There's a bit of a poised, mature look to Aloe Blacc on the cover – and that may well be a good way of summing up the set – as the singer seems ready to elevate into the stratosphere of contemporary soul artists, with strong, confident songs that have a very uplifting vibe throughout! ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Joe Armon-Jones —
Starting Today ... LP Brownswood (UK), 2018. New Copy ...
$18.9919.99
Joe Armon Jones sings and plays lots of cool Wurlitzer electric piano on this gem of an album – but the whole thing is maybe even more of a tribute to the warmly collaborative spirit of the contemporary London scene, as it is to the talents of the man himself! There's a nicely fluid sense of ... (Jazz, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The deepest work we've heard so far from Dayme Arocena – a Cuban singer we first discovered in Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura project, but one who's really gone onto find her own strong musical paths in recent years! This set has Dayme working with Dexter Story on production – and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Barry & The Fountains —
Great Extreme ... LP Barry & The Fountains, 2020. New Copy ...
$18.99
Contemporary deep soul from Barry Jean Fontenot – a singer who should be destined to be huge, given the power and presence he has on this six track release! Barry knows how to soar like a classic soul singer, but also never hangs his music on cliches – as the sound here is very much ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
BJ The Chicago Kid —
1123 ... LP Motown, 2019. New Copy ...
$18.9921.98
BJ The Chicago Kid's second full length for Motown! BJ has a way of recalling classic Chicago soul in the earnest, emotional realness of his lyricism and relatively mellow style, which is a nicely grounding anchor given the modern overall aesthetic. It's a contemporary sound with a timeless soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
It's been almost a decade since the first Lumberjack Soul album from Miles Bonny – and in that time, he's grown tremendously – both as a singer and musician, and as an artist who's really in command of his sound! Miles' voice still has the raspy charm we loved before, but the overall ... (Deep Funk, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A soaring set from Leon Bridges – a full length second album that's every bit as classic as his debut, but in a completely different way! Where Coming Home was maybe Leon's answer to the generation of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, Good Thing is more of a nod to the era of Maxwell and D'Angelo ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A really great second set from Harriet Brown – one of those "recorded at home" soul records that may well set the tone for a generation to come! Brown's got this always-skittish, almost-nervous approach to his music – one that often echoes the lyrics of the tunes, and their ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A fantastic new chapter in the career of Cee-Lo Green – reemerging here as an old school southern soul singer, with a vibe that's in the best legacy of Al Green and some of the underground talents of his generation! The set was recorded in Nashville, produced by Dan Auerbach, and has a ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Childish Gambino once again transcends anything you might be expecting from an actor/musician – this is not some vain star trip at all, but a worthy, boundary-busting effort – and a pretty sizable step away from idiosyncratic, yet accessible hip hop into spacey pop funk! Strong stuff, ... (Hip Hop, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(In a glow in the dark box, with an exclusive booklet, virtual reality headset, an album download, and a download of virtual reality content!)
Maybe not the first album from Childish Gambino, but a set that certainly showed the world that the hip hop side of Donald Glover was ready to overtake his role on screen! The album's rock-solid all the way through – as much a contemporary soul experiment as a hip hop masterpiece – and ... (Hip Hop, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Injera is a form of Ethiopian flatbread, but the sound here is anything but flat – a full, rich combination of beats, samples, keyboards, and other elements – all topped with some slyly soulful vocals! The lyrics don't jump right out of the mix on some tracks, while others are more ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
No time for table games here – as Diazpora jump right in the groove from the very first note – working with a sweet 70s funk approach to their music, which means lots of riffing guitar, funky basslines, and horns punctuating the keys – all while lead singer Axel Maximilian Fiege ... (Deep Funk, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mellow soul from the Windy City – served up by a group we first discovered on a Colemine funky 45, and who sound even better here in the space of a full length album! The group clearly have an influence from sweet soul of the 70s – but their presentation is more contemporary too – ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Fantastic sounds from Flying Lotus – an artist who just keeps on pushing past any conventional expectations, to a point where his music is almost a genre unto itself! The record's got this very tripped-out sort of vibe – very much in keeping with the image on the cover – and ... (New Grooves, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
We really loved the Flamagra album from Flying Lotus, but this set of instrumentals maybe shows off even more of the deeper currents in his music! The record's not the usual instrumental variant – in that these tracks don't really come across as cuts with the vocals removed – and ... (New Grooves, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Really cool vinyl pressing – with a bonus slipmat that contains zoetrope animation!)
