Much of this is just standard pleasant Gilberto: offhand vocals and a sumptuous Brazil pop-cum-U.S. orchestration feel (Ron Carter and Toots Thielemans are among the sidemen). And some of the pop choices work well, particularly Tim Hardin's gorgeous "Misty Roses." No vocals or arrangements, however, could save the criminally wrong-headed military march of "A Banda (Parade)," or the exasperatingly coochie-coochie duet between Gilberto and her six-year-old son on the Lovin' Spoonful's "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice." Which makes it all the more surprising when the next and concluding track, "Nao Bate O Corocao," has Gilberto cutting loose with confident, sassy scats, as she rarely did before or since. The CD reissue improves matters by adding five bonus cuts from A Certain Smile a Certain Sadness, recorded in 1966 in more authentically bossa nova-style arrangements, anchored by organist Walter Wanderley.

The first album has gradually gained legendary status. All tracks were recorded live in the studio, resulting in a raw and unpolished sound. This album is a perfect example of raw-edged, largely instrumental progressive rock. Coming with original album sleeve cover art, informative booklet and bonus tracks, making up for more than 70s minutes of music.

2022 release. Radiance is the sixth studio album for the Dead Daisies who have gone from strength to strength over the last 10 years. Once again produced by Ben Grosse, the album features 10 standout songs that evoke an energy and shine not known since the golden age of hard rock in the 0s and early 80s. Carried by the muscular drumming of Brian Tichy, fueled by the riffage of David Lowy, refined by the power and glory of Doug Aldrich and brought home by the low end thump and high end wails of Glenn Hughes, it once again shows The Dead Daisies on true form. Put the record on and get lost in time - Radiance is truly here.

On his R&B-oriented records of the late '70s, George Duke often shared the lead vocals with such band members as Lynn Davis, Josie James, and Napoleon Brock, but none of them are employed on 1982's Dream On, which finds him handling most of the lead vocals himself. And that isn't a bad thing, because Duke is a soulful and charismatic singer - there is no reason why he shouldn't hog the microphone on his own albums. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of first-rate material to work with on this competent, if uneven and unfocused, LP. Dream On isn't a bad album; sleek R&B ballads like "I Will Always Be Your Friend," "Let Your Love Shine," and "You" are pleasant, but they aren't remarkable, and while Dream On simmers, it never burns and never explodes…

Five African-American kids from the Midwest, managed by their father, vault to stardom with hit after hit. Nope, it's not the Jacksons-it's the Five Stairsteps! Here are 17 of their best: 11 hits plus B-sides including O-o-h Child; World of Fantasy; Come Back; Something's Missing; Baby Make Me Feel So Good; We Must Be in Love , and more.

Maurice Starr's vision peaked with this second album by New Edition. They were now thoroughly Jackson 5 clones and were reaping similar commercial dividends thanks to the teen angst cuts "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man." They earned their first platinum album, one Top Ten hit and another Top 20 pop single (both songs topped the R&B charts) and were among the hottest acts in either pop or R&B during this stretch.

Ultimate Collection Review by Jose F. Promis
Creating a single-disc Ultimate Collection for a superstar like Liza Minnelli is a daunting task because to call any single-disc collection on this artist "ultimate" is misleading at best. There are way too many omissions, and pleasing the die-hard fans of the singer/actress with a single-disc set is close to impossible. That said, this collection will most likely please the casual and the curious. However, the folks at Hip-O succeed in assembling material from different eras and labels associated with Liza's career (and certainly provide informative liner notes), including a youthful and sweet "Try to Remember," which opens the album, and the wonderful 1989 Pet Shop Boys-produced dance hit "Losing My Mind," the album closer. Highlights in between include the rare "Come Saturday Morning" and "Simon," available for the first time on CD. Check out her smoldering versions of "The Look of Love," "MacArthur Park/Didn't We," "Come Rain or Come Shine," and "The Man I Love," the countrified signature hit "Maybe This Time," her electric, sassy rendition of "Love for Sale," and the amazing wallop of "The Singer." But why not a studio or film version of "Cabaret"? And the omissions – "Stepping Out," "A Quiet Thing," "A Matter of Time," nothing from Tropical Nights or Gently – all of this only illustrates that a two-disc set (at least) is needed to accurately represent Liza Minnelli's recording career.

