Various Artists – Es Vive Ibiza 2007 (2007)

Apr 28, 2009 by Mr. Nau This huge triple CD set from Fierce Panda features three continuously mixes totalling forty delectable house cuts. The first CD, Poolside, warms us up with soulful deep house. Disk 2, Evening, picks up the tempo with smouldering dancefloor anthems. The last, Afterhours, takes us to the afterparty with electro [...]

Blue Six – Aquarian Angel (2007)

Apr 27, 2009 by Mr. Nau The sophomore album by Blue Six is a nice, laid-back collection of jazzy house tracks, like Beautiful Tomorrow. This time out, though, there aren’t any big club anthems. Most of the music here pushes into downtempo territory, but it’s all very relaxed and well-crafted by producer, Jay Denes. Grade: [...]

Take 6 – The Standard (2008)

Apr 24, 2009 by Mr. Nau Take 6 has owned vocal jazz outright for more than two decades. They approach a set of standards on this album in their unique style and feature special guests to help them out — giants like George Benson, Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks, Ella Fitzgerald, Aaron Neville, Roy Hargrove, and [...]

DJ Sake1 – Fania Live 03 (2008)

Apr 24, 2009 by Mr. Nau In this mix set of rereleased Fania Latin soul singles, DJ Sake1 throws down a wonderful set of funky tropical grooves and jazzy soul, full of well-known names. The music here is accompanied by samples of lectures about the origins of Afro-Caribbean music, blended in with great effect. Grade: [...]

DJ Rumor – Fania Live 01 (2007)

Apr 23, 2009 by Mr. Nau DJ Rumor mixes up twenty tracks of blistering Latin soul grooves and tropical funk in this wonderful compilation of tracks from the 60s and 70s. With heavyweight names like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Eddie Palmieri, and Ray Barretto, this jazzy set delivers a very satisfying, and remarkably unique, musical [...]

Soul II Soul – Volume III: Just Right (1992)

Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau Soul II Soul’s third album is a decent collection of laid-back funky jazz-influenced soul tracks. A few of these songs are instrumentals, but they’re all well-written, although this disk didn’t get much attention when it came out. Joy, Take Me Higher, and Move Me No Mountain shine. Grade: B-. [...]

Soul II Soul – Vol II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990)

Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau Soul II Soul’s sophomore album did not feature big anthems like their debut, but it still delivers forty minutes of funky, jazzy soul grooves. The songwriting is tight here and this laid-back disk delivers a great set of tracks. Get a Life, People, and Missing You steal the show. [...]

Soul II Soul – Keep On Movin’ (1989)

Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau London’s Soul II Soul defined a subgenre in the early 90s with this extraordinary blend of hip-hop, jazz, and soul. The title track, Keep On Movin’ and the lush Back to Life became instant dancefloor classics. The music is deliciously funky and provokes big smiles, even two decades later. [...]

Los Hermanos – Traditions and Concepts (2008)

Feb 16, 2009 by Mr. Nau Detroit-based Los Hermanos release their second album on the Submerge label, a bumping collection of Detroit techno tracks. The first track has an annoying Spanish voice over, but otherwise this record grooves along nicely. Some of these songs will get frequent plays in DJ mixes and at night clubs. [...]

Andy Caldwell – Late Night with Andy Caldwell (2005)

Feb 09, 2009 by Mr. Nau Andy Caldwell throws down a beautiful house set in this mix CD from Swank Records. His set wavers between vocal deep house tracks and funky electro jams. This is a solid foot-tapping disc of luscious grooves—a baker’s dozen back-to-back songs that will satisfy through numerous plays. Grade: A. AllMusic: [...]

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