Coming soon: Broken Beat/Nu Jazz/Nu Soul

Review: The latest release from London's Kokoroko expands their jazz-rooted palette into something looser, brighter and more groove-led. Still grounded in Afrobeat, the eleven tracks lean into British r&b, West African disco and lovers rock, with the band embracing richer synth work and electronic textures. Opener 'Never Lost' sets out the warm, melodic terrain, before 'Sweetie' flips into a lilting, drum-machine-led love song. 'Closer To Me' and 'My Father In Heaven' offer hazy, introspective turns, while 'Idea 5 (Call My Name)' featuring LULU and the Azekel-assisted 'Three Piece Suit' sharpen the edges with silky, syncopated swagger. The Demae-led 'Time & Time' draws on 80s soul and head-nod jazz, followed by 'Da Du Dah', a bubbling interlude. 'Together We Are' and 'Just Can't Wait' stretch into optimistic dancefloor territory, before 'Over/Reprise' ties it all back to the band's meditative core. Their second full-length, it feels freer and more collaborative, but still unmistakably them.

Review: Brownswood and Kokoroko link through local Brixton, delivering on Tuff Times Never Last, the jazz collective's newest LP. The 11-track LP is an uplifting exploration of life's dualities, weaving themes of community, sensuality, childhood, loss, and perseverance. The title draws from a viral meme of the same name, where co-bandleader Onome Edgeworth notes, "A lot of beauty comes out of difficulties". To have made one such collective mark on the London jazz circuit would definitely demand an appreciation of the fact of tough times going into developing one's skill as a performing musician; and yet the sentiment of temporary tuffness is matched by nostalgic summer memories of London evoked on the front cover, while the album's sound comes influenced by films like Crooklyn and The Wood, celebrating Black family and resilience, and incorporating British r&b, neo-soul, West African disco and electronic experimentation.