The Cookies were an American R&B girl group active in two distinct lineups, the first from 1954 to 1958 which later became The Raelettes, and the second from 1961 to 1967. Several of the members of both lineups were members of the same family. Both lineups were most prominent as session singers and backing vocalists.

This CD from 2009 offers 75 minutes of intellectually stimulating electronic music. The focus of these compositions is CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) and their work with particle accelerators. Using crystalline electronics in conjunction with snappy e-perc, Seifert has done a superb job capturing the soul of these scientific apparatus. The tunes (each one dealing with different machines) evoke sophisticated equipment in tandem with mankind's thirst for quantum knowledge. The electronics are smooth and slick. Dreamy texturals establish lush backdrops that serve as platforms for electronics that glisten with chromium luster. Clever mechanical traces exist as auxiliary expressions amid an undulating bevy of very accessible melodies…

One of the many jazzmen who started out playing hard bop but went electric during the fusion era, Joe Sample was, in the late '50s, a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders along with trombonist Wayne Henderson, tenor saxman Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper. The Crusaders' debt to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers wasn't hard to miss - except that the L.A.-based unit had no trumpeter, and became known for its unique tenor/trombone front line. Sample, a hard-swinging player who could handle chordal and modal/scalar improvisation equally well, stuck to the acoustic piano during The Crusaders' early years - but would place greater emphasis on electric keyboards when the band turned to jazz-funk in the early '70s and dropped "Jazz" from its name.

Elle King can do many things, ranging from exuberant alternative/punk to soul pop. She’s also been a compelling presence in country music; winning both Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards and breaking the 30 year old, glass-ceiling record for women on the radio charts with the lead single “Drunk (And I Don’t Want To Go Home).” She’s collaborated with Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and been on tour with Chris Stapleton for the better part of 2022; it’s been an unbridled love fest with Nashville’s music community.

Wonderful sounds from Hubert Laws – and like some of his best CTI work of a few years before, a set that really goes way beyond any easy expectations! There's moments of ambition here that really link the record to Laws' CTI sides – that mix of fuller arrangements and higher-concept sounds that are a perfect fit for his careful tone on flute – sitting nicely alongside more easygoing fusion number that really flesh out the sound – some of those sparkling Columbia Records grooves from the start of the 80s that mix together acoustic and electric instrumentation! The album features Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano from Bobby Lyle, drums from Leon Ndugu Chancler, and bass from Nathan East – plus a bit of acoustic piano from Chick Corea, and guest vocals on one cut from Deborah Laws!

Powerful living music from Native women in the United States and Canada includes performances rarely heard beyond these artists’ communities. Ceremonial and social songs traditionally sung by women, other music now performed by women, and material that combines traditional and contemporary themes and musical forms. Thirty-four selections present a seamless range of solo, choral, and instrumental pieces, forming pulsating and driving music, the heart of Indian Country. "A majestic offering."

Film and orchestral music composer Eleni Karaindrou has made a beautiful and moving statement with THE WEEPING MEADOW. A native of Greece, Karaindrou's influences are decidedly European, and within the music, one can hear the stamp of impressionistic composers like Erik Satie, avant garde innovators like Bartok, as well as Greek and Balkan folk forms. Karaindrou's music also traffics in 20th-century minimalism, creating tense, atmospheric spaces that feel empty and dense at once (one of the composer's frequently used motifs involves "patterns" that recall the tingling, polyphonic gestures of Phillip Glass). Although several themes are reprised throughout the album, the combination of ambient textures, folk phrasing (accordions, guitars, and violins figure prominently into several pieces), and lush orchestral work keep the music consistently interesting. The pieces are often set in a minor key, so a somber, melancholic mood prevails yet never feels forced or melodramatic, and the spacious, tasteful arrangements are in keeping with the ECM aesthetic.

Continuing their globalising musical quest into 2017, Nomade Orquestra return with their second album EntreMundos set for heavyweight vinyl, CD and digital release on 23rd June 2017. Recorded at Red Bull Studios, Sao Paulo, EntreMundos is like a cosmic musical playground where Ethio-jazz, Indian classical and Oriental sounds dance around Afro-Brazilian roots rhythms and Northern hemisphere jazz, funk, soul, library music and hip-hop influences. The sheer vastness of the album is astounding, Nomade Orquestra have quite literally conquered the world in sound.