Tag Archives: new CDs

July 2018 Releases of Note

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Following are additional albums released during July 2018—some will be reviewed in future issues of Black Grooves.

Blues, Folk, Country
Arthur Big Boy Crudup: If I Get Lucky (4 CD set) (JSP)
Benny Turner: Journey (Nola Blue)
Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio: Something Smells Funky ‘Round Here (Alligator)
Errol Dixon: Midnight Train (Wolf)
Eugene Hideaway Bridges: Live In Tallahassee (Armadillo)
Madisen Ward & the Mama Bear: The Radio Winners (Glassnote)
Trudy Lynn: Blues Keep Knockin’ (Connor Ray Music)

Classical, Broadway
SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical – Original Cast (Republic)

Funk, Rock, Pop, Electronic
Con Brio: Explorer (Transistor Sound/Fat Beats)
Ill Doots: S/T (Ropedope)
Jean Beauvoir: Rock Masterpieces Vol. 1 (Aor Heaven)
Lotic: Power (Tri Angle)
No Kind of Rider: Savage Coast

Gospel, Christian
Bishop Noel Jones & City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir: Run to the Altar (Tyscot)
Dr. Carmela Nanton: A Touch (Carmel Ministries)
Koryn Hawthorne: Unstoppable (RCA Inspiration)
Minister Marion Hall: His Grace (VPAL Music)
Shana Wilson Williams: Everlasting (Intersound)
Vincent Tharpe & Kenosis: Super Excited (digital)
Will Mcmillan: My Story (eOne)

Jazz
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story Reimagined (Jazz Heads)
David Garfield: Jammin’ Outside the Box
Dexter Gordon Quartet: Tokyo 1975 (Elemental Music)
Ernest Dawkins & New Horizons Ensemble: Chicago Now – Thirty Years of Great Black Music, Vol. 2 (Silkheart)
Erroll Garner: Nightconcert (Mack Ave.)
Jamar Jones: Fatherless Child (GPE)
Jim Stephens: Songs of Healing: Philasippiola Soul (1997-2017) (Ropedope)
Kaidi Tatham: It’s A World Before You (First Word)
Reginald Chapman: Prototype (Fresh Selects)
Rob Dixon Trio: Coast To Crossroads
Roy Campbell & Pyramid: Communion (digital)
Shaun Martin: Focus (Ropeadope)
Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra: Get It How You Live (Ropeadope)
Various: Prince in Jazz: A Jazz Tribute to Prince (Wagram)
Woody Shaw: Tokyo 1981 (Elemental Music)

R&B, Soul
Appleby: Happiness (Haight Brand)
Cyril Neville: Endangered Species, Complete Recordings (World Order)
Jade Novah: All Blue (Empire)
Jaden Smith: SYRE (Digital) (Roc Nation/Republic)
James Brown: Mutha’s Nature (1st CD release) (LMLR)
Johnny Rain: Idol Blue (digital) (Odd Dream Republic)
Jr Jones: Nova (Black Musa)
Kiana Ledé: Selfless EP (Digital) (Republic)
Kizzy Crawford: Progression (Freestyle)
Meli’sa Morgan: Love Demands
The Internet: Hive Mind (Columbia)

