Robyn and La Bagatelle Magique – Love Is Free (Konichiwa/Island)
Why you should listen: Robyn, keyboardist Markus Jägerstedt and DJ Christian Falk recorded this collection of thumping, pop-house tracks before Falk suddenly died of cancer in 2014, aged 52. The album retains its celebratory spark, even though it’s been released under difficult circumstances.
It might not be for you if … You’ve never been one for Robyn’s sugary-sweet voice and perennially upbeat instrumentation.
What we said: “There’s an irrepressible euphoria to the music throughout, best evidenced by house-influenced, floor-filling recent single Love Is Free”, wrote Phil Mongredien, in the Observer.
Score: 4/5
Vintage Trouble – 1 Hopeful Rd (Blue Note/Capitol)
Why you should listen: This LA four-piece sound like what may have happened if James Brown had fronted a cross between the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin – and when it works, their second album of classic soul-rock packs a punch.
It might not be for you if … You prefer to stick to the originals rather than listen to new bands opting for a so-called vintage sound.
What we said: “New ground is not being broken, but their passion and energy banishes any risk of Vintage Trouble sounding like a bar band,” wrote Dave Simpson, for the Guardian.
Score: 3/5
Drifter – Flow (Edition)
Why you should listen: Alexi Tuomarila’s lush jazz piano and Nicolas Kummert’s energetic saxophone hinge this collaborative effort of eight originals and one, perhaps unexpected, Sting adaptation.
It might not be for you if … You tend not to listen actively to contemporary jazz.
What we said: “Harmattan sounds like Thus Spake Zarathustra played by a band trying not to wake a baby; Breathing Out My Soul is 21st-century blues; and Tuomarila’s Vagabond has a quiet vivacity in its gently perky sax theme,” wrote John Fordham, in the Guardian.
Score: 4/5
Miles Davis – At Newport 1955-1975 (Columbia Legacy)
Why you should listen: Sit back and dive into more than four hours of supreme Davis, recorded live and ranging from ’Round Midnight, performed in 1955, to the mind-melding twists and turns of Bitches Brew.
It might not be for you if … You’ve always found Davis’s music inaccessible.
What we said: “Summer is traditionally the season for unearthing treasures from the jazz archives, and this is a real prize,” wrote Dave Gelly, in the Observer.
Score: 5/5
Various artists – The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cumbia (World Music Network)
Why you should listen: Cumbia, the hugely popular Latin American genre with Colombian roots, gets a psych revamp with mashups, dub mixes and covers from across the region.
It might not be for you if … You can’t find joy in the place where surf-guitar meets cumbia’s incessantly danceable rhythms.
What we said: “California’s Sonido de Frontera bring urgent beats, the UK’s Mad Professor drops a dub mix, Argentine’s La Yegros chats in a hip-hop style, and Colombia’s MAKU Sound System shimmer on the sultry Canto Negra. A wild ride,” wrote Neil Spencer, in the Observer.
Score: 4/5
Elsewhere, this was a fairly quiet week for rave reviews on our criticism pages. Looking beyond the albums we covered, which releases have you been enjoying or are looking forward to playing this week?