The second album from Foreign Exchange – the formerly bi-continental project of North Carolina MC and soul singer Phonte of Little Brother, and transplanted Dutch producer Nicolay – who take an even deeper turn into spacey soul on Leave It All Behind! Given that Phonte is singing ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Robert Glasper —
Black Radio Vol 2 ... LP Blue Note, 2013. New Copy 2 LP Gatefold ...
$24.9926.98
Mindblowing work from Robert Glasper – a set that makes us fall in love with his music even more than before – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given that we've loved him for years! Glasper's working here in his collaborative Black Radio format – but at a level that's even more ... (Jazz, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Great work from Robert Glasper – one of our favorite new artists on Blue Note in years – a hell of a great piano player, with a fluid groove that just gets better and better with each new record! Glasper has a way of warming us up right away – sliding into a compelling piano line ... (Jazz, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(First time on vinyl!)
Shafiq Husayn —
Loop ... LP Nature Sounds, 2019. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ...
$23.9924.98
It's been many years since Sa-Ra have expanded our minds with their revolutionary blend of hop hop and soul – but fortunately, Shafiq Husayn has carried on the group's legacy – and has reached an even higher plane with music like this! Husayn brings all the fantastic production skills ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
It's been many years since Sa-Ra have expanded our minds with their revolutionary blend of hop hop and soul – but fortunately, Shafiq Husayn has carried on the group's legacy – and has reached an even higher plane with music like this! Husayn brings all the fantastic production skills ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A brilliant second set from Jose James – and that's saying a lot, given that his debut was already a classic in our book! The sound here is a little more full, and a little more confident – a magical blend of James' raspy vocals with some jazz and funk-inflected rhythms – never ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Jose James —
Lean On Me ... LP Blue Note, 2018. Sealed 2LP Gatefold ...
$19.99
Maybe not the first album to ever pay tribute to the music of the great Bill Withers – but certainly one of the best we've ever heard, thanks to the mighty vocals of Jose James! Over a relatively short career, James has proven to be a singer who can handle himself in just about any setting ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Still sealed, with small holes at the bottom corners.)
It's been quite some time since we last heard from Deborah Jordan – and the singer has come a long way since her days in Silhouette Brown – really maturing a lot as a songwriter, and finding this way to really move forward in her music, while still hanging onto some of the future soul ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Here's a record that may well push Valerie June over the top – a mature, fully-formed set that's filled with anthemic tunes that point the way to a whole new generation in soul! The album bills individual songs as filling certain needs – prescriptions, if you will – like ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Very cool pressing – in a shiny silver cover!)
Kelis —
Kaleidoscope ... LP Virgin, 1999. Very Good+ 2LP Gatefold ...
$49.99
At the time of this album's original release, the Neptunes had yet to take over the world, so it barely saw the light of day. Combining Chad & Pharrel's tight beats and infectious ghettofied songcraft with Kelis' sweet vocals, we can't really tell what the folks at the label were thinking, as ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Michael Kiwanuka works in a genre that's all his own – definitely soulful, but wrapped around so many other influences too – all with this proud, positive vibe that's gotten the singer a lot more ears than we might have expected just a few short years ago! The record's got plenty of ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Jarrod Lawson —
Be The Change ... LP Dome (UK), 2020. New Copy 2LP ...
$28.9934.99
Really fantastic work from Jarrod Lawson – one of those underground singers who should be huge, if the world had any justice! Lawson's a cut above, and completely his own singer – the kind of individual talent that comes along once in a generation, like Al Jarreau or Michael Franks ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Fantastic work from Ledisi – an artist we've loved for almost 25 years, and who maybe sounds better here than she has in the last decade! There's this back to basics approach that maybe recalls some of her self-released albums at the start – but mixed with the maturity in all the years ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Promo in a stickered sleeve. Sticker is torn a bit at the bottom.)
Lucy Pearl —
Lucy Pearl ... LP Pookie/Unidisc (Canada), 2000. New Copy 2LP (reissue)...
$32.99
The only album ever from Lucy Pearl – but a groundbreaking soul classic that still holds up strongly over the years! The group is something of an all-star trio – with a young Raphael Saadiq and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the helm of the music, and Dawn Robinson of En Vogue on vocals ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
It's taken us a bit longer than expected to get this second installment in Maxwell's Black Summers' Night series – but it's been well worth the wait, given the greater depth in the music! All that we love about Maxwell's previous records is alive and well here – but there's also kind ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A beautiful tribute to the deep roots of the Jamaican homeland of Zara McFarlane – but a set that sounds unlike any Jamaican music we've heard before! This isn't dub or reggae – but sounds that delve much more deeply into past musical traditions of the island – styles collected ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Janelle Monae knocks it out of the park here – sounding every bit as great as before, but also hitting this righteous mode that really takes the singer to incredible new territory! If you loved Janelle's previous records, don't worry – she's still as catchy and playful as ever – ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Mourning A BLKstar —
Cycle ... LP Don Giovanni, 2020. New Copy 2LP ...
