Much can be said about the late Amy Winehouse, one of the U.K.'s flagship vocalists during the 2000s. The British press and tabloids seemed to focus on her rowdy behavior, heavy consumption of alcohol, and tragic end, but fans and critics alike embraced her rugged charm, brash sense of humor, and distinctively soulful and jazzy vocals. Her platinum-selling breakthrough album, Frank (2003), elicited comparisons ranging from Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan to Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill. Interestingly enough, despite her strong accent and vernacular, one can often hear aspects of each of those singers' vocal repertoires in Winehouse's own voice. Nonetheless, her allure had always been her songwriting – almost always deeply personal but best known for its profanity and brutal candor.

New Orleans' Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews knows the music biz inside out. Hounded for years by friends and music business types to jump into the game, he understood the lessons of his lineage elders: too many had been been ripped off and discarded. He took his time, assembling, rehearsing, and touring Orleans Avenue, a band steeped in brass band history, jazz improv, funk, soul, rock, and hip hop. He finally signed to Verve Forecast and released Backatown in April of 2010. Entering at number one on the jazz charts, it stayed there for nine straight weeks, and was in the Top Ten for over six months. For True hits while Backatown is climbing again. Chock-full of cameos it is an extension, but sonically different. It's production is crisper, but the musical diversity more pushes further. In addition to trombone, Shorty plays trumpet, organ, piano, drums, synths, and, of course, sings…

Alicia Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, made a significant impact upon its release in the summer of 2001, catapulting the young singer/songwriter to the front of the neo-soul pack. Critics and audiences were captivated by a 19-year-old singer whose taste and influences ran back further than her years, encompassing everything from Prince to smooth '70s soul, even a little Billie Holiday. In retrospect, it was the idea of Alicia Keys that was as attractive as the record, since soul fans were hungering for a singer/songwriter who seemed part of the tradition without being as spacy as Macy Gray or as hippie mystic as Erykah Badu while being more reliable than Lauryn Hill. Keys was all that, and she had style to spare – elegant, sexy style accentuated by how she never oversang, giving the music a richer feel. It was rich enough to compensate for some thinness in the writing – though it was a big hit, "Fallin'" doesn't have much body to it – which is a testament to Keys' skills as a musician.

In the '70s and early '80s, ABBA was one of the groups that most rock critics loved to hate. How could ABBA's bubblegum Europop be so huge, critics wondered, at a time when challenging visionaries like Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and Lou Reed were making records? But music doesn't always have to be challenging, daring or provocative - it can simply entertain as long as it's well done - and time has been much kinder to the Swedish outfit than those '70s critics. Long after ABBA's 1983 breakup, their recordings continue to sell - and in the '90s and 2000s, ABBA covers have come from some unlikely places (including metal, industrial rock, techno and darkwave). This intriguing 2004 release finds Swedish trombonist/producer Nils Landgren putting a funk/neo-soul/hip-hop spin on ABBA's songs, which works surprisingly well in an R&B-oriented environment…

At last! - Liquid Spirits will release their new soul album Years in 2021. After their 2015 instrumental project, Evolution of the New Spirit, Liquid Spirits’ founders and producers Wiboud Burkens and Manuel Hugas started a collaboration with singer and songwriter Ivan Peroti. And working with Ivan’s soulful voice definitely brings all musical spirits to the next level! The new album evolved from the relentless quest to create unique and authentic songs; hand crafted by real musicians. Using modern techniques, they created 8 brand-new but analogue sounding, groovy tracks which ooze the love of soul classics and underground hip-hop and jazz vibes, graced by the warm vocals of Ivan Peroti.

‘So Far’ is the debut album from songwriter and vocalist Ego Ella May following her signing to Tru Thoughts last year. Hailing from South London, she has an all-encompassing love of music, which she channels into her own neo-soul and contemporary jazz compositions; “music is freeing, healing and all things good and I’m here for it”. Her incandescent sound has gained support from the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music) – who included Ego in his ‘School of 2019’ radio show, Mary Anne Hobbs (BBC 6Music), Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), Bradley Zero, Chris P Cuts and across Worldwide FM; alongside press accolades from FACT, The New York Times, DAZED, Noisey and Clash.

Darkness And Light is the fifth studio album from acclaimed, multi-platinum selling, Oscar, Golden Globe and 10x Grammy Award winning American singer/songwriter John Legend. It was released on December 2nd via Columbia Records as follow-up to 2013’s “Love In the Future.“ This new 12 song collection is produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes), and features multiple guest collaborations including Chance the Rapper, Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, and Miguel. The lead single and video from Darkness And Light, is the anthemic track, "Love Me Now," written and produced by John Legend with Blake Mills and John Ryan (One Direction).

'Black Radio' and 'Black Radio II' are landmark albums that have shaped the genres of jazz, hip hop and r&b for the past decade. Direct lines can be drawn to Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, and black music writ large. For 'Black Radio III', 4-time grammy winner Robert Glasper cements his legacy as producer, curator and cultural icon. These collaborations range from the most powerful voices in contemporary black music (Killer Mike, ty dolla $ign, D Smoke, PJ Morton) to the most important lyricists and performers of the past 30 years (Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Common, Gregory Porter, Musiq Soulchild, India.Arie). 'Black Radio III' is also a statement for these times. It is Glasper's most direct statement of the frustration and opportunity of a world disrupted by social change. It is at once beautiful, powerful and innovative.

There are clearly a few soul points of reference on Sweetest Thing, a ten-track album from Nova Scotia-born artist Katherine Penfold. There are notes of '90s neo-soul, the classic R&B of a couple decades prior and slices of funk and jazz sprinkled in between. Penfold's bright vocals have a clear quality and maintain integrity through the various vocal runs she lands over the course of the proceedings. Penfold has a hands-on approach to music making: she co-produced the project with David Sikula, literally built her recording studio from scratch and brings along the expertise of folks like soprano Amber Navran of Moonchild, and producers like Eye 3 Brandon and Chin Injeti to ensure a savoury feel to Sweetest Thing.