De La Soul

Almost 30 years after their debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, transformed the possibilities of a rap record, and nearly 12 years since their last LP, De La Soul are still ambitious outliers. Financed by a Kickstarter campaign, constructed over breaks and beats mined from more than 200 hours of jamming by a live band, and stuffed with guest stars (Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn, Jill Scott), And the Anonymous Nobody sometimes risks losing Posdnuos, Dave and Maseo in their own record. Tracks like the loopy "Snoopies" (with David Byrne) and old-school throwdown "Whoodeeni" (with 2 Chainz) are glorious bug-outs, but the urban cautionary tale "Greyhounds" (echoing Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City," with Usher on the hook) is a reminder that De La are often more powerful when they're less goofy – and that their greatest strength has always been not caring what hip-hop is supposed to sound like.

Crème de la Crème Two: More Philly Soul Classics & Rarities from the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Bros. Records 1970-1980 follows on its exemplary predecessor to further document the efforts of a major label conglomerate that throughout the decade rivaled Philadelphia International in terms of quantity and quality – the set digs even deeper than the first volume, assembling deep album cuts and unreleased tracks, but the music is no less impressive. Highlights include Major Harris' "Each Morning I Wake Up," Bettye Swann's "When the Game Is Played on You" and the Tom Moulton remix of Sister Sledge's "Mama Never Told Me."

Crème de la Crème: Philly Soul Classics and Rarities From the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco, & Warner Bros. Records 1972-1976 documents the best Philly soul singles from a label not really associated with its particular time and place, which is not to suggest that this material is remotely subpar – quite to the contrary, some of it ranks alongside the very best of acts like the O'Jays and the Spinners, even though virtually none of it came within miles of reaching the charts. Highlights include the Aristocrats' "Let's Get Together Now," Major Harris' "Loving You Is Mellow," Bettye Swann's "Kiss My Love Goodbye," Vivian Reed's "Save Your Love for Me," and Clyde Brown's "You Call Me Back."

Une histoire de la soul, passant en revue ses origines, les producteurs, les labels et les musiciens. …