Feels like forever since we've last heard from India Arie – and damn if we didn't miss her! And this time around, she sounds better than ever before – stepping out with this proud, righteous groove right from the start – the kind of music that, from the very first notes, show why India Arie's way more than most of the pretenders who've tried to cop her act in recent years – but can never touch the genius of the lady at her finest! Most tracks here were done in collaboration with Shannon Sanders, who electrifies the music without making it too commercial or beat-heavy at all – and, if anything, the whole record has this amazing quality in which the vocals seem to embody the rhythms on their own – working with a flow that's really tremendous, and still retaining some of the acoustic soul of the early years. Titles include "Flowers", "Nothing That I Love More", "Cocoa Butter", "Just Do You", "Break The Shell", "This Love", "Thy Will Be Done", and "Brother's Keeper" – plus some cool "Soulbird" interludes. Cool deluxe package has an oversized card-style cover – and features four bonus tracks too – "Soulbird Reprise Ney", "Thank You", "6th Avenue", and "Strange Fruit". ~ Dusty Groove
FEMI KUTI - NO PLACE FOR MY DREAM
The Fela Kuti legacy is alive and well – in this smoking set from Femi Kuti, with superb backings from the Positive Force ensemble! The album really has the younger Kuti coming into his own – moving with a righteous message that's stronger than anything he's ever given us – and which seems increasingly important in times like these! The group's led by guitarist Opeyemi Awomolo, who's got a way of echoing the elder Kuti's sharp rhythms and key use of jazzy changes – yet also manages to come up with something fresh as well – a different combination of familiar instruments, and rhythms which have a tight focus along the politics of the lyrics. And this time around, politics may well be stronger for Femi than ever before – an aspect you'd definitely guess from the album's cover, but which is stated even more forcefully on tunes that include "No Place For My Dream", "No Work No Job No Money", "Politics Na Big Business", "We Our Money", "Action Time", "Carry On Pushing On", and "The World Is Changing". Dusty Groove
A way deeper collection that you might expect – hardly the usual mainstream grooves normally associated with "beach" titled compilations – and instead a batch of rare tracks from the 60s and 70s – brought together in a beautiful blend of bossa, funk, Latin, and more! There's a sunny feel to the grooves that does live up to the title – but given the range of records from which the work was pulled together, the overall sound has a much wider-ranging global groove – that magical criss-crossing of styles you get when Brazilian musicians play funk, when Americans sing bossa, and when European artists try on the best sounds from the US! The set's overflowing with goodness – and titles include "Midnight" by Willie Lindo, "Olha O Menino" by Caetano Veloso, "Instant Funk" by Merchant, "Guayabas" by Agustin Pereya Lucena, "Esperar Pra Ver" by Evinha, "Rastaman Rock" by Fabiano Orchestra, "Onda" by Cassiano, "Acapulco Dos De La Tarde" by The Coppers, "Cuando Calienta El Sol" by Tayla Ferro, "Travelin Man" by Stanley Cowell, "Usisilike" by Abeti, "Gimme Love" by Nelson Family, and "Love Song" by Joe Cruz & The Cruzettes. ~ Dusty Groove
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