George Duke says he “stretched a little more into the funk area on this one because I had so many people ask me to.” Think he’s kidding? The first half of Is Love Enough?, which is much more like his previous Warner Bros. albums Snapshot and Illusions than last year’s Muir Woods Suite, is heavy on the funk and slow jams.

"A Brazilian Love Affair" is a labor of love, something I have believed in for a long time but have not had the means to bring to life until now. It is not a pure Brazilian recording bur rather a blend of Brazilian musical concepts with the diverse musical ideas of my mind. For most of the selections, I have intermixed Brazilian artists with American artists to archieve a true fusion of the styles. ~ George Duke

British heavy metal/hard rock band formed in 1969. UFO's story began in London back in 1969, when vocalist Phil Mogg, drummer Andy Parker, guitarist Mick Bolton and bassist Pete Way formed the group.

Following up on the success of Sony Classical’s recent large-scale Ormandy collections – his monaural discographies with the Minneapolis Symphony and Philadelphia orchestras – the label now presents the conductor’s stereo recordings from Philadelphia containing all recordings released from 1958 to 1963 (plus some fillers from later years) Eugene Ormandy took over the music directorship in Philadelphia from Leopold Stokowski in 1938 and held the position for 42 years. During that time his name and the orchestra’s became inseparable as he cultivated and further developed the voluptuous sound that originated with his predecessor.

Piano Trio No. 4, “Dumky”, ranking among Antonín Dvořák’s most celebrated works, is one of the most frequently recorded chamber pieces there is. After attending a performance, with the composer on the piano, Leoš Janáček summed up his impressions succinctly: “A new source of light has flashed.” When it comes to Piano Trio No. 3, the renowned Vienna-based critic Eduard Hanslick called it a gem, demonstrating that Dvořák was “one of the best modern masters”.

Rory was never a man to sit back and let the world slip by. The 70’s saw him release 10 albums in as many years, work with a great many of his heroes and tour the world. Although his recorded output in the 1980’s was more sporadic he still toured constantly, playing some of the first rock gigs behind the iron curtain as well as cementing his live reputation in Europe and the US. ‘Defender’ his third album of the 80’s, was the first release on his own label. Capo offered him the complete artistic freedom he needed, enabling him to produce the music as he wanted. He admitted “I’m not that organised, but I want anything that I’m doing to be under control, and I want the final say on things”.

Joe Cocker's debut album holds up extraordinarily well across four decades, the singer's performance bolstered by some very sharp playing, not only by his established sideman/collaborator Chris Stainton, but also some top-notch session musicians, among them drummer Clem Cattini, Steve Winwood on organ, and guitarists Jimmy Page and Albert Lee, all sitting in. It's Cocker's voice, a soulful rasp of an instrument backed up by Madeline Bell, Sunny Weetman and Rossetta Hightower that carries this album and makes "Change in Louise," "Feeling Alright," "Just Like a Woman," "I Shall Be Released," and even "Bye Bye Blackbird" into profound listening experiences. But the surprises in the arrangements, tempo, and approaches taken help make this an exceptional album. Tracks like "Just Like a Woman," with its soaring gospel organ above a lean textured acoustic and light electric accompaniment, and the guitar-dominated rendition of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" – the formal debut of the Grease Band on record – all help make this an exceptional listening experience.

Pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, author, and host Ben Sidran is a literate performer known for his engaging, jazz-influenced sound and laid-back, conversational style. Essentially a pianist/vocalist with a storytelling approach in the tradition of Mose Allison, Sidran grew from a supporting player with rocker Steve Miller to a solo performer, and to an award-winning radio and TV host. Along the way, he has produced albums for such luminaries as Allison, Van Morrison, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and others.

If not as impressive as Robert Cray's breakthrough recording, Bad Influence, released two years earlier, False Accusations is still a fine album with few missteps. One thing that Cray does very, very well is a blues ballad, something that his soul-inflected vocals and guitar playing suit him for. The result, on this album, is songs like the humorously bittersweet "She's Gone," the determined "The Last Time (I Get Burned Like This)," and "I've Slipped Her Mind," which perfectly captures the mood of the disappointed (but still unrealistically hopeful) suitor. The opener "Porch Light" is a scorcher with a killer bass line, and Cray's guitar on the title track in particular comes through crisp and clean. If a couple of songs (notably "Change of Heart, Change of Mind" and "Playin' in the Dirt") seem a bit lacking in energy, the rest of the CD more than makes up for it.

Warbringer launches a full-speed thrash attack on this explosive metal manifesto! SoCal thrash metal force Warbringer are back to end fans' eager wait with the highly anticipated new album Wrath And Ruin. Dubbed as “one of the best modern thrash outfits” by Exclaim!, Warbringer’s previous record, 2020’s Weapons of Tomorrow, was lauded by fans and critics alike. The album and its tracks received Best of 2020 nods from the likes of Consequence and Loudwire, with PopMatters going as far as to say, “With Weapons of Tomorrow, Warbringer’s inspired take on thrash metal seems to have reached its zenith.”
On Wrath And Ruin, Warbringer continues their furious assault against the powers that be with eight new explosive rippers lyrically focused on inspiring listeners to recognize strength in numbers and actualize their class power…

Wilhelm Furtwangler - Great Live Performances 1939-1954 [80CDs Box Set] (2023)
MP3 320 Kbps | Run Time: 03:14:03:02 | 11.5 Gb
Genre: Classical | Label: Tower Records

The memorial project commemorating the 70th anniversary of Furtwängler's death is an unprecedented 80-disc collection of the first and last live recordings.
It has been 70 years since Wilhelm Furtwängler (January 25, 1886 - November 30, 1954) passed away, but his influence extends even to modern conductors, and even now, no one can surpass him. This 80CD collection includes valuable masterpieces from the following six labels that have been passionate about reproducing masterpieces by great masters.
Tahra was founded in 1993 by Myriam, the daughter of great conductor Herman Scherchen, who was also close friends with Furtwängler, and Rene Tremine, a leading figure in the French Furtwängler Association, and has now ceased operations..

Paavo Berglund - The Warner Edition - Complete EMI Classics & Finlandia Recording [42CD Box Set] (2023)
MP3 320 Kbps | Run Time: 01:15:25:56 | 5.32 Gb
Genre: Classical | Label: Warner Classics

The nine Beethoven Symphonies are considered to be one of the greatest musical testaments of all time and are a key staple in every conductor's repertoire. Simon Rattle performed the complete cycle with the Wiener Philharmoniker in live concerts, recorded for EMI between 29 April and 17 May 2002 at the historic Musikverein in Vienna.'These are not interpretations set in stone, deeply as Rattle has obviously thought them through; and his encouragement of the brilliant VPO woodwind and horn soloists to challenge each other in imagination and individuality adds to the impression of joyful discovery.'