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The title's a bit obtuse, but the music is warm and soulful throughout – a really tremendous session that carries on the strong legacy of solo work that Jimmy Heath was doing in the 70s! The feel here is a lot like some of Heath's dates for the Muse or Xanadu labels – and Jimmy's working here with a great rhythm section that includes Larry Willis on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Akira Tana on drums – players who provide a very soulful grounding for the set. Heath blows alto, tenor, and soprano sax – and remaining players include Tom Williams on trumpet and Tony Purrone on guitar. The groove is in a classic Prestige/Riverside mode – not hard hardbop, but soulful, with touches of post-Coltrane blowing, and the mix of lyricism and soul jazz that Heath's always brought to his best work. Titles include "Trane Connections", "Forever Sonny", "You Can See", "I Waited For You", and "Song For Ben Webster". LP, Vinyl record album

A great lineup – with tenor from Ralph Moore and piano from Kirk Lightsey! CD

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A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". LP, Vinyl record album

The classic batch of instrumentals from J Dilla – one that strongly transcends the hip hop genre – and perhaps his rawest, and most adventurous listening experience ever! The loopy soul samples, rich synth/electro shine, and thumping bass and soul beats that Dilla largely made his name on are laced throughout, but he also takes things a step into stranger territory – with spacey elements that buzz as much as they groove! The cuts are never less than soulful and funky, and never really steps into his peer Madlib's brand of the weeded out style, either. We love how raw this all feels, too! It's easily identifiable as the work of Jay Dee, but at the same time, wholly unpredictable! One of the best releases that Stone's Throw ever released – instrumental or vocal! Includes "Donuts (Intro & Outro)", "Workinonit", "Waves", "Light It", "People", "Mash", "Airworks", "Lightworks", "Stepson Of The Clapper", "One Eleven", "Don't Cry", "Geek Down", "Thunder", "Gobstopper", "Walkinonit", "U-Love", "Last Donut Of The Night" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". Deluxe edition vinyl 3 bonus tracks: "The Recipe" with Dr. Dre, "Black Boy Fly" and "Now Or Never" with Mary J Blige. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing slice of rare work from pianist Misha Mengelberg – caught her early in his career, but already an important modern jazz force on the European scene! The set's a live one – featuring a very sharp-edged combo with Misha on piano, Piet Noordjik on alto, Rob Lengereis on bass, and Han Bennink on drums – plus guest trumpet from Ted Curson on two long tracks! As you can imagine, we love the Curson material – and Ted always seems to sparkle in a fresh setting like this, drawing new energy from less familiar players – and stretching things out to the height of his free-thinking talents of the time. But Noordjik is wonderful, too – really hanging nicely in a balance between soulful and modern with his horn, and easily matched by Mengelberg's piano – really great to hear in a more structured setting than his later, freer records. Titles include "Driekusman Total Loss", "The Leopard", "Sugar N Spice", "Journey", and "Peer's Counting Song". CD

Fantastic sounds from Terry Allen – one of the key underground Texas talents who were helping transform the style of country music in the 70s – and one of the few who maybe never fully got his due! Terry's from the same scene as David Allen Coe, Billy Joe Shaver, and Guy Clark, but his music is much more underground than theirs – maybe only ever designed to be put forth in an intimate club setting, late in the night – where the very conversational style of Allen's songs almost make them feel like barroom musings of a cat who's seen a heck of a lot of life on this planet, but still very able to peer into the souls of those he comes across. This double-length set is Allen's masterpiece – originally issued on a small pressing back in the 70s, and very much an alt-country relic – but from a time when such a thing didn't even exist. Titles include "Cocktails For Three", "High Plains Jamboree", "Amarillo Highway", "Lubbock Woman", "Rendezvous USA", "The Girl Who Danced Oklahoma", "Truckload Of Art", and "The Pink & Black Song". Great reissue – with corrected sound, and a huge booklet of notes on Allen – with essays by David Byrne and others. CD

Beautiful trio work from pianist Renee Rosnes – a set that sparkles with warmth and imagination, and which features wonderful support from drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Peer Washington! The trio's perfectly poised throughout, but never in staid ways – just always open to a new groove, and a newly fluid line – magically reforming themselves with a new sense of energy on each fresh track, and never failing to delight us as the set moves on! Renee's piano is as warm and lyrical as ever, but we're especially in love with the Washington/Nash rhythm team – as they push a cool groove on the set, one that makes Rosnes sound better than we remember on other recent dates. Titles include "Black Narcissus", "Night & Day", "Serenity", "Beatrice", "Recorda Me", and "Isotope". CD

