... 12-inch, Vinyl record

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 most experimental records we've heard from the prog era – and that's saying a lot, given the contemporary vibe of the time! Gunter Schickert here creates a marvelous blend of guitar sounds and space – even more stretched out and sonically-directed than any of the work on the Brain label at the time – in ways that almost preface Glenn Branca, and a host of other early 80s New York experiments we can think of! At times, Schickert's almost a one man Sonic Youth (from the early days) – although with perhaps a bit less full-on blast, as a solo artist – but at other points, the guitars are even more abstracted, and stretched out in these minimalist modes that are highly rhythmic, and extremely hypnotic! Titles include "Wald", "Apricot Brandy", and "Kriegsmaschinen Fahrt Zur Holle". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes remixes of "You're The One" by SWV, "Sittin In My Room" by Brandy, "Heathen Reign" by Capleton, "Shine Eye Girl" by Shabba Ranks, and "Lyrics For Ya Money" by Rajah More. 12-inch, Vinyl record

No doubt about it – these guys are groovy! Groovy like Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – with a sweet male/female harmony vocal style, applied here to a mixture of bossa nova tunes and 60s pop numbers, recorded in Mexico by this Swedish combo, with a sound that would make A&M weep! There's a great selection of tunes on the package that keep things nice and fresh – fresher than Sergio Mendes, even – as the tracks run from a cover of "California Soul", to obvious numbers like "Wave" and "Mas Que Nada", to lesser-known gems like "Good Old Brandy On The Rocks", "Coco Loco Samba", "Honeymoon In Las Brisas", and "Acapulco Sunset". CD

Music from U2, PJ Harvey, Brandy, Seal, Massive Attack, Eddi Reader, Mazzy Star, the Offspring, Nick Cave, Method Man, Michael Hutchence, the Devlins, Sunny Day Real Estate & the Flaming Lips. CD

Anderson.Paak heads to Ventura for this one – and something about that sunny coastal city brings out his soul influences after the primarily hip hop-leaning Oxnard! Paak leads on his raspy sung style for this one, an easygoing hip hop soul sound that's built to last, and again bringing in a heavy hitting of roster guests – including Andre 3000, Nate Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Brandy and even Smokey Robinson – on tracks including "Come Home", "Make It Better" with Smokey Robinson, "Reachin' 2 Much", "King James", "Goodheels" with Jazmine Sullivan, "Yada Yada", "Jet Black" with Brandy, "Twilight" and "Chosen One" with Sonyae Elise and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Chateau Flight pay tribute to some of their favorite music – and remix their way through a stack of wax, both classic and recent! The album, not surprisingly, is actually the group's best – and has a timeless quality that's kind of missing in most of their other records. Older French pop, European jazz, and avant classic tunes come into play with some of the best newer bits from the Paris scene – and titles include Chateau Flight remixes of "Beng Beng Beng" by Femi Kuti, "Lola Rastaquouere" by Serge Gainsbourg, "Brand New Day" by Pavel Kostiuk, "Take A Rest" by Psyco On Da Bus, "Too Fortiche" by Pierre Henry, "Soul Fiesta" by Manu Dibango, "J'Ai Dormi Sous L'Eau" by Air, "Who Am I" by Peace Orchestra, "Ritual" by Brandy, "August Day Song" by Bebel Gilberto, and "Second Nature" by Seji. CD

Sweet electric grooving from David Newman – a great little album cut with Roy Ayers on vibes and Pat Rebillot on electric piano – both of whom bring a very different feel to the set than Newman's work of the 60s! The style is warm and tight, but never too smooth – as there's these sharp edges and a slightly sinister undercurrent that you don't really find in some of David's other records of the period. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Andrew Smith or Roy Brooks on drums – plus added percussion from Armen Halburian, who kicks in a slight Latin essence on some numbers – which adds to the hipness of the grooves. Titles include nice versions of Roy Ayers' tracks "Foxy Brown" and "Sweet Tears", plus the cuts "Brandy", "Song For The New Man", "Baby Rae", and "Let Me Know". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of female soul by a very short-lived group – one with a great sound that comes out of some real criss-crossing of styles – some deep soul currents, but some hipper modern soul touches at the top! The set was produced by Brad Shapiro, and has a good blend of his modern and southern styles of the mid 70s – similar to his work with Candi Staton – but it also features some impeccable arrangements from David Van DePitte, who gives the record a sweeping, swaying feel that buoys the vocals up on some really soulful backings. Titles include a great version of "How Long", plus the tracks "Mr Mystery", "You Accuse Me", "Rhythm Of Love", "One Woman's Trash", and "I Can't Weigh My Love". CD

