Behold Orpheus, the singing shepherd who braved the Underworld to bring back Eurydice. The only human to conquer death, this famous Thracian bard is the hero of the French cantatas that flourished between 1710 and 1730. They paint a picture of the faithful husband’s burning ardour and pleas, his hypnotic song that won over the King of Darkness, his furtive glance that would forever rob him of his beloved; these are miniature operas, their intense poignancy rendered by the chamber choir that magnificently envelops the singer. This fine team masterfully weaves a tapestry of emotions, the early gems of the Rocaille period, offering a sequel to the Coucher du Roi with which they gifted us two years ago. This truly is the spirit of Versailles.

"Release Me 2" is a compilation album of ten rare and previously unreleased recordings by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on August 6, 2021, it is a follow-up to her 2012 compilation "Release Me". The album debuted at #10 on the Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums Chart, selling 23,700 units (19.7k pure) in the United States and became the 3rd highest debut of the week. It also debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 units sold and became the third top-selling album of the week (second by a female artist). Streisand also re-entered Billboard's Artist 100 at #15. On Billboard's Top Current Albums Sales, the album debuted at #2, while on Billboard's Vinyl Album Chart, the album debuted at #5. Sales of "Release Me 2" extended Streisand's successful chart history in the U.S., making her the only woman with a Top-20 album in each decade since the 1960s.

The patronage of elite Highland pipers collapsed after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Worried that the classical music of the Gaels would fade away, the English-speaking gentry offered prize money for scientific notations. By 1797, Colin Campbell had written 377 pages in a unique notation based on the vocables of Hebridean ‘mouth music’, but – unintelligible to the judges in Edinburgh – Campbell’s extraordinary work of preservation has remained overlooked or misunderstood until now.

Poles apart? Ignacy Jan Paderewski is a familiar name, but the same can hardly be said of Jerzy Gablenz. Jonathan Plowright makes the strongest case possible for Gablenz’s piano concerto: a substantial work rich in melodic invention and thunderous pianism.

Not to be confused with the platinum-selling glam metal miscreants active in the late 1980s, the original Skid Row blazed a much overlooked trail some 20 years prior, as one of Ireland's earliest contributors to the hard rock field. Skid Row began to coalesce in Dublin, Ireland in October 1967, around vocalist Philip Lynott, bassist Brendan "Brush" Shiels, drummer Noel Bridgeman, and guitarist Bernard Cheevers, who would be replaced the following January by a 16-year-old prodigy hailing from Belfast, north of the border, named Gary Moore. The quartet threw itself into playing pubs and working men's clubs so as to develop their chops and repertoire, eventually recording a 1969 single for Irish label Songs Records entitled "New Places, Old Faces."

Composer and conductor, pianist and pedagogue: Aloys Schmitt was respected by his peers and largely forgotten by posterity. As so often in this series, the three works recorded here will have listeners questioning that posthumous neglect.

Mourning Widows was a musical project led by former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. The band was formed in 1997, and they released two albums during their career. Despite not being widely released in the United States, both albums were successful in Japan. Bettencourt formed the band after the moderate success of his 1996 solo album, Schizophonic. The band's sound went back to a funkier guitar-driven rock reminiscent of Extreme, while still having post-grunge and alternative influences. After the end of the Furnished Souls For Rent tour, in 2001, Nuno decided to dismiss the band and released a record as Population 1, mostly recorded by himself. That became the name of his new band too, which would later become DramaGods.

A prolific composer, respected and influential in his lifetime—the Romantic Piano Concerto again turns up trumps with three concertos by Carl Reinecke.

Klaus Mäkelä's auspicious first release as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris featuring two iconic works of the 20th century, opening a series of recordings of music written for the Ballet Russes, showcasing the unique sonority of this great orchestra.

