New Music Releases: Najee – Center Of The Heart; Change – Paradise – The Ultimate Collection 1980-2019; Carmen Lundy - Modern Ancestors

Najee – Center Of The Heart

With special guest Kenny Lattimore! Multi-platinum seller, recipient of multi-Grammy nominations, the NAACP Image Award and the Soul Train Award, Smooth Jazz icon Najee has shared the stage with such greats as Prince, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Lionel Richie and his beloved mentor, George Duke! 'Center Of The Heart' is the highly anticipated followup to Najee’s much loved 'Poetry In Motion'. As the title implies, the album represents Najee’s exploration into the world of sensuality and romance, interspersed with some fantastic spirited grooves that have made him a favorite the world over! Highlights include Najee’s brilliant interpretations of Maxwell’s “Sumthin’ Sumthin’” and the Dionne Warwick classic “Alfie,” “Better,” a romantic collaboration with Kenny Lattimore, the spirited "Bella Vista” and much more!!

Change – Paradise – The Ultimate Collection 1980-2019

Demon Records presents Change: Paradise – The Ultimate Collection (1980-2019), the greatest hits of Change, the innovative Italian/American studio group that launched Luther Vandross’ Solo career with the top 20 hits ‘Searching’ And ‘The Glow Of Love.’ This double album, 19-track collection features the cream of group’s seven albums from 1980-2018 and includes their biggest singles that made the pop, R&B, and dance charts all over the world including ‘a Lover’s Holiday,’ ‘Paradise,’ ”The Very Best In You,’ The Jam & Lewis produced ‘Change Of Heart,’ right up to last year’s massive club smash ‘Love 4 Love’ Remixed by Joey Negro. Three previously unreleased bonus remixes include a brand new extended dance mix of ‘Let’s Go together’ And the legendary lost Jim Burgess mix of ‘Searching’, especially reconstructed for this collection. Another four dance mixes make their vinyl debut here. Newly remastered and adorned with Greg porto’s iconic artwork throughout, “Paradise: The Ultimate Collection (1980-2019)” is pressed on 2 x 180g Double Vinyl.

Carmen Lundy - Modern Ancestors

To our ears, there's nothing like a record from Carmen Lundy – one of the few jazz singers who can hold us completely rapt over the years, and who keeps on coming up with wonderful albums like this one! Carmen's voice has always been fantastic, but in recent years she's got an even more majestic sense of her instrument – tuned here to some tunes that really continue the more powerful lyrical approach she's used over the past decade or so – with an agenda that's much larger than herself, and has righteous elements we never would have found in her earlier music! Lundy's also become quite the instrumentalist too – and also handles guitar, Fender Rhodes, and even some larger orchestrations – in a lineup that also features piano from Julius Rodriguez, bass from Curtis Lundy and Kenny Davis, and percussion from Mayra Casales. Titles include "A Time For Peace", "Burden Down Burden Down", "Jazz On TV", "Meant For Each Other", "Still", and "Affair Brazil".  ~ Dusty Groove