$28.9929.99
A fantastic album from Mourning A BLKstar – even more powerful than their set dedicated to Eric Garner, and a batch of material that really gets at the righteous energy of this Cleveland combo! The group see themselves as part of the James Baldwin tradition of the artist bearing witness ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A tremendous effort from Mourning A BLKstar – a group who may be on their way to being the voice of a generation – as they work with an unabashed sense of righteous politics, funk, and soul – all taken to a higher plane in the process of creation! Plenty of folks are message-orien ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes download!)
Mr Confuse —
Only A Man ... LP Confunktion (UK), 2018. Sealed 2LP ...
$11.99
Mr Confuse has always been one of the best blue-eyed soul singers on the overseas funk scene – able to hit the right sort of modes for the music, yet never push things so much that he's trying to sound fake – a careful blend that might make others want to take note! Backings are tight ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first we've ever heard of Loren Oden – a singer with a falsetto style that's perfect for the sweetly soulful backings of Adrian Younge – a mix of modes that's almost in the same territory as Adrian's record with The Delfonics a few years back! Yet the style here is also more ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A heck of a step forward for Gregory Porter – and we're stunned to say that, because he's already had so many great steps forward in his career! Gregory's already been a hell of a singer for years – we've loved him since the very first note he ever recorded – but with a record ... (Vocalists, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
80s underground soul lives again in the hands of Prophet – an artist who recorded a bit back in the day, but who's reemerged in recent years with great new energy – thanks in part to strong support from the Stones Throw label! These tunes are heavy on beats, keyboards, and a really ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Yellow vinyl pressing!)
Raphael Saadiq —
Jimmy Lee ... LP Columbia, 2019. New Copy 2LP ...
$26.99
The deepest, most political album we've ever heard from Raphael Saadiq – a set named after his brother, Jimmy Lee – an addict who died an unfortunate early death! Saadiq takes all the pain from his brother's trauma, and works it into a series of songs that go farther than anything we've ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The cover sticker bills this one as sounding like a lost collaboration between the Beach Boys and Delfonics – although for our money, we'd lean a bit more towards the latter – as the Sha La Das have a surprisingly strong approach to harmony soul! Instrumentation and production are much ... (Deep Funk, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Benny Sings has a scruffy sort of look on the cover here – but his music is wonderfully smooth and soulful – every bit the sound that we've loved on all of his previous records, and which makes Benny maybe one of the under-discovered talents of the global scene of the past decade or so! ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The long-overdue debut of Carlton Jumel Smith – a soul singer with roots at the Harlem address listed in the title, and who's slowly been working his way around the globe in recent years! Those global travels are key to the success of this set – as Smith works very tightly in Finland's ... (Deep Funk, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Maybe the straightest jazz set we've heard to date from Kandace Springs – a record that's got a great old school vibe overall, and the sorts of moody, dark-tinged qualities that takes us back to vintage material by Abbey Lincoln or Nina Simone – something we might not have said about ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Georgie Sweet's just starting out, but we've got a feeling that we're going to be hearing from the singer plenty in years to come – as she's one of the freshest soul music talents we've heard from the UK scene in years – bristling with unique creative energy on this massive debut! ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
This isn't the first record by Canadian soul singer Tika, but it is the one that may well put her over the top – and gain her a much bigger following in the US as well! At some level, the set's a very old school batch of female soul – with a mellow vibe that's got lots of 80s ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Warriors (Incognito) —
Behind The Mask ... LP Expansion (UK), 1982. New Copy (reissue)...
$18.99
A fantastic early chapter in the Incognito story – a record put together by Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick as a follow-up to the earlier Jazzfunk album – and a set that maybe has even more jazz and funk than that set did overall! Although done back in the 80s, the set clearly ... (Soul, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A stone classic from Zhane – a duo who maybe never had the longest life in soul music, but who made a massive impact with this gem from the 90s! The record was part of a new urban generation that was grounded both in hip hop production and deeper soul modes – territory maybe opened up ... (Soul, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A set that bills itself as "brand new original authentic soul music", but which maybe offers up more than that too – as there's also a fair bit of instrumental funk in the mix, served up by an array of up-and-comers, and some crucial talents you'll recognize from years back! The ... (Deep Funk, Neo Soul)read moreLP, Vinyl record album