Brazilian pop star Ed Motta is back with his 14th studio album. Inspired by movies (George Cukor, Jacques Tati) and old TV series (“Barnaby Jones”, “The Streets Of San Francisco”, “Colombo”), his psychedelic soul, as he himself calls his music, has reached another level. Recorded in Brazil (his main band), Detroit (brass) and LA (singers),…
UK-based indie/neo soul chanteuse Natasha Watts is back with her fourth album “Music Is My Life”. The singer and songwriter, who had huge success back in 2009 with Cool Million, opens her 11-track album with “I Am Me”, a shining and sophisticated soul number which already had remix treatment by Atjazz. She follows it up…
There is a lot to love about singer Ann Hampton Callaway. Her rich and sumptuous voice, her vast repertoire (songs of Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, movie themes…), her never ending tour dates (she seems to be out on the road all the time). And then there is her ability to write magnificent songs, which have…
Manchester-based trumpeter, composer, producer, and label owner Matthew Halsall wanted to capture “the feeling of openness and escapism” for his new album “An Ever Changing View”, which arrived last Friday, three years after his stunning “Salute To The Sun” LP. He set himself up in an architect’s house in the British countryside and composed this…
Two years after “In Praise Of Shadows”, the critically acclaimed debut album by Jacob Allen, better known as Puma Blue, the South Londoner is back with “Holy Waters”. It’s another hopelessly romantic, in parts pretty gloomy, but overall absolutely exciting set of tunes. His whispering vocals lead the charming melody of “Pretty”, a guitar-driven ballad…
It is supposed to be a tribute to her father João Gilberto. Singer Bebel Gilberto‘s new album, simply called “João”, has just come out and it is a return to her basic musical memories. The instrumentation on this nicely subdued and stripped-back album is actually quiet comforting. However, her voice is not. She has now…
Two years after his “Deadpan Love” debut, Joshua Karpeh, or Cautious Clay, returns with his Blue Note debut “KARPEH”. The Cleveland-born multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer, has come up with a genre-defying album which spans everything from jazz to indie pop and beyond. Cautious can be heard on the album’s 15 tracks on flute, bass…
There was a time period from the late 70s to the late 80 when looking at album credits was at least as important as the music of the main artist. Background vocalists were especially important to me when picking up records from formerly unknown artists. Paulette McWilliams was singing lead and background vocals on albums…
New York-based singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen has come up with “Satisfied Mind”, his most well-rounded set which has become a highly entertaining 10-piece since its release on July 11th. I’m sitting in our tiny little house in the Dutch countryside in the middle of nowhere, listening to “Son Rise” (Jon is father of…
Combining hip-hop beats with neo-soul, funk, and all sorts of soul, LA-based producer, songwriter, and Grammy Award winning performer Shafiq Husayn has come up with a brilliant melange on “So Gold”, four years after his equally fantastic “The Loop”. Collaborating with The Dove Society, a collective of artists, musicians, and creative-minded individuals located in the…