Jamie Cullum - Momentum (2013)

by Matt Collar (AMG)

Britain's Jamie Cullum's sixth studio album, 2013's Momentum, finds the jazz-influenced singer/songwriter flexing his creative muscles on a stylistically varied set. Working with a variety of instruments from vintage keyboards to electronic samples and beats, Cullum clearly used this project to expand his sonic palette. Which isn't to say that the singer has completely abandoned his usual vocals-and-piano format. On the contrary, most of the songs here are still rooted in Cullum singing and accompanying himself on piano, with key instrumental flourishes and studio reworkings added as a means of highlighting his vocal melodies, most of which he wrote himself. Cullum displays his considerable gift for pop songcraft with particular skill on such songs as the bombastic "Edge of Something," the torchy '60s soul dance number "When I Get Famous," and the introspective, folk-inflected composition "Get a Hold of Yourself." 

S-Tone Inc. - Lost & Found (2013)

Lost & Found, is the sixth album by S-Tone Inc., four years after the previous “Moon In Libra”.

As the title suggests, S-Tone Inc takes us into a journey through a collection of new and old unreleased tracks, part of whom were produced during the last ten years and for several reasons were not included in the previous releases. 

Now, the "lost" tracks have been "found" and surprisingly still sound fresh and capture the real spirit of the best S-Tone Inc. productions. 

The new tracks show a new direction, more moody and intense. These songs are the output of the sound exploration carried on by Stefano Tirone during the last two years, an exploration that brought him close to nw genres such as ambient rock and acoustic soul. 

Jesse Futerman - Exquisite Basement (2013)

Jus LikeMusic Records present the third and final part of Jesse Futerman's free EP trilogy on the label in the form of; Exquisite Basement.

Following on from Super Basement and Fuse The Witches, the new EP, Exquisite Basement exudes a grown sound from Jesse Futerman. Commencing with the house-like 'Trouble Man' - a glimpse into his more uptempo material - the EP showcases that typical Futerman dusty, jazz breaks soulful sound, but with more body and soul than ever before.

    In his own words; "Exquisite Basement marks the final chapter in my free EP trilogy on Jus Like Music Records. Everything you hear, with the exception of Jon Foster's drums on the last song, is 100% samples - whether it be film, music or even some clips from old sci fi radio shows. Exquisite Basement marks not only the end of my free EPs, but also the end of my '100% downtempo' output. Look out for 'The Love I Lost' EP on Jus Like Music Records late 2013 on vinyl as it will showcase my new more 'uptempo' productions, as well continuing a similar downtempo style which is present on this ep. I hope you enjoy it."

Samuel Jon Samuelsson - 4 Hlidar (2013)

The Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band was originally formed in 2000 by Samúel for a set of live performances in Reykjavík. They play Samúels original funk/afro/jazz music. They released “Legoland” a live recording from their debut concert in 2000 that year and played at the Reykjavik Jazzfestival. in 2007 the band was reformed for a new record called Fnykur (old Icelandic word for something stinky, smelly or funky) featuring 10 tracks of original funk and groove music. Fnykur was released in Japan in 2008. Samuel has since 1998 been one of leading members of the Icelandic funk unit JAGÚAR. The group has released 5 albums toured trough Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Zwiss, UK and USA including gigs at Londons Jazzcafe and The Summerstages festival in New York. In 2004 the band opened up for James Brown in Reykjavik. Apart from working with Jaguar, Samuel has worked as an arranger and session man for various Icelandic artists such as Sigur Rós, Mugison, Reykjavík Big Band, Trabant, Mezzoforte, Tómas R. Einarsson and long list of local Icelandic act.

The Heliocentrics - 13 Degrees of Reality (2013)

The Heliocentrics’ debut album, ‘Out There’ (2007) was a confounding piece of work. Drawing equally from the funk universe of James Brown, the disorienting asymmetry of Sun Ra, the cinematic scope of Ennio Morricone, the sublime fusion of David Axelrod, Pierre Henry’s turned-on musique concrète, and Can’s beat-heavy Krautrock, ‘Out There’ pointed the way towards a brand new kind of psychedelia, one that could only come from a band of accomplished musicians who were also obsessive music fans.

Erik Truffaz Quartet: El Tiempo De La Revolución (2013)

 by Alyn Shipton

There was a generation or two of trumpeters who picked up ideas from the meteoric musical trajectory of Miles Davis and developed them after Miles himself had moved on.

Palle Mikkelborg and Enrico Rava are good examples, but the Swiss-born Frenchman Érik Truffaz is one of the most consistently creative. He just can’t help sounding beautiful and lyrical, whatever the setting.

A good example here is his work on the slightly grungy sound of vocalist Anna Aaron’s song Blue Movie, which has a delightful, whimsical trumpet solo with Harmon mute that could have sprung out of any Davis recording from the 50s or 60s.

The Sweet Vandals - After All (2013)

The explosion in the black music scene in Spain over the last few years is undeniable and THE SWEET VANDALS have been at the forefront of European soul and funk bands since they released their first album in 2007.  Starting in small clubs where they built up their sound the band has gone on to perform at top festivals such as Womad, Pori Jazz Festival and Blue Note. Other accolades include European tours, particularly popular in France and Germany, worldwide gigs and performances for the BBC and the legendary Rockplast TV show on Germany’s WDR. All this has helped the band earn their nickname as the hardest working band in Europe. After three albums with the Düsseldorf based label Unique they have decided to make the jump to their own label SWEET RECORDS.