SOME NEW RELEASES OF INTEREST...

VERONICA FERREIRO - LAIO

A soul set from Spain – a really sweet debut from Veronica Ferreiro, a singer with depth to rival the best of the American underground! There's a surprisingly non-commercial feel to the music – nicely laidback production, and strong traces of jazz that really make the backings sparkle – and match the great range that Veronica brings to her music – making for a blend that's a lot like some of our favorite Neo Soul albums from the early years of the genre in the US! Lyrics are partly Spanish, partly English – and on the latter, Ferreiro comes across with a sensitive quality that could well have her reaching a wider audience over the next few years. Titles include "Floating Lovers", "Non Quero Crer", "Riverside", "Laio", and "Please Don't Fall In Love".

LATINMUSIK – EDITOR’S CHOICE VOL 3

Contemporary salsa from around the globe – a really excellent series that brings together tracks we really would have missed otherwise! The music here comes from a surprisingly wide range of sources – artists from familiar Latin spots like the US, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela – plus surprising entries from Germany who really stand up next to the other groups. Music is great throughout – a real dedication to

the kind of classic salsa sounds from the 70s onwards – with heavy percussion, and lots of jazzy instrumentation throughout! Titles include "Piedra Papel Tijera" by Humberto Vargas Y Son Tikizia, "Estamos En Clave" by Rene Rodriguez, "No Te Metas Conmigo" by Susie Hansen, "Lo Que Tu Te Mereces" by Sin Miedo, "This Is Not A Tango" by Juju Orchestra, and "Latin Brother" by Una Mas Trio

JUSSI LAMPELA NONET WITH JUKKA ESKOLA – LAMPELA ESKOLA

Brilliant – and another out of the park winner from the Ricky Tick label! There's a solid, soaring jazz feel here all the way through – an approach that takes the larger ensemble mode of the late 40s "birth of the cool" generation, then forges it onto the leaner, modal-styled sounds that we've come to love from Ricky Tick – a wicked blend that has plenty of appeal to straight jazz fans, but which also brings a fresh sort of energy to the music for the 21st Century! The group's led by arranger Jussi Lampela, but features killer trumpet from Jukka Eskola and baritone and sax from Timo Lassy – both artists you'll know from their own Ricky Tick releases. Titles include "Half Lament", "Driving And Cruisin", Strolllin", "Way Ahead""Together We Went", "Different Angle", and "Afternoon In Central Park". 9 tracks on the CD.

KENNY WELLINGTON – IN RETROSPECT

Warm, diverse jazzy soul from trumpet player Kenny Wellington – a pivotal player in British scene from the late 70s onward – demonstrating the depth of his talent and his range of styles! Kenny is a founding member of Light Of The World and Beggar & Co – and he's worked with a who's who of some of the great jazz & soul players from the US & UK. A wealth of classic and timeless jazz funk, some fusiony numbers and a bit of smooth soul. Players include vocalists Camelle Hinds and Gee Morris, sax and flute by David Baptiste, trombone by Harry Brown, keys by Toby Baker and Luisimi Falles, bass by Frank Felix and Otto Williams, guitar by Breeze McKrieth and drums by Billy Osborne. Includes "Bahia", "Let's Get Dizzy", "Free Your Mind", "Chill", "Strand Strong", "Oli Ay", "The Mysterious Traveller", "Rain Dance", "Free 'N'Easy", "The Shake Down", "In Retrospect", "Wait Until Tomorrow" and more. 15 tracks in all.

SOLA ROSSA – GET IT TOGETHER

Some of the funkiest grooves we've heard from the New Zealand scene in years – a great mix of live instrumentation and programmed beats and samples – very much in the best Melting Pot mode, but even funkier than usual! Some cuts feature vocals – as the album includes guest work from Bajka, Spikey Tee, and Iva Lamkum – and the mix of modes is great – and reminds us of some of the earlier funk from the Tru Thoughts scene! Titles include "The Ace Of Space", "Love Alone", "Humanized", "Turn Around", "Del Ray", "Lady Love", and "Bond Is Back".

