Ronnie Herel, handpicks a selection of critically praised albums and honours the great workmanship of all who were involved in its creation.  He delves into its history, its stand out tracks and unlike any other Radio DJ, plays the album, as it was made, start to finish, uninterrupted, along with gaps, crackles and pops…

Back in the day one of the things that ranked highly on any music fan’s to do list at the weekend was to head down to their local record shop. Some would know exactly what they were looking for but most would spend hours browsing through the shelves of vinyl until they were lost in a world that was so unbelievably diverse from their own.

Those were the days when you weren’t frightened out of the shop by a nonchalant assistant or asked if you needed help the minute you stepped through the door. It was when you’d have a chat with the guys in the shop, listen to stuff you haven’t heard, learn about new music, and reminisce about old classics.

We simply couldn’t wait to get home and pull out that perfectly rounded and shiny plastic disc, smell the print from the sleeve and carefully lay it out on your turntable for that first all-important play. The irreplaceable vinyl sound, the gaps, the crackles and the pops. This piece of music would now become part of you and your life as it slowly unfolds.

There are some albums that stay with you forever. You would know every musical lick, every breath and ad lib of the vocals and when one song finished, you would already know what song was coming next. It was listening medicine, from beginning to end.

Nowadays the listening choices we have are vast and this process is forgotten. When was the last time you pulled out one of those nostalgic albums and listened from start to finish? We want to take you back to a time when you bought an album and soaked up its beauty in its entirety.

Formed in 1999, Lucy Pearl was the brainchild of former Tony! Toni! Toné! member Raphael Saadiq, A Tribe Called Quest DJ and producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and D’Angelo. After D’Angelo backed out due to scheduling conflicts, Raphael came up with the idea of adding Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) to the group. They released their self-titled debut album Lucy Pearl in 2000.

After two singles, “Dance Tonight” and “Don’t Mess with My Man”, Dawn Robinson left and was replaced by Joi.

The group’s collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip (reuniting the former Quest rapper with Ali Shaheed Muhammad), You, also appeared on the movie soundtrack of Save The Last Dance.

They were nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group “Dance Tonight” Grammys, Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Lucy Pearl at The American Music Awards and

Best R&B/Soul Single and album at the Soul Train Music Awards.

LISTEN AGAIN…