Joy Crookes review – an enthralling, intimate set from this rising London soul star
The twentysomething singer-songwriter brings classic Motown rhythms with a touch of hip-hop to a resounding set of anti-anxiety anthems
Lady Blackbird review – flamboyance and nuance from late-blossoming jazz-soul star
Behind the impressive Grace Jones-esque stage outfits, the US singer is blessed with both lung power and sensitivity
Teddy Swims: I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) review – retro soul with a retro lyrical attitude
The soft-alpha streaming sensation behind Lose Control returns with more of the same Motown and Stax pastiches, with the odd diversion into soft rock
Michael Kiwanuka: Small Changes review – an exquisite return
Five years on from his self-titled Mercury winner, the singer-songwriter scales things down to potent effect
Poppy Ajudha: Poppy review – frank lyrics elevate soulful, funky love songs
The singer-songwriter cycles through many moods, finding hope and complication in her search for love and meaning
Primal Scream: Come Ahead review – Bobby Gillespie’s most personal album yet
The frontman of the Scottish rockers contemplates mortality and more on an album with shades of 70s Philly soul
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80: Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) review – Fela’s legacy lives on
Executive producer Lenny Kravitz brings gloss to Kuti’s first album in six years, which keeps his father’s Afrobeat flame burning, with a funk twist
Lauryn Hill and Fugees review – embattled reunion tour turns out to be utterly thrilling
Beef with Pras means he’s not present at the co-headlining blowout, but the remaining duo are enjoyably ragged – and solo, Hill has an almost mythic power
Leon Bridges: Leon review – deliciously soulful confection with added country
(Columbia)The musician’s emotional fourth album borrows liberally from the past but the themes are modern and the sound utterly timeless
Hifi Sean & David McAlmont: Daylight review – the sound of a summer breeze
The duo’s latest album mixes 90s house, melodic trance and new wave, all the while spotlighting McAlmont’s heavenly vocals
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin review – a fire reignited
Baldwin’s stinging words on race and America are matched with the kind of musical eloquence that the great writer himself so admired
Chaka Khan review – queen of funk sounds as majestic as ever
The peerless 71-year-old opens this year’s Meltdown festival sounding very much like the Chaka Khan of the 70s and 80s used to, and performs 50 years’ worth of potent disco, soul and jazz classics with effortless vibrancy
A Song for You: Home review – soulful, spacious harmonies
The 50-strong Berlin-based ensemble showcases the power of many voices on a funk and gospel inflected debut
NxWorries: Why Lawd? review
The producer-singer duo’s sweet nostalgia-funk now has a sour vibe as .Paak switches between anger and self-pity
Dionne Warwick review – fascinating look back is a little short on songs
Talking through a brave career dating back six decades, the 83-year-old is singing much less, but when the hits come the magic is still there