The free annual album by independent UK label First Word Records never fails to unearth some musical gems from the worlds of jazz, neo soul and hip hop
Each year, First Word Records releases a free album to showcase artists signed, or linked, to the independent UK label — and each year boss Aly Gillani invariably unearths some overlooked gems from the genres of jazz, neo soul and hip hop.
This twelfth instalment doesn’t disappoint. Tracks that sparkle include the dulcet jazz of Prayers by Aussie bassist Ross McHenry and the superb neo soul remix of Sarah Williams White’s Hum.
Fans of the retro soul of Tony! Toni! Toné! or Raphael Saadiq will also adore No Sunshine Tomorrow by Manchester’s Children Of Zeus.
On this page are three highlights from the compilation that can be downloaded from First Word Records’ Bandcamp page.
Be sure to visit the label’s website here to catch up on what Aly and co. have in store for 2016.
Children Of Zeus’s No Sunshine Tomorrow
Ross McHenry’s Prayers