Incognito: Surreal [Shanachie]
We look forward to a new release from Incognito much like we welcome the arrival of spring and with “Surreal” there is plenty of good vibrations to brighten your mood no matter what the season. Bluey is joined by his longtime collaborator Maysa plus special guests Mo Brandis, UK songstress’s Natalie Williams and Vanessa Haynes. Mo’s smooth falsetto voice blazes the dance track “Goodbye To Yesterday” while Vanessa’s soaring vocals blesses the horn friendly “Ain’t It Time”. Williams’s buttery vocals are pure bliss on the mid-tempo taster “Restful As We Are”. “Rivers Of The Sun” is classic Acid Jazz Incognito that we can never get enough of, hypnotic Rhodes, tasty horns and an infectious groove. Just when you think they can’t take you higher, Bluey and company deliver a superb record that is vintage Incognito and one of the strongest full length releases to emerge this year.
Jessica Lauren: Four [Freestyle]
Pianist Jessica Lauren has built a diverse resume, having chaired with everyone from soul icons Jean Carne and Dexter Wansel, to present day visionaries like Emanative and Scrimshire . With “Jessica Lauren Four” she has blended elements of soul, gospel and Latin Jazz melodies into an impressive intimate engagement worthy of repeated listens. The disc kicks off with the hypnotic “White Mountain”, an ambient tune filled with deep grooves and lush rhythms that would fit comfortably either on the dance floor or in your dining room. Jessica glides into an assortment of Latin arrangements that showcase her superb use of time and space, effectively allowing her compositions to breathe and her musicians to shine. That’s apparent on “Mel Benson” where David “Booie” Gallagher and Paul Gunter’s rhythmic percussion wizardry erupt throughout the track. “Swamp Thing” is haunting, moody and simply gorgeous, thanks in part to bassist Andrew Kramer’s dark grooves. Legendary vocalist Jocelyn Brown appears on the disco flavored “Happiness Train” but it’s the gospel inspired “I Believe”, highlighted by Jessica’s shivering organ grinding that will awaken your spirit. “Jessica Lauren Four” is filled with compositions benefiting from her delicate approach that ultimately evolves into one enjoyable record.
Shawn Lee’s Incredible Tabla Band: Tabla Rock [Ubiquity]
In the history of drum breaks there isn’t a record more celebrated and sampled than ”Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band. Thanks to the creativity of DJ/Producer Shawn Lee we’re treated to an alternate take of the Bongo classic by incorporating Indian rhythms to the entire album. With “Tabla Rock” Shawn has enlisted the Tabla player Prithpal Rajput and keyboardist Mark Talbot and breathes new life into The Bongo Band’s compositions. Shawn’s inclusion of the Sitar brings a fresh new element to prime cuts like “Bongolia” and “Pipeline”. The dramatic “Last Bongo in Belguim” is another highlight with exploding Bongo beats and horns colliding to create infectious Indian funky rhythms. This an impressive spin on a historical record that will garner new fans and allow old fans to enjoy all over again.
Dojo Cuts: Take From Me [Freestyle]
The Sydney based band known as Dojo Cuts build on the promise shown on their self-titled debut from 2009. Their latest, “Take From Me” features a strong collection of tasty grooves and the soulful voice of Roxie Ray that is reminiscent of blue light basement parties, plaid bell bottom pants and quality soul music in abundance. Roxie’s seductive voice soars on a number of tracks here, most notably “Easy To Come Home” and “Lift Me Up”, two simmering mid-tempo tunes featuring silky smooth horns and finger popping guitar licks. “Sonny’s Strut” is a funky instrumental that finds the band stretching out and laying down grooves certain to fill any dance floor. “In This Moment” is a slow burner that is indicative of the entire disc, soulful and seductive grooves that ease up and rock you, over and over again. In a world filled with over-produced recordings and the sound of auto-tune makes you want to scream, Dojo Cuts take you back to the essence of soul and chances are you won’t make any plans to go anywhere else.
Robert Glasper Experiment: Black Radio [Blue Note]
Back in 2007, The Robert Glasper trio dropped subtle hints that this album was coming. It was the track “J Dillalude” from “In My Element” where he succeeded where many have failed; seamlessly merging Jazz and Hip-Hop. He came one step closer on “Double Booked” where the Experiment Band went half jazz and experimental grooves rooted in soul and Hip-Hop. Now on “Black Radio” the band takes the kid gloves off and delivers an album that pushes the boundaries across genres and will appear on many playlist throughout the year. It doesn’t hurt when you have an all-star lineup that features Erykah Badu, Yasin Bey (aka Mos Def), Bilal and many more. Among the highlights are Lalah Hathaway’s sultry vocals on Sade’s “Cherish The Day”. The trio King adds their heavenly vocals to the uplifting “More Love”. As for the instrumentals, well there aren’t any but one of the great ingredients of this record is the musicianship of the Experiment band radiates through all the compositions. Take for instance Ledisi’s version of “FTB” (Gonna Be Alright) is supported by the wondrous melodies painted by Glasper and the grooves thrown down by bassist Derrick Hodge will keep you in constant head nod mode. So if you were looking for a jazz record you might be disappointed. Instead what you have here is the template for 21st century soul music. This is a superb record in which soul and hip-hop collide with jazz as the glue that holds everything together. The result is an early candidate for album of the year.
