Although Jimmy Webb is best known to the world for the pop hits he gave LA when he was a wee wee lad ("MacArthur Park", "Up Up & Away", etc), he also has a lesser-known recording history, the better part of which is represented by his early recordings for Reprise. This album has a very different sound than you'd expect from Jimmy's hits – and features sort of a hip insider LA kind of semi-singer/songwriter sound, plus some C&W influences, set in wild baroque arrangements. The songwriting is far more complex, and far more far-reaching than Webb's pop writing for other artists – and although it sometimes doesn't always work, the album has an enigmatic pull that keeps us returning to it more than we'd expect. Titles include "P.F. Sloan", "Carless Weed", "Psalm One-Five-O", and "Music For An Unmade Movie", a suite in 3 parts that takes up a big chunk of the album. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiralling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest jazz albums of all time – a real breakthrough moment for the legendary John Coltrane, and the blueprint for generations of jazz records to come! Trane was already breaking down plenty of boundaries before Love Supreme – but he knocked it out of the park for the album – which is a full-length suite of spiritual expression, one that gives even greater focus and message to Coltrane's long-spiraling style of soloing on the tenor sax! The group here is the classic quartet – McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – taking Trane up to the heavens on waves of modal energy, but also holding his spirit closer to the planet than on some of later, more outside performances. There's a slight bit of vocalization on the record – that chanted energy that imbues the set with so much love – and movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". LP, Vinyl record album

A Nigerian group, but one who work in the best roots reggae modes of previous years in Kingston – recording here with a laidback vibe that really creates a sense of intimacy that's very different than much work of this time coming out in the 90s! Vocals are traded back and forth between Blackwell Jones and Delleo Freeman – and there's a gently stepping groove to the record that never pushes too hard, nor tries for any sort of too-commercial modes. The set's features six tracks in all – "Babylon Fall", "Black People", "Psalm 23", "African Children", "Dreadful Look", and "Wet My Whistle". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different entry in the DJ Kicks series than usual – as Theo Parrish has created a whole new set of exclusive tracks – working with his underground contemporaries to make a record that's bristling with energy at every twist and turn! And although this series usually comes across as a various artists collection, this entry is more a "Theo Parrish & Friends" sort of record – filled with wonderful tracks that push the energy of the Detroit scene forward into the global cosmos – on titles that include "Full" by John C & Meftah, "Simba's Theme" by Donald Lee Roland, "When The Sun Falls" by Meftah, "Psalm 23" by De'Sean Jones, "Moonlight (Duality/Detroit live version)' by Ian Fink, "Surrounded By Trees" by Jason Hogans, "Hudsons" by Raj Mahal, "Don't Know" by Whodat & Sophiyah.e, "Again (T's edit)" by Mbthelight, "Janis" by Sterling Toles, "Green Funk" by Raybone Jones, "The Upper Room" by Specter, and "Experiment 10" by Howard Thomas. LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure gospel group, but a great one too – thanks to plenty of secular soul inflections in their music, which gives these classic tracks a real crossover appeal! The group hail from San Diego, maybe a bit farther off the gospel map – and they've got this warm way of blending subtle spiritual messages with groovy modern soul styles – groovers on most of the cuts, which are taken from the two rare albums by the group – one from 1979, the other from 1983. The feel is somewhere in the territory of the Clark Sisters at their best – maybe slightly less clubby overall – and titles include "I Feel The Spirit", "No Need To Worry", "Third Day", "He'll Make Everything Alright", "The Time Is Right", and "Psalms 24". LP, Vinyl record album

Mad Mats is not only digging beyond the crates here, he's also digging beyond any conventional expectations you might have – as the set's got a unique vibe that may well make it one of the most compelling BBE compilations in years! The music is from the late 60s through the present – but it all comes together in a very future-sounding way – with rhythms that are often offbeat, electric elements that seem to crackle with independent energy, and vocals that can fall down in the mix one minute and burst forth the next! This isn't a dance music compilation, and it's also not a set of rare funk tracks either – and instead, Mats creates his own very personal journey in sound – heedless of time periods, genres, and often national boundaries. Titles include "Take A Stand" by Psalms, "Big Big Boss" by Johnny Moore, "Badly" by Cuthead, "Sherriff (Murlo rmx)" by Gappy Ranks, "Keep The Music Alive" by Yvonne Gray, "Evil Woman" by Bobby Hebb, "Jazz In Outer Space" by BSTC, "The Traveller" by Deft, "Space Based" by Mode M, "Don't Hold Back The Feeling (key trip dub)" by U N I, "Animations" by Intimate Disco, and "Jah I See You" by Ensemble Entendu. LP, Vinyl record album

An album of stunning beauty, and one of Solomon's best-ever! He's recording here in a vein that's more in keeping with the smoother Southern soul sound that began to dominate later in the generation – with weeping guitars, soaring strings, and smooth keyboards – and the sound is a perfect accompaniment to Solomon's raspy voice, and actually brings out a lot more soul than his rootsier recordings. The title cut is a stunning love song that taps into the natural force of magnetism, and which shows that Solomon hasn't lost an ounce of his talent. Other cuts include "Stand", "No Man Walks Alone", "Bridge Of Life", and his weird medley of Elton John tracks, called "Three Psalms of Elton". LP, Vinyl record album

Roxy Music's third album, and a record that really shows that the group have found a tremendous voice of their own – quite a thing to do, given the heady brew of records that were coming out in the year of 1973! There's a style here that's familiar enough to draw the listener in – maybe some echoes of territory you might hear in work from David Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, or the now-solo Brian Eno – but once inside, you find yourself in a completely different world – a mad blend of guitars and strings, saxophones and electronics, all used in these ways that are tuneful enough to be catchy, but also deeply unsettling too – as are the lead vocals of Bryan Ferry, who comes across like some older European singer who's been let out of the madhouse for the sessions. This isn't a singles-heavy record, but instead an album-length journey that never gets old, even as the years move on – and which is as powerful to new ears discovering the record for the first time as to longtime fans. Titles include "Street Life", "Just Like You", "Amazona", "Psalm", "Serenade", "A Song For Europe", "Mother Of Pearl", and "Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

Roxy Music's third album, and a record that really shows that the group have found a tremendous voice of their own – quite a thing to do, given the heady brew of records that were coming out in the year of 1973! There's a style here that's familiar enough to draw the listener in – maybe some echoes of territory you might hear in work from David Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, or the now-solo Brian Eno – but once inside, you find yourself in a completely different world – a mad blend of guitars and strings, saxophones and electronics, all used in these ways that are tuneful enough to be catchy, but also deeply unsettling too – as are the lead vocals of Bryan Ferry, who comes across like some older European singer who's been let out of the madhouse for the sessions. This isn't a singles-heavy record, but instead an album-length journey that never gets old, even as the years move on – and which is as powerful to new ears discovering the record for the first time as to longtime fans. Titles include "Street Life", "Just Like You", "Amazona", "Psalm", "Serenade", "A Song For Europe", "Mother Of Pearl", and "Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album