From the tell-all, autobiographical themes to the hypnotic beats, this album captures your attention from the first note and refuses to be ignored. “Afrodisiac,” Brandy: At this point, many of you will surely be saying: “Brandy came out with an album this year?” Her third disc, “Afrodisiac,” came and went faster than her faux marriage - a shame, because this disc, with major production work by Timbaland, was surely her best.

By the time the record ends, you’ll be wanting another ride.Ĩ. No spacecraft needed here, though, just dizzying guitar solos and a pulsating rhythm section. “Launchpad,” Particle: This jam band takes you on an intergalactic head trip with their trippy album. What she ends up with is an album that shows how universal music truly is.Ħ. But it’s not some hodgepodge attempt to cross over, and she doesn’t sacrifice her gorgeous, Latin-inflected melodies in the process. “One Blood: Una Sangre,” Lila Downs: Though she’s known as Mexico’s leading lady of song, Downs crafted an album that encompassed all different genres and worldly influences with her latest, from blues to even a little rap. The pressure-cooker “Growing Pains” and the sexy “Truth or Dare” are standouts on a stellar album.ĥ. “Rebel Soul Music” recalls the heavenly voice of Seal, the guitar-infused funk of Prince and the sexuality of D’Angelo, but it still sounds original (unlike a lot of neosoul artists, who seem to be borrowing too liberally from the past). “Rebel Soul Music,” Martin Luther: Like the black rock scene itself, Martin Luther - one of its most talented stars - has been producing sizzling music that’s gone pretty much unnoticed. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison/FILE) Eric Jamison / APĤ. ** FILE **Recording artist Kanye West performs at the 2004 World Music Awards at the Thomas and Mack Arena, in this Sept. Though the music definitely has that ’70s sound, it doesn’t sound dated - simply classic. Songs like “Sugar” will make you wanna dust off your old disco ball (or steal it from your mom’s closet), while “I Really Love You” will make you want to get down in a whole ’nother fashion. “Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings, 1976-1981,” Roy Ayers: This sweet collection of the jazzman’s lost recordings is a wonderfully orchestrated symphony of funk and soul.

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