There is a before and an after 1986 for Marcus Miller. That year, the bassist was 27 years old and composed and produced Miles Davis’ famous Tutu. Since then, the career of this four-string virtuoso has expanded with stunning albums for others (over 500!) and for himself (more than twenty), as well as multiple collaborations… Like often with Marcus Miller, the borders between jazz, funk, soul and blues are magnificently blurred. And it is once again the case with this Laid Black. After Afrodeezia, which he designed like a musical journey through his personal history, retracing the path of his ancestors, Laid Black falls within present time with a cocktail of all the urban sounds he loves: hip-hop, trap, soul, funk, R&B and, of course, jazz. In fact, this kind of 180° overview is the man’s trademark. Shuffling between various currents of African-American music. And even inserting a few clever references when he covers Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) popularised by Doris Day, but using Sly Stone’s arrangement from 1973 Fresh… For this 2018 opus, Marcus Miller has called upon a few sharp shooters such as Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, Take Six, Jonathan Butler and the young Belgian soul sister Selah Sue. Groove galore and precise yet never sickening pyrotechnics are at the core of an album that only its author knows how to make. © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz

The long-awaited collaboration between two icons, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, did something unique for the reputations of both. For Basie, the Sinatra connection inaugurated a period in the '60s when his band was more popular and better known than it ever was, even in the big-band era. For Sinatra, Basie meant liberation, producing perhaps the loosest, rhythmically free singing of his career. Propelled by the irresistible drums of Sonny Payne, Sinatra careens up to and around the tunes, reacting jauntily to the beat and encouraging Payne to swing even harder, which was exactly the way to interact with the Basie rhythm machine -- using his exquisite timing flawlessly. Also, the members of the Basie band play a more prominent role than usual on these two Sinatra records (originally released as Sinatra-Basie and It Might as Well Be Swing), with soloists like Frank Wess -- in some of the finest flute work of his life -- and tenors Frank Foster and Eric Dixon getting prominent solo opportunities on several of the tracks. The music was criticized by some as a letdown when it came out, probably because the charts of Neal Hefti and Quincy Jones rarely permit the band to roar, concentrating on use of subtlety and space. Yet its restraint has worn very well over the long haul. It doesn't beat you into submission, and the treatment of these standards is wonderfully playful.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

This first collection of Sinatra's singles and B-sides with Nelson Riddle is also the best one. The album kicks off with the irrepressible "I've Got the World on a String" and features such essential tracks as "South of the Border," "The Gal That Got Away," "Learnin' the Blues," and the movie themes "Three Coins in a Fountain," "Young at Heart," and "The Tender Trap." "Rain" and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" are dark ballads good enough to be on one of Sinatra's "wrist-slasher" LPs, and display a depth that many of his singles lack. The shimmering romantic ballad "My One and Only Love" is one of the few original Sinatra singles that instantly became a much-covered standard, though interestingly, the song isn't usually connected to him. However, this wouldn't be a Sinatra singles session if there weren't at least a couple of losers on the set, and "Love and Marriage" and "From Here to Eternity" are two well-sung numbers that don't deserve their continued popularity. This Is Sinatra! has been out of print for decades, but all of its tracks can be found on the excellent box set The Complete Capitol Singles Collection and various Capitol reissues.© Nick Dedina /TiVo

It might not truly seem too good to be true, but a collaborative album from Rick Ross and Meek Mill was just about unimaginable before the old associates squashed any remaining perception of a rift with the pugnacious if cool-headed "Shaq & Kobe." Although nothing else on Too Good to Be True touches that lead single, the LP follows through with a fan-pleasing array of tracks that alternate from unswervingly militant to elegantly soulful. Ross and Meek remain well-matched as partners -- the former's gravelly baritone complementing (and just as often complemented by) the latter's bug-eyed bulletins.© TiVo Staff /TiVo

