JOHN LEGEND: Get Lifted

YOU know more about John Legend than you think. His music and talent are known and respected worldwide, having worked with the likes of Kanye West, Mary J Blige and Alicia Keys amongst others. With these accolades, his own album couldn't be anything but eagerly anticipated -- sure to be one of the great albums of our time. With Get Lifted, John demonstrates a rare ability to fuse the feel and vibe of classic old school soul music with the edgy flavour of 21st century hip-hop. While romantic themes of traditional R'n'B permeate the album, there's also a streetwise hipness and confidence comparable to Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

VARIOUS: Son Cubano NYC

NO-ONE can accuse Honest Jons, the label co-owned by Damon Albarn, of being anything less than courageously eclectic. In recent months they've released a string of diverse albums -- from vintage Southern soul to Jamaican dub. Now they're focusing on much-ignored Cuban music coming out of New York City during the '70s. This album demonstrates how, when Cuban music was transplanted to the US city, it took on a different flavour.

RAY CHARLES: Ray Soundtrack

RAY Charles revolutionised the face of popular music - from his early soul music defining singles, through to his groundbreaking soul-jazz recordings, to his bold forays of fusing gospel, country with blues and turning it into popular music. This soundtrack displays his definitive key works from his extensive catalogue, from I've Got A Woman -- his first No 1 hit in the US R'n'B chart-- to What I'd Say, the first R'n'B song to successfully cross over into the pop charts.