There’s something about the contemporary english interpretation of jazz. People like Aaron Jerome, Quantic, Gilles Peterson and Dom Servini is pushing it from the couch towards the dancefloor in a way most people are probably not familiar with.

This is another great release on the amazingly consistent Wah Wah 45s record label. Two years after his debut single Adam Scrimshire finally released his debut album last year. I can’t think of one person I have played this for that did not ask for its name. More than one year after I first heard it, it is still on rotation. So it was about time I shared it with you here.

The opening bars of “The low road” slowly introduce the record with analogue sounds before the drums puts it its rightful tempo and make room for the vocals of Rob Hynd. Right from the start you appreciate the rich sounds and the balanced production.

“Springtime” is perhaps the most classic jazz number –  a delightfully light piece with Claire Lauren on vocals, before Rob Hynd is back with a slow and stripped down ballad – only backed by simple drums and guitar for most of the song. Norwegian Inga-Lill Aker supplies the vocals on one of the the finest tracks on the album – “Warm sound” and Stac (who recently released a brilliant debut album, produced by Scrimshire) has the pleasure of providing the lyrics on the final track.

Despite the vocal talents of his collaborators, the track that stands out for me is the instrumental ”All roads leads you home”. This is perhaps the biggest compliment to Scrimshire, as it underlines his strengths as a composer and producer. The song has been the soundtrack for those late night summer strolls the morning after the night before, when the sun is appearing and everyone seems to move slow. It is an instrumental track, yet a monumental track.

Scrimshire.com | WahWah45s | Amazon |

José James came to prominence when Gilles Peterson signed him to Brownswood Recordings a couple of years ago. His debut album, “The Dreamer“, has been one of my most frequently played records over the last two years, and I think it is now widely recognised for the great piece of music that it is. Finally, his new album, “Black Magic” is here.

His voice comes across as a modern Gil Scott-Heron, with influences ranging from Marvin Gaye to the unmistakable John Coltrane. ”Black magic” as José describes in the booklet, conveys a lot of meaning, from the roots of black music across genres with its emotional expression ranging from passionate uproar to the beauty of love.

The mission for José James is in his own words, “to create something classic, that is also relevant for todays people”. With “Black magic” he continues the journey he set out on “The Dreamer” this time drawing on a solid group of producers for assistance.

Not that he needed assistance, because one of the biggest strengths of the debut was the feel of the soundscape, the completeness of the production and how it perfectly arranged the vocals with the instruments, making it sound polished without loosing a live feel to it.

But the willingness to experiment and push himself further is a true feature of José James, and also one of the reasons he is such a good fit with Gilles Petersons Brownswood label. As label manager Emily says; “he has always been open and willing to work with different people and get completely out of his comfort zone. Not many vocalists of this sort of seriousness and pedigree can be found covering a dubstep classic, Mc-ing for Flying lotus at Brainfeeder events, having their vocals pitched up and twisted out by Basement Jaxx, or throwing down a rap for SOIL&”PIMP”’s ubercool trio side project J.A.M.”

The Productions by Flying Lotus Dj Mitsu the Beats, and Moodyman should increase his reach to further audiences without loosing his base. Of the producers, it is Flying Lotus that has the largest footprint on the record. Being involved from an early stage in the writing and recording process, his slow hip-hop grooves and atmospheric sounds is apparent on a number of tracks. Of his three  productions, “Code”, “Made for love” and “Blackmagic”, the latter is my favourite.

But the standout track for me is “Promise in love”. Produced by Dj Mitsu The Beats, the slow, warm beats and trumpet creates the perfect base to highlight José’s fantastic voice. Another great example is “Lay you down” – where bouncy and slow funk groove really accompany the vocal, this time with staying slightly more prominent in the soundscape.

“Touch”, “Save your love for me”, “The greater good”, “Beauty” and “No tellin’” is the tracks that mostly resembles the debut, whereas Moodyman develops the classic José James voice with a characteristic production on “Detroit Loveletter”. Worth mentioning is “Love conversation” the only track on the record with a vocal collaboration. The conversation with Jordana De Lovely is an example of how José also fits well with other artists in a more supporting role.

James has even adapted of Benga’s dubstep anthem “Emotions,” adding his own vocals and re-titling the track “Warrior” – after the title of Bengas album “Diary of an afro warrior”. The dark and slightly paranoid foundation of beats blends well with the smooth jazz piano and Josés vocals – taking it into a new exciting territory.

Again, if you haven’t checked out José James yet – you are in for a treat. The video is a great introduction.

