By 1999, Crash Test Dummies probably figured they would never be hip in America, so they made partial concessions on Give Yourself a Hand. If you have trouble getting past Brad Roberts' awkward singing and writing, then maybe innovative breakbeats and arrangements might obscure them. The results are exactly what you'd expect – an instrumentally progressive pop album, completely neutralized by embarrassing lyrics and vocals. Give Yourself a Hand redefines the Dummies sound with lightly applied techno strokes, not far off from Everything But the Girl's classic Walking Wounded.

This new Traviata belongs near the top of the fine recorded versions of the opera despite a serious vocal problem in the middle. The great news is in the casting of the two lovers: Rolando Villazon's Alfredo is just about perfect. He sings with handsome, shaded tone, great attention to the text–his anger feels as real as his grief and passion–and absolute freedom throughout the range.

Fine Young Cannibals only released two albums, so it's slightly unusual that they even have a greatest-hits collection like Fine Young Cannibals Finest. After all, a dedicated fan will have both records, and casual fans will only want the singles on The Raw & the Cooked, thereby eliminating the audience for the collection.

Guitarist Nguyên Lê pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix by performing ten of the late rock innovator's songs on this 2002 CD. Lê plays in the tradition of Hendrix without directly copying him, being creative and stretching himself. There's plenty to be familiar with for Hendrix fans, but ultimately far more surprises.

Freak Out from Knittelfeld was formed in the late 1960s by Robert Musenbichler on guitar and vocals, Mike Gärtner on bass and occasional saxo­phone, and Karl-Michael "Charly" Dienes on drums. Their live LP was recorded in front of around 1000 people in the auditorium of the Klagenfurt Concert Hall, 24 April 1971. During the two-hour gig, they played mainly well-known cover versions from Santana, Blodwyn Pig, East of Eden, John Mayall, Spirit, Keef Hartley Band, Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, etc. Nine of these eighteen tracks were selected for the LP, which appeared with a circulation of a few hundred copies as "Life".

On his new album 'Inventions/Reinventions,' pianist-composer DanTepfer performs each of Bach's beloved 15 Two Part Inventions interleaved in chromatic sequence by 9 of his own free improvisations in the "missing" keys to create a new full, and fully transporting 24-key experience, a 55-minute mix of the timeless and the contemporary. 300 years ago in 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach initially composed his Two Part Inventions as keyboard exercises for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

Saxophonist Dave Liebman and pianist Richie Beirach present a 5CD box set: a true masterpiece. In duo, in individual performances on their instrument as well as in trio with world-class drummer Jack DeJohnette, the two protagonists captivate with fabulous improvisations. Empathy, as the album title suggests, is a harmonious balance of expansiveness and complexity, a series of sound worlds filled with clearly defined details, intimate moments of lightness and depth, surprises and sideshows, and plenty of space.

This 4 CD set brings together eight original albums from Ben Webster, on which he collaborates with a host of other Jazz Greats. Ideal as both a starting point for those new to Webster's work, and as a compilation more diverse in it's content than the more traditional anthology, this selection is certain to delight fans new and old of one of the greatest sax-players to have ever blown a note.

This debut album represents the rich history of the Sphinx Organization and the vibrant future of classical music by centering the artistry of extraordinary composers and artistic visionaries of color.

Stan Getz leads a piano-less quartet at the Salle Pleyel in 1966, with veteran drummer Roy Haynes and two talented musicians still in their twenties at the time, bassist Steve Swallow and vibraphonist Gary Burton. The tenor saxophonist's always-lush tone is beautifully complemented by his musicians' sensitive accompaniment, especially on the lovely ballad "When the World Was Young." Burton is doubly showcased by Getz in the vibraphonist's tricky "Singing Song" and also dazzling the audience with his already well-developed four-mallet technique in a show-stopping solo interpretation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Edelweiss" (from The Sound of Music). Getz doesn't disappoint his French audience's desire for bossa nova, beginning the set with a smooth rendition of "Manha de Carnaval"…

While he made many groundbreaking singles, Kurtis Blow was never a consistent album artist, making this best-of collection his definitive artistic statement. Throughout the early '80s, Blow helped define what rap could do, and these tracks confirm his status as one of hip-hop's legendary acts.

This installment of Dream Theater's "Lost Not Forgotten Archives" series documents the demos for "When Dream And Ay Unite" from 1987-1989. Instrumental and pre-production demos of what would later become the band's debut album. It also features 6 tracks the band recorded as a holiday gift to friends.

After his debut on the tiny Brut Records (a short-lived record label of the famous cologne company), Michael Franks established both his unique sound and a recording process he has continued throughout his career. Primarily a jazz artist, Franks crossed over to pop and rock fans through heavy FM airplay beginning with The Art of Tea. Sensually suggestive and playful tracks, such as "Popsicle Toes" and "Eggplant" contain sly wordplay and almost Henry Mancini-like, breezy jazz-pop. Employing a similar approach as Steely Dan did with its music, Franks' singing and songwriting formed the basis of a sound rooted in the support of top-notch musicians, many of whom were the hottest studio jazz players on the scene. Here, the killer rhythm section of drummer John Guerin and bassist Wilton Felder is augmented by horn pros Michael Brecker and David Sanborn, with Franks and Larry Carlton handling all the guitar work. This winning combination of players, styles, singing, and songwriting would be reshuffled and refined over the years, but perhaps with no finer results than on this official major label debut.