the Memphis scene at the time – not for Stax or Atlantic, but for the smaller Goldwax label – who really hit magic with the sounds you'll hear on this set – a perfect blend of the richness of James' voice with the kind of slow-burning soul sounds that the scene was really hitting during its golden years! The songwriters alone here are enough to sell the set to any fan of classic southern soul – as tunes include contributions from Chips Moman, Dan Penn, Quinton Claunch, William Bell, and Spooner Oldham – writers who maybe never had a better interpreter of their work than Carr – who knocks it out of the park here on tunes that include "Dark End Of The Street", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "I'm A Fool For You", "A Lucky Loser", "Let's Face Facts", "Your Love Made A U Turn", "Freedom Train", "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man", "You Hurt So Good", "Love Attack", and "A Man Needs A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A great sampler of 60s Detroit soul produced by the fantastic Ollie McLaughlin! Includes "Jan Jan" by the Fabulous Counts and the unbelievable "Almost" by Jimmy Delphs, one of our favorite soul tracks from the period, and a real heartbreaker with an uptempo groove. Lots more great stuff here too, including both well known and hard to get cuts, 15 tracks in all, including by "Cool Jerk" and 'We Got A Thing That's In The Groove" by the Capitols, "Ain't Gonna Give You Up" by the Volumes, "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" by the Counts, "You Better Move" by the Gambrells, "Sing a Sad Song" by Percy & Them, and "Am I Losing You", "Don't Sign The Papers" and "I've Been Fooled Before" by Jimmy Delphs. LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to believe that after just a few short years of recording for Atlantic records, Aretha Franklin could come up with enough gold records to warrant a full album of hits for the label – but that's definitely the case with this classic collection from 1969! The fantastic evolution of Franklin's genius is very much on display here – with arrangements by Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd – on tunes written by Otis Redding, Dan Penn, Steve Cropper, Don Covay, and even Aretha herself! Titles include "I Never Loved A Man", "Do Right Woman", "Respect", "Dr Feelgood", "Think", "Chain Of Fools", "Natural Woman", "Ain't No Way", "Since You've Been Gone", "The House That Jack Built", "See Saw", "Baby I Love You", and "I Say A Little Prayer". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime southern soul from one of the greats! James Carr is right up there with the best of the 60s – Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, and others – but he never made it as big as them because of personal troubles and bad planning on the part of his label and management. Fortunately, his genius has been kept alive by record collectors everywhere – for whom this rare gem is a holy grail! The album features 11 tunes that sum up the best of the south in the 60s – all sung by James with his unbelievably heartbreaking voice. Titles include "The Dark End Of The Street", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "A Woman Is A Man's Best Friend", "I'm A Fool For You", "Stronger Than Love", "More Love", and "Sowed Love & Reaped A Heartache". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful collection of work from the legendary James Carr – a singer that those in the know place at the same level as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, or any of the deep soul greats of the 60s! Like Otis, James recorded heavily on the Memphis scene at the time – not for Stax or Atlantic, but for the smaller Goldwax label – who really hit magic with the sounds you'll hear on this set – a perfect blend of the richness of James' voice with the kind of slow-burning soul sounds that the scene was really hitting during its golden years! The songwriters alone here are enough to sell the set to any fan of classic southern soul – as tunes include contributions from Chips Moman, Dan Penn, Quinton Claunch, William Bell, and Spooner Oldham – writers who maybe never had a better interpreter of their work than Carr – who knocks it out of the park here on tunes that include "Love Attack", "Dark End Of The Street", "Freedom Train", "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "A Man Needs A Woman", "Let's Face Facts", "You Hurt So Good", "I Don't Want To Be Hurt Anymore", "I'm A Fool For You", "Your Love Made A U-Turn", and "Let It Happen". CD

Sublime southern soul from one of the greats! James Carr is right up there with the best of the 60s – Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, and others – but he never made it as big as them because of personal troubles and bad planning on the part of his label and management. Fortunately, his genius has been kept alive by record collectors everywhere – for whom this rare gem is a holy grail! The album features 11 tunes that sum up the best of the south in the 60s – all sung by James with his unbelievably heartbreaking voice. Titles include "The Dark End Of The Street", "You've Got My Mind Messed Up", "A Woman Is A Man's Best Friend", "I'm A Fool For You", "Stronger Than Love", "More Love", and "Sowed Love & Reaped A Heartache". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy pop from Dotti Holmberg – Curt Bottecher's partner in the GoldeBriars vocal group, working here on her own, with a number of tracks produced by Curt himself! The set's got a definite California sunshine pop sound to it – sweet arrangements mixed with Dotti's great vocals – and as the tracks progress across the collection, things get a bit darker, as Dotti takes over more of the writing and production on her own, mixing in some rootsy elements with really wonderful effects. Most of the material got top-shelf production in the Columbia studios, handled by Bottecher or Holmberg – and this expanded version of the original set features a number of rare demo tracks too. Titles include "Let You Know", "Sea Of Tears", "Foolish Times", "I Sing My Song", "The Essence", "Love Is", and "It's Not Worth It At All". CD

Initially the only album ever issued by Blahzay Blahzay – a set that came out right in the middle of a real golden age of 90s hip hop – and right up there with some of the best of the New York scene! Outloud handles the lyrics, PF Cuttin delivers the beats and scratches – and the whole thing's got the kind of rock-solid, double-length quality of some of the best Payday releases of the same time – just the right balance between street toughness and a more thoughtful current that balances things out – really tempering any of the posturing on some of the cuts – that special subtle style the east coast could do so well in contrast to rising scenes west. Titles include "Danger (parts 1 & 2)", "Blah Blah Blah", "Don't Let This Rap Sh*t Fool You", "Pain I Feel", "Posse Jumpa", "Sendin Dem Back", "Long Winded", "Jackpot", and "Good Cop Bad Cop". LP, Vinyl record album