Jacky Terrasson's 1999 album, What It Is, represented something of a risk. The young pianist's first three albums were barebones trio affairs that had won him rave reviews, whereas What It Is featured additional instruments and was more slickly produced. Gone, it seemed, was the sparse, acoustic approach that had originally given Terrasson his fame.
But while this new direction yielded mixed results and left some fans a bit befuddled, one had to respect Terrasson's need to grow and evolve as an artist.Terrasson does much better with his follow-up, A Paris, an homage to the city of his youth and early adulthood. While not a return to the simple piano trio format (there are five guest musicians in addition to two alternating rhythm sections), the album has a spontaneous, natural sound that was lacking from the studio-centric What It Is..

British hard rock supergroup Snakecharmer was formed in 2013 by former members of Whitesnake, Wishbone Ash, and Thunder, among others. Guitar wiz Micky Moody had enjoyed a long and storied career in blues-rock dating all the way back to his work with Tramline in the '60s. After his acrimonious departure from Whitesnake in 1983, he formed the Snakes and the Company of Snakes in a bid to re-create the original blues-rock sound of Whitesnake before they became a hair metal band. After a chance meeting with his old Whitesnake bandmate, bassist Neil Murray, the pair decided to make some music for old times' sake and set about putting a band together.

Rock Hard german edition! #402. Includes an exclusive SODOM "A Handful Of Bullets" CD with 5 songs.

Motörizer is the nineteenth studio album by the band Motörhead, released on 26 August 2008, their eleventh and last on the Steamhammer label.

John Surman is an exceptionally versatile musician and his instrumental prowess has been showcased in many contexts. Yet his solo albums may be the best sources for insights into his melodic imagination. If you want to understand the wellsprings of his creativity, the solo albums are the place to go.

If an artist is going to record a cover of a well-known song, it is important to bring something new and different to the tune. Otherwise, what's the point? Why try to provide a carbon copy of the song's original version when the original can still be heard? Thankfully, Molotov understands that, which is why Con Todo Respeto (With All Respect) is an interesting collection of covers instead of a forgettable one. The songs on this 2005 release – some of them from Latin music, some from English-language rock and pop – are familiar, but what Molotov does to them is not. The Beastie Boys' "Girls," Falco's "Rock Me, Amadeus," and the Misfits' "I Turned Into a Martian" successfully receive rock en español makeovers, as does Lipps, Inc.'s 1981 disco/dance-pop hit "Designer Music." This album's biggest surprise, however, is a Spanish-language update of Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Trio, the minimalists of Neue Deutsche Welle, have made far better pieces than DaDaDa. Some of these pieces, which underline the genius of this band, can be heard on this album. Very suitable for getting to know and love trio. One should not expect more, however, one should look for more extensive publications.

A new box set, collecting four albums released between 1983 and 1986, is a fascinating look at the early stages of an underrated UK post-punk act.

The title says it all - this is an absolutely dreamlike collection of tunes, both funky and straight ahead, written and performed by a masterful ivory tickler. After an illustrious career as mostly a sideman and/or musical director for R&B biggies like Anita Baker and Al Jarreau, this release established Lyle as a solo star, and rightfully so. Lyle's R&B background is more than apparent on the best of these eight cuts like Baker's "Been So Long," the funky "Loco-motion," and the airplay winner "Tropical."

An explosive late '70s set with underrated composer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Sam Rivers leading a strong quartet. While bassist and cellist Dave Holland and percussionist Thurman Barker merged to form a strong, challenging rhythm section, Rivers and Joe Daley, playing tuba and baritone horn, worked together to create instrumental dialogues in sequence. Their array of contrasting voicings, with Rivers on tenor and soprano sax and flute, makes for compelling listening.