Amoeba Music

Long time fan of Hiatus Kaiyote. Their exquisite funk-soul sound blew me away from first listen a few years ago. Nai Palm's vocals are heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder and her deliverance in live performances always brings me to tears.

Choice Track: Muñekita (featuring JT of City Girls and El Alfa)

Choice Track: In Your Corner

Eddie Chacon's Sundown is the aural equivalent of that languid, magical final moment of the day when the world is bathed in golden light. Chacon and John Carroll Kirby teamed up in Ibiza to record the first half of the album, listening to Pharaoh Sander's "Greeting to Saud" as a daily ritual, and luxuriating in the natural beauty of the beach. The album feels fittingly woozy, sensual, and joyous, the songs harkening back to the golden age of funk and soul. Sundown is a dream for music fans, a showcase for the talents of these two artists, and an album that feels like a future classic.

Few recordings really capture the magic of the live experience. The applause sounds like it was pulled from a library of stock sounds, the energy between audience and performer feels depleted, if the listener even thinks of it all. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s The Daptone Super Soul Revue Live! At the Apollo. (You know if anyone was gonna do it right, it was gonna be Daptone!) Featuring dynamic, booty-shaking, foot-stomping performances from legendary Daptone artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Antibalas, The Budos Band, The Sugarman 3, and so many more, the album was recorded over three nights in 2014 in front of a sold out crowd at The World Famous Theater in Harlem, NY. High-energy emcee Binky Griptite anchors the proceedings, bringing the fervor and the fever pitch of those nights into your very own home. Turn it up loud and get down! This is what live recordings are meant to sound like.

Jhené Aiko's third studio album Chilombo ranges from soul-searching sweetness to slinky R&B to down-and-dirty swaggering, all of which works with her hushed, sensual voice. There are plenty of '90s throwback R&B vibes here with updated production. "Born Tired" is a gently uplifting track with a lovely melody and "None of Your Concern" is reminiscent of something by Toni Braxton or her contemporaries, but with less melodrama. Then there's the highly explicit -- but sweetly sung -- "P*$$Y FAIRY," which features a video full of Aaliyah-style dancing.