Rap, Hip Hop
BrvndonP: Better Late Than Never (RPSMG)
B.o.B.: Naga (digital) (No Genre)
Blackgrits: Paradox 88 (digital)
Blackway: Good.Bad.Faded EP (digital) (Republic)
Buddy: Harlan & Alondra (digital) (RCA)
Busdriver: Electricity is on our Side (digital)
Cardi B: Her Life Her Story (DVD) (Intrinem Films)
Chief Keef: Mansion Musick (RBC)
Citro: No Cap (PlayMakaz Music Group)
Curren$y & Harry Fraud: Marina (Next)
Demrick: Came a Long Way (digital) (DEM)
Drake: Scorpion (Cash Money)
Drank Sanatra: Controlled Substance (digital) (Otherside Ent.)
Dyme-A-Duzin: Crown Fried (digital)
Eric B. & Rakim: Complete Collection (Hip-O)
Future: Beastmode (mixtape)
J. Diggs: #90Dayhousearrestproject (Rompt Out)
Kanye West: Ye (Def Jam)
King Magnetic: Back in the Trap (King Mag Music)
KR: In Due Time (Empire)
Kyle: Light of Mine (Atlantic)
Lil KeKe: SlfMade II (digital) (SoSouth)
Logic: Passion (DVD) (Intrinem Films)
Marlowe: Marlowe (Mello Music Group)
Migos: Evolution (DVD) (Intrinem Films)
Nav: Reckless (XO/Republic)
Nick Grant: Dreamin’ Out Loud (digital) (Epic)
Obuxum: H.E.R. (Urbnet)
Pawz One & Robin Da Landlord: Sell Me a Dream (Below System)
Philthy Rich: N.E.R.N.L. 4 (Empire)
Planet Asia: Mansa Musa (X-Ray)
Playboi Carti: Die Lit (digital) (Interscope)
Pusha T: Daytona (digital) (Def Jam)
Rae Sremmurd: SR3MM (digital) (Interscope)
Randy-B: Me, Myself and $ (Smeat)
Royce 5’9″: Book of Ryan (eOne)
Saweetie: High Maintenance (Warner Bros.)
Stalley: Tell the Truth Shame the Devil, Vol 3 (Blue Collar Gang)
Styles P (The LOX): G-Host (The Phantom Ent.)
Suspect: Still Loading (digital) (Rinse)
Tee Grizzley: Activated (digital) (300 Ent.)
Tobe Nwigwe: The Originals (digital)
Trap Gang Zone: Follow The Gang (digital) (Revenge Music)
Trick Daddy: Dunk Ride Or Duck Down (X-Ray)
Typical Div: S/T (Middle of Made)
Various: Oscillations (Strange Neighbor)
Wiz Khalifa: Rolling Papers 2 (digital) (Atlantic)
Wood & Yungman: Carlito’s Way Screwed (GT Digital)
World’s Fair: New Lows (digital) (Fool’s Gold)
YFN Lucci: Ray Ray from Summerhill (Think It’s A Game)
Zaytoven: Trapholizay (digital) (UMG)

Reggae
Kabaka Pyramid: Kontraband (Bebble Rock)
Kingly T: Got It All (digital)
Leon & The Peoples: Love Is A Beautiful Thing (Spectra Music Group)
Linval Thompson: Dub Landing Vols. 1 & 2 (Greensleeves)
Mad Professor: Electro Dubclubbing (Ariwa Sounds)
Santigold: I Don’t Want, Gold Fire Sessions (digital) (Downtown)
Tetrack: Let’s Get Started (Greensleeves)
U-Roy: Talking Roots (Ariwa Sounds)
Ziggy Marley: Rebellion Rises (Tuff Gong)

International, Latin
Bryant Myers: La Oscuridad (eOne)
Kamal Keila: Muslims & Christians (Habibi Funk)
Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet: Afro-Latin Soul (Strut)
Okonkolo: Cantos (Big Crown)
Te’Amir: Abyssinia EP (Tru Thoughts)

May 2018 Releases of Note

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Following are additional albums released during May 2018—some will be reviewed in future issues of Black Grooves.

Blues, Folk, Country
Charles A. Asbury: 4 Banjo Songs, 1891-1897 (Archeophone)
Larry Garner: Live At The Tivoli (Weinerworld)
Lurrie Bell & the Bell Dynasty: Tribute To Carey Bell (Delmark)
Memphis Minnie: Killer Diller Blues (Wolf)
Odetta: The Albums Collection 1954-62 (Acrobat)

Funk, Rock, Pop, Electronic
Ben LaMar Gay: Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun
Big Sam’s Funky Nation: Songs in the Key of Funk
Brownout: Fear of a Brown Planet (Fat Beats)
Dug Pinnick: Tribute To Jimi (Rat Pak)
Emily Johnson: Open Your Heart EP (Tarpan)
Free Radicals: No State Solution
Joan Armatrading: Not Too Far Away (BMG)
Mndsgn: Wanna Be Your Man (Stones Throw)
Nuex: Affextus EP (digital)
Sudan Archives: Sink (Stones Throw)
Welshly Arms: No Place Is Home (Republic)

Gospel
C-Micah: Reverence (4 Streams Media)
Dee Black: Flight Club (HISstory Music Group)
Jabari Johnson: Day of Redemption (Light)
Jackie Hill Perry: Crescendo (Fair Trade/Columbia)
Jason Nelson: The Answer (RCA)
Morgan Minsk: Praise
Phil Thompson: My Worship (digital)

