Roots Manuva

Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva returns with his fourth full album and the man's voice and musical vision sounds as fresh as ever on this marvellous, freewheeling summation of his career so far.

Smith's inspiration for the new record has come from looking back to his roots, the music that moved him even before he heard hip hop. "With this record I was trying to tune into that old Channel One, Studio One aesthetic. Lord knows what they were drinking, smoking or eating or what they were doing or what was on their mind but to me that was a special period in music. Today, with the technology that's available it's pretty easy to make generic music, music that sounds like everything else. But to tap into a unique aesthetic, to make a long player that is of its own world is a harder job. How do we make it have an individual sound?"

Manuva's own productions range from the skanking carnival anthem "Again & Again," through the melancholy funk of "C.R.U.F.F.," the electro-Bach rhythms of "Kick Up Ya Foot," the lof-fi Gospel of "A Man's Talk," the roots stylings of "The Show Must Go On" and the analog-synth attack of "It's Me Oh Lord." But as a vocalist, Roots has also been reinvigorated working with young producers Toddla T and Metronomy. There are three Toddla tracks here (including "Buff Nuff," the first single taken from the album) and they represent some of the funniest, most loose-limbed music Rodney has produced in years. In addition, Metronomy's "Let The Spirit" is one of the standouts of the record – a gorgeous piece of "blue-eyed" electro-funk which will be soundtracking our lives for a long time to come.

Jimmy Thackery

After more than thirty years, guitarist Jimmy Thackery has learned that the smartest career track is the one that tunes out all the distracting noises and follows the sound of his own muse. Although still a gritty hard-rocking blues guitarist when the occasion demands, he has spent recent years exploring some of the more nuanced corners of the American roots music spectrum. Inside Tracks leads to a place where country, R&B and even a touch of surf music all fit seamlessly with Thackery's trademark guitar blues.

Taj Mahal

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal, one of the most influential American blues and roots artists of the past half-century, has forged a four-decade career by gathering and distilling countless musical traditions from a range of geographical and cultural sources. This twelve-track set - his first U.S. release in five years - marks the fortieth anniversary of Taj's rich and varied recording career by mixing original material with chestnuts from vintage sources and newcomers alike. Guests on this anniversary gala include Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Angelique Kidjo, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley and others - many of whom have been directly influenced by Taj's music and guidance.