Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: On 'Heavennnnnn', Detroit vocalist and producer Deon Jamar evinces soul salacity like no other, following up his last Altars LP with a three-tracker of shimmering thymic neo soul, tempered by electronic smoothening and fine motor skills from recording to fine-tuning. Again released on the experimental and newly inaugural Black Music label - conceived as an "art exhibit, concert, and party series founded by Deon and Brian Oscar" - these are soul stopovers to contrast the earlier three-parter's drastic Detroit breakdowns. The title track has a Rhodes line to die for, its trembling amplitude constructively interfering with any sense of forestalled time we might've brought to the listening experience beforehand; 'Salvation Steps' and 'Little James Birthday' provide further versatility over understated percussions and G-funk slapping radio leakage. A promising continuation in sound by a label you'd best keep your eye on.

Review: In 1979, the Washington-based Janice Lakers Quintet recorded this fetching demo, beloved for its formal attending to the joy of making music together. With Lakers on vocals, Dick Cady on piano, Mike Edwards on woodwinds, Larry Turner on bass and Fred Taylor on drums, the group delivered two unique covers, each worked into their own signature style. Their take on Seawind's 'He Loves You' strips back the funk, replacing it with a light, effortless glide. Taylor's whisking drums and Turner's steady bassline lay an airy foundation, while Edwards' clarinet and Cady's piano inject bursts of energy mid-song. On the flip, 'Shaker Song' bridges Spyro Gyra's instrumental and Manhattan Transfer's later vocal version; richer in texture, it offered Lakers a chance to explore her vocal range, closing with lively scatting.

Review: Born and raised in Chicago, Durty Truth Records founder Darryn Jones delivers a couple of corkers for North-East England re-edit imprint Hot Biscuit Recordings. A-side 'In The Bush' is a thrillingly heavyweight jam - an Afro-funk meets Afro-disco version of a track made famous by US disco and boogie outfits, which Jones has expertly extended and rearranged in all the right places. B-side 'In The Know', meanwhile, is a take on a more classic-sounding slab of Afro-disco that boasts a superb "walking bassline", extended electric piano solos, sultry strings and a fine male lead vocal.