Stevie Wonder Flac Finale

The tragic death of 31-year-old Minnie Riperton in 1979 silenced one of soul music's most unique and unforgettable voices. Blessed with an angelic five-octave vocal range, she scored her greatest commercial success with the chart-topping pop ballad "Lovin' You." Riperton was born in Chicago on November 8, 1947. As a youth she studied music, drama, and dance at the city's Abraham Lincoln Center and later contemplated a career in opera. Her pop career began in 1961 when she joined a local group called the Gems, signing to the famed Chess label to release a handful of singles as well as lend backing vocals to acts including Fontella Bass, the Dells, and Etta James. After graduating high school, Riperton went to work at Chess as a receptionist. Following the Gems' dissolution, she also signed with the label as a solo act, releasing a single, "Lonely Girl," under the alias Andrea Davis.

With songs that fall exactly in between Michael Jackson's Off the Wall period and A Taste of Honey, Jamiroquai's Synkronized is a funk-disco inferno that is distinguished from its 1970s counterparts only by its 1990s production. It contains all the same ingredients: wah-wah guitar, electric piano, soft-sided strings oozing out melody, pot-bellied bass, and a blasted-out horn section that evokes images of three guys stepping in sync while their sequined flairs swipe over white patent-leather loafers. While the funk is steamy enough to flatten the tallest 'fro, Jay Kay's impeccable ability to emulate Stevie Wonder's vocals brings on the cool side.

In January 2015, Joe Bonamassa took the iconic Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall for the first time for a sold-out, two-night run that allowed him to fulfill his lifelong dream of performing in one of the world's most legendary venues. On October 2, 2015, Bonamassa will share this experience with fans and music lovers around the world when he releases Joe Bonamassa Live At Radio City Music Hall (J&R Adventures) as a CD/DVD set and CD/Blu-ray set…

On his fourth studio effort and first for Blue Note Records, 2017's Parking Lot Symphony, New Orleans singer, songwriter, and brass wizard Troy Andrews (aka Trombone Shorty) fully embraces the organic '70s-style R&B he’s heretofore only touched on. Ever since officially debuting in 2010 with Backatown, Andrews has moved ever closer to that '70s soul aesthetic with each subsequent album. Backatown even featured contributions from both Lenny Kravitz and legendary New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint. In fact, his previous effort, 2013's Say That to Say This, had a similarly old-school bent courtesy of neo-soul master and co-producer Raphael Saadiq. But for Parking Lot Symphony, Andrews dives into the sound full-force, paired with producer Chris Seefried (Fitz & the Tantrums, Haley Reinhart, Andra Day) on a set of songs that bring to mind the earthy, vinyl-laden vibe of '70s artists like New Orleans own the Meters..