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". Deluxe edition vinyl 3 bonus tracks: "The Recipe" with Dr. Dre, "Black Boy Fly" and "Now Or Never" with Mary J Blige. LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Kendrick Lamar, and the one that really helped bring his talents to the rest of the world – and maybe mark a whole new generation of hip hop in the process! At some level, Lamar is in the same territory as many of the south Cali rappers before him – with tales of rough life on the mean streets – but his approach here is very different, both in terms of the personal quality in the lyrics and the subtle drama in his presentation – and the lean production, which seems to strip things bare, and avoid the thuggish cliches that might celebrate such a background. Even the title alone hints at the tension that's made the record so durable over the years – and titles include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "The Art Of Peer Pressure", "Money Trees", "Poetic Justice", "MAAD City", "Singing About Me I'm Dying Of Thirst", "Real", and "Compton". CD

Charlie Mariano on alto saxophone, Tete Montoliu on piano, Horacio Fumero on bass, and Peer Wyboris on drums. CD

Charlie Mariano on alto saxophone, Tete Montoliu on piano, Horacio Fumero on bass, and Peer Wyboris on drums. CD

A Phil Woods album that's as upbeat and colorful as its cover – one of those great overlooked later recordings by Phil, of the sort that always make digging through his catalog so rewarding! Woods has a great sense of swing here – but one that's never too formulaic or forced – a very organic, spontaneous groove that seems to come strongly from company that includes Brian Lynch on trumpet, Jim McNeely on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums. Titles include the groovy "CK's Bossa", plus "Peer Pressure", "Song For Sisyphus", "Souvenir", and "Ballad For Hank". CD

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". CD

A rock-solid effort from De La Soul at the start of the 21st Century – a record that really has the group coming back into their own! On previous records, it had been a little difficult to tell if De La Soul has been trying harder to please their critics, or simply finally being true to themselves by expelling all traces of the perceived hippy-isms of their earlier work – and the answer is probably somewhere in between, but leaning towards their autonomy. They've been a new group all together since Stakes Is High, and Bionix is certainly their best work since – with the Wu Tang-like piano driven beat of the title track, the catchy soul of "Baby Phat" and "Simply", both of which should be nice club hits, and more than a few subtle nods to the Prince Paul years, especially on the "Simply Havin" interlude. "What We Do (For Love)" makes great use of a Slick Rick guest spot – complete with the horny fanfare. Cee-Lo shows up on "Held Down", and B-Real appears on "Peer Pressure" – both of which suggest that De La spent a little time in Stankonia last year. Other tracks include "Watch Out", "Special", "The Sauce", "Pawn Star", "It's American", and "Trying People". CD

Daniel Speer on double bass, Annette Maye on clarinet and bass clarinet, and Myrek Pyschny on drums. CD

A strong debut effort from one of the finer British roots acts – the mighty Aswad, a group who were big on the UK shores, but never got the same sort of international circulation as their peers Steel Pulse! Like many UK groups of the time, Aswad are nicely self-contained, different than the producer-driven aesthetic of Jamaican music – playing and writing their own material, and really coming across with a unified vibe as a result! Vocals and instrumentation are excellent throughout – and titles include "Can't Stand The Pressure", "Ethiopian Rhapsody", "I A Rebel Soul", "Natural Progression", "Red Up" "Ire Woman", and "Back To Africa". Features two bonus tracks – "Three Babylon", and "Three Babylon (dub mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A playfully swinging little set from Morgana King – given the groovy, latenight lounge Reprise sound by producer Jimmy Bowen! This second album for Reprise is a much more extroverted than the quite strong It's A Quiet Thing LP from a year before – with arranger Torrie Zito grooving out into a lightly swinging sound, in place of his chillier, almost noir approach on the previous LP! Morgana's vocals are tastefully grand – doing more with a hushed tone and an unrivaled vibrato than many more famous peers can do with a showier style! Titles include "Anything Goes", "Nobody Else But Me", "I Thought Of You Last Night", "You Fascinate Me So", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Wild Is Love" and more. CD

A stellar live jazz trio effort led by drummer Paul Motian – and what a trio he leads, with Chris Potter on tenor sax and the always wonderful Jason Moran on piano – one of the better new ECM albums in years! The material was captured in February of '09 at the Village Vanguard, NYC – with frequent collaborators Motian & Potter working exceptionally well with Moran, which we'd have had to expect given Moran's versatility and respect for his peers and inspirations. Most of the material here keeps you rapt in loose, delicate and quiet inteplay with some more feverish solos and mostly Motian compositions. Titles include "Mode VI", "Casino", "Lost In A Dream", "Blue Midnight", "Be Careful It's My Heart", "Birdsong", "Ten", "Abacus" and "Cathedral Song". CD

