NEW RELEASES: POPS STAPLES - DON'T LOSE THIS; ABDULLAH IBRAHIM - THE SONG IS MY STORY; RAHEEM DEVAUGHN - LOVE SEX PASSION

POPS STAPLES - DON'T LOSE THIS

The last material ever recorded by the legendary Pops Staples – raw, rootsy tracks that are surprisingly great overall – even when augmented by Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples! Pops recorded these tracks in the late 90s, and Mavis held the tapes for years – thinking that they were great, but needed a little something extra to be fully realized. So, with just a bit of effort, Tweedy added in a bit of guitar and bass, plus some other light rhythms – and called in Mavis and other members of the Staple Singers to just provide some slight added backing vocals – in a way that never dampens Pops' lead at all. We were honestly quite suspicious of the project, but find we really like it a lot – maybe even more than some of Mavis' revival recordings in recent years. Titles include "Better Home", "The Lady's Letter", "Gotta Serve Somebody", "Sweet Home", "Somebody Was Watching", and "Love On My Side".  ~ Dusty Groove

ABDULLAH IBRAHIM - THE SONG IS MY STORY

Sublime solo piano from Abdullah Ibrahim – and a set that also features a bit of solo saxophone as well! The performance was recorded in an Italian concert hall with a wonderfully resonant sound – and the material is half compositions by Ibrahim, and half improvisations that have a very poetic feel! There's a quality here that's more introspective than some of Abdullah's other material – dark and moody at times, and set free from some of his more rhythmic conceptions overall – although never entirely free jazz, and certainly never avant at all. The package features a DVD of the performance as well as a CD – and titles include "Marinska", "The Song Is My Story", "Threshold", "Celestial Bird Dance", "For Coltrane", "Kalahari Pleiades", and "Just Arrived". (DVD is NTSC, Region 0.)  ~ Dusty Groove

RAHEEM DEVAUGHN - LOVE SEX PASSION

Always-great work from Raheem DeVaughn – an artist who seems to spin out records with effortless ease, but always makes music that sounds totally wonderful! There's a flurry of song snippets and sound at the start of this one – almost as if Raheem's shuffling through his emotive memory bank, before launching into the rock-solid tracks that build the album together – all with a warm, seductive style that never promises to be anything it's not – and which is stated by DeVaughn proudly in the album's title! Heck, you've gotta love a record that's marketed with a warning – "Opening this CD will cause the population to spike" – and when it comes from Raheem, we might well believe it. Titles include "Black Ice Cream", "Father Rock Lovin", "Countdown To Love", "When You Love Somebody", "Miss Your Sex", "Strip", and "Never Never Land".  ~ Dusty Groove