When a rock ‘n roll band is fronted by an electrifying voice like Nikki Lamborn’s, when its songs are written by the gifted Catherine ‘Been’ Feeney, when its musicians are world class, it’s called Never The Bride… Never the Bride has released six studio albums to date. “Licensed To Bitch” is a Never The Bride’s album recorded in 1991 and remastered in 2013. Never the Bride is an English band, founded around 1991. Bristol-born vocalist Nikki Lamborn co-writes original songs with Catherine "Been" Feeney, who is the main composer, keyboard player, vocalist and occasional guitarist. Nikki and Catherine are the nucleus of the band, drawing additional members from an enviable pool of talented world-class musicians.

"Quest for the Stones" is the third studio album by British instrumental symph/prog band Yak. The music of Yak is instrumental, melodic and according to the reviews it is mostly being categorised in the genre of symphonic progressive rock. "For the uninitiated, the music of YAK harkens back to the golden age of 70s’ symphonic rock from pioneers like Camel and early Genesis; as well as the solo albums of Steve Hackett (which is amazing considering there is no guitarist). Martin emulates the emotional sustained guitar tones of artists like Steve Hackett and Andy Latimer beautifully. I needed to refer back to the CD sleeve to see if the line “Martin Morgan plays Fernandes guitars” was listed somewhere in the notes".

Honky Tonk Attitude is the third studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. Released in 1993, it features the singles "Honky Tonk Attitude", "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)", "John Deere Green", and "In My Own Backyard", which respectively reached #5, #3, #5, and #19 on the Hot Country Songs charts. The song "If I Had Any Pride Left at All" was later recorded by John Berry on his 1995 album Standing on the Edge, from which it was released as a single.

Giuseppe Giordani (1639–1703) and Alessandro Melani (1751–1798) were both extremely successful opera composers, but both were firmly in the service of the Catholic Church throughout their lives. With the works on this CD, soprano Katrin Küsswetter impressively demonstrates how transparent the boundaries were between secular and sacred music in the Baroque and early Classical periods. The sparse instrumentation provides the voice with plenty of creative freedom, which gives a good impres-sion of how this music may have sounded like in the composers' lifetimes.

Isabelle Faust and François-Xavier Roth explore here extremely contrasting facets of Stravinsky’s output for violin. From the Concerto to the Pastorale, the composer plays with codes and colours, sketching extraordinarily vivid soundscapes. Once again, the musicians of Les Siècles have succeeded in rediscovering the works’ original dynamic by using period instruments – and that changes everything!

François-Joseph Gossec, one of various musicians and composers from Wallonia - the French-speaking part of what is now known as Belgium - who settled in Paris. He was educated as a violinist and bass player in the orchestra of Le Riche de La Pouplinière, who for many years was the patron of Rameau. This had a lasting influence on his development as a composer as he came into contact with other composers and other styles. It was especially the performances of Johann Stamitz, one of the main representatives of the 'Mannheim school' which inspired him to compose symphonies. In 1769 he founded the concert society Concert des Amateurs whose orchestra was quite large in comparison to what was common at the time. In 1773 he took over the direction of the Concert Spirituel.

Heinrich Anton Hoffmann (1770-1842) was chamber musician at the Court of the Prince-Elector, the Archbishop of Mainz, and later violinist at the Stadttheater in Frankfurt. From 1801 until 1819, he rose from the rank of Corepetitor and Concert Master to Vice Director of Music and finally Director of Music and Co-director of Theatre. In 1821, Hoffmann took the titles of Vice Music Director and First Violinist. He retired in 1835. Among Hoffmann’s published works are six String Quartets, two Violin Concertos, a Concertante for two Violins, 12 Lieder with piano accompaniment and Duos for Violin and Violoncello which constitute one of the main focuses of his oeuvre.