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from one of the funkiest drummers of all time – the legendary Bernard Pretty Purdie, stepping out here in a batch of instrumentals that may well be his greatest album ever! Bernard's drums are right up front in the mix – leading off all tunes with a full, funky, echoey sort of approach that's unlike anything else we can think of – and certainly different from any other late 60s albums of this type! The production is totally great – and has a way of pulling out some of the weirdest aspects of the music – which itself features guitar from Billy Butler and Eric Gale, bass from Bob Bushnell, tenor and flute from Seldon Powell, and organ and piano from Richard Tee – who also handled all the arrangements on the set! The centerpiece is the hit single "Funky Donkey", but just about every track's a groover in its own way – and titles include "Soul Drums", "Bill's Groove", "Jimmy's Back", "Testifyin", "Modern Jive", "Blow Your Lid", "Bee N Tee", and "Soul Bossa Nova". This new edition includes 8 bonus tracks, with a couple rare 45 tracks and more that have never been released – all soulful & funky – well paired with the Soul Drums album! Bonus tracks are in stereo, and include "Alexander's Rag Time Band", "Genuine John", "Soul Clappin", "If You Never Cried", "Stop" and "Time Is Tight". Also comes with a nice booklet with new liner notes, and choice quotes from Purdie's peers and those he influenced, from Galt MacDermot to Large Professor. CD

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more. CD

A stylistic triumph for southern hip hop soul hero Sleepy Brown – a late 90s throwback to smoky, sultry late 70s funk & soul in style and approach, but with the bright and thumping sound of the finest, most soul-steeped Organized Noize/dirty south hip hop of the time, a la peers and frequent collaborators lik Outkast & Goodie Mob. Sleepy's Theme sounds especially good in hindsight, as it was really ahead of it's time circa 1998 in the way blends classic funky soul influences with a contemporary vibe, prefiguring what would be a huge hitmaking formula for Cee-Lo and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below-era Outkast come the early 00s! Includes "Can't Let Go", "Court Room", "Choked Out Saturday Night", "Still Smokin'", "Simply Beautiful", "Fallin' In Love Again", "Curse On You", "Black Cherry", "Grind On", "The Ride (Private Party)", "Conversation", "Menage A Trois" and more. CD

Anthrax's I'm The Man EP may be dumb fun, but it's high-minded dumb fun, and done with geniune love for classic rap. . .gutsy stuff from these true godfathers of thrash metal, from a time when their peers took themselves way too freaking seriously. Well, either gutsy, or maybe they just didn't give a s**t, which makes it all the more amusing. Punchy riffs, an obvious take on Billy Squier's "Big Beat" in the drums, and their knowingly goofy attempts at Beastie Boys-style comic rap. If rap metal began and ended right here we'd be better off, but we won't blame Anthrax for all the bad stuff to come! Includes "I'm The Man (Censored Radio Version)", "I'm The Man (DEF Uncensored Version)" – plus live versions Anthrax staples "Caught In A Mosh", "I Am The Law" and "I'm The Man". LP, Vinyl record album

The Warp debut from the Boards of Canada, and only the second full length LP from the duo, though they had issued numerous CDs up to this point in their career. Warm electronics that transcends the IDM tag, and elevates them above the crowded peerage of bedroom laptop wizards. 17 tracks in all, including "Wildlife Analysis", "An Eagle In Your Mind", "The Color Of The Fire", "Telephasic Workshop", "Triangles & Rhombuses", "Sixtyten", "Kaini Industries", "Bocuma", "Roygbiv", "Rue The Whirl", "Aquarius", "Olson", "Pete Standing Alone", "Smoke Quantity", "Open The Light" and "One Very Important Thought". Includes the bonus track "Happy Cycling". CD

Lovely work from one of the sweetest voices in the Carter Family – sister Anita Carter – nice stuff recorded for RCA in the 60s & 70s! Anita was fairly overlooked as a solo singer throughout her career, at least as far as breakout success goes (she likely didn't lack for the admiration and respect of her peers) – and the material on this excellent compilation by Omni is actually far more engaging than we expected, even as longtime fans of the Carters. The sound is probably a bit too quiet and folksy to have gotten over in the honky tonk scene of the time, and likewise a bit too modern, lean and crisp for fans of the uber old school Carter Family of earlier decades, but it holds up beautifully all of these years later. A discovery we're happy to have finally caught up with! Includes some duets with Waylon Jennings, Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and the Carter Family. 28 tracks in all: "2001 (Ballad Of The Future)", "I Won't Change For You", "Poison Red Berries", "Hang A Little Sign", "Twelve O'Clock High", "Carmel By The Sea", "I'm Counting On You", "Sweet Memories" and lots more! CD

