Norman Jay has done it again. Just as summer pokes its breezy, cruisy head around the corner, the man with the MBE releases yet another seminal classic compilation, packed with goodies from his back catalogues. How he manages to make a shortlist of tunes after squillions of years in the business is beyond me, but as always Jay has dug out several rarities to nestle alongside classics from the realms of hip hop, funk, reggae, drum n’ bass and soul. His motto, we’re assured, is to “make the obscure sound familiar and the popular sound cool”. I never thought I’d say this after I almost destroyed the previous releases out through overuse, but I would have to say that this double CD collection even usurps Good Times 5, the unofficial soundtrack to summer of a couple of years back.

This is dubbed as the official sound track to Jay’s festival circuit through the UK – Wakestock, The Big Chill, V Festival North and South – as well as to Jay’s own piece de resistance, the Notting Hill Carnival. If you can’t be there yourself, this has got to be the next best thing.

Disc one is laden with funky hip hop, accapella soul, tinkly jazz, delicious soulful house and quiet, noodling, relaxing sort of stuff. A surprisingly sweet vocal track from 4 Hero called Morning Child nods to years gone by, while Kick, Push from Lupe Fiasco is tightly delivered jazzy hip hop at its best (a ballad for skateboarding, no less). And a Perfect Kind of Love and Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I are two gorgeous tracks that sends the spirit straight off to Motown, while Grass is Greener from Modaji has to rate a mention for its lazy, swirly take on electronica.

On disc 2, Jay pays homage to husky-toned jazz great Nina Simone, who recently passed on to the big smoky lounge in the sky. Her take on the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun is a gorgeous slice of summer pop that sounds contemporary as ever and comes after a stunningly smooth slice of RnB from Bare Knuckle Soul, Just Right. An aural trip to the late 60s comes care of the 1969 soul-jazz classic, Morning Dew from Salena Jones and there’s another funky take on the world from Clyde McPhatter with Thank You Love. As usual, there’s a disco-flavoured classic to elevate the mood and this time it comes care of Eddie Holman and Time Will Tell. By the time the notes of the last track, Bringing Back the Good Times, have faded, you’re left clamoring for more.

What can I say? This is essential listening, a gob-smackingly good collection of tunes to keep things sunshine-sweet over the coming months. Three thumbs up!