Atongo Zimba’s new studio album sees him give a stripped back Fra Fra acoustic reworking to some of his older songs, in a collaboration with guitarist and producer Niels Brouwer.  There’s a peaceful fluidity to the mixture of his lovely voice with calabash and percussion. Excellent.

Graham Radley

Great new CD from Kate with production from Joe Broughton and a fine collection of material which draws influences from nature (‘Wild Poppies, Eucalyptus, My Sweet Dandelion and Watch The Flowers- with some lovely kora from Daniel Wilkins) using it to invoke imagery of a wider view of life. My pick is probably ‘In Full View’ a loving view of a growing child.

Graham Radley

With two singles already under their belt the Italian jazz trio LTC now deliver their debut album. ‘Easy Does It’, ‘Meninos Das Laranjas’ and ‘Just Give Me Time’ from the singles are present but stronger in my opinion is the their take on the modal masterpiece ‘Anthony And Cleopatra’s Love’ and the blistering dancers ‘A Different View’ and ‘Shibuya Crossing’. Another classic from Ricky-Tick!

Andy Allen

Still Music’s subsidiary label Past Due has already built up a strong reputation for releasing super rare or previously unreleased disco and boogie cuts complete with remixes on 12”. Now label boss Jerome Derradji teams up with BBE and selects ten tracks for ‘The American Boogie Down’. Some of the tracks have already been out on Past Due but even if you’ve got them there’s plenty here to make this an essential purchase. Highlights include ‘Get It’ by The Morning After, The Right Direction’s ‘Midnight Rhythm’, Devarne’s ‘You Are Number One’, the P-Funk flavoured ‘Get Up Get Down And Let Your Body Pop’ from Geyship Daviz, DIT’s slick ‘You Bring Out The Best In Me’ and the infectious synth laden ‘Galaxy’ by Visions Of Tomorrow’. There’s also a bonus disc featuring all ten tracks mixed by Derradji himself.

Andy Allen

This is a great reissue package which features two albums from the little known jazz saxophonist/flautist Guttorm Guttormsen. ‘Soturnudi’ and ‘Albufeira’ which were originally released in 1975 on MAI and 1979 on Octave respectively both make reference to Latin and spiritual jazz. The results are devastating, particularly on the firing dancers ‘Ny Latin’, ‘Sol Fa’ and ‘Sors Samba’. Guttorsem is equally at home though on the mellower cuts such as the modal ‘Soturnudi’, ‘Poset’ and the melancholy ‘I Ro Og Mak’. With both of the original albums being extremely rare do yourself a favour and pick up this superb CD.

Andy Allen

Trumpeter with Metropolitan Jazz Affair Stephane Ronget steps out on his own to deliver the immaculate jazz set ‘One Leg Dancer’ for the faultless Heavenly Sweetness label. Amongst others he is accompanied by John Betsch on drums on a set of largely self penned tracks (other than his great versions of Billy Paul’s cult classic ‘East’ and John Coltrane’s ‘Spiritual’). From the funky opening cut ‘Five Tigers’ you know this is going to be a rewarding listening experience and things just get better with the beautiful waltz ‘Antoines’, the heavy percussive dancer ‘NY Timbuctu’ and the aforementioned ‘East’ and ‘Spiritual’. Also look out for the 10” which features tracks from the CD plus a stunning Afro-beat flavoured remix of ‘East’ by Patchworks.

Andy Allen

Ubiquity records has become one of my favorite labels over the last few years. Their commitment to releasing quality music by independent artists has resulted in some outstanding projects. One of those standout projects was the Rewind compilations, specifically Rewind 4. It was on Rewind 4 that I was introduced to the band known as Orgone. Their cover of “Funky Nassau” is every bit as funky as the original. Now Orgone finally blesses us with their debut cd, The Killion Floor. Armed with eighteen tracks, Orgone takes us on a journey through the sounds of soul, funk and boogaloo with a laid-back California vibe. On the track “It’s What You Do”, the band demonstrates it’s robust horn and gritty organ playing on this medium tempo funk pleaser . On “Dialed Up”, the band steps out of their easy going vibe by delivering this refreshing uptempo sophisticated soul gem. As the weather begins to heat up, “The Killion Floor” would make a great companion for your barbecue. As a multi-instrumentalist band, Orgone, has laid down the groove for several hip hop acts in the game today. Now it’s their time to show they can rightfully stand out on their own.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Simon S of Futuristica has shown to be on the cutting edge of soul music with releases by Electric Conversation and Low Budget Soul, just to name a few. It appears that he has a good ear for quality hip hop as well because “The Unclosed Mind” by Cleveland native Replife is easily one of the biggest releases this year. With an all star production team featuring Dego, Kaidi Tatham, Mark De Clive Lowe and Atjazz, Replife takes chances on this disc that few rappers dare to take. On “Elevation”, Replife is joined by Deborah Jordan and Noni Limar on this mellow soul jazz flavored track. The Dego produced “Spirit” is a funky synth laden tribute to the late J Dilla. “Out Of Soul”, produced by Don Ray is a wonderful slice of broken soul with a touch of jazz thanks to the trumpet playing of Sean Winters and the scatting of Ki Allen. Some of you may remember Replife from The Politik release last year. The promise he displayed on that project is fulfilled beyond expectations here. Replife sounds wise beyond his years in his delivery and his lyrics offer insight to the depth of knowledge and intelligence the man brings to the table. It all adds up to an outstanding record that delivers quality hip hop and progressive beats from start to finish. There’s no doubt that this disc will remain in the cd rotation for quite some time.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

There’s always great anticipation to hear a new release by The Roots. If nothing else they’ve been consistent throughout their career for bringing raw authentic hip hop via live instrumentation to the table. Their latest, “Rising Down” ranks among their best to date and certainly their most politically informative. Even though all but three tracks have someone teaming up with Black Thought, these appearances feel like a family reunion.  On “Rising Down” Black Thought is joined by Mos Def and Styles P to discuss some of the problems that plague the world today. On “Criminal”, Truck North and Saigon drop by to wax poetic about the hard life and injustice of the streets. On “Rising Up”, joined by Chrisette Michelle and newcomer Wale, the group dips into the world of gogo and bangs out a track that is funky and fresh. Where “Game Theory” was very dark, “Rising Down” illuminates with fire. With lyrics to make you think and beats to make you move, what more would you expect from the Roots?

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy

Eric Rico may not be a household name to many but with a voice as golden as his you are sure to love him. In addition, having worked with hip hop artists like “Planet Asia”, “Ladybug Mecca” and “Mystic”, he is equally skilled at producing and songwriting. Eric combines his distinctive voice with some progressive spacey beats to create an impressive debut. He touches on a variety of topics like the future of our youth on the stirring “Children Of The Night”. “Making Love” is a silky soulful slow jam that will draw comparisons to Frankie Beverly. “Too High”, the Stevie Wonder classic receives an overhaul to give it more of a hip hop feel. Eric has been in the game for a long time and it’s clear his time has finally come. “Journey Back To Me” is an impressive debut that will certainly thrust him into the company of emerging nusoul artists.

Reg Dancy

www.facebook.com/reg.dancy