NEW RELEASES - NATHALIE COLE, MARY STALLINGS, LTJ EXPERIENCE

Natalie Cole takes a page from the book of father Nat – and serves up a whole set of songs in Spanish – with just the same sort of charm we loved in the elder Cole's Spanish albums for Capitol! The approach has Natalie working in a mode that's even more jazz-based than usual – in a blend of Latin instrumentation and fuller orchestrations arranged by Gary Lindsay and Rudy Perez – and while the whole concept echoes Nat's earlier projects, Natalie's presentation of the material is really quite different – certainly more contemporary, and arguably warmer as well. Titles include "Frenesi", "Oye Como Va", "Yo Lo Amo", "El Dia Que Me Quieras", "Bachata Rosa", and "Manana De Carnaval" – and the album features guest appearances by Andrea Boccelli, Chris Botti, and Juan Luis Guerra. ~ Dusty Groove

MARY STALLINGS FEATURING ERIC REED - BUT BEAUTIFUL

Beautiful vocals from the great Mary Stallings – a singer who languished in relative obscurity on the west coast for decades, then finally sprang into wider view in more recent years! The set's got Mary working again with pianist and arranger Eric Reed – who brings a sharp sensibility to the record, and really helps Stallings find a space that's comfortable, yet challenging as well. Mary's got a richness to her vocals that's really wonderful, especially on the ballads – yet she also retains that crisp charm that always made her stand out – a quality that puts her in a class with legends like Shirley Horn or Lorez Alexandria. The album features some nice touches of saxophone at times – alto from Danny Janklow and tenor from Brian Clancy – and Eric Reed plays piano throughout, and on one track works without any other instrumentation alongside the vocals. Titles include "Some Other Spring", "Time On My Hands", "I Thought About You", "Dedicated To You", and "The Lamp Is Low".~ Dusty Groove

LTJ EXPERIENCE - AIN'T NOTHING BUT A GROOVE

A great return to form for the LTJ Experience – exactly the kind of tight grooves and soulful sounds that made Luca Trevisi such a standout in earlier years of the Italian club scene! The style here is really back to basics – somewhere between the spareness of the post-disco years and the fuller soulful styles when house started coming into play – always pretty funky in the rhythms, but with a forward-moving focus that's quite different than straight instrumental funk too. Titles include "Funk Is On", "Disco-Ver Me", "What I Feel", "Linear Funk", "Vuoto Beat", and "Get Down". ~ Dusty Groove