The Tibbs serve up a very classic style of soul – as you might guess from the retro image on the cover – very 60s-oriented, with hard-driving rhythms from the group's well-crafted lineup, all topped with mighty dynamic vocals from lead singer Roxanne! And sure, this isn't new territory for the market – but The Tibbs do it a lot better than most, and the vocals, horns, and grooves all come together with a sharper focus and real commitment to the sound than most other groups who are swimming in the same water. Titles include "For Lack Of Better Words", "Give Me Reason", "Chicken Bones", "Rafaela", "Guess I'm Guilty", "Last Train", and "In Orbit". CD

Mike Richmond is plucking the cello on the front of the cover – and within, he uses the instrument in a wonderfully fluid, jazzy style – really living up to the legacy of earlier work on the cello in jazz by artists like Ron Carter, Sam Jones, or Eldee Young! The group is nice and lean, with Andy Laverne on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Anthony Pinciotti on drums – and the cello is recorded very high up in the mix, with a lot more texture on the strings than you might expect – and certainly a very different sound than the use of the instrument in classical music or string quartet settings! Titles include a fair bit of Bill Evans numbers – versions of "Bill's Hit Tune", "Orbit", "Turn Out The Star", "B Minor Waltz", and "Waltz For Debbie" – and a nice take on "You Must Believe In Spring". CD

A really great change in the music of Swedish guitarist Johan Lindstrom – music that expands the vision of his previous record, and also explores some more song-based territory – while still allowing for lots of musical contributions from other players we love on the Moserobie label! You know something's different when Elvis Costello steps in on the first track for a bit of spoken lyrics to a song he wrote with Lindstrom – and things continue to move in other ways throughout – with vocals from Sofie Livebrandt on two tracks, amidst work from Jonas Kullhammar on saxes and flute, Per Texas Johansson on clarinet and tenor, Jesper Nordenstrom on piano and organ, Mats Aleklint on trombone Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, and Konrad Agnas on drums! Most tracks are relatively short, but work together well – and there are definitely moments of improvisation amidst some of the more structured elements of the record – on titles that include "What What", "Homeward", "Trombone Interlude", "Edwards Chacone", "Music Orbit Box", "Septet Serenade", "Echoes Across The Dunes", and "Worms Of Underground". CD

The first-ever full length set we've seen from Daniel Maunick – an artist who you might know from his remix work as Venom, or for his ties to the Incognito universe – given that Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick is his father! Yet the sound here is definitely Daniel's own – rootsier than some of his remix work, but with the feature future-sounding elements of those tracks too – almost a globe's worth of sonic elements, fused with more contemporary keyboards and beats – providing a great bridge between some of the 12" releases of the Far Out label, and directions they might take in the future. The percussion on some tracks is especially nice – and maybe ties Daniel's music to some of the global house currents at the start of this century – on titles that include "Sombra Do Dragao", "Until The End", "A Vicious Circle", "One Nite Stand", "Red Doves", "Orbitus", "As Light Fades", and "Amnesia Haze". CD

If there's one thing we love more than Christmas songs, it's novelty Christmas songs – the kind of silly, goofy tunes that somehow do a great job of cutting through the overwrought sentiment that sometimes mars other Holiday music! This set definitely gets the spirit of novelty Christmas songs right – as it brings together 28 cool cuts from those years when the 45rpm single meant that new and unusual Christmas tunes were recorded every single year – and often in ways that tried to be wilder than usual, in hopes of getting attention! There's plenty of tracks like that here – in a set list that includes "I Want A Big White Cadillac For Christmas" by Little Joey Far, "Rockin Santa Claus" by The Moods, "Rockin N Rollin With Santa Claus" by The Hepsters, "Elvis For Christmas" by Mad Milo, "Santa Claus Is Watching You" by Ray Stevens, "Baby Sittin Santa" by Barry Richards, "I Saw Mommy Do The Mambo With You Know Who" by Barry Richards, "Jingle Rock" by Tommy Lee & The Orbits, and "Santa's Got A Coupe De Ville" by The Four Imperials. CD

Yulesville is coolsville – especially when it comes in the form of a killer collection of rare Christmas singles from the folks at Bear Family! The package is awash in the kind of groovy, sometimes goofy Holiday singles that broke big in the early years of rock and soul – a nice antidote to the sort of sleepier work that usually graced the record racks in earlier years – and the kind of music that's perfect for sipping egg nog into the wee small hours of Christmas morning! There's plenty of gems here that we've never heard before, and plenty of other great nuggets too – titles that include "Rock & Roll Christmas" by Cordell Jackson, "Wishing Is For Fools" by The Melodeers, "Jingle Jangle" by The Penguins, "Jingle Rock" by Tommy Lee & The Orbits, "Big White Cadillac" by Little Joey Farr, "Xmas Bell Rock" by Barry & The Highlights, "Twisten Bells" by Santo & Johnny, "Sleigh Bell Rock" by Three Aces & A Joker, "Winter Wonderland" by Allen & The Flames, "The Cactus Christmas Tree" by The McGuire Sisters, "It's Christmas Everywhere" by Paul Anka, "All Winter Long" by Linda Laure, and "Christmas Kisses" by The Bookends & Ray Anthony. 33 tracks in all! CD