After his highly variable Mahler cycle, it’s very good to be able to report that David Zinman is back in top form for Brahms. For the most part, these are splendid performances, beautifully played and recorded. The very opening of the First symphony sets the tone: rich, emphatic, but not exaggerated. Textures are clear, bass lines unusually audible. Zinman handles some of Brahms’ most intransigent bits of orchestration, such as the opening of the Third symphony, with its perpetually syncopated accompaniment, with effortless mastery. The inner movements of all four symphonies are without exception perfectly paced, including the slow movements of the Second and Fourth symphonies.

Three CD set featuring all of the recordings by progressive rock band High Tide. Featuring the albums 'sea shanties', 'high tide' and an additional cd of demos and studio out-takes recorded in 1969 and 1970. Formed in London in 1969, High Tide featured the intense guitar playing of Tony Hill (formerly with The Misunderstood), the violin and keyboard skills of Simon House, bassist Peter Pavli and drummer Roger Hadden. The band was managed by Clearwater, also home to Hawkwind, Skin Alley and Cochise and were signed to Liberty Records soon after their formation. Their debut album, the stunning 'Sea Shanties' was recorded at Olympic studios and some of the heaviest gothic psychedelic rock record ever recorded. Issued in a striking sleeve designed by artist Paul Whitehead, the album is now regarded as a true classic of the era. Their second album, 'High Tide', was recorded in 1970 and was another wonderful work.

Brenda Lee's 1964 release is the perfect pop/country Christmas album! You'll find some classics, some new tunes that are now classics all delivered in Brenda Lee style. This album was released when I was almost 2 and has been on turntable for Christmas ever since. Perfect blend for the season.

Since his 2009 return to regular recording after a ten-year hiatus, trumpeter Herb Alpert has stayed busy releasing albums, some with his wife, vocalist Lani Hall, and others, like 2015's Come Fly with Me, on his own. 80 years old at the time of this release, Alpert has gone from instrumental pop icon of the '60s and '70s to journeyman performer with decades of experience to draw from. Working with a bevy of longtime collaborators including his nephew, programmer Randy "Badazz" Alpert, bassist/guitarist/producer Hussain Jiffry, keyboardist/producer Bill Cantos, keyboardist/guitarist Jeff Lorber, Alpert has crafted a breezy, low-key collection of originals and cover tunes, that nonetheless retains all of the melodic, jazz-inflected style of his classic recordings…

The Comet is Coming returns with their second full length album on Impulse! Records. King Shabaka, Danalogue, and Betamax’s newest effort finds the Mercury Prize-nominated trio creating a musical landscape that is equally cerebral as it is physically enthralling. While containing elements of jazz throughout, this release leans further into heavy dance-hall themes, providing hypnotic, electronic soundscapes to dance to while keeping you intellectually stimulated.

British blues guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor comes off as a talented, if unfinished, young blues artist on her second album, Diamonds in the Dirt. Leading a quartet also including Steve Potts (drums), Dave Smith (bass), and Rick Steff (keyboards), Taylor turns in a set of original songs that serve as platforms for her electric lead work. The CD booklet prints all her lyrics, which she sings in a smoky, throaty alto, and the words turn out to be a succession of clichés, with a heavy emphasis on fire imagery, as titles like "Let It Burn" and "World on Fire" suggest. Bad behavior, bad luck, and bad love are alluded to, all of which are more than enough to justify the emotion Taylor expresses in her singing and the fervor with which she plays the guitar.

Dr. John's Voodoo-inspired Gri Gri sounds meet Fats Domino! American Roots music at it's uptown best! A blend of New Orleans-inspired original R&B, trad jazz and gospel performed by one of the East Coast's hardest-working bands.

BMA Winner for Best New Blues Artist 2012, Samantha Fish makes much of her growing maturity on her second solo album ‘Black Wind Howlin’. Given the wide variety of relationship songs and a mix of reflective and self confident narratives, it appears she’s taken stock and come out the other side with a clearer sense of who she is.