NEW RELEASES: HELEN MERRILL & PIERO UMILIANI - PAROLE E MUSICA; THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA; THE ROOTS - AND THEN YOU SHOOT YOUR COUSIN

HELEN MERRILL & PIERO UMILIANI - PAROLE E MUSICA

A strange and obscure session that has the cool jazz vocals of American singer Helen Merrill backed by a small Italian combo led by soundtrack composer Piero Umiliani – a wonderful mix that really makes the album an unusual one for Helen! The music was originally recorded for a TV program in Italy, and each track is preceded by an Italian voice, reciting Italian versions of the lyrics over spare musical backing – then Merrill's voice comes in with a bigger jazz group, singing each track in English – a very nice level of presentation! And although the whole thing sounds crazy, it actually works well – and gives the album a compelling edge and kind of a sexy late-night quality. Tracks include "Solitude", "Everything Happens To Me", "Night & Day", "Why Don't You Do Right", and "Willow Weep For Me".  ~ Dusty Groove

THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA

A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". ~ Dusty Groove

THE ROOTS - AND THEN YOU SHOOT YOUR COUSIN

The Roots still delivering the goods after all these years! And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is seemingly one of their more uncompromising efforts, which is saying something for this crew. Their career arc to this point is as fascinating as ever – going from backing up and sharing credit with singers as varied as John Legend and Elvis Costello, to delivering their own deep, concept driven records like this one and the preceding Undun – they're never predictable. It seems like the financial security of a steady TV gig has really liberated The Roots to follow their creative ideals when it's time to work on a new record, and the world's better for that! Existentialist hip hop soul? Whatever you want to call it, it's deeply thoughtful, timeless stuff. It takes a little while to sink in, but once it does, it stays with you. Includes "Never" with Patty Crash, "The Devil", "Black Rock" feat Dice Raw, "Dies Irie", "The Coming" feat Mercedes Martinez, "The Dark (Trinity)" feat Dice Raw & Greg Porn, plus "The Unraveling" and "Tomorrow", both feat Raheem Devaughn.~ Dusty Groove