Career spanning 3-CD David Crosby box spotlighting the 2x Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's solo stand-outs and classics with legendary groups including the Byrds, CSN, and CSNY! Plus one full disc of previously unreleased material. He's always received second billing to Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and once played third fiddle to Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark in the Byrds, but there is no doubt that David Crosby is one of the true originals of a folk-rock style that has paralleled his 40-year career, which is celebrated on this three-disc set of hits and near misses, demos, and outtakes. The first two CDs run chronologically, from the Byrds' "Eight Miles High" (which Crosby co-wrote) through his '70s and '80s solo records to "Through Here Quite Often," from his 2004 album with Graham Nash. Crosby was the draftsman of the transcendental harmonies that defined both of his bands, his plaintive vocals generally serving as a complement to the others'. But he takes the lead on this 52-song collection's greatest moments: his chilling falsetto on "Music Is Love" (from his 1971 debut solo release); a call out to his dying mother on "Carry Me" (1975's Wind on the Water, with Nash), and "Yvette in English," a 1993 collaboration with Joni Mitchell (Thousand Roads). Some selections swing and miss–"Hero," co-written with Phil Collins in 1993, and a few recorded in the late '90s with CPR, featuring his son James Raymond–but Voyage recuperates with disc three's 16 previously unreleased tracks. The jewel? "Cowboy Movie," a 10:57 opus from 1970 featuring both Neil Young and Jerry Garcia on lead guitar. –Scott Holter

Devin is definitely building a reputation for being one of the most uncompromising of artists, releasing music that is raw yet over-produced, simple but complex, easy to listen to but also bloody hard work! There is a bit more light on this album than on 'Physicist', but not much. Devin is still trying to change production as we know it, pushing Phil Spector into new avenues. The times when he allows the music to shine through and his vocals to be unfettered is so unusual as to cause an interesting effect, obviously why he chooses to do so. This is much more than just music; it is how the songs can be treated so that they sound very different to anything else around. Remember, this is a man who first found fame with Steve Vai, then moved onto Front Line Assembly and The Wildhearts before forming his own band Strapping Young Lad. He is well used to volume, and how to use aggression but here it is behind a gossamer wall that only lets slip when he wills it.

The phenomenally successful "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols", the only studio album by the English punk rock group Sex Pistols., released on 28 October 1977 by Virgin Records. At the time of its release, the band was already extremely controversial, having sworn on live TV, been fired from two record labels, and been banned from playing live in most parts of England. The album's title added to that controversy, with some people finding the word "bollocks" offensive. Many record stores refused to carry the album and some record charts refused to list the album, showing just a blank space instead.

2014 Japanese 17-track remastered audiophile CD album with K2HD coding. One more Japanese compilation by Victor Entertainment with songs from the Jet Records years, but this time you can also find a rare single B-side song in the tracklist, what definitely makes worth to have this new CD release. "Trust Your Lovin'" was originally released on "You" - the second G-Force single - in July 1980, and this is the first time that it is released on CD officially. The other songs are from the Jet albums "G-Force", "Dirty Fingers" and "Live At The Marquee". Fans and collectors already knew this song from the vinyl single or from bootleg compilations, but finally now it is available for everyone who would like to have the 'missing' G-Force recording. Although this quality Japanese import CD is not cheap, but definitely will be a nice addition to your Gary Moore collection.

A popular singer when she was still a young teenager, Alice Babs had a long and varied career. She made her recording debut in 1939 at the age of 15 and, although her yodeling made her initially popular and the novelty "Swing It, Mr. Teacher" was her first hit, Babs even at the start had a highly appealing voice and a lightly swinging style. She mostly recorded in jazz and swing-oriented settings throughout the years of World War II. Babs remained active throughout the 1950s and '60s in Europe, singing everything from jazz (recording with Duke Ellington in 1963 and performing the classic "Heaven" at his second spiritual concert) and pop to a bit of classical music. By the late '70s, Alice Babs had become less active, but into the mid-'90s she occasionally performed on special occasions. Her important first set with Duke Ellington, Swing It!, does a fine job of summing up her first 15 years on records. Babs suffered from Alzheimer's in her final years, and she died on February 11, 2014 of complications from the disease. She was 90 years old.

Il cantautore Simone Matteuzzi sin da subito attira l’attenzione del pubblico e della critica. Forse grazie alla sua sensibilità o all’ironia della sua penna arriva alla vittoria del contest Musicultura e tra i finalisti di Jazz the Future. Un progetto da scoprire a 360 gradi anche grazie alla pubblicazione del suo primo album, Invito per colazione.