NEW MUSIC: DIGITABLE PLANETS, ROY AYERS, JOE BATAAN, INCOGNITO, CARLEEN ANDERSON, CURTIS MAYFIELD & FREEDOM DANCE JAZZ

DIGITABLE PLANETS - BEYOND THE SPECTRUM: THE CREAMY SPY CHRONICLES
Digable Planets formed in the early '90s, when Butterfly (b. Ishmael Butler, Brooklyn, NY) met Ladybug (B. Mary Ann Vieira, Silver Springs, MD) while attending college in Massachusetts. The two later hooked up with Doodlebug (b. Craig Irving, Philadelphia, PA), in Washington DC, and began recording. Their first single, Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat), hit the R&B Top Ten while their debut, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was a critical and commercial success. After embarking on an ambitious tour, which included several live musicians, the Planets returned in late 1994 with their best album. Blowout Comb continued the group's jazz-rap fusion, but also saw them branching out to embrace the old school sound of the street as well. After Blowout Comb, Digable Planets gradually dissolved due to the dreaded "creative differences." Ten years later, the group has reunited, recently completing a tour and assembling a collection of hits, remixes and rarities for Blue Note. Beyond The Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles contains some of contemporary music's first gems and exclusive tracks that have spanned the decade and remain head-boppin' jams for the hip-hop generation.

ROY AYERS - MY VIBES: THE BEST OF THE UNO MELODIC YEARS
This new release includes Roy Ayers 1983 record Lots Of Love plus a later set from 1999! Lots Of Love is an incredible album by Roy - but one that's often overlooked because it was a rare indie effort issued between his years at Polydor and Columbia! The session is Roy's only full album for Uno Melodic - the label he formed to showcase the talents of Sylvia Striplin, Ladies Of The Eighties, and others. Rest assured though, this collection does highlight Ayers groove! Highlights include Chicago, Black Family, the warmly jazzy Lots Of Love, an instrumental with vibes along strings; and the bass bumping Everybody. Other songs include And Then We Were One, DC City, Drive, and Fast Money. Lots Of Love takes up the first 8 tracks on the 16 track CD - and the remaining 8 are from a 1999 session that has Roy grooving in a bit more of a modern way - using more electric percussion at the bottom, but still bringing plenty of warm soul and jazzy touches to the tracks. Tracks include Juice, Wanna Do, Vibes, E Funk, Doing The Do, Bad Baby, and Rapped Up In Your Love.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE BOOK 2
Here’s an 11-track collection of modern dancefloor jazz that includes a fair bit of previously unissued numbers! The groove vibe throughout is contagious with just the right electric augmentation to kick things up a notch or two without dampening the soul. Tracks include Lead The Way by Soulstance, 1974 by Jukka Eskola, My Love Samba by Luis Ferri, Solifer Lento by Dalindeo, Some Kind Of Blues (jazz mood inst) by S-Tone Inc, Heroes of The Conquest by The Invisible Session, Stars by Paolo Fedreghini & Marco Bianchi, Mr. Bond by Quartetto Moderno, and Yes & No by Quintetto Lo Greco.

INCOGNITO - ELEVEN
The 11th release by Incognito makes it clear that the group has had an influence that goes far beyond a straight run of just 11 records. Eleven features lead vocals by Maysa Leak, Imaani and Carleen Anderson, plus some great keyboard lines by Ski Oakenfull. Group leader, Bluey, is the one who has a sense of groove, and love of classic 70s-influenced soul comes through very strongly on all tracks - hitting an on-the-money sound that makes the group, and this latest album, stand head to head with some of the best soul acts of classic years. Another winner from Incognito - not a bit of fluff at all - and a sublime batch of tracks that includes Jacaranda, Show Me Love, We Got Music, Let The Mystery Be, Will I Ever Learn, I'll Get By, As Long As It's You, and When Tomorrow Brings You Down.

JOE BATAAN - JOE BATAAN ANTHOLOGY: THE MERICANA & SALSOUL STUDIO ALBUMS
Four albums and 34 tracks worth of material by the legendary Joe Bataan, all one 2-CD package! Joe’s best is compiled here, along with a great set of notes - and the package is essential stuff for anyone with an ear for funk, Latin, disco, or soul. Tracks include The Bottle, Chico & The Man, Johnny, Latin Strut, Peace Friendship Solidarity, Aftershower Funk, Woman Don't Want To Love Me, When You're Down (Funky Mambo), Ling Ting Chong, Rap O Clap O, I See Hiney, Mestizo, Forever, and Sadie.

ROY AYERS - ROY AYERS REMIXED VOL. 3: MYSTIC VOYAGE/I AM YOUR MIND/MYSTIC BOUNCE (2 x 12 inch LP)
More remixes from the Roy Ayers catalog. Here we have 2 different tunes, but handled in ways that really differ greatly from each other! First is the soulful I Am Your Mind (part 2) - a track that's got a gently gliding groove and spoken part by Roy on the original, but which opens up with a pulsating groove on a Pepe Bradock remix that only further augments the Ayers genius! Mr V also serves up a mix of the tune that really retains the flavor of the original - and goes for a warmly grooving dancefloor mode that Roy would certainly appreciate! A remake of the classic Mystic Voyage is the second track on the set - handled in a completely different way by DJ Marky & XRS, who turn things up to supersonic speed, and push the track much more into the realm of drum n bass. The track's returned to its mellower roots on Mystic Bounce - a slower groove by Jeremy Newell that kicks back nicely with a jazzy approach to soul

CURTIS MAYFIELD -BACK TO THE WORLD...The brilliance of Curtis Mayfield is reflected in this 70’s era reissue. The arrangements are by Rich Tufo, production is by Mayfield, and titles include Future Song (aka Future Shock), Keep on Trippin, Can't Say Nothin, Back To The The World, and Right On For The Darkness.

CARLEEN ANDERSON - SOUL PROVIDENCE
Carleen Anderson is daughter of James Brown diva Vicki Anderson - and with a pedigree like that, she's got a lot to live up to. But with a record like this, she more than lives up to her heritage - and in fact even surpasses it - by going farther than Vicki ever did! The arrangements have a great feel that mix the folksy qualities of some of her recent work with the more straightforward groove of earlier sets - and Carleen's vocals still have that wonderfully rich feel that belies her gospel roots, yet come across with a leaner, smoother style more tuned towards the grooves of the set. Titles include A Different Me, Gotta Believe In The Future, Whose Business, Careful, Parting The Waters, My Door Is Open, Just Like Me, and a remake of Wanna Be Where You Are, done as a duet with Paul Weller! Note by the way that Carleen also contributes lead vocals to Incognito’s latest – Eleven.