New album: Emotionally powerful, muscular rock-country-soul by the Denver singer-songwriter and band has strong echoes of Hurricane-era, Dylan, northern soul, early Van Morrison, as well as with oodles of swagger, sweat, grit, slide guitar, meaty brass, screams and sorrow
Read moreCurtis Harding: If Words Were Flowers
New album: Classic high-quality 70s-style soul and gospel by the Atlanta singer on his third solo album, filled with beautiful instrumentation and packed with vocally strong emotions that seek the positive through dark times
Read moreLana Del Rey: Blue Banisters
New album: The American singer-songwriter returns with her eighth LP and second LP of the year with further slow, cinematic piano-based numbers filled with her soaring voice and vivid, heartbreak stories and images
Read moreJoy Crookes: Skin
New album: After three EPs, the 23-year-old south Londoner of Irish-Bangladeshi descent launches her debut LP with songs of high quality and consummate performance, joining the likes of Celeste and Arlo Parks as as likely huge soul stars
Read moreThe Allergies: Promised Land
New album: Upbeat, vibrant new LP of old-school-type hip hop mining vintage funk and soul samples with added guest rappers, skilfully put together by the Bristol pair of Roy Spencer aka DJ Moneyshot and producer Rackabeat aka Adam Volson
Read moreNAO: And Then Life Was Beautiful
New album: Sunnily uplifting and defiant in style and lyrics, this third album by the 33-year-old east London soul and R&B singer features guest co-vocalists, but with the exception of a real beauty with Lianne La Havas, shines out best on her own
Read moreJordan Rakei: What We Call Life
New album: A smooth, sophisticated silky and intimate fourth LP by the New Zealand-Australian multi-instrumentalist, high-voiced singer, producer, and songwriter that gradually moves from a soul and R&B to increasingly ethereal and experimental
Read moreLady Blackbird: Black Acid Soul
New album: Exquisite, slow, elegant jazz and soul in this beautiful debut by singer Marley Munroe, who has smoky power and control reminiscent of Nina Simone, in an 11-track album including seven covers, including, upright bass and Miles Davis’s pianist Deron Johnson
Read moreLittle Simz: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
New album: London’s Simbiatu Ajikawo returns with her fourth album, a triumph of intelligent, tough-attitude socio-political lyrics and charisma, backed with epic orchestral soundtrack with old friend and longtime producer Inflo Sault), hopefully to propel her into world stardom
Read moreDurand Jones and the Indications: Private Space
New album: Good vibes and upbeat sounds mark this third LP by the American funk and soul group fronted by Jones as well as the higher range of co-singer and drummer Aaron Frazer who collectively mix in 70s disco and pop
Read moreYola: Stand For Myself
New album: The title track was a splendid previous Song of the Day, and the rest of this second album by the equally stands up as excellent soul and funk by the singer and songwriter Yolanda Quartey from Bristol
Read moreLeon Bridges: Gold-Diggers Sound
New album: Delicate soul mixed with R&B, Afrobeat, late-night jazz and even a dash of country come in this third LP by the 32-year-old singer, songwriter and record producer, filled with heartbreak and hope stemming from events of the past year
Read morePrince: Welcome 2 America
New album: The third posthumous album since the Purple One’s untimely passing in 2016 stands out as the best for a long time, including when he was alive, packed with punchy funk, soul, and social commentary that echoes peak-period Curtis Mayfield
Read moreJoel Culpepper: Sgt Culpepper
New album: With an impressive, extraordinary vocal range, especially in falsetto, the south-east Londoner’s debut LP feels like an instant soul and funk classic, bulked great bass and brass, and shored up with a team of top-notch producers
Read moreShungudzo: I'm Not A Mother, But I Have Children
New album: An impassioned, political debut album by the Zimbabwean-American artist, activist former gymnast and soul singer touching on climate change to race issues to women’s rights, typified in first singe It’s a Good Day (To Fight The System)
Read moreCharlotte Day Wilson: ALPHA
New album: This serenely soulful debut by the Toronto singer-songwriter and producer is a slow, sensual, and mature, drawing on elements of gospel, folk, jazz and R&B, but is beautifully minimal and restrained
Read moreSault: Nine
New album: With limited availability, an excellent fifth album in two years by the collective headed by producer Inflo (Dean Josiah) centres around growing up in inner city London with a mix of old-school soul and African styles
Read moreThe Go! Team: Get Up Sequences Part One
New album: The Brighton sextet return with their sixth LP and their distinctive brand of joyous sound clash, syncopated big drums, female singing and rapping, flutes, glockenspiels, steel drums and the full kitchen sink
Read moreHiatus Kaiyote: Mood Valiant
New album: This wonderful third album by the Melbourne band is a free-flowing beauty - like a butterfly garden of jazz, soul as well as Brazilian influences from time spent with veteran composer Arthur Verocai and Amazonian indigenous Varinawa communities
Read moreDean Blunt: Black Metal 2
New album: This follow-up to the 2014 album by the East Londoner frontman of the mischievous alt-pop duo Hype Williams (named after the video director) is a bizarre, offbeat collection of 10 short songs mixing droll, deep-voiced delivery with a range of almost cinematic instrumentation
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