Primal scream therapy is fine, but there are days when dropping trousers, turning up the rave music to a deafening levels, and spraying cake batter about the kitchen while screaming vulgarities in the Afrikaans language is the only solution. For those days, Die Antwoord's debut album $o$ was the lone available soundtrack, since their sophomore effort Ten$ion had dead spots where one might awaken from this beautiful nightmare and catch their shameful selves in the mirror, but happy mania days are here again on Donker Mag, so crack open some glow sticks and get that loincloth out of the dryer. Coming on strong with that quirky, kewpie doll hook from singer Yo-Landi Vi$$er and those wonderfully dumb, wonderfully wicked lyrics from rapper Ninja, the opening "Ugly Boy" is the first sign that the drugs are all good on the South African duo's/electro-freakshow's third album. The title of the following "Happy Go Sucky Fucky" confirms it, as the track's 2 Unlimited-meets-Ministry construction then underlines it. On the off-kilter dark carnival dubbed "Raging Zef Boner" Ninja barks "You can kiss my black ass" because this white man's rump is, undoubtedly, filthy. Grind time comes when the ludicrous "Rat Trap 666" suggests they've joined both the G-Unit and Three 6 Mafia cliques with lurching 808 drum machines and special guest DJ Muggs in tow, while the slick and sick ballad "Strunk" might be the duo's greatest conceptual moment, coming off as the Residents producing Janet Jackson and offering amorous couples a pillow talk number great for slithering off to the bedroom. Big boomy booty club tracks like "Pitbull Terrier" and "Cookie Thumper" can't lose in these acid calamity surroundings, while the skits and interludes broaden the Die Antwoord mythology, but feel free to enter here, as not understanding what "zef," "dwank," or any of this means is actually the key to becoming an Antwoord insider. As inspired, awful, and awesome as their debut, the only bummer about Donker Mag is that H.P. Lovecraft, H.R. Giger, and H.R. Pufnstuf didn't live long enough to hear it.© David Jeffries /TiVo

One of the most assured debut albums of the mid-'80s, and one of the finest pop-soul confections of all time, No Parlez was the record that, following from the stellar success of Paul Young's earliest hits, left him poised to dominate the remainder of the decade like no other vocalist could have. Three singles laid bare all that Young was so eminently capable of. "Wherever I Lay My Hat," a beautifully impassioned take on what was, in all fairness, never one of Marvin Gaye's greatest performances, left mouths hanging open in awe; a meaty revision of Nicky Thomas' "Love of the Common People" proved that the earlier performance was no fluke; and "Come Back and Stay" indicated that the boy wasn't only a great singer, he had access to some great originals as well. Add the idiosyncratic yowling of the so-evocatively-named Fabulous Wealthy Tarts backing singers, jabbing a wealth of seemingly meaningless refrains, yelps and cackles into the gaps around Young's own vocal and, before it was even on the racks, it was clear that No Parlez was going to be an invigorating ride. And still it was capable of shocks. The title track was borrowed from former Slapp Happy art rocker Anthony Moore's "Industrial Drums" (from his Only Choice album) -- scarcely the kind of role model that Young's apparent drive for pop superstardom normally looked towards, while Moore's erstwhile bandmate Dagmar Krause surfaced elsewhere, to layer mystifyingly Euro-flavored vocals over a deeply soulful version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Yes, that "Love Will Tear Us Apart," a song still so draped in the martyrdom of Ian Curtis that to even think of revising it was regarded as sacrilege in some quarters. Young did more than that, though, he reinvented it. As a whole, the album does not live up to its greatest moments -- once past that so-superlative "Love of the Common People," side two lags badly as it heads towards the nadir of the closing "Sex." Breathtakingly original in small doses, Laurie Latham's production (and the Wealthy Tarts' keening) both lose their appeal after a while. One cannot help, too, but wish that the regular single mixes of the hits had been replaced by the superlative 12" mixes that accompanied their original release -- "Come Back and Stay," in particular, is up there with any Soft Cell or Frankie extension in the annals of classic 12"s. But though it's not flawless, still No Parlez is fearless and, looking back over Young's entire career (so far), one can only wonder how it all went so wrong? He could have ruled the decade like no other Brit of his age. Instead, the back cover photo simply makes him look like the younger brother of one of the guys who beat him to it. And you can bet Robert Smith wasn't expecting that!© Dave Thompson /TiVo

Stacey Kent has an attractive voice and a lightly swinging style. For Love Is...The Tender Trap -- her debut as a leader -- she is joined by tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson (who recalls Scott Hamilton and Stan Getz in spots), guitarist Colin Oxley, pianist David Newton, bassist David Green, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. Kent uplifts each of the familiar tunes slightly but does not add much of herself to the material. Certainly these versions of "I Didn't Know About You," "Comes Love," "East of the Sun," and "They All Laughed" would not qualify as definitive, or dwarf one's memory of earlier renditions. But Stacey Kent has potential for the future once she grows a bit more. A pleasing if insubstantial effort.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