SWEET CATERINA –
VINTAGE COCKTAIL BEAT

The beat here is a bit less vintage than you might guess from the title – but Caterina definitely keeps things sweet – and the album's a nice batch of groovers that really keep up the best side of the Irma sound! Vocals are in Italian, and the rhythms are never too clubby – kind of a mix of retro styles and contemporary dancefloor modes that are just perfect for Caterina's style of singing done with echoes of the 60s and 70s Italian scene, yet served up in a way that's definitely 21st Century overall! A nice comeback from Irma, and a set that reminds us of their sound a decade ago – with titles that include "Eclisse Twist", "Un'Estate Fa", "Splendido Splendente", "Rumore", "La Notte", "E La Luna Busso", and "Parole Parole".

MARIA RITA - ELO

Easily the best record so far from Maria Rita – a set that really pushes her talents a lot, and reaches for a wider range of expression! The vocals are still very much at the forefront – that great legacy from mother Elis Regina, with a similar heavenly approach that works with just about any sort of lyric – but the backings shift things around a good bit, too – moving between full, lush orchestrations, and some gentler, jazzier modes – and even a few cuts that have a lively sense of rhythms. Maria's great throughout – clearly standing strongly on her own, even without the family pedigree – on tunes that include "Santana", "Conceicao Dos Coqueiros", "So De Voce", "A Outra", "Nem Um Dia", and "Pra Matar Meu Coracao". US version features the bonus track "Coracao Em Desalinho".

SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS –
SOUL TIME

Damn damn damn – maybe the funkiest album ever from Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings! The group have always been great, but there's something here that goes even farther than usual – an especially funky snap on the drums at the bottom, even on more laidback tunes – and a stone classic approach to funky soul, one that's definitely been honed to a "T" through their important work on the road during the previous few years! And Sharon Jones is great – with vocals that are way deeper and much longer-lasting than any rehab outpatient wannabe – sending home these tunes with a quality that may well pass most of her classic female soul inspirations from back in the day. And even though the set brings together some older singles and other odd bits, it's got a rock-solid punch that makes it a very unified album throughout! Titles include "Settling In", "I'm Not Gonna Cry", "When I Come Home", "Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects", "New Shoes", "Without A Trace", and "Inspiration Information".

KINGDOM AFROCKS - FANFARE

Plenty of fanfare here – given the great horns that top the groove of Kingdom Afrocks! The ensemble have a Afro Funk vibe that's mighty nice – one that's slightly askew, but in the best way possible – with some cool flat-toned electric piano running ragged over the rhythms, while the horns soar in over the top, and really give the whole record a bold dose of energy in the process! Rhythms really know when to break from the familiar at all the right moments – never sticking too straightly in a 70s Afro Funk mode, and instead going for some bold changes that really keep things interesting – and grooving as well! Titles include "Voodoo Grease", "Will To Live", "Typhoon", "Fanfare", "Escucha", and "Baila Y Goza".

GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW –
OWNED TO MAMA RICKIE

Georgia Anne Muldrow pays tribute to her mother, Rickie Byars Beckwith, a musician and all around artistic force herself on Owed To Mama Rickie – Ms. Muldrow's second album from Animated Cartunes (out of who knows how many surprisingly great albums in the preceding few years) – and quite appropriately, it's among her most spiritual and soulful efforts to date! Georgia is one of those very rare modern funk, soul and hip hop figures, along with the mighty Madlib, with an indefatigable creative energy and who has yet to disappoint. You had to figure that she'd bring her deepest sensibilities for an album as close to her heart as Owed To Mama Rickie, and she does just that. Searching, spiritual lyricism shines this time out – with 4 tracks that share writing credits with Michael & Rickie Byars Beckwith – but there's still quite a bit funk in the production. Honestly, if she's gonna put records out even half this good each time out, we're hoping she continues to drop a couple or three albums a year! Includes "Zulu (The Mind)", "Dr. Feelgood", "EZ Duz It", "Mother, Father, God", "The Jump Rope Song", "The Key", "Love Letter", "Whollyspirit", "Dubby Time!", "More & More" feat Bilal (plus a bonus track remix by our friend Terry Cole of Colemine Records) and "Moonsong Lullabye".

Source: Dusty Groove America