Acid Jazz Vinilo y CD

Review: The jazz and broken beat revival continues apace as we race through 2019, so original pioneers of the sound are rightly coming back into focus. Enter the Brand New Heavies, one of the key acts of the mid-eighties who sound as good on this brand new album as ever. It's littered with funk-licked pop, crystalline acid jazz and singalong songs that range from tender ballads to soaring soul. Angie Stone, Beverley Knight and other vocalists lend their tones along the way, but importantly TBNH is not a revival or self-satisfied celebration. Instead, it feels like a forward-looking and accomplished album that takes the band in subtle new directions.

Review: British soul singer Dee C Lee started her career singing backup for Wham and the Style Council, before embarking on a solo career that included an early release on Mo Wax. By the late 90s, she'd pretty much stepped back from music though - making this new album for Acid Jazz a genuine surprise (it's her first new release for over a quarter of a century). It's rather good, too, with Lee's sublime and emotion-rich vocals soaring above 'heritage soul' style tracks that variously offer nods to bossa-nova ('Don't Forget About Love'), disco/jazz-funk fusion ('Be There In The Morning', with its excellent horns and fluttering flutes), and Motown-style stompers (the uplifting excellence of 'Walk Away').

Review: .Argentina-based producer-musician Kevin Fingier has delivered a swathe of killer singles for Acid Jazz in recent years, though this is his first attempt at a "proper" album. As the title defiantly states, this is 'Not Strictly Soul', but rather a stylistic melting pot that not only joins the dots between Fingier's favourite sonic styles (think Northern Soul, deep funk, organ-powered Mod workouts, Latin soul and heavy rhythm & blues) but also rattles along at a furious pace. It's naturally nostalgic - Fingier's music has always been rooted in 1960s and '70s musical cultures - but also fresh enough to dispel thoughts of hollow pastiche. There are some killer cuts contained within, too, not least the infectious Latin soul hustle of 'Groovin' In Soho', sweet soul number 'Only For Me (featuring Jo Ann Hamilton)', and the percussion-rich, horn-heavy dancefloor heat of 'El Popcorn'.

Review: Inspired by David Hill and Nick Manasseh's work on the soundtrack to Idris Elba film Yardie, Soul Revivers' debut album On The Grove is a love letter to 60-plus years of reggae culture and its long connection with West London. Joined by a wealth of Jamaican stars and fast-rising British musicians, Hill and Manasseh explore the moodier side of reggae whilst doffing a cap to a multitude of historic variations. There's much to enjoy throughout, from the sub-heavy sweetness and hazy horns of 'Gone Are The Days'(featuring Alexia Coley), and the Clavinet-heavy, Wailers-esque shuffle of 'Look No Further' (featuring Ms Maurice), to the rocksteady revivalism of Ernest Ranglin hook-up 'Harder' (which boasts wonderful jazz guitar solos), and the dub-wise roots-reggae warmth of 'Got To Live' (with Earl 16).