Originally released in 1994, the 1 disc compilation covered part of Moore's career during the years 1982-1994. Ballads and Blues reached #33 in the UK Album chart in 1994. This set now includes the accompanying VHS collection of promos and clips, available on DVD for the first time. Also included is the previously unreleased 20 minute interview with Gary Moore. Sleeve notes written by Classic Rock journalist - Geoff Barton. Geoff has written a personal tribute to Gary Moore. Includes tracks; Parisienne Walkways, which charted UK #8 and Empty Rooms which charted UK #23.

Ulisse was one of the first operas to be written for the public stage, not for royalty. Monteverdi was in his seventies when he wrote it, yet it is a work of intense and youthful passion, as well as wisdom. At nearly three hours (in this version, anyway), it demands a lot from its audience, and seeing it at home via DVD is a great way to make its acquaintance.
This production dates from 2000; this particular live performance was recorded in the fairly intimate Théâtre de Jeu de Palme in 2002. The production is simple but eloquent.

Tough and Tender was the first new studio for Piazza and the Mighty Flyers since 1992's Alphabet Blues. The kickoff track, "Power of the Blues," announces their triumphant return with a clarion call from Rod that "we've got the power of the blues." Piazza's harmonica is locked in sync with guitarist Rick "L.A. Holmes" Holmstrom's on the intro before Holmstrom whips off a slashing solo in the middle that recalls the phrasing of both T-Bone Walker and Pee Wee Crayton. Rod's solo on this opener is also textbook playing, full of taste, control and the deepest of tones. The title track is a new Piazza classic that illustrates the empathy between every player in the band with Honey Piazza's boogie-woogie piano soloing making an apt foil for Rod's chromatic harp work.

Although there are several other recordings of this set of “religious madrigals” (as Orlando di Lasso himself called these settings of texts by the Italian poet Luigi Tansillo), this one seems to most satisfyingly capture both the abundantly rich sonorities and the ardent and surprisingly consoling mood of Lasso’s music. Although the text concerns the apostle Peter’s remorse after denying his Lord three times–drawing its cue from the Biblical passage “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly”–it’s presented as a rather complex drama that dwells not on specifics of events but more on the psychological aspects of Peter’s situation, as he realizes the full depth of his betrayal and the reach of his Master’s love.

Lindsey Webster is the first vocalist to score 4 #1 Smooth Jazz radio hits in a row. She's been on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart for an amazing 120 weeks! A Woman Like Me, promises to be her breakout album. Highlights include the first single, "Feels Like Forever," the sensuous "Always Love Me," the soulful "The Unknown" and the spirited "One Step Forward," making A Woman Like Me must have album!

In the interim between 2018’s dark jazz-infused stunner Feast for Water and the recording of its follow-up, Close, Messa guitarist Alberto Piccolo taught himself how to play the oud. The fretless stringed instrument would end up playing a central role on the band’s new album, both for its sonic contributions and its ability to serve as a kind of totemic passport that allowed them to travel from their home in northern Italy to the Middle East (and beyond.) Messa are a doom band, nominally, but they’ve never been limited by the tropes of the genre. Every song on Close illustrates their exploratory spirit. “Hollow” and “Pilgrim” highlight Piccolo’s oud playing, which to these untrained ears sounds like the work of an old pro rather than a relative neophyte. “Suspended” opens with burbling Rhodes piano, while “Orphalese” leads with smoky saxophone—both holdovers from Feast for Water, both even richer in texture this time around. “Leffotrak” is a 45-second hardcore palate cleanser, nestled between two doom epics. Frontwoman Sara Bianchin is the album’s MVP. Her powerful voice is pliable enough to pair brilliantly with any stylistic detour her band cares to take, and it can accelerate from diaphanous whisper to booming roar in a split second—and back again. It’s the best vocal performance on a metal album so far this year.

Rich, full Naxos sound with high dynamic contrasts adds satisfying weight to David Lloyd-Jones’s taut and dramatic account of Elgar’s elaborate Shakespearean portrait. Speeds are often on the fast side, but idiomatically so, with a natural feeling for Elgarian rubato and spring rhythms. Both in Falstaff and in The Sanguine Fan, Lloyd-Jones draws fragmented structures warmly and persuasively together so that the late ballet-score emerges strongly, not just a trivial, occasional piece. The beautiful Elegy is most tenderly done, modest in length but no miniature. An outstanding bargain, competing with all premium-price rivals.

Fear of the Dawn is the fourth studio album from Jack White, founding member of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. True to his DIY roots, this record was recorded at White's Third Man Studio throughout 2021, mastered by Third Man Mastering, pressed to vinyl and cd at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records.

Sleepy LaBeef became the ultimate rockabilly survivor, his live performances retaining the same raw power as he approached his eighth decade that they had in the years when he was among the music's pioneers. He was raised on a melon farm and grew up hearing both country and blues music.

Vitamin takes on the brood and sway of Depeche Mode with this string quartet tribute, running through nine of the band's songs with the aid of violin, cello, acoustic bass, viola, and a bit of percussion. Like most string interpretations of pop music, the album can grow tedious over the long haul. However, there's plenty to like incrementally, especially for fans. Highlights include "Personal Jesus," with its hint of mouth percussion during the breakdown, and the violins aping the tradeoff vocals of "Master and Servant." There are a few glaring omissions – "Everything Counts" and "Policy of Truth" among them. Even still, Depeche Mode completists should get a kick out of the novelty and slight decadence of this collection.