A rare solo outing from vocalist Maria Cole – quite possibly because she was best known to the rest of the world as Mrs Nat King Cole! Maria's a dusky-voiced singer who worked with Duke Ellington in the 50s, but is getting a much sweeter touch here from arranger Billy Vaughn – who uses additional backing vocals next to Cole on the record, in that singer-meets-chorus style that was fading at the time, but still done by Vaughn better than most of his peers. The approach is fine, although it does overshadow Cole's unusual vocal style a bit – but given the strange and moody feel of her voice, the added singers actually create this odd sense of counterpoint that's pretty unique, and which makes the record stand out from most of the other work on Dot at the time. Titles include "My Heart Cries For You", "Fools Rush In", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", "I Get So Lonely", "You're Not Alone", and "My Personal Possession". CD

The Feelies going strong in the late 80s – as timeless and influential as ever! Only Life might not be chiseled into the post punk/indie rock Pantheon as prominently as their underground iconic Crazy Rhythms, but this really is a classic we hold nearly as dear! The hypnotically layered guitars slow build to perfection, the production is neatly void of late 80s recording studio technological trends – which seems like a minor miracle, seeing how poorly so many of their peers' albums of the period have aged – and the always great Velvet Underground-inspired vocals even culminate in a nice cover of Lou Reed's "What Goes On". Greatness! Other titles include "It's Only Life", "Higher Ground", "Deep Fascination", "The Undertow","The Final Word" and "For Awhile". CD

Aretha's grooving sweetly here in the early 80s for Arista – on a record that's produced by none other than Luther Vandross – and it's a damn strong one, too! Aretha wasn't the first, or the last classic soul singer to embrace the 80s, but relatively few outshined their younger peers as brilliantly as Aretha does here! She's great on this one! There's plenty of space in the arrangements for Aretha to do here thing – emoting naturally, improvising some of vocals, and really just knocking it out of the park. Luther's production shows ample love and respect for the previous generation of soul, while still sounding right at home in '82 – with some timeless ballads along with contemporary chart-ready grooves. Titles include "Jump To It", "Love Me Right", "If She Son't Want Your Lovin'", "This Is For Real", "It's Just Your Love", "I Want To Make It Up To You" and "It's Just Your Thing". CD

The dawn of the 90s uberclassic from Manchester's Happy Mondays – a mix of bright, neo psych pop songcraft, trippy dancefloor inspired beats and heady lyrics – standing strong to this day, both because of AND in spite of the band's hedonistic reputation. Like a number of their peers at the time, Happy Mondays blended late 60s psychedelic pop influences with profoundly modern dancefloor sounds, but something about their take on the style REALLY transcends. Includes the forever great single "Step On", one of the most imitated songs of the early 90s, plus "Kinky Afro", "God's Cop", "Loose Fit", "Dennis & Lois", "Bob's Yer Uncle", "Holiday", "Donovan" and "Harmony". Cassette

Remarkably strong stuff from Lou Reed in the early 80s – even if it's somewhat overlooked in his canon! As he was often doing in the period, it's fairly straight-forward rock & roll – which may have been something of a sly rebellion at a time when many of his late 60s and 70s peers were tripping over themselves to modernize and dive headlong into drum machines and synths. No skews towards timelessness, and with Robert Quine playing guitar, it's pretty great! Includes "Legendary Hearts", "Don't Talk To Me About Work", "Pow Wow", "Betrayed"m "Rooftop Garden", "Home Of The Brave" and more. CD

