Sean Escoffery – Soulonica (2003)

Masquerading as a full-length album, this album of seven songs (and remixes of five of them) presents the listener with Escoffery’s ample vocal talent, but not much else. The remixes are occasionally disjointed, lurching, and poorly crafted. A few really outstanding tracks make this marginal CD worth hearing once. Grade: C. AllMusic: Soulonica.

Jesse Rose presents More Than One (2006)

Jesse Rose launches the Front Room Recordings label with a compelling set of collaborations that run the gamut from acid house to downtempo to IDM to breakbeats. Solidly standing in several electronic subgenres, this record seems, at times, reminiscent of the late 90s, but delivers a nice collection of work. Grade: B+. eMusic: More Than […]

Sounds of Om, 3rd Edition (2002)

Kaskade puts together a compelling mix set for Om Records, that features some of deep house’s best artists — Johnny Fiasco, Soulstice, Rithma, Afro-Mystik, Andy Caldwell. The track selection is excellent, with several beautiful vocal tracks that will induce you to smile and get you excited for a hardwood dancefloor. Grade: A. AllMusic: Sounds of […]

John Howard – San Francisco Sessions 2 (2000)

John Howard, a well-known heavyweight in the San Francisco house scene, joins the Om lineup with this beautiful set of tribal house tracks from 2000. The choice of songs is great and flows well from one selection to the next. The jazzy, funky, organic sound is well-represented here. Grade: B. AllMusic: San Francisco Sessions, vol. […]

Diva Brazil (2005)

A multitude of artists contribute to this new CD that features bossa nova songs, both in English and Portuguese, that range from the traditional guitar-laden lushness for which the music is known to more danceable tracks, inspired by the clubs. Standout performances inspire smiles throughout this beautiful tropical set. Grade: A-. AllMusic: Diva Brazil.

Mark Farina – San Francisco Sessions (1999)

Mark Farina delivers a signature selection of San Francisco deep house music in this classic eight-year-old set from Om Records. Full of funky bass lines, compelling Latin and Brazilian rhythms, and solid dancefloor frenzy-inducing beats, this highlights the lush West Coast sound and is virtually required listening. Grade: A-. AllMusic: San Francisco Sessions.

House of Om: Groove Junkies (2005)

The Groove Junkies present a double-CD mix set on Om Records that offers up solid thumps pretty much the entire time. This selection of songs runs the gamut from Latin- and Brazilian-flavored house music to a long run of extremely churchy songs that started to make me cringe. Grade: C+. AllMusic: House of Om: Groove […]

Kaskade – Here and Now (2006)

Kaskade’s double CD set covers the breadth of the work that has made him one of the top billings on the Om label. His original compositions are standards of house music and this group of tracks delivers solid, if minimalist, songwriting. Excellent vocal performances round out this must-own album. Grade: B+. AllMusic: Here and Now.

House of Om: Colette & DJ Heather (2006)

This double-CD DJ set from two of Om’s shining jewels delivers an astonishing mix of banging house tracks, mostly in the Chicago style. Colette’s vocals on her CD are stellar, although she lost me on the Robert Palmer cover. DJ Heather brought the funk into her beautifully punchy set. Grade: A. AllMusic: House of Om: […]

Soulstice – Mixed Illusions (2001)

This CD of the remixes of Soulstice tracks is chock full of jazzy downtempo, breakbeat, and house tracks that feel like summer. The ethereal feel of many of the tracks makes this set an enjoyable listen. The vocal work is beautiful, and the production level of the remixes are stunning. Grade: B. AllMusic: Mixed Illusions.

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