International
3MA: Anarouz (Six Degrees)
Fatoumata Diawara: Fenfo (Something To Say) (Shanachie)
Molly Tigre: S/T
Ntoni Denti d’Oro: Cape Verde (Ocaora Radio France)

Jazz
Alex Conde: Originas (Ropeadope/Uprising)
Allen Harris: The Genius of Eddie Jefferson (Resilience Music)
Cameron Graves: Planetary Prince: Eternal Survival EP (Mack Ave)
Christian Sands: Reach Further EP (digital) (Mack Ave)
Curtis Haywood: Summer Breeze (Smooth Sounds Ent.)
Dana Murray & Manifesto: Negro Manifesto (Ropeadope)
Dave McMurray: Music is Life (Blue Note)
Diana Purim & Eyedentity: Many Bodies, One Mind
Eddie Harris: Listen Here: Very Best of  (Varese Sarabande)
Eddie Henderson: Be Cool (Smoke Sessions)
Fred Hersch Trio: Live in Europe (Pametto)
Freelance: Yes Today (Revive Music Group)
Gerald Albright: 30 (Bright Music)
Grant Green: Slick! – Live at Oil Can Harry’s (Resonance)
Grant Green: Funk In France: Paris to Antibes (Resonance)
Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus (Pi)
Henry Threadgill: Dirt. And More Dirt (Pi)
Hugh Masekela: 66-’76 (3 CDs) (Wrasse)
Jeff Denson: Outside My Window (Ridgeway)
Joey Alexander: Eclipse
Jonathan Barber: Vision Ahead
Joshua Redman: Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)
Jowee Omicil: Love Matters! (Jazz Village)
Kamaal Williams: Return (Black Focus)
Kenny Barron Quintet: Concentric Circles (Blue Note)
McClenty Hunter Jr.: Groove Hunter (Strikezone)
Shirley Horn: With Friends (Verve)
Thomas Bramerie Trio: Side Stories (Jazz Eleven)
Tia Fuller: Diamond Cut (Mack Ave.)
Tim Warfield: Jazzland (Criss Cross)
Ghost-Note: Swagism (Ropeadope)

R&B, Soul
Abiah: Abiah Sings Nina (Madoh Music Group)
Billy Preston: Live in Central Park New York 1973 (Mega Dodo)
Bobbye Doll Johnson: When a Woman’s Had Enough (Aviara Music)
Cecily: Songs of Love and Freedom (Harmonious Grits, LLC)
Charles Bradley: Living on Soul (DVD) (The Orchard)
Corneille: Love & Soul (Wagram Music)
Fats Domino: The Ballads Of Fats Domino (Bear Family)
Jeffrey Osborne: Worth It All (Mack Ave.)
K. Avett: Lioness
KaraJishi: Realm EP
Lamont Dozier: Reimagination (Goldenlane)
Leon Bridges: Good Thing (Columbia)
N’Dambi and All Cows Eat Grass: Air Castle EP (Alpha Pup)
Nicola Conte & Spiritual Galaxy: Let Your Light Shine On (MPS)
Otis Redding: Dock of the Bay Sessions (Atlantic)
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: Are You One Of Jay’s Kids? (Manifesto)
Shirley Ellis: Three Six Nine! – Best Of (Ace)
Sonta: In My Feelings (Machine Ent. Group)
Temptations: All the Time (Ume)

Rap, Hip Hop
A$AP Rocky: Testing (RCA)
Aaron Cole: Virginia Boy (Gotee)
Ace Hood: Trust the Process II: Undefeated (digital) (Empire)
Bali Baby: Baylor Swift (digital) (Twin)
Big Scoob: Duality (digital) (Strange Music)
Camp Lo: Candy Land Xpress – The Mixtape (Cleopatra)
City Girls: Period (digital)
Dynospectrum: S/T (20th anniv. Vinyl ed.) (Rhymesayers)
Guru: Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 (25th Anniv. Ed.) (Ume Urban Legends)
Joey Cool: S/T (Strange Music)
Junglepussy: JP3 (digital)
Kyle: Light of Mine (Atlantic)
Lil Baby: Harder Than Ever (digital) (Quality Control Music)
Mars Jackson: Good Days Never Last Forever (Misra)
Meyhem Lauren: Glass (SRFSCHL)
Nav: Reckless (XO/Republic)
Nick Grant: Dreamin’ Out Loud (digital) (Epic)
Pawz One & Robin Da Landlord: Sell Me A Dream (Below System)
Philthy Rich: N.E.R.N.L. 4 (Empire)
Planet Asia: Mansa Musa (X-Ray)
Playboi Carti: Die Lit (digital) (Interscope)
Pusha T: Daytona (digital) (Def Jam)
Rae Sremmurd: SR3MM (digital) (Interscope)
Saweetie: High Maintenance (Warner Bros.)
Stalley: Tell the Truth Shame the Devil, Vol. 3 (digital)
Styles P (The LOX): G-Host (The Phantom Ent.)
Suspect: Still Loading (digital) (Rinse)
Tee Grizzley: Activated (digital) (300 Ent.)
Tobe Nwigwe: The Originals (digital)
YFN Lucci: Ray Ray from Summerhill (Think It’s A Game)
Zaytoven: Trapholizay (digital) (UMG)

