soul r'n'b

	alison crockett – “alive” [wah wah 45s] it may have taken a while, but alison’s finest moment is finally out for all and sundry to pick up on vinyl. “alive” is a thought provoking cut, in which she yearns for life to be like more meaningful, as sliding slovenly beats and luxurious keys back her wondrous vocals. this is backed by yam who’s delectable revision of “u r”, with its lively clapped percussion, pretty keys and passion drenched strings. (reviewed by jon freer)
	d'nell – “this thing/e2” [furioustyles/abstract blue] the first release from this label. two quality tracks that'll hopefully set things in motion for more of the same. "this thing" gives us a dope hip hop beat with sampled strings that give that extra flava. vocals kick in...pretty damn good! the flip side has the more soulful "e2"...a lil funkier sounding with the vocals defo on the front burner for this...and just when you think it's over, the sax kinks in. both tracks have a 'rawness' about them and the minimal production says a lot more than most tracks out there today.
	red astaire - "follow me" [gamm] this has got to be d'angelo! you like d'angelo? buy this!
	"lunch or dinner" - sunshine anderson [atlantic] the second single taken of ms anderson's debut album. follow up singles are often difficult, the first is almost always set as a benchmark - especially so in this case as the first was such a good tune - it also had great mass appeal. this has more soul than the first and certainly oozes funkiness in a mellow kinda way. take it for for it is, a funky good tune.
	"video" - india arie [motown] new girl on the soul block, india arie, co-wrote, co-produced and played the guitar on this tune....but don't let that influence you, this track speaks for itself! not the pop music 'jiggy' stuff churned out by other 'artists', here we have real soul. a deep rootsy vibe with a funky guitar lick and bassline. vocals are up there with the rest of the nu-soul stars. check out the equally as good tune on the flip side "butterfly".
	"heard it all before" - sunshine anderson [atlantic] i've yet to meet someone who dislikes this tune! funky guitar loop just makes this instantly likable. powerful vocals by sunshine anderson tops it off perfectly. i'm reviewing the import copy here, so i don't know what the uk release will deliver in terms of mixes. lets hope it's nothing too harsh! brilliant!

	v/a – "version excursion sampler 1" [counterpoint records] after bringing listeners the mighty fine 'jazz bizniz', 'afrika underground' and 'disco juice' comp series', the counterpoint purveyors of ear-pleasing grooves dig up cuts from those ear-blessing journeys and get new school players to rejig them. here are the first fruits of the labour; stylish retoolings from nick the record and ennio styles. nick has re-edited clarice labbe's "no other love but you", a key over-flowing lovely, with earnest vocals and infectious drumming. ennio's cover of marius cultier's "zouk" is a scary afro-inspired piece, with strangely shaped percussive layers, frowning key melancholics and odd wind instrument flexes. watch out for the cd! (reviewed by jon freer)
	jill scott – “beautifully human: words and sounds volume two” [hidden beach] the second studio album from ms scott has been much anticipated by many and it's definitely been worth the wait. once it's in constant rotation, like the first album was by many, this will be down as a classic. production is as tight as ever, as expected by any reputable philly producers. it's also more of a listening album - showing how the lady has matured since the last outing. tracks like 'whatever', 'golden' and 'bedda at home' would be there as instant playability. solid album and thank you hidden beach for not making us vinyl purchasers wait as long as the last one!
	fertile ground – “black is…” [counterpoint] fertile ground make emotional soul-invigorating music. the key elements to their compositions are navasha daya’s sparkling vocals and exquisite instrumental backing. “live in the light” is a beautiful ode to following the right path, where masterful brass and flexing guitars back navasha’s invigorating vocals. “an artist prayer” features the beautifully named olu butterfly, whose spoken poetry regarding being true artistically sits on a bed of spirited drums and vocal harmony. “you” is an impossibly beautiful track, where homage is paid against a backdrop of subdued keys and slow-step percussion. politically astute and spiritually aware, “black is…” will make you think and also nourish your ears. (reviewed by jon freer)
	v/a – "cali soul" [unisex] “cali soul” shines in places, but it doesn’t sparkle quite as radiantly as previous volumes of the series. there are few gorgeous contributions from west coast heads, but the problem is that there are too many mellow tracks that don’t capture the imagination. lucy pearl’s awesome “don’t mess with my man” is an ace guitar-steeped confrontational number, with slapped strums and cool drum hits. t-love enlists the talents of dwele on “seven” to help her chart relationship developments, over slack beats and velvety keys. the rebirth’s “this journey in” is present in all its grooving glory, as shining synths and twinkling keys hook up over relaxed beats. not an essential purchase like the eastern-based detroit and ny selections, but certainly worth checking out. (reviewed by jon freer)
	"larry gold presents don cello and friends" [bbe] the producer led series 'beat generation' from bbe records takes on another chapter. along comes this gem of larry gold productions. philly soul re-discovered - so highly polished that you could see your reflection! don't be expecting just hip hop beats and rhythms...another branch of the beat generation has grown. for those of you that don't know; larry was once a member if 'mfsb' and 'the salsoul orchestra' and now owns the largest set of recording studios in philadelphia - has worked with the roots, musiq, jill scott - should give you an indication of the quality of music here. larry must have been calling in his favours as the list of guests is impressive, gerald levert, erro, bunny sigler, black thought, kindred and many more. as expected from a philly rooted production project; lots of strings, very musical and awesome vocals. fair share of soul ballads, the fantastic "dance" feat gerald levert and "loving you" feat carol riddick. not forgetting "no stoppin", a re-working of the philly classic "ain't no stoppin us now" that has black thought from the roots on rap duties and the original line up of mcfadden and whitehead. had the 'philadelphia international records' label survived til now, would this have been the material coming from it? maybe so. take a listen. the mastermind of all those latest philly production makes his presence known.
	"mama's gun" - erykah badu [motown] this has been out a few months already, now they've decided to release it on vinyl - so i picked up my copy! - on lucious red vinyl too...cool. well what can i say? it was the likes of ms badu that put my faith back into soul music - when her first album "baduizm" came along. along with a the help of few other artists the "nu-soul movement" was born - a fresh approach with old skool flavas. so is the the "difficult second album"? hardly. is this better than "baduizm"? ask me in a few months time! she's definetly picked up a few extra flavas here - check the "p-funk-type-funk-rock-guitars" on "penitentiary philosphy", the smoothness in "didn't you know"....hold on...if you own a copy of "baduizm" and liked it, buy this...if you don't; buy both.