The third release in a series of mixing compilations from the Jazzanova label. Dego of 4Hero takes us on a musical journey with an assortment of funk, soul and hip-hop classics from the seventies to the present. Classics like Patrice Rushen’s “Message In The Music” fit nicely along side Georgia Anne Muldrow’s “Blackman”. Dego takes it back to the electronic synth era of the eighties with Two Sisters “High Noon”. He follows that up with a track he produced himself, Face’s “Act Like All Is Right”. Other highlights is the sound of Detroit that is sprinkled throughout this disc by the likes Dabrye, Wajeed and the late J. Dilla. The one downside to this disc is that the total time of forty two minutes feels like a tease when it comes to the end. This is one minor quibble to an otherwise entertaining cd. A disc that manages to relive many moments in the evolution of black music.

Reg Dancy

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Will Holland, aka Quantic has been exploring the world of deep funk for some time now to critical acclaim. With this project he dusts off some obscure funk 45’s from back in the day to give them new life. There are a few moments that merit your attention. The disc starts off with “Clap Your Hands” by Reginald Milton and the Soul Jets. A deep funk track with heavy drums, a thumping rhythm guitar and nice horns to match, the youngsters on the vocals don’t do the song justice however. The vocals on “Baby Don’t Cry” by “The Third Guitar” are a lot better. Armed with a tight groove that could easily be placed on a James Brown record, this is easily one of the best cuts on the disc. This was also the track sampled by Large Professor for the Main Source classic “Looking At The Front Door”. The problem with this disc is that hardly any of the tracks stand out from the pack. I kept waiting for something to knock me off my feet and never found it. That being said, this is still a solid disc that should please fans of the rare groove sound. Quantic has done a nice job of assembling a collection of songs you would have a difficult time finding on your own. Certainly worth your time checking out.

Reg Dancy

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Matt Smooth and Rob Mac are back with their second album under the alias Speeka and it makes me wonder how they have time with all the other projects they’ve got under their belt. With the guys known more for their hip-hop roots than their jazz or funk, they take all those influences and turn them into a wonderful folk style album. This is a beautiful album that will have you wanting more after each play. My copy arrived in the middle of the postal strike, so I was able to give this album the attention it deserves. One of the catchiest tracks I’ve heard this year is "Better Inside", which has all the elements of a hit, if only the nation wasn’t so obsessed with reality TV music shows. With a good balance of instrumentals and vocal productions, this will more than keep you happy through the dark winter months. Yet another excellent release from Wah Wah 45s.

Simon Harrison

This seems like it’s taken ages to be released but I think that is due to hearing that Aaron was signed to BBE such a long time ago. I’ve been really looking forward to hearing it. Aaron has been around for a while now and has been producing some ace tracks/remixes over the last few years. Next year should see his profile explode with this cracking debut album. Some of the vocalists maybe unknown to the masses but most people in the scene will know all about Bajka, Kathrin deBoer from Belleruche, Mozez, Andreya Triana, Yungun and Simphiwe Dana, and boy do they sound good on all their tracks. There is no real point in highlighting any one tune because they are all something special and fans of the Cinematic Orchestra and 4Hero will enjoy Aaron taking things to another level. Essential!!

Simon Harrison

There have an abundance of broken beat hits (and misses) this year. This is one of the hits that should have lots of staying power. In addition, there are a couple of highlights that stand out about the new Flowriders cd “R.U.E.D.Y”. One is the live instrumentation that gives the music a fresh sound every time I play it. The other highlight is the guest vocalists such as Tanya Saw, Spoonface and the dynamic blue-eyed soul man himself, Colonel Red. On the cosmic “Looking Deep” the Colonel provides well placed background scats to complement the vocals of Tanya Saw. “I Think I Know” is a nice mid-tempo gem that is enhanced by the drum work by Richard Spaven (Mark De Clive Lowe, 4Hero). “President” is an energetic broken beat track with vocals by Spoonface, who on this track, sounds a little like Omar to me. “Visualize” also features Colonel Red and has a haunting deep groove that begs for the volume to be turned up. Chances are you feel compelled to do that the minute this track starts. Thanks to the tight production by Vincent Helbers (aka Flowriders), this disc will provide definite satisfaction to fans of the bruk beat, broken soul. Recommended.

