... LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of the first wave of work from late 70s Detroit harmony group Enchantment – the best of their recordings for United Artists, and a set that's put together with a real focus on the group's mellower tracks! Like The Dramatics at the time, Enchantment had a newly sophisticated approach to vocal group harmonies – able to work with smoother, tighter arrangements, but not in a way that took away the focus on the sublime vocal work that made the group so great in the first place. The tracks here are a wonderful blend of the personal and professional – and even when a bit of a groove sneaks into a few of the tunes, there's still a warmly crackling vocal approach that's just as great as indie soul work from a few years back. Titles include "Gloria", "Silly Love Song", "Trying To Get Over", "Where Do We Go From Here/Journey", "Thank You Girl For Loving Me", "If You're Ready Here It Comes", "It's You That I Need", "Sunshine", "Dance To The Music", and "Come On & Ride". CD

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". CD

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful stepper from the enigmatic Wee Gee! "Hold On" begins with a spare spacey intro, then sneaks into a warm midtempo groove – stepping along underneath some incredibly soulful vocals by Wee Gee that remind us of the best that Teddy Pendergrass had to offer. The real talent, though, is from Vernon Bullock – who provides some seminal mellow soul arrangements and production on the cut! Rolls on for 10 minutes long – and the flipside's a pretty catchy uptempo number too! 12-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic soundtrack work for the Stranger Things series from Netflix – a narrative set in the early 80s, and scored here with a sound that really gets that era right! This isn't schlocky 80s keyboard work, nor some sort of easy retro motif – and instead, the team of Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein go for sort of the coolest moods and styles that were being used in film scores during the time – especially the spare keyboards and careful electronics that were just right for a sci-fi or sophisticated horror story! The keyboards all feel very vintage, but not in an "easy" way – and titles on this second volume include "Flashback", "Tribulations", "Kids Two", "Gearing Up", "Over", "Rolling Out The Pool", "I Know What I Saw", and "Hopper Sneaks In". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". CD

An excellent no-nonsense session from Groove and a cast of all-stars that includes Gene Ammons, Ben Webster, Les McCann, and Joe Pass. Larry Marable and Ron Jefferson also play drums, and George Freeman sneaks in a few licks on guitar – always a treat for us – but the real charm is Groove's light lively organ work, and the strong blowing of the tenor stars. The whole thing grooves like one of those hip Prestige sides from 1963 or 1964 – and is much more in the pocket than some of the other Pacific Jazz sides that Groove cut during the 60s. Titles include "This Here", "Hittin The Jug", "Denice", "Later", and "Licks A Plenty". LP, Vinyl record album

A jaw-dropper from Terrace Martin – the kind of record that sneaks on the market under everyone's ears, but will no doubt be one of those sets we'll all go back to again and again over the years! Martin's got a beautifully fresh take on funky jazz – steeped somewhat in the classic inspiration of the 70s era, but with a distinctly 21st Century execution – with crispy edges, cosmic currents, and a chunky approach to rhythm that makes the whole thing come across with a really subtle sort of power! The album's overflowing with guests – including Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Kamasai Washington, Keyon Harrold, and Laylah Hathaway – but there's also a core energy that's all Terrace's own, with lots of snakey keyboards that weave these magical tonal patterns in a wonderful way. Brilliant, and completely captivating – with tracks that include "Push", "Curly Martin", "Never Enough", "Turkey Taco", "Tribe Called West", "Think Of You", "Bromalia", and "Valdez Off Crenshaw" – a nice remake of the Donny Hathaway classic "Valdez In The Country". LP, Vinyl record album

Norwegian producer Tommy Tee brings together all-star underground cast for a couple of tracks. Punch & Words, A.L., & Kweli on mellow the a-side track about living "Day By Day" where, Kweli, as usual, lures you in with the nice verses and then sneaks in the knowledge without preaching. El Da Sensei and Mike Zoot pick up the pace on the b-side "International Connects (remix)" 12-inch, Vinyl record