Part Time Heroes: Lightfalls [Wah Wah 45s]
It must be a daunting task to follow up a critically acclaimed album such as “Meanwhile” but Ross Wakefield and Toby Vane, aka Part Time Heroes have pulled it off with “Lightfalls”. Their sophomore disc is filled with lovely string laden songs with warm emotive vocals from featured songstress Sarah Scott. Their first disc featured several tracks that were suitable for the dance floor and were logical choices for DJ’s. This release however is mellower in an orchestral vein that will stir your soul with compositions heavy on lyrical depth and arrangements filled with cinematic soundscapes. Sarah shines on a number of tunes here, most notably “Flight” an epic tune that begins in a down-tempo mood then evolves into a passage augmented by the crescendo of the strings. On “Leaving” the strings serve as the appetizer along with a hollowing acoustic bass that slides in comfortably alongside Sarah’s lovely voice. Colonel Red leaves you wondering doesn’t he sing more ballads as he effortlessly strokes the heartstrings on the powerful “Day”. Four years can feel like an eternity when you’re waiting for an encore this wonderful record by PTH is well worth the wait.
Doctor L: The Great Depression [Comet]
Ten years in the making, Liam Farrell aka Doctor L presents “The Great Depression”, an amalgamation of African rhythms, North American funk grooves and jazzy vibes shaken and stirred to perfection. Doctor L has arranged these ingredients with a little help from his esteemed musical friends like the legendary drummer Tony Allen, Antibalas and others and the results are superb. This is apparent immediately with the spirited opener “Mystery Travels”, which features contributions from The Nairobi Descendants. With an infectious groove, hypnotic percussion and Laurent Fickleson on keys, you quickly realize that you’re in for a musical treat and a sudden urge to turn the volume up. The Descendants appear again with Tony Allen on the equally infectious afro-Cuban “By Surprise”. “Vocal Kidnapping” is another enjoyable track that features poignant spoken word from Unknown Poets. Overall “The Great Depression” pulls off the difficult feat of enlightening the listener of the socio-political climate while enriching their soul and shaking their hips with ease. Farrell’s compositions will find a definite place in your musical playlist and is worthy of repeated listens.
Various Artists: Sounds from the Soul Underground [Freestylerecords.co.uk]
Freestyle Records has become the place where classic soul gems become brand new once again. With “Sounds from the Soul Underground”, we’re treated to a collection of rare grooves from around the globe that you may not be familiar with but you’re not likely to forget anytime soon. There are a number of quality soul tracks to dig into like “Poker Nights Theme” by The Delicious AllStars. Nick Van Gelder delivers with the funky boogie tune “Something’s Gotta Give”. There are also tasty jazz numbers like Frootful’s funky organ grinding “Colours”. “Mr G” by Jessica Lauren is easily one of the strongest cuts here. This latin flavored tune is filled with bubbly percussion and gorgeous soloing from Jessica on keys. With seventeen tracks here, there are a couple that could have been omitted like “Movin On” (It only makes me yearn for the Brass Construction original). Aside from that, this is another solid release and a must have for those who crave the rare groove sound
Third Coast Kings: [Record Kicks]
Since coming onto the scene in 2010 with the single “Give Me Your Love”, the Third Coast Kings have been keeping it hot with their brand of deep funk and raw grooves. On their full length debut, the Michigan based band deliver twelve selections of high octane grooves that will jumpstart any party. Among the prime cuts are “Cop It Proper”, an instrumental burner ripe with funky horns. “Tonic Stride” displays funky guitar licks and the soaring voice of Michelle Camilleri. “Roughneck” will grab you right from the start with wicked wah wah guitar playing courtesy of band member Andy Filisko. It all adds up to another heavyweight band from the Record Kicks roster that hits you hard with the funk and never lets up and that’s just the way we like it.
Cecilia Stalin: Step Like a Giant [ceciliastalin.com]
On her latest release, Cecilia takes us on her spiritual journey and rest assured this is a ride worthy of repeated trips. “Step like A Giant” is a fabulous record that meshes elements of jazz, soul and dance while capturing the essence of several Coltrane classics and much more. There are many highlights worthy of repeated listens such as the title track, a funky spinoff of the timeless “Giants Steps”. On “Favorite Things” Cecilia flips the bebop classic into a Samba flavored tune filled with enticing rhythms and infectious grooves while turning up the heat with a sensuous rendition on “Favorite Seduction”. On “My Naima”, rapper Replife skillfully waxes poetic and serves as the perfect complement to Cecilia’s angelic vocals while molding this gem in her own image. The tempo picks up in the latter part of the disc with infectious dance tracks like “One” filled with percolating percussion and “CPW”. Quite simply a first rate release that nails it in all areas and will be one of the best records you’ll hear this year.