Reg Dancy

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I’m having a hard time deciding which version I like most. Nicole Willis and The Soul investigators dropped “Keep Reachin Up” over a year ago. To worldwide critical acclaim. This was throwback soul music that took you back to an era of folks playing 45’s on the stereo. Brooklyn borned Nicole Willis and Finland’s The Soul Investigators are taking soul music back to its purest form. Except this time around they have some of the hottest DJ’s dropping by to put their stamp on already quality soul. On “Feeling Free” Aaron Jerome adds nice chords to an already bumpin track. Mr Scruff adds banging drums to “If this Ain’t Love”. And the Dynamics’s remix on “My 4 Leaf Clover” gives the track a dubstep feel to it. From a purist’s standpoint, you might want to pick up the original, if you don’t have it already. However this is one of the rare remixed cd’s that don’t disappoint. Definitely worth checking out.

Reg Dancy

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Raw, uncut soul at it’s best. Take one look at the Dap Kings and you’d ask yourself, can these guys really bring the funk? Yes! They really, really can! The third release for Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a little milder than their previous release “Naturally”. However, they still come at you hard nonetheless. There’s really no track that stands out more than the other as the entire disc just flows at a crisp pace. The disc begins with the title track. A semi-slow burner that has everything that you loved about soul music, live instrumentation, warm harmonies and a lead voice that packs a punch. Midway through the song, Sharon pauses for a second, slows down the pace and reasserts herself while the Dap Kings break it down to another level. “Nobody’s Baby” has a funky mid-tempo beat that will surely have your head noddin’, albeit a bit short at just over two minutes. That’s a minor quibble that you can deal with. What’s more important is serenading yourself with ten tracks of soul music in it’s purest form. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also bonus cd that features music from various artists from the Daptone label titled Binky Griptite’s Ghetto Funk Power Hour. Hosted by Daptone guitarist Binky Griptite, this disc burns for sixty minutes. If this isn’t money well spent I don’t know what is.

Reg Dancy

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‘Infini’ is the debut album from Parisian based jazz vocalist Anne Wirz. She’s backed in the main by a trio (piano/Fender Rhodes, bass and drums) on this largely self penned set, much of which is sung in French. For me though it’s the covers which she excels on such as Sathima Bea Benjamin’s ‘Music’ and her amazing interpretations of ‘Maiden Voyage’ and the Carlos Garnett/Norman Connors jazz-dance classic ‘Mother Of The Future’.

Andy Allen

‘Earth Blossom’ from drummer/percussionist John Betsch is one of the rarer releases on Strata-East but thankfully Heavenly Sweetness have picked it up for reissue. Originally released in 1974 this is a beautiful example of spiritual jazz and features the haunting title track plus the percussive masterpiece ‘Ode To Ethiopia’ which has long been in demand.

Andy Allen

For his latest project Herbie delves into the Joni Mitchell songbook. With a band including Wayne Shorter and vocal performances from Norah Jones (‘Court And Spark’), Corinne Bailey Rae (‘River’), Leonard Cohen (‘The Jungle Line’) and Joni herself (‘Tea Leaf Prophecy’) this makes for a pleasant listening experience and could well see some airplay on the likes of BBC Radio 2. The real standout here though is a version of one of my all time favourite Joni tracks, ‘Edith And The Kingpin’ featuring Tina Turner. I can’t say I’ve ever been a huge fan of Ms Turner but here her vocals are more restrained than usual yet retain those wonderful earthy tones which sit perfectly on this glorious laid back jazz interpretation.

Andy Allen