Jorge Ben - Alô Alô, Como Vai ? (Som Livre - 1980)

Jorge Ben is my favorite Brazilian singer and musician. His mix of samba, pop, soul and, here, disco funk is unique and belongs only to himself. His songs are so good and catchy you can't help but hum them all day long. Like a Brazilian Stevie Wonder, he churned out masterpieces after masterpieces in the 70's and at the beginning of the 80's, releasing at least one album a year. The most surprising is that the guy was nerver properly distributed in Europe and his discography was erratically released. The names of the albums were changed, the covers as well and it is quite difficult to find his records, even in CD. I don't know if Alô Alô, Como Vai ? was even released somewhere in vinyl. I finally found it thanks to the CD reedition made by a Spanish bargain label, Discmedi. Alô Alô, Como Vai ? is maybe  not Jorge Ben most famous  and laudated LP but there are plenty of nice breaks and floor fillers in it. It's definitely worth a listen.

 Download => Jorge Ben - Alô Alô, Como Vai ?

Lee Hazlewood - The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides (1968-71) (Light In The Attic - 2012)

LHI stands for Lee Hazlewood Industries. The label was created by the singer in 1967 to support his own releases and a few others. IN 1971, the adventure was over. This compilation focuses on the sides released by Lee during this three years ventures as singles or on the albums The Bed, Cowboy In Sweden, Requiem For An Almost Lady and The Cowboy & The Lady. You can find as well a previously unreleased song, I Just Learn To Run. For those who still doubted, those 17 magnificent songs, between luxuriant country and magnificately crafted and orchestrated pop, prove that Lee Hazlewood was one of the brightest composer and musician of the era. The record cover is brilliant and sums up perfectly what's inside. One of the best new record I bought this year.

 Download => Lee Hazlewood - The LHI Years

Star Band De Dakar - Star 70s (Frochot Music Cantos/Bellot Records) - 2010)

The Star Band was created by Ibra Kassé in the 60's as an house band for his club, the Miami, set in Dakar, the capital of the then newly independent Senegal. The orchestra was  playing latin music (cha-chas, pachangas, merengués or rumba) for the youth of Dakar elite. The Star Band will nurture Senegalese greatest musicians (Pape Seck, Balla Sidibé, Youssou N'Dour, Pape Fall, Laba Sosseh, etc.) before they leave  to create their own orchestra. That in the star band that Pape Seck will mix latin music with sabar drums and m'balax rythms, signing in Wolof as well as in Spanish, giving birth to Afro-feeling and M'balax.This compilation features tracks recorded between 1975 and 1979 just before The Star Band De Dakar definitely disbands. I don't know if their best titles are featured here, as I am not a specialist of African music, but this record is refreshing, excellent and a good way to discover this great band.

 Download => Star Band De Dakar - Star 70s