Reggae
Kabaka Pyramid: Kontraband (Bebble Rock)
Kingly T: Got It All (digital)
Linval Thompson: Dub Landing Vols. 1 & 2 (Greensleeves)
Mad Professor: Electro Dubclubbing (Ariwa Sounds)
U-Roy: Talking Roots (Ariwa Sounds)
Ziggy Marley: Rebellion Rises (Tuff Gong)

May 2017 Releases of Note

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Following are additional albums released during May 2017—some will be reviewed in future issues of Black Grooves.

Blues, Folk, Country
Harrison Kennedy: Who U Tellin’? (Electro-Fi)
Lindsay Alexander: Two Cats (Delmark)
Tony Jackson: S/T (DDS Ent.)
Various: Rough Guide to Jug Band Blues (World Music Network)
Various: American Epic: The Collection (Box Set) (Legacy)

Comedy, Spoken Word
Clayton English: All the Same (Comedy Dynamics)
Flip Wilson: Cowboys & Colored People (Wounded Bird)
Flip Wilson: You Devil You   (Wounded Bird)

Funk, Rock, Pop, Electronic
Bobby Saint: Unholy EP (Shoot To Kill Music)
Chastity Brown: Silhouette of Sirens (Red House)
Mtume: Prime Time: The Epic Anthology (SoulMusic)
The New Respects: Here Comes Trouble (Credential)
Ziggy Funk: Boxer’s Fracture (BBE)

Gospel, Contemporary Christian
Alice Coltrane: World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music Of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda (Luaka Bop)
Ben Tankard:  Full Tank 3: Cantankerous (Ben-Jammin Universal)
Como Mamas: Move Upstairs (Daptone)
Jermaine Dolly: Dolly Express (By Any Means Necessary)
LaVarnga Hubbard: Better Is Coming (eOne)
Mandisa: Out of the Dark (Sparrow/Capitol)
Sherwin Gardner: Greater (Tyscot)

Jazz
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones: UFO Tofu (Warner Bros.)
Camille Thurman: Inside the Moment (Chesky )
Charnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul (Motéma Music)
Christian Sands: Live From Jazz at the Bistro (Mack Avenue)
Eclectik Percussions Orchestra & Olive Lake: Traces De Vie (Passin’ Thru)
Heliocentrics:  A World of Masks (Soundway)
Jaco Pastorius: Truth, Liberty & Soul – Live in NYC (Resonance)
Jaimie Branch: Fly or Die (International Anthem)
Julian Vaughn: Bona Fide (Trippin’ & Rhythm)
Lionel Loueke: The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke   (Earshift)
Louis Hayes: Serenade For Horace (Blue Note)
Matthew Shipp, Mat Walerian, William Parker: This Is Beautiful Because We Are
Beautiful People (ESP Disk)
Naturally 7: Both Sides Now (Warner)
Oliver Lake & Joseph Bowie: Live At “A Space” 1976 (Sackville)
Patti LaBelle: Bel Hommage (GPE)
Pieces of a Dream: Just Funkin’ Around (Shanachie)
Richard Dowling: Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin (3CD set) (Rivermont)
Sean Jones: Live from Jazz at the Bistro (Mack Avenue)
Skinny Hightower: Emotions (Trippin & Rhythm)
Teodross Avery: Post Modern Trap Music (Katalyst Ent.)
Thelonious Monk: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 (OST) (Sam Records/Saga)
Theo Hill: Promethean (Posi-Tone)
Various: Jazz Ladies 1924-1962 (Naxos)
Various: Savory Collection Vol. 3, Honeysuckle Rose: Fats Waller and Friends
(National Jazz Museum in Harlem )
William Appling: Scott Joplin: The Complete Rags, Waltzes & Marches (W.A.S.O.)
Ragan Whiteside: Treblemaker (Randis Music)

