Mama

This wonderful three-disc set brings together everything Willie Mae Thornton recorded for the folk music label in the mid-'70s. It's comprised of her two released albums from 1975, Jail and Sassy Mama, and a complete unreleased album, Big Mama Swings. Thornton was still in good voice on these sessions and while not as powerful as her Peacock sides, the production is solid and these recordings make an excellent addition to her scant discography.

A collaborative Afro-pop, funk, and soul-influenced outfit, Project Mama Earth features British vocalist Joss Stone, drummer Jonathan Joseph, guitarist Nitin Sawhney, Cameroon-born bassist/guitarist Etienne Mbappé, and keyboardist Jonathan Shorten. Formed in 2017, Project Mama Earth was initially inspired by Joseph's longstanding interest in incorporating funk and R&B grooves with the traditional Cameroonian rhythms of Mangambe and Bikutsi.