New R&B / Hip Hop CDs

Despite what these people might tell you about Home Brew being burdens on society, or advocates for drug dependency, you gotta respect the integrity of their independence and the diligence of their work effort.. In the last year they've been involved in three 5 star releases (At Peace, Max Marx, ...

2011 Grammy nominated Janelle Monae has crept through the ranks of the music industry to become one of today's hottest artists, with celebrity fans such as Diddy, Prince, Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott all rejoicing in her eclectic style and mesmerising live performances. Janelle Monae is undoubte...

B.o.B releases his sophomore album, 'Strange Clouds', which features production from the likes of Dr. Luke, Jim Jonsin, Ryan Tedder, Salaam Remi and even B.o.B himself, with collaborations including Andre 3000 on "Play The Guitar", and Lil Wayne on the album's title track. 'Strange Clouds' is the...

Everyday I'm shufflin'... You know the song. LMFAO's massive single "Party Rock Anthem" features on their 'Sorry for Party Rocking' album. Also included are their other biggest hits "I'm in Miami B**tch" and "Champagne Showers". Expect excellent party anthems from these guys! This limited tour ...

The New York City trios sophomore album Diver is a sensual, bold electronic record, swimming ecstatically in the melodies of early 90′s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle. The trio, Callan Clendenin (vocals), Ben Steidel (synths, bass) and Alex Pasternak (drums, programming) r...

It’s pretty hard to walk your own path in rap music this late in the day, on his debut album, “[sic],” twenty one year old Elliott Egerton aka Bang On achieves just that. Slamming together a raw mix of contemporary sounds that he describes as “punk-donk-dub-hip-hop,” then colliding this with the me...

Spanning 41 tracks over almost 70 minutes, the hip hop collective lead by Trip Hoper Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame is joined by 7-Stu-7 and Katalyst on production duties and the Quakers’ roster reads like an underground rap dream team, comprising of just as many legends (Aloe Blacc, Dead Prez, Gui...

A new volume in Ace’s Songwriters series is always a cause for celebration, and all the more so when the writers concerned are Gerry Goffin and Carole King. No songwriters of the era articulated the emotions of adolescence and the pains of teen-dom with quite the same mix of innocence and sophist...

Cover Drive are a band on a mission to bring the sunshine and sounds of their native Barbados to the world. The young quartet has already ignited the UK charts twice. Debut single Lick Ya Down reached the Top 10 last year, while its fabulous follow-up Twilight shot straight to No.1 at the tail end o...

If you look up the expression 'Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse', there is surely to be a picture of Hollywood based rapper Mickey Avalon right next to it. Avalon’s life story plays out like an episode of VH1's ‘Behind The Music', marred by personal tragedy, triumphs and intense ...

Etta needs no introduction - she is one of America's finest voices, a household name and one of a few classic R&B/ Rock 'n' Roll female vocalists with a powerful, confident singing style, renowned for its perfect sense of timing. Most of the sides contained here were recorded in New Orleans or Lo...

Etta James recorded prolifically for over 50 years and first grabbed the spotlight as a teenager with her first recording, ‘Roll With Me Henry’. She went from strength to strength, cruising into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame early and winning her most recent Grammy in the 21st century. Inarguably ...

Nearly two years after Ace Records began the initial excavation of the Rick Hall’s FAME Studios tape vault, they continue to enthrall with more unreleased gems uncovered from this musical goldmine. The CD abounds with highlights. I’d like to give an especially big hand for Ralph “Soul” Jackson’s ...

The New York City trios sophomore album Diver is a sensual, bold electronic record, swimming ecstatically in the melodies of early 90′s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle. The trio, Callan Clendenin (vocals), Ben Steidel (synths, bass) and Alex Pasternak (drums, programming) r...

Following the release of his UK quadruple platinum-selling album The Defamation of Strickland Banks, the Brit Award-winning artist Plan B (AKA Ben Drew) has announced details of his forthcoming album ill Manors, which is set for release through Atlantic Records on Friday 11th May 2012. Produced b...

Spanning 41 tracks over almost 70 minutes, the hip hop collective lead by Trip Hoper Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame is joined by 7-Stu-7 and Katalyst on production duties and the Quakers’ roster reads like an underground rap dream team, comprising of just as many legends (Aloe Blacc, Dead Prez, Gui...