We love the work that Georgia Anne Muldrow's been giving us as Jyoti in recent years – a cool conflation of classic jazz inspiration with the future soul that's made her such a pioneer in the 21st Century – all delivered with a fresh sort of style that certainly warrants her change in name! Jyoti handles all the instrumentation on the set herself – save for one great guest appearance from saxophonist Lakeica Benjamin – and the music blends beats, acoustic instrumentation, and vocals that drift in and out of the mix in a really great way – on titles that include "Ra's Noise", "Zane The Scribe", "The Cowrie Waltz", "Ancestral Duckets", "Quarrys Queers", "Skippin & Trippin", and "Swing Kirikou Swing".~ Dusty Groove
Lady Blackbird takes on a Nina Simone tune on the very first track on this set – quite a risky move, but the Lady's got a voice that's definitely up to the challenge! The singer's the sort that comes along once in a blue moon – a richly talented artist who's able to take any sort of tune and make it her own – which she definitely does here with a surprisingly diverse array of material which comes across with a surprisingly unified vibe – in part because the instrumental approach is as compelling as the vocals – often with spare piano or keyboards, augmented by just a bit more in terms of rhythm – really leaving Lady Blackbird to dominate the record with a sense of long-burning power that never lets up. Titles include "Ruler Of My Heart", "Blackbird", "It's Not That Easy", "Black Acid Soul", "Fix It", "Five Feet Tall", "Lost & Looking", and "It'll Never Happen Again". ~ Dusty Groove
A set with maybe the most striking cover image that Monday Michiru's given us in years – and a record that really delivers on that promise, too – filled with really captivating tunes that represent a new high level in Monday's already-high career! There's a depth and maturity to the record that we never would have guessed when we first fell in love with her music – and we thought she was already pretty darn deep way back then – as Monday delivers hers vocals alongside musical complexity that takes strong advantage of the many great guest jazz musicians in the lineup – players who include Misha Tsiganov and David Kikoski on Fender Rhodes, Gil Goldstein on piano, Lew Tabackin on flute, and Steve Wilson on soprano sax. But at the center of it all is Monday – far more a jazz singer in recent years than the soul artist of her start – but balancing the spirit of both worlds beautifully, and with command of her vocal instrument that's completely stunning! Where most singers seem to get a bit more casual about their craft over the years, Michiru's just continued to master her natural instrument with a fantastic range and wonderfully expressive quality. Titles include "Ombre Of Time", "Pivot", "Cycles", "The Sound", "Ringo Oiwake", "Hope Pretend To Sleep", "Rise Above", "Life", and "Gossamer's Touch" – plus "Untethered", which features some great guest work from Ursula Rucker! ~ Dusty Groove
New sounds from Brazil – a really wonderful collection of contemporary cuts that we never would have heard otherwise – were it not for the excellent efforts of the folks who put together the set! And yet when we say "contemporary", these aren't cuts that are heavy on electronica or done in a remix mode – as virtually all of this music is heavy on the sorts of elements that we've always loved in Brazilian music – lots of raw percussion, creative rhythms, and vocals that transcend the boundaries of language – sometimes given some creative twists that shift the genres nicely – so that you're not listening to warmed-over bossa or samba remakes! The whole thing's great, and the kind of record that really has us wanting to dig deeper – with a set list that include "Laranjeira" by Renata Rosa, "Opanije Xaxara" by Alabe Ketujazz, "Vento Corredor" by Group Bongar, "Pifanada" by Xaxado Novo, "Dunas" by Toro Instrumental, "Bim Bim Bim" by Cae, "Iansa" by Ilu Oba De Min, and "O Bar" by Dona Celia Coquista. ~ Dusty Groove
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