Angela Bofill's 1983 albums, both released while the singer was with Arista, are combined on this reissue from David Nathan's soulmusic.com label. Too Tough, a number six Billboard R&B hit produced with Narada Michael Walden, is one of her best albums. It contains two of her bigger hits: the upbeat pop-funk title track and the quiet storm favorite "Tonight I Give In." Walden's once again prominent on Teaser, which wasn't nearly as major. Although it reached number 20 on the R&B chart, the material let her down. The most notable number is the ballad "I'm on Your Side."

An expressive and versatile vocalist, Carl Anderson worked in theatrical productions and recorded soul, pop, rock, and fusion dates. He was born in Lynchburg, VA, and moved to Washington in 1969. Anderson sang with the rock band Second Eagle before relocating to Los Angeles in the early '70s and joining Motown in 1971.

The Rippingtons’ Russ Freeman has always led a peripatetic existence, growing up in Nashville and living in L.A., Colorado and Florida, among other locales. His wanderlust is reflected in much of his group’s music (Life in the Tropics, Morocco, etc.). On Cote D’Azur, French, Latin, Gypsy and Euro rhythms mix and mesh to make what will surely stand as one of the freshest contemporary-jazz CDs of the year. In the group’s 25th year, the Rippingtons continue to be at the top of their game.

This Blue Note 80 Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Friday Music proudly presents for the first time on 180 Gram Translucent Blue & Green Swirl Audiophile Vinyl, the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Byrds’ "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo." Impeccably mastered by Joe Reagoso at Friday Music Studios & Capitol Mastering.

Mark–Almond were an English band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, who worked in the territory between rock and jazz. In 1970 Jon Mark and Johnny Almond formed Mark-Almond (also occasionally referred to as The Mark-Almond Band). The melancholy tones of saxophonist Almond were an integral part of the group's sound, and Almond frequently played flute as well, including the bass flute. Characterized by a blend of blues and jazz riffs, latin beats, and a mellow rock aesthetic, and in contrast to the heavier guitar-driven rock of his contemporaries, composer and band leader Mark worked at producing warm and melodic works.

With his third record, 2-time GRAMMY winner Derrick Hodge unleashes his freest work yet. Color of Noize — due out June 26 on Blue Note Records — is the band, the concept, and the album, and if that name evokes more questions than answers for you, then you’re reading it right. The title is perfectly wide-open and inquisitive for a composer, bandleader, and bassist (etc.) with Hodge’s history.

Larry Carlton may not have been issuing records in the United States with any regularity, but Sapphire Blue proves he hasn't been sitting on his hands, either. It's Carlton's first blues-oriented album in many years. Featuring a large band with a complete horn section, Reese Wynans on B-3, Matt Rollings on Rhodes piano, Terry McMillan on piano, and others, Carlton is in fine, even understated form here. This group plays like a band with a soloist at its center, not like a bunch of paid hacks backing up a guitar whiz.

Claudio Abbado was undeniably the supreme Mahler conductor of our time. With his Lucerne Festival Orchestra he has set new standards in the field of classical music, especially in the interpretation of works by Gustav Mahler. The core of the orchestra is provided by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, itself an élite body of players. Soloists like violinist Kolja Blacher, clarinettist Sabine Meyer, oboist Albrecht Mayer, violist Wolfram Christ, cellist Natalia Gutman, the Hagen Quartet and members of the Alban Berg Quartet to name just a few, make the Lucerne Festival Orchestra a star-studded ensemble.

This album is driven by Bramerie’s thumping bass and Agulhon’s pounding drums whilst Pédron plays his alto over the top of the rhythm section. Most of the The Cure’s most famous tracks are covered starting with The Forest and then moving onto In Your House which has some great backing vocals from guest Pourquery. The Caterpillar follows and then my own personal favourite Cure track In Between Days which is interpreted very differently here.

IIndonesian guitar legend, Dewa Budjana is offering his most ambitious album to date, "Zentuary." Supported by an all-star cast of enormous proportions - including jazz legend, Jack DeJohnette (over forty years on the ECM label), the iconic progressive bass and stickman, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel; King Crimson), and the extraordinary superstar sideman talents of Britain's Gary Husband (Allan Holdsworth; John McLaughlin) - Budjana offers a profusion of cross-cultural delicacies which tease, cajole, enthrall and, ultimately, satisfy listeners. Special guests include guitarist Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats; Steven Wilson, Tim Garland (Chick Corea; Bill Bruford) and Danny Markovich (Marbin). The music on this 2-CD set is a magnanimous affair, where its highly skilled participants are given ample space to create and express…