A deep double-dip into the legendary TK Records catalog of Miami Soul – and one that offers up a very different version of the label than you might know from the hits! This 2CD set follows in the best tradition of the Free Soul series from Japan – which means that the collection is filled with unusual tracks that we might have missed otherwise, alongside other numbers that we do know, but which seem to have a really special vibe in this setting – an unpacking of the TK catalog from top to bottom, with a special focus on warmer, more unusual bits of funk and soul. Titles include "Jolie" by Lattimore, "Don't Waste My Time" by Jerry Washington, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "You Knock Me Out" by Wildflower, "Cramp Your Style" by All The People, "I Can't Leave Your Love Alone" by Willie & Anthony, "Street Love" by Spats, "Concrete Jungle" by Little Beaver, "Good Good Lovin" by Charles Johnson, "90% Of Me Is You" by Vanessa Kendrick, "I Got Bills To Pay" by Johnny K, "You Can Be A Lady" by JP Robinson, "Love Is A Simple Thing" by Leon Ware, "Island Girl" by Lew Kirton, "Share Your Love" by Herman Kelly & Life, "Ain't Nothin Wrong" by KC & The Sunshine Band, "What Would Your Mama Say" by Facts Of Life, "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "Let's Make A Baby" by Funky Brown, "The Love We Had Stays On My Mind" by Freddy Henry, and "How Long" by Brandye. CD

Warm and wonderful tunes from the mighty TK Records – the famous Miami label best known for its disco hits of the 70s, but a company that recorded a whole heck of a lot more great music at the time! Most of these tracks are turned down a few notches from disco or club – still relatively upbeat, but maybe more in a modern soul mode overall – with lots of warm touches that work perfectly with the vocals and instrumentals, and which seem perfectly tuned to set things up with just the right sort of catchy hook! The vibe here is almost more in the mode of some of the Japanese Free Soul collections than others with a Light Mellow tag – and titles include "Tell Me That You Love Me" by Steve Gibb, "All I Know Is That I Have You" by Milton Wright, "I Got Love" by Cheese, "Soul Searchin Lady" by Spats, "I've Got To See You Tonight" by Timmy Thomas, "Rhythm Of Love" by Brandye, "Jolie" by Latimore, "Brick Grits" by Betty Wright, "Elayne" by Freddy Henry, and "Shades Of September" by Obatala. CD

The title says "soul standards", but the music here is anything but – not familiar hits or well-worn classics, but instead a great array of lesser-known gems from the TK Records powerhouse of Florida soul! The music here really spans the spectrum of the excellent work that TK was doing at the time – and moves between southern soul, a bit of funk, and some of the more modern elements that TK was hitting at the time – bringing a new sort of sophistication to the southern scene. There's a few familiar cuts here, mixed with a lot more rare gems – and titles include "Jazz Freak" by Paulette Reaves, "You're The Song I've Always Wanted To Sing" by Timmy Thomas, "Gettin With My Baby" by Leon Debouse, "You Made Me Want To Dance" by Irene Reid, "Love The Way You Love Me" by Eddie Horan, "How Long" by Brandye, "Caught In The Act" by Facts Of Life, "Puttin It Down To You" by Jackie Moore, "You Can't See For Lookin" by Betty Wright, "Living For Today" by Jimmy Briscoe & The Beavers "Rock" by The JBs, "Best Part Of A Man" by Wilson Pickett, and "Let's Straighten It Out" by Latimore. CD