A really great collection – five full albums from keyboard giant Patrice Rushen, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Patrice – her first album for Elektra, and a stunning blend of funky jazz and soul! The record really has Patrice stepping out from her earlier years at Prestige – working in some surprisingly great vocals next to tight lines on Fender Rhodes, synth, and clavinet, handled with a smooth and soulful quality that's wonderful all the way through – a blend of soul and jazz that few other players could do this well – no matter how many others tried to copy her style over the years! Rhythms are as hard and heavy as on the Prestige years, and the keyboards have a great sort of focus too – just the right mix of jazz to offset the vocals – which themselves are a wonderful discovery. The whole album's a gem – and tracks include the great funky classic "Hang It Up", plus "Changes (In Your Life)", "When I Found You", "Play", "Didn't You Know?", and "Music Of The Earth". Pizzazz is one of the records that not only helped break her out of the jazz funk ghetto, and right into the mainstream – but a set that also had a pretty profound influence on the progression of soul in the early 80s! Rushen sings as well as plays keyboards – and really pushes the use of jazzy elements that would take R&B to the next level – almost inventing the 80s groove sound in the process! The whole thing's a totally sweet mix of funk and soul, tightened up to get everything in the door at the same time – and titles include "Givin It Up Is Givin Up", "Call On Me", "Haven't You Heard", and "Let The Music Take Me". Posh is an all-out, all-access affair – a great way for anyone to get into the grooves of the mighty Patrice Rushen! Patrice is at the height of her powers here – equally magic on keyboards and vocals, and coming up with groove after groove in a sublime blend of 70s jazz funk and Minnie Riperton-esque soul! The whole album's a winner – real magic that never gets old, and the kind of LP that makes you understand why you'll find Patrice's records in just about any soul collection from the time! Tracks include "I Need Your Love", "Time Will Tell", "The Dream", "Never Gonna Give You Up", and "Don't Blame Me". Straight From The Heart is one of those albums that completely cemented her standing in the world of jazz, funk, and soul – and a wonderful summation of everything she'd done in the years before! The young Patrice was already a breakout keyboardist on the west coast scene of the mid 70s – turning out great work on her own, and adding her talents to plenty of others – but here, she emerges as a soaring soul star in her own right – a talent who's really worked her way up, with a quality level that's head and shoulders above most of her peers! Rushen produced the set with Charles Mims, and there's a righteous blend of jazz and soul that's at the level of Minnie Riperton, so that even the catchiest cuts come off with a sense of sophistication and warmth that's so different than so much other 80s soul and fusion. Titles include the classic "Forget Me Nots", plus "Number One", "I Was Tired Of Being Alone", "Where There Is Love", "Breakout", "If Only", and "Remind Me". The album Now is a masterpiece of 80s groove with lots of jazzy touches! The keyboard sound has evolved a bit here – compressed with more electronic percussion than on Patrice's earlier records, but still done with a degree of soul that sets it apart from work by most of her contemporaries – and the music has this warm flow that really sets Rushen apart from the rest – a sublime mix of soul, funk, and fusion that holds together perfectly throughout! Titles include "Gotta Find It", "Gone With The Night", "My Love's Not Going Anywhere", "High In Me", "To Each His Own", "Heartache Heartbreak", and "Feels So Real". 5CD set features bonus tracks from original 12" singles – and other remixes too! CD

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more. Cassette

The lone album from the Bubble Puppy – a monumental effort of late 60s hard grooving psychedelia – and one of very best albums to come out of the original Texas psych scene! A couple of the Pup's labelmates at United Artists get a lot of revelry all these years later, and rightfully so – who would argue the importance of The Red Krayola and 13th Floor Elevators – but Bubbly Puppy deserve to be on that top shelf, too. The sound is tight and hard hitting, with trippy lyricism and groovy group harmonies, while the guitars range from cathartic fuzz to some surprisingly pretty melodicism. Not as far out as some of their peers, but the groove is absolutely killer. Titles include the benchmark single "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass", plus "Todd's Tune", "I've Got To Reach You", "Lonely", "Hurry Sundown", "Elizabeth", "It's Safe To Say", "Beginning" and much more. LP, Vinyl record album

Vic Chesnutt's debut, produced by Vic fan and champion Michael Stipe of REM, who smartly puts Vic's distinctive drawl and unvarnished guitar strumming front-and-center! His voice and these songs might not be conventionally pretty, but they sure are beautiful in their one-of-a-kind, uncompromising approach to the singer-songwriter genre. Recorded in a single day, Little is a defining early effort that would set the stage for a remarkable run of wonderful recordings by Vic, who lived to see his work loved and appreciated by peers and devoted fanbase, if never coming close to a mainstream breakthrough. Vic's voice, guitar, and the pictures they paint are the main thing here, with some occasional, spare bits of keyboards and backing vocals, adding just a bit of texture. You either "get" Vic or you don't. We we think he was a genius. Includes "Isadora Duncan", "Danny Carlisle", "Mr. Reilly", "Rabbit Box", "Speed Racer", "Soft Picasso", "Geppetto", "Bakersfield" and more. This great 2016 pressing on New West has 5 bonus tracks: "Bernadette", "Vernon", "Acting So Bad", "Miss Mary" and "Elberton Fair". CD