R&B, Soul
Albert King: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Bob Holmes: Nashville Soul   (Ace/Kent)
Booker T. & The MG’s: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Carla Thomas: Stax Classics  (Stax/Concord)
Clarence Daniels Orchestra: Hard Workin: West Coast Big Band R&B Grooves (Ace/Kent)
Darien Dean: Departures (My Mouth Music)
Dramatics: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Don Bryant: Don’t Give Up on Love (Fat Possum)
Eric Roberson: Earth (Blue Erro Soul)
Freddie North: What Are You Doing To Me – Complete A-Bet Recordings (Kent)
Goapele: Dreamseeker EP (Skyblaze)
Isaac Hayes: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Jeanette Jones: Dreams All Come True (Playback)
Johnnie Taylor: Stax Classics  (Stax/Concord)
LeToya Luckett: Back 2 Life (eOne)
Maysa: Love is a Battlefield (Shanachie)
Otis Redding: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Ruth B: Safe Haven (Columbia)
Sam & Dave: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)
Staple Singers: Stax Classics  (Stax/Concord)
Various: Shrine – Rarest Soul Label Vol. 2 (Kent)
Various: The Big Beat: Dave Bartholomew Songbook (Ace/Kent)
Various: Dreamgirls (Original London Cast Recording) (Sony Classical)
Various: Virtue Recording Studio (Tramp)
Various: Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song OST (Stax/Concord)
William Bell: Stax Classics (Stax/Concord)

Rap
Azizi Gibson: Memoirs of the Reaper (Prehistoric)
B.O.B.: Ether (Empire)
Big L: The Big Picture (reissue) (RPG)
Brother Ali: All the Beauty in This Whole Life (Rhymesayers)
Buddy & Kaytranada: Ocean & Montana EP (Cool Lil Company)
Daylyt & Willie B: Let There B Lyt (Champions Only 98)
David Banner: The God Box (Banner Vision)
Dr. Octagon: Dr. Octagonecologyst (Vinyl box reissue) (Get On Down)
Endemic Emerald & Skanks The Rap Martyr: Rapsploitation (No Cure)
Faith Evans and the Notorious B.I.G.: The King & I (Rhino)
Gucci Mane: Droptopwop (Atlantic)
Insight The Truncator: Ears Hear Spears (Redefinition)
Jus-P: Supafriendz 2 (Chambermusik)
K.A.A.N. & Klaus Layer: Abstractions (Redefinition)
Kid Ink: 7 Series (RCA)
Lil Darrion: Blame the Streets (Black Market)
Lil Yachty: Teenage Emotions (Quality Control Music)
Logic:  Everybody (Def Jam)
Molecules & Showbiz: A Bronx Tale (Legion)
Montana of 300: Don’t Doubt the God (eOne)
Nef the Pharaoh: The Chang Project  (Sick Wid It)
Philthy Rich: Loyalty B4 Royalty 4 (Black Market)
Quelle Chris: Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often (Mello Music)
Snoop Dogg: Neva Left (Empire)
Stik Figa: Central Standard Time (Mello Music)
The Underachievers: Renaissance (RPM Music)

Reggae, Dancehall
Cornell Campbell: Ropin’ (Radiation Roots)
King Tubby: Shalom Dub (Radiation Roots)
Morgan Heritage: Avrakedabra  (CTBC)
Techniques & Friends: Winston Riley’s Rock Steady & Early Reggae 1968-1969 (Dubstore)

World, Latin
Erik Aliana & Pickett: Just My Soul   (Buda Musique)
Kanazoe Orkestra: Miriya (Buda Musique)
Mulatu Astatke: Mulatu of Ethiopia (Strut)
Oumou Sangaré: Mogoya (No Format!)
Quantic/Nidia Gongora: Curao (Tru Thoughts)
Timbila & Chartwell Dutiro :  Sadza With the Head of A Mouse (Lion Songs)
Various: Afro Rap: L’Album  (Wagram Music)
Various: Putumayo Presents Cuba! Cuba! (Putumayo)