Veteran DJ/Percussionist Mark Cotgrove aka Snowboy has had a long and distinguish career. He’s been an in demand session percussionist, working with esteemed artists like Lisa Stansfield and James Taylor. With his sixteenth album. “New York Afternoon” he has covered  of some of his favorite recordings and given them new life. The title track is a cover of the Richie Cole dance classic. The tune is sung by vocalist Mark Evans and backed by sexy horns and sunny rhythms. “Ole Mambo” originally by  Edmundo Ros receives an overhaul  complete with horn overdubs and sounds more progressive than the original. With “Better” and “Oxen Free” Cotgrove covers two tunes from Boston Mass singer/pianist Jen Kearny. who returns the favor by adding her vocals to the revamped recordings. Cotgrove’s production and arrangements are first rate and the musicians on board are simply superb. A tremendous recording where the covers actually out do the originals. Cotgrove demonstrates once again that he’s a sparkling conga player and an important ambassador of Latin music.

The latest from Bristol based house producer Andy Compton is an ode to South Africa and the bond he has built over the past five years. In recent years South Africa has emerged as one of the most beloved scenes for house music and their dance parties have been known to attract thousands. It was there in 2014 that Compton met Soweto percussionist Bonging and  Guitarist Shamrock. The trio proceeded to collaborate on several compositions and the result is “Sowetan Onesteps”. The eleven track disc features Compton’s signature lush production and sultry vocals layered over deep house grooves, Shamrock’s guitar riffs and vocal scats adds new elements to tracks like “A Fathers Love” and “Chillin In The Ghetto”. Bonging’s conga playing evokes the spirit of South Africa and is felt throughout the disc. Vocal highlights include “Time” featuring Kenyan resident and vocalist Asali and “I Belong” features Celestine. This is another triumph for Compton. After thirty albums is still going strong and delivering tasty music.

“The Mic Buddah” is the full length release from the multi-talented Parisian native Sly Johnson. Best known for his wide range of skills as a singer, beat-boxer and rapper. Aside from the intro “Ouverture” where he provides a glimpse of his superb beat-boxing skills. Johnson allows his rich soulful vocals to do most of the heavy lifting and that’s more than enough, Highlights include “Everybody’s Dancin'” laced with infectious beats and thumping bass grooves. “Why” is another delight, a hazy down-tempo tune. Vocalist Rachel Claudio drops poignant spoken word lyrics and trumpeter Eric Truffaz melodic phrasings is the icing on the cake. .”Music” is filled with blissful samba rhythms while Magic Malik steps in with warm flute melodies, Malian rapper Oxmo Puccino displays exceptional flow and is a perfect fit for this track. Gritty vocals wrapped around soulful hip-hop textures will grip your hips to force you to move. Johnson is a talent whose star can only get brighter with releases like this.

James Hunter’s style is steeped in classic 60s soul and he has been winning over listeners with his warm and gritty voice since 2006.  That’s when his LP “People Gonna Talk” dropped and soared to number one on the Billboard chart. Now with his third album and first for Daptone records he’s poised to expand his fan base. The James Hunter Six bring the heat on this ten track release starting with “Hold On”, the first single and “Free Your Mind”, two notable up-tempo highlights.. The horn section is crisp, the beat is tight and Hunter’s voice is full of warmth and grit. Ladies beware, your temperature may rise with ballads like “Light Of My Life” and “In The Dark”. Both filled with heartfelt lyrics of love and affection. UK fans already know about the talented Mr Hunter and thanks to Daptone everyone else will recognize as well.

On her debut, Elianne Correa demonstrates that she’s an talented pianist and composer. “Rumba Con Flores” is an eight track LP is woven by her love of Jazz, soul and Afro Cuban rhythms. That fabric is felt right from the start with “Wemilere”, a pleasant tune filled with bata drums and a Yoruba prayer courtesy of Cuban Rumba player Gerardo de Armas and vocalist Manuela Panizzo. Cuban trova Yanaysa Prieto and British Congolese Binisa Bonner are the other vocelists on this date. Prieto sings lead on a number of tracks here. Among those include the standout “Rumba Con Flores” and “Aftertaste”, the latter is certainly influenced by Correa’s love of soul music and is filled with warm and melodic rhythms. Bonner’s soulful harmonies provide the perfect compliment Prieto’s vocals throughout the recordings. This is a delightful debut that delivers a slice of Cuba while seamlessly fusing other genres as well. Superb musicianship and blissful vocals stamps this as a must have. Correa certainly shapes up as an artist to keep on your radar.

The third LP, “Come Alive!” from the Australia based group Deep Street Soul is raw funk in it’s purest form. Indeed the ten track LP packs a punch with gritty grooves and stellar vocal performances. The group’s main vocalist Mighty May Johnson sets the disc in motion by ripping through the organ grinding funk of “Done Me Wrong”. Melbourne native Joshua Tavares strums the heart strings with stirring ballad “The Hardest Part Is Knowing”. Fellow Australian Kylie Audist delivers her powerful vocals on the mid-tempo funky burner “Love On Tap”. If you like your funk straight with no chaser then you need this in your collection.

Kaytronix another alias for Kris Klayton, better known as Karizma has mesmerized us with his House music remixes and shows over the years, He also proves that he is a master of the edits as well. “Thee Album” is a catalogue of edits ranging from hip-hop to house and more. He displays a clever approach on “Ain’t No”, lifting a sample of the First Choice disco classic “Love Thang”. The futuristic pulsating beats of “I Say” is another highlight. “Never Go” is an emotive tune laced with hip-hop beats strings and heavenly vocals. With seventeen tracks in all there is much to savor whether you’re a DJ looking to drop some beats into your set or simply for your listening pleasure.

Rare Chicago soul from Rasputin Stash, a group created by Martin Dumas Jr. “Devil Made Me Do It” is filled with vintage seventies funk. Highlights include “You’re So Special” filled with blistering horns and soft vocal harmonies. “Middle Man” has a nice mid-tempo guitar groove and piano melody that has been sampled by rapper Jon Wayne. While the vocals aren’t memorable the soulful rhythms and funky grooves will keep your head nodding to it. This is certainly worth checking out.

With “Gurutopia”, Guitarist Shez Raja picks up from where he left off from his previous live release. He continues to expand on his own brand of fusion by incorporating Middle Eastern rhythms with funk and jazz with impressive results. Raja once again surrounds himself with an array of all star musicians like veteran Guitarist Mike Stern and Trumpeter Randy Brecker. Not to leave out his core band who are more than capable of holding their own. Violinist Pascal Roggen dynamic phrasings on “Maharaja” drives this tune to greater heights. Brecker’s feathery phrasings and superb soloing shines through on “Sketches Of Space”. Stern’s improvised playing stands out on the spirited opener “Rabbits”. Raja’s dynamic playing is the driving force throughout and flashes of brilliance can be heard, specifically on the aptly titled “Rocknrolla”. The diversity of rhythms and superb performances make for a compelling recording..