Heavenly Sweetness France 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Paris' Heavenly Sweetness label is rightly proud of this 30th volume in the Ethiopiques series. It's a cross-generational collaboration between legendary Ethiopian singer and keyboardist Girma Beyene - best known for his jazz work in the late 1960s - and contemporary Parisian band Akala Wube. Given that the latter is dedicated to creating music inspired by Ethiopian music of the '60s and '70s, it's little surprise to find that Mistakes On Purpose is a hugely enjoyable and authentic-sounding set (think funk, soul and jazz with an East African twist). To add an extra level of authenticity, Ethiopiques founder and East African music specialist Francis Falceto acted as producer.

Review: Released in 1974, during Strata East's golden era, Florida free drummer John formed his first pop-up troupe to record this one-off document. At points overwhelmingly funky (the seashore laps and waves of the sun-kissed "Ode To An Untitled Lady"), at others frenetic, chaotic and challenging (the time signature switches and spiralling horns on "Ra"), at others softly cinematic and dreamy (the abstract floatation sermon of the title track) Earth Blossom creates and exists in its own cosmos. As such, it is timeless and will remain contemporary sounding for many decades to come.

Review: Anthony Joseph's roots run deep in the Caribbean, and the Trinidad native's singular spoken word style is full of colour and energy, just like the islands he hails from. All the music on Caribbean Roots is essentially a form of funked-out free jazz, but the vocals on the likes of "The Kora" are as powerful and evocative as the music itself. But the madness doesn't end there by any stretch of the imagination - the Miles Davis like speed of "Drum Song" is like a call to the Gods, "Slinger" is a fast-paced afrofunk shuffle, and others like "Our History" offer a more soulful edge to this wonderfully contained pandemonium. Fantastic music.

Review: Since emerging on Blue Note almost 10 years ago Sly Johnson's one-man-band loopery, fiery soul and hip-hop sentimentality has gone from strength to strength. Sitting somewhere between Amp Fiddler, D'Angelo and Jamie Lidell, Mic Buddah is a late night trip around the finest soul moments of the last 40 years. "Nasty Girl" smacks of "Controversy"-era Prince, "Wet" is a smouldering, groaning slice of timeless R&B, "Good Morning" is a beautiful gospel construction laded with deep tenor loops while "Womenarium" fuses a Wonder-style jazziness with modern hip-hop. These highlights are just to start with... This is a hugely accomplished album.

Review: A decade of free-spirited jazz, soul, funk and all things in between, Parisian selectors Heavenly Sweetness bring together some of their favourite friends and most talented individuals for an all-out fusion session. Highlights include Anne Wirz's octave bending dulcets on "Mother Of The Future", the roaming trumpet and loose shuffle of Florian Pellissier Quintet's "Valse Pour Helene", Jacaranda Muse's barbed lament "September Sun" and the schoolyard sing-along hip-hop "Want It Back" from the hot-to-trot Guts. Here's to another 10 years...