Keith Hudson - Rasta Communication (Deluxe Edition) (Joint International/Greensleeves - 1978/2012)

VP Records just had the excellent idea of reissuing Keith Hudson masterpiece, Rasta Communication, in a deluxe edition full of excellent bonuses: you can find the original album , 12" mixes of Nah Skin Up, Felt We Felt The Strain, Bloody Eyes, the 7" version of Rasta Country and an extra CD with a dub version of the album. Rasta Communication was mixed by King Tubby so there are pretty good chances that the dub master himself was invested in the dub version of the album. With Rasta Communication, Keith Hudson was targeting Bob Marley's sales figures. He never achieved them but at least realized a perfect roots joint and and a true reggae heads favorite.

Allen Toussaint - The Lost Sessions (Fuel Records - 2011)

Forget Memphis, Muscle Shoals or Detroit: some of the best soul music recorded in the 60's was coming from New Orleans and was essentially due to the genius of one man: Allen Toussaint. When he went out of the military in 1965, he launched several record labels with the help of Marshall Sehorn, Sansu, Dessu and Tou-Sea while still recording for other labels like New York Amy Records. Then at the peak of his inspiration, he penned scorchers and hits for the likes of Aaron Neville (Hercules and its massive bassline), Lee Dorsey (Get Out Of My Life, Woman and its break sampled a thousand times) and less well known acts like Benny Spellman, The Rubaiyats (a band composed of himself and Willie Harper) or Willie West. Allen Toussaint is featured 3 times as well on this compilation with two excellent instrumentals, the Burt Bacarach sound alike Hands Christianderson and Gotta Travel On and with his own a rendition of the biggest hits he made for Lee Dorsey, Working In The Coal Mine. The trouble with The Lost Sessions is that any other music will sound lame once you listened to it. It's probably an after effect effect of the voodoo they put in their music.

 Download => Allen Toussaint - The Lost Sessions

Cal Tjader - Soul Burst (Verve - 1966)

Don't expect to rock any dancefloor with this album, despite its name. Like every Caj Tjader release of the 60's, Soul Burst is a sure shot but there is more jazz than soul in it, even if there is some of the usual Latin spices. Chick Corea came by to give a hand on piano. Cal Tjader penned the last song and picked  up in a rather large repertoire for the rest: Cuba (Descarga Cubana), Brazil (It Didn't End, a Joao Donato song), Latin jazz classics (Manteca), Broadway (The Bilbao Song, My Ship), the West Indies (Curaçao). Even if there is less to sample than on Agua Dulce, for example, it's still a good album to enjoy a fresh drink with a nice lady during a warm spring evening.

 Download => Cal Tjader - Soul Burst