erikb

Some initial soul tunes, moving on to reggae light and an ending with slightly more electronica.

Duffy - I was not that impressed by the album, but now - when some of the hype is gone - I kind of like it. Maybe it's because it is not like most other mainstream albums.
Coldcut - from 1993, that's 15 years now!
Beady Belle - I'm getting soft. Lizz Wright, Bedingfield and now this. I'm a sucker for vocals like this. They are from Norway btw. http://www.beadybelle.com/
Angela Johnson - quality soul all the way. See my comments on her album.
Frost & Wagner - a reggae/dub remix project. See the album page at Sonar Kollektiv.
Matinalsystem - great tunes, very addictive. And here's a chance to practice your Spanish skills. Or try the Google translation.
Portishead - a big comeback and quite a change in style. A lot harder than expected. Almost brutal. It is quite difficult to listen to softer music after playing their album. Will surely make it to the top10 of 2008.

MP3 sound bite (3.5MB)
20 seconds from each song. Cover shot: how boring... the ever-present latte. 7/10 points.