True fans of Ella Fitzgerald must be having a hard time trying to find storage space for the live albums of their idol, since there are so many of them. And yet, this one, completely new, is rather special as it proposes a concert offered in Hollywood’s Zardi’s Jazzland on 2nd February, 1956 - a few days before she recorded her first disc for Verve. Originally recorded by Norman Granz to celebrate this signature on his label, these two sets will in the end remain in the archives to the detriment of Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book, a studio disc that would launch her series of albums devoted to the songbooks of the great American authors… In this year 1956, Ella Fitzgerald is almost 40 already and is far from being unknown. But her transition from Decca to Verve would finally propel her into a completely new level of fame. We hear her here full of exuberance, joy and energy. Her voice is astoundingly fluid, and her sense of rhythm is difficult to surpass. And even when she forgets part of the text, the great entertainer that she is takes over and the adoration from the audience doesn’t waiver one bit. As for her repertoire, she makes the masterpieces her own, penned by Duke Ellington (In A Mellow Tone), Cole Porter (My Heart Belongs To Daddy), Jerome Kern (A Fine Romance) and the Gershwin brothers (S'Wonderful, I've Got a Crush On You). As for the disciples to this voice, we find the pianist Don Abney, bass player Vernon Alley and drummer Frank Capp - all impeccable bodyguards, even if later, musicians of a completely different level will assist the singer. It’s very touching to hear, in the first seconds of the disc, Norman Granz tell the Californian audience: “For me she’s the greatest there is: Miss Ella Fitzgerald!” © MZ/Qobuz

Having previously worked together on a handful of tracks, Young Thug and Chris Brown collaborate in a more extensive fashion with Slime & B, a free-spirited project designated as a commercial mixtape. Deliberately scattered with no two tracks sharing identical production credits, it also contains appearances from Bay Area legends Too $hort and E-40, as well as guest verses from the likes of Future, Gunna, and relative newcomers such as Lil Duke and Major Nine. Representative stand-out "Go Crazy" quickly amassed streams in the millions.© TiVo

An outstandingly interesting sophomore effort from British-Indian songstress Susheela Raman. Taking the term "eclectic" to levels only accessible in the world music markets, she heavily interweaves her original South Indian classical influences with Hindustani music, as well as adding some interesting fusions with other cultures. From place to place Tuvan hoomii drags itself in, in both the higher-pitched and lower-pitched forms, as well as some urtin duu to provide at times a drone, and at times a solo singer. Among the bass-heavy club grooves that show up, one can hear a little bit of light African-esque drumming. Concurrent with some electronically altered tabla vocals comes a dose of light flute looping. Throughout though, one constant is Raman's deep and sultry vocals. The album starts out with the title track that brings itself directly into comparison with the old Shirley Bassey-Bond themes (but with a quiet sitar in the background); and as the album moves on, it becomes somewhat more gentle, but keeps the sultriness in Raman's voice regardless. There's some light Spanish guitar in "Sarasa" to contrast with her sound, and later the guitars drop down an octave or two to match with her vocals and make for an extremely laid-back sound. Tablas and koras mix fluidly en route to the finished product. As an added surprise for the listeners, Tony Allen handles the drumming for a bit. Overall, it's a nice album; full of fusion surprises. Give it a listen if you're at all interested in the various world music scenes, or perhaps just as an interesting little bit of ambient music.© Adam Greenberg /TiVo

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With a sound dubbed "urban roots rock reggae," Morgan Heritage, a group which consists of the five children of reggae singer Denroy Morgan, faithfully carry the roots reggae torch. Boasting smooth harmonizing and hopeful messages, these singers present a convincing case for the power of simple reggae "riddims." The quintet's rootsy sound shines on the opening track, "Reggae Road," and on the pure vocals of "Freedom," but their youth and energy are also positively displayed with the song's "toasting" sequence. This is the album for reggae fans looking to capture the original reggae sound epitomized by Bob Marley, but with a contemporary twist.© Rosalind Cummings-Yeates /TiVo

There is a before and an after 1986 for Marcus Miller. That year, the bassist was 27 years old and composed and produced Miles Davis’ famous Tutu. Since then, the career of this four-string virtuoso has expanded with stunning albums for others (over 500!) and for himself (more than twenty), as well as multiple collaborations… Like often with Marcus Miller, the borders between jazz, funk, soul and blues are magnificently blurred. And it is once again the case with this Laid Black. After Afrodeezia, which he designed like a musical journey through his personal history, retracing the path of his ancestors, Laid Black falls within present time with a cocktail of all the urban sounds he loves: hip-hop, trap, soul, funk, R&B and, of course, jazz. In fact, this kind of 180° overview is the man’s trademark. Shuffling between various currents of African-American music. And even inserting a few clever references when he covers Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) popularised by Doris Day, but using Sly Stone’s arrangement from 1973 Fresh… For this 2018 opus, Marcus Miller has called upon a few sharp shooters such as Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, Take Six, Jonathan Butler and the young Belgian soul sister Selah Sue. Groove galore and precise yet never sickening pyrotechnics are at the core of an album that only its author knows how to make. © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz