New releases last two weeks: Classics/Ska

Review: Junior Dell & The D Lites so often and so brilliantly work together and this is another fin example of it. Red hot vibes and sunny soul flow freely throughout the airy and breezy 'Watch That Girl (Little Fatty Boom Boom)', which muses on a passing beauty with a lovely behind. It's a single bursting with catchy hooks and tight rhythms topped by Junior Dell's charismatic vocals and all coated in nice authentic lo-fi fuzz and analogue warmth. The Woodfield Rd Allstars provide a Hammond organ-laced groove with brighter melodies and still lush, dynamic instrumental backdrops that elevate the song's lively edge.

Review: One of Bob Marley's most acclaimed LPs on reissue here, and it's an album that overflows with funk, poise, and defiant overtones. Marley recorded the album in 1977 after surviving an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica. Following the attack, he left the country and relocated to London, and it's here that the collection was captured. At times a commentary on the political violence that blighted Jamaica during the era, other times joyful celebration, the music is some of the reggae icon's most potent. The hypnotic groove and chanted vocals of the title track are an obvious standout, as are the feel-good flex of 'Jammin' and the heartfelt vulnerability of 'Is This Love'. Presented as a double pack, all the music gets the groove spacing it so richly deserves.

Review: Who doesn't love a bit of sophisticated soul? We certainly do and it's always good to hear some reworks of the soul great's finest cuts for the dancefloor. And that's what we have here on a new 7" that opens with a disco version of 'Nothing Can Come Between Us' and doesn't go hard, instead building in some gentle drums and lo-fi melodies, swooning vocals and a mystical late night sense of romance. On the flip, we get a lovers rock version of 'Cherish The Day' which adds plenty of lovely guitar lines to bring that island vibe while the shuffling drums lock you in gently.