A great solo project from the man behind Incognito – and a reminder that, although Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick can always choose great singers for that group – he can serve up some pretty great vocals on his own! The sound here is a nice lean change from the fuller Incognito vibe – Bluey on guitar and keyboards, with help from Richard Bull on other instruments, keyboards, and rhythm programs – all given this full, warm production tip that has Bluey's vocals spacing out next to the keyboards – on titles that include "Don't Ask Me Why", "Had To Make You Mine", "From The Break Of Dawn", "Floating World", "Tinted Sky", "Nobody Knows", "Unaware", and "Back Here Again". CD

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With Rammy & The Indri, Rossy & Rakoto Frah, Roger Georges, Mahaleo, Rossy, Tarika Sammy, Tarika Rokota Frah, Sylvestre Randafison & Germain Rakotomavo, Dama & D'Gary, Rakoto Frah, Vonivavoko, Germain Rakotomavo, Tovo & Tarika Ramilison. CD

A much-needed collection of work from Laurnea – a singer who's worked with Arrested Development and Loose Ends, but who we love most of all for her recent solo recordings! Given that most of Laurnea's work is either out of print or only available from Japan, the collection does a good job of bringing these recordings to a larger American audience – letting them hear the voice that's so often been held back by various record company and distribution shenanigans! CD features 14 tracks from the albums New Territory, Laurnea II, I Remember, and Betta Listen – and titles include "Infatuation", "Doin It For Me", "Still Come Back To U", "What A Fool", "Peaceful Waters", "Keep Your Head Up", "Ain't Nobody", "Just A Little", "Come Inside", "Can't Let Go", "Run Away", and "Doesn't Matter". CD

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Features Chieli Minucci on guitars and keys. Tracks include "Endless Summer", "Breaking Away", "My Girl Sunday", "Journey To You", "Hot 100" and "Little Squirt". CD

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Music from Davido, Wande Coal, Tenko, Yemi Alade, Seyi Shay, Tiwa Savage, Rayce, Kiss Daniel, Anthony David & more. CD

Music from Obray Ramsey, Merle Haggard, Dixie Cups, Cannon's Jug Stompers, Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, Charlie Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Henry Thomas, Jimmy Reed & more. CD

Featuring Billy Cobham on drums – tracks include "Hong Kong Breeze", "Dragon Gate", "Blues For Django & Stephane" and "Oleo". CD

Essential dub material from the legendary King Tubby – a set that's one of the best of the genre during the classic years – and which stands as a true testament to how great the format can be when handled right! The watchword here is simplicity – as the key elements are almost isolated in little sonic chambers, then set to resonate alongside each other – pulled from rhythms from tracks initially done as vocal productions, but reworked through the mixing talents of Erroll "ET" Thompson and Tubby. Players include Bobby Ellis on trumpet, Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall on tenor, and Augustus Pablo on organ and piano, plus a bit of clarinet. Titles include "Keep On Dubbing", "Stop Them Jah", "Young Generation Dub", "Each One Dub", "555 Dub Street", "Braces Tower Dub", "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown", "Corner Crew Dub", "Say So", "Skanking Dub", and "Frozen Dub". CD

These guys just keep getting better and better – growing up with a mature sound that we never would have expected a few decades back – to a level where they're easily one of the hippest, most sophisticated acts around! As on other recent albums, there's a really classic vibe going on here – a love of 60s soul, fused through 70s R&B – all served up with a polished, focused sound that's really wonderful – never too commercial to sound like mainstream pop, and always delivered with a great sense of depth, both in the vocals and instrumentation. There's plenty of warm jazzy touches on the record, which really help to further the soulful leads of singer Corinne Drewery – and the whole thing's near-perfect all the way through, filled with the kind of songwriting few other groups never seem to match! Titles include "All I Say All I Do", "I'd Be Happy", "Butterfly Lullaby", "Beautiful Mess", "My State Of Mind", and "Butterfly". CD also features bonus tracks – "Butterfly (Little Wizard mix)", "Something Every Day (Little Wizard mix)", "Breakout (Late Night Studio Take)" & Something Every Day (Late Night Studio Take)". CD

Featuring MeShell Ndegeocello, Herb Alpert, Christian Scott, Bernie Worrell, Cyro Baptista, and others. CD

It's like a Christmas wish come true – a fantastic album of Holiday music, all sung by the soulful Maysa Leak! We've loved Maysa's vocals for years – from her work in Incognito to her long run of solo albums – but she grabs us all over again with the style of this set – a really fresh variation on her excellent sound, with a righteous undercurrent that definitely comes from the spirit of the season! Production is still contemporary and soul-based – done by Chris "Big Dog" Davis, in the spirit of Maysa's other recent records – but the shift in material seems to open up a whole new side of the singer – on titles that include "Pray For Peace", "Jingle Bells", "Joy To The World", "It's The Holidays", and "Christmas Time Is Here". Album also features guest appearances – with Will Downing on "This Christmas", and Gerald Albright on "Silver Bells". CD