Brownswood Recordings | Amazon | MySpace | Juno Download |

One of the most distinctive voices of Norway, Erlend Øye has a lot going for him. Whether is Dj’ing and releasing compilations on !K7, as The Whitest Boy Alive, solo albums or Kings of Convenience, Øye has tons of artistic integrity creating his own interpretations of influences while jumping easily through invisible but often defining genre boundaries.

The bands signature sound is defined by acoustic guitars, minimal and light percussion leading the lullaby melodies vocals to its rights. Erlend Øye leads the show, accompanied by Eirik Gambak Bøe. Combine that with thought through lyrics about daily concerns most can relate to and you have Kings of Convenience (or as they say; “music your parents can listen to too”). A well defined project that delivers what you expect and still leaves you with appreciation. The ability to create a rich soundscape based on minimal number of elements is quite mesmerizing, sounding effortless and improvised yet so structured and arranged down to every little detail.

Like the two previous albums, the cover artwork on “Declaration of dependence” is a good cue to the atmosphere. It also tells the history of how the record first came about, with Eirik and Erlend spending time on the same beach in Mexico where they did a gig. The duo had not worked together for more than two years and wasn’t sure if there would ever be another Kings of Convenience album, but the circumstances helped them find together yet again.

The album was pre-released to Spotify Premium members almost a month before its full release, and it it refreshing to se artists support new consumer friendly business models. Kudos.

MySpace | Amazon | Spotify |

It is finally here. The hugely anticipated debut album from Mayer Hawthorne and the County. The long player is definitively my number one record of 2009. “A strange arrangement” is packed with classic soul of the finest Motown vintage, only with the magnificent feat of being recorded today.

I first wrote about Mayer back in November last year and have recommended the first two singles – “Just ain’t gonna work out” and “Maybe so, maybe no” –  The first one catching everyones attention with its characteristic red heart-shaped 7″ vinyl. I still can’t speak highly enough of this artist.

Born Andrew Mayer Cohen, Mayer Hawthorne grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, and was raised on the rich soul and jazz history the region provided. Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes and others provided the inspired Hawthorne playing instruments from an early age, but he never intended to become a singer. He isn’t formally trained, and never went the traditional route of singing in the church choir. More than anything, it was hip-hop that brought him onto production and dj’ing and that put him in touch with Stones Throw head honcho Peanut Butter Wolf.

The stage name “Mayer Hawthorne” is a combination of Cohen’s real middle name (Mayer) and the name of the street he grew up on in Michigan (Hawthorne Rd). “Mayer Hawthorne and The County” is a name Cohen often uses when performing live or recording as Mayer Hawthorne with other artists. In Cohen’s words, “The County” is basically anyone who plays an instrument or sings on his album.

It is easy to brand the sound “neo-soul” or “retro”. Personally, I think timeless would be a better term. He pays homage to his musical roots, yet clearly establishes his own authentic and personal musical expression. In an interview with L.A. Weekly he recently expressed this intent – “I really wanted to make sure that I put my own stamp on it, and I moved the music forward, and I’m bringing it to a new generation of kids who didn’t grow up on that music, or missed out on it.”

“A strange arrangement” is packed with soul-gems, and it is the strength of the overall package that is most impressive. There are no fillers on the album, the singles are complemented with equally good hits such as personal favorites “The Ills”, “Make her mine”, “One track mind” and the title track. The heart-melting ballads about love won and lost blends well with more uptempo, horn and breaks fueled songs for the dancefloor. The distinctive elements of Motown, such as the orchestration, string and horn sections, tambourines, the interplay between the lead singer and his backing vocalists, and of course foot-slapping drum breaks are all vividly present and arranged perfectly by Hawthorne himself.

MySpace | Spotify | Amazon | iTunes | StonesThrow

I’ll start off by quoting King Britt, as I feel his words neatly express my initial reaction to the album one and a half year ago - ”Just when you think that real voices are gone and replaced by synthesized vocoders or perfectly melodined melodies, comes a real voice. A voice who’s texture, tone and timbre seem to trace the history of real jazz greats. A voice that when you hear it, you know that’s what defines the word voice. Ladies and Gents José James”.  

The soulful warmth and intimate presence is up there with the great Terry Callier, Jon Lucien and Gill Scott-Heron. That is no little feet for an artist that cites John Coltrane, Marvin Gay and Billie Holliday as his musical mentors. So who is José James? He is a talented Brooklyn based Irish/Panamanian jazz singer that blends the sounds of jazz and soul, without being trapped within any artificial genre boundaries. In addition to the debut album, José has also featured on music by artists such as Jazzanova, Flying Lotus, JAM, and Dj Mitsu the Beats and Nicola Conte. José sings as part of a basic quartet made up of him, Nori Ochiai on piano, Alexi David on bass and Steve Lyman on drums, but there are slight variations on different tracks. José produced and arrange most of the compositions himself.

