Here’s some stuff I really dig in a very loose list. I’ll try to leave out the really obvious stuff like D’angelo "Voodoo" and include ones that might have been forgotten about and all that:

• Afro-Cuban Allstars - the tune "Maria Caracoles"
• Ahmad Jamal - ANY album from 1950s, special fave tunes include Moonlight on Vermont, Poinciana, Old Devil Moon, Ahmad’s Blues, New Rhumba. Some of his later stuff is really good too.
• Alarm Will Sound - Acoustica - The music of Aphex Twin played with all acoustic instruments!
• Ani Difranco - Revelling; killer album that Shane Endsley plays trumpet on.
• Aretha Franklin - Amazing Grace album. heavy stuff, in a good way.
• Art Tatum playing Caravan on California Melodies. Jeebus!
• Bill Watrous and Carl Fontana - they did a great nerdy trombone album together. Good luck finding it.
• Bluchunks - Out of the Mouths of Babes; Still one of my favorite Bay Area band abums ever.
• Boban Markovic Orchestar - The Promise; Album from one of the Balkan area’s most popular brass bands. Incredible
• Boz Scaggs - "Lowdown" This tune has the vibe.
• Brand New Heavies - Brother Sister; One of the best albums from the 90s
• Ceelo - Anything he does is his own - make sure to check out his earlier work before Gnarles…
• Chaka Khan - Hard to go wrong with her stuff from the 70s (even the late 70/early 80s!)
• Common - Like Water For Chocolate; very good hip-hop album that seemed to start a movement
• The Cure - Head on the door; as I’ve said at some of our shows, literally the first cd I ever owned. The whole thing is super good.
• De La Soul - 3 feet high and rising; how many samples did they use? C’mon!
• Depeche Mode - Black Celebration; Pretty good album also one of the first I ever owned on CD. "Stripped" is my fave.
• Donny Hathaway - Everything Is Everything, Collection and live are three really amazing soul records everyone should have. The tunes "Misty, "I know it’s you" and his version of "What’s goin’ On" are ridiculous!
• Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping; ever heard the Harp (not the harmonica harp) played over jazz and funk beats?
• Dwele - Subject; "I get a kick out of you" YES people can still write amazing ballads that don’t sound recycled (Take that Brian Mcnight!)
• Esthero - Breath from Another; "Who’s That Girl" is the tune, don’t know why but it is.
• Fanfare Ciocarlia - Lag Bari; Another one of the Balkan region’s baddest brass bands.
• Fishbone - Truth and Soul, Reality of my sorroundings, give a monkey a brain are three of my fave albums of all time. Tunes include "everyday sunshine, Ma and Pa, bonin’ in th eboneyard, lemon merangue, change, Nasty Man, those days r gone, puring rain and also the tune "The Suffering" from later album "nutwerk" makes me happy.
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome to the Pleasuredome; I’ve probably listened to this record more than any other record I own, also one of the first Cds I had and had it on cassette before that!
• Graham Central Station - Now Do u want to Dance?; A hard to find best record that Larry Graham ever did features T.O.P. horns too.