There should be no surprise that José first was picked up by BBC music maestro Gilles Peterson. After establishing his Brownswood Recordings record label back in 2006 he have signed artists such as Ben Westbeech and Elan Mehler. The label was set up with the simple aim of releasing good new music, music with soul – no matter where it’s from or what the style. Easily a value proposition to my liking. Check out Gilles great podcasts (available for free through iTunes) for truly inspirational sessions with musicians or just listening to Gilles digging out music from his collection.

The album starts off with the title track “The Dreamer“. The sensual, powerful, yet subtle trumpet gets the mood just right before José’s warm and rich baritone voice enters the frame. “Velvet” and ”Blackeyed Susan” continues the innocent, sensual atmosphere. Loads of emotions expressed in an fragile and honest manner. Picking out favorites is easy on such a complete and accomplished album, yet I would dedicate a few extra words to his cover of Freestyle Fellowship‘s “Parkbench People”. It is accompanied by a great video shot by Josh Rothstein and filmed on location at a homeless shelter in New York.

“Spirits up Above” takes a slightly different angle, using the range of his voice with a more bouncy, tag-along jazz number to revise Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s little known but wonderful composition. The next track is another cover version – this time the theme song from Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have it - Bill Lee’s “Nola”. ”Red”, more than the other tracks on the album, pays homage to his hero Coltrane and is more live, experimental. 

“Winter wind” got that lovely acoustic piano accompanied with slow drums and a intimate presence before José’s lovely voice completes the romantisism with a story of lost love and loneliness, a theme that continues into the nostalgic “Desire”. Yet the two closing tracks are filled with a positive message. ”Love” ends the record on the sensual, spiritual note, with a drumbreak that ups the tempo and adds that little extra to the closing number.

The talents of José James should be apparent to every listener – he could easily be one of the greatest of his generation.

MySpace | Brownswood Recordings | Josejames.com |

Homecut is the brainchild of Hip-Hop MC/producer Testament. His lyricism, live instrumentation and mix of soul, hip-hop and experimentation recently came to my attention. Four years since the release of his debut single “Come the Revolution” (which I missed), the debut album ”No Freedom Without Sacrifice” just hit the market. 

I always love the sound of organic hiphop, and Homecut get the vibe you know from the soul and jazz orchestration in his productions, and he even performs live as a full seven-piece band.

The first single is “I don’t even know” using the wonderful vocal talents of fellow Leeds resident Corinne Bailey Rae (who also did the vocals on Amp Fiddlers excellent “If I don’t” – remember?) and Soweto Kinch. I love the easy jazz piano, and the sax and clarinets accompanying the slow, yet steady beat. The vocals blend in perfectly, not taking up too much space, yet having a prominent place in arrangement. 

But Homecut have ensembled a cast of contributors that reaches even further. J-Live (BBE), Andreya Triana (Flying Lotus, Bonobo), John Ellis (Cinematic Orchestra), kidkanevil (Stateless) and Ty (Mercury Music Prize Nominee) all play their part on the album. Other tracks that stand out are “Bring it all together”, “Not far to go”, “Breakdown” and “Innovators”. 

“Not far to go” is a varied, yet holistic album that is solidly placed in the UK sound, yet drawing on a wide range of genres. You can say what you want about british hip-hop, but I really respect how the scene has built its own original soundscape, not borrowing too much from the US as many other scenes inevitably do. 

MySpace | Soul Seduction | Play.com | Facebook | Fat City |

Being on MySpace is all about getting in touch with artists you love and connect with exiting new talent that escapes your radar. Some days ago, The Tones got in touch. The California Bay Area duo provides that soulful, organic and honest vibe that I love in hiphop.

Being compared to the likes of Blackstar, Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village and De La Soul isn’t too far off (I would add Kanye to that as well), but these guys are very much able to claim their own fame. The Tones are rapper and producer Retro, and rapper/singer Suhn. Since the group first formed in 2001, The Tones have toured with the likes of Common, Slum Village, Little Brother, Roots’ drummer QuestLove, and Dr. Cornell West to name a few. 

The five tracks on their MySpace site give you a good feel of the sound on “Dreamtalk”. Quality vocals and good production skills. I could have picked out specific tracks, but this is a really solid album – so I’ll let you choose your own favorites. The album is out on Kero One‘s label – Plug – and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you are in for a treat.

MySpace | Amazon | Plug Label |

I was recently reminded of this album when Dobie payed Gilles Peterson a visit in his Brownswood studio to do a podcast.

The debut album from Dobie originally dropped back in 1998, but was re-released in 2005. Most know from his exploits with legendary UK soul outfit Soul2Soul (who I saw live at the Lovebox festival), Dobie has done tons of great stuff through the years, his remixes being legendary. His remix of Bjork (which she re-did the vocals for) sounds fresh even today.

The album is a tale of two genres really – downtempo and dubby hiphop. There are a lot of good tracks on the album. “Coming up for air” is a perfectly orchestrated downtempo classic, where Dobie’s production and the vocal talents of Rassia melts together into a sweet summerly mood. “Way over” is down the same route only instrumental, and then there is the brilliant “Cloud 98 3/4″ where Ninety 9 provides the vocals. Massive tune. And dont miss out on “Lovesong” either, vocals by Helena Paul.

Juno Download | Last FM |

There is usually a few albums that stand out of the pile of records and end up being the soundtrack of the summer. Albums by Just Jack and Plantlife have previously created the perfect summer vibe for me. This year it will be Kero One. 

“Early believers” creates a joyful spirit of optimism. Hip-hop, jazz and soul perfectly blended together in well balanced arrangements, with strong lyrics sung by great vocalists such as personal favorites Ben Westbeech and Tuomo. 

The soundscape is truely organic – honest, personal stories accompanied by fender rhodes, beats, strings and acoustic guitars that gives the sound a live presence. You get that feel good vibe of an intimate concert for just you and your best friends barbecuing on a blanket in the park. My favorite is “When the sunshine comes” one of many examples of how Kero One captures this atmosphere.

“Early Believers” is the San Fransisco arists second album after “Windmills of the soul” (2005), a release that was successfull first in Japan. And if you are familiar with the new jazz and hip-hop coming from Japan you will easily understand why Kero One struck a chord with that audience. “Windmills of the soul”  gave him the opportunity to work with Talib Kweli and tour with KRS-One and EPMD.

A true DIY artist that have worked ever so hard to get the recognition his music deserves, both albums have been put out on his own Plug Label imprint. He has got his hands on most elements of the process, including vocals, production and instrumentation, art design, promotion, and web design. The DIY attitude and determination is expressed through the lyrics, exemplified in the words of “Keep Pushin” – And most these critics, That’s dissin’ or said I’m trippin’, Thank you for picking me up, I ain’t quitting or giving it up”. 

As Kero proudly proclaims he’s bringing “hiphop with a signature sound” yet  ” not saying I’m breaking ground”. Critics will point to the lack of hidden themes and literary mechanisms – but I think the straight forward, no nonsense storytelling is portrayed with real charm and character. No hard stereotypical hip-hop clichés about women, money and violence. 

Get yourself a copy!

Kero1.com | MySpace | YouTube | Amazon |

Once known as Platinum Pied Pipers, Waajeed and Saadiq reinvent themselves with more than a name change. On their second album for the magnificent Ubiquity label, the group delivers a contemporary twist of old Motown influences, creating a brilliant and distinct collection of funk and soul. 

While Detroit seems doomed in most of the media due to its dependence of its automobile industry, the motor town’s hip-hop scene has more positive vibes at the moment. 

Wajeed first started producing back in 2000, when he was given a broken piece of equipment by J Dilla, which he was told he could keep if he could fix it. Just years later, he released the seminal Platinum Pied Pipers debut album “Triple P” together with Saadiq back in 2005. The combination of funk, soul, and hiphop struck a chord with audiences worldwide and established the duo as sought after producers, while launching the career of vocalist Tiombe Lockhart. 

The first single, “On a cloud“, is a good starting point when getting to know this album. With organic drums, full band and powerful soul vocals – it could have come straight out of Brighton. Another song I love is “Pigeon hole”, a slow soul number that is perfect for those slow dances. To showcase the albums diversity, I would also like to pull out “Sanctuary”, a song that is along the same the same lines as 4 Hero, with lots of strings and slow beats. ”Abundance” a full package that is organic enough to feel spontaneous, yet sophisticated enough without loosing the over-produced. 

Vocalist Karma Stewart is a new acquaintance, and one I will be keeping tabs on in the time to come. Her vocals are all over this album, and along with Coultrain both vocalists sound truely at home in Wajeed and Saadiq’s productions. The duo has also returned the favor and produced her debut EP (Coultrain have written the lyrics). The 4-track CD was originally sold at PPP shows all across Europe last fall – but now Karma & PPP have decided to give the EP away for free as a preview of both Karma’s upcoming (you get some bonus material as well!).

Ubiquity | MySpace | Juno | Amazon |