Us and Us Only picks up where Tellin' Stories left off and twists that album's virtues around. Where that record was essentially a stripped-down, straight-ahead collection, Us and Us Only dresses up the band's continually impressive songcraft in a moody atmosphere, borrowed in equal parts from Blonde on Blonde, Beggars Banquet, and the Chemical Brothers. The album unfolds in a haze of keyboards and subdued beats, and this murky veil never really lifts throughout the record, even as harmonics and acoustic guitars break through the mist every once and a while. Consequently, the album can initially seem a little amorphous, albeit intriguingly amorphous, filled with deep grooves and tantalizing sonic textures. Repeated plays reveal that Us and Us Only is merely a step below their previous high point of Tellin' Stories. If nothing is as immediately grabbing as "North Country Boy" or "One to Another," that's not a problem, since nearly every song works its charms with subtle grace and considerable muscle. "Forever" soon reveals itself as a minor masterpiece of swirling menace and swagger, while the Dylan inflections of "A House Is Not a Home" and "My Beautiful Friend" seem natural instead of grandstanding.

An indispensable and definitive collection showcasing the passionate genius of the late rapper. The album's nonchronological sequence highlights the contradictory impulses that made Tupac's music so commanding; the 21 well-loved "hits," some slightly reedited for legal reasons, are accompanied by four previously unheard songs.

After hooking up with the Concord label in 1977, Rosemary Clooney had a renaissance. On this enjoyable set, she interprets ten of Irving Berlin's songs (including a couple of obscurities) with fine backup from a swinging septet that includes tenorman Scott Hamilton, cornetist Warren Vache, both Chris Flory and Ed Bickert on guitars and pianist John Oddo. Highlights include "Be Careful, It's My Heart," "Cheek to Cheek," "The Best Thing for You Would Be Me" and "What'll I Do."

Sutherland's singing here is brighter and fresher than her earlier recording, with the lovely aria 'Qui la voce' no longer a wordless melisma…The recording is vivid and atmospheric and one marvels at Bellini's gorgeous melodies…with Sutherland, Bonynge and all on electrifying form.

It is perhaps the songs of Hugo Wolf that most closely define Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s subtle art as a recitalist. At the Salzburg Festival in 1953 she marked the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in a memorable collaboration with Wilhelm Furtwängler, who – having conducted her frequently in opera and oratorio – here became her accompanist. As the producer Walter Legge wrote: “We must be grateful that this extraordinary occasion was recorded not only for us but also for posterity.”

Pure delight: two of Britain’s most exciting singers together with one of the most vibrant of the English period bands, in a collection of wonderful duets from Händel’s English oratorios and odes. Both Carolyn Sampson and Robin Blaze collaborate with Masaaki Suzuki in his recordings of Bach Cantatas, for which they are receiving high praise. ‘Sampson's rounded, lyrical, glowing tone is just what I want to hear in the warm-hearted soprano cantata O holder Tag’ said the critic in International Record Review about BIS-CD-1411, whereas The Times, UK, has described Robin Blaze as being ‘blessed with a most alluring countertenor – creamy in tone, naturally expressive, exquisitely controlled…’.

This 4 CD box set includes a Joe Jones track with Sonny Phillips on organ, a Rusty Bryant track with Melvin Sparks on guitar, a Richard "Groove" Holmes track with Gene Edwards on guitar and Houston Person and Gene Ammons tracks with Sonny Phillips or Leon Spencer on organ. George Freeman plays guitar on one of the Gene Ammons tracks. Also includes a Charles Earland track, a Shirley Scott track and two Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis tracks with Shirley Scott on organ, a Jack McDuff track, a Willis Jackson track with Pat Martino on guitar and Joe Hadrick on drums, a Willis Jackson/Jack McDuff track with Alvin Johnson on drums, and a George Benson track with McDuff on organ.

It's an archetypal story of the modern record business two guys with a dream running their nascent label out of a West Hollywood garage in the summer of 1962. The label quickly gains momentum and eventually becomes one of the most important record companies the world has ever seen. The two guys were Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the A and the M in A&M Records. By the way, it was Alpert s garage and that first hit was The Lonely Bull, performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. And this year the two record men and UMe are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their label. As part of the celebration, UMe is releasing A&M 50: THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. A 60-track, 3-CD set curated by Alpert & Moss, THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION perfectly illustrates what a potent effect the legendary label is still having on contemporary popular music. We wanted to make good records, says Herb Alpert, reflecting on the label s genesis. That was our goal. We felt if we made good records there would be an audience. Herb and Jerry s dedication to development resulted in some of the biggest superstars in music ever: Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, Quincy Jones, Billy Preston, Cat Stevens, Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Supertramp, Jeffrey Osborne, Styx, Bryan Adams, Joe Jackson, the Police, Sting, Janet Jackson, Suzanne Vega, Sheryl Crow, Soundgarden, and so many more.

Larkin Poe's new album "Bloom" sees the dynamic sister duo venturing further along on their evolving musical journey with a collection of songs that resonate with introspection, authenticity, and a profound connection to their roots in American music. Produced and largely co-written by Megan, Rebecca, and Tyler Bryant, the album marks a significant evolution for Larkin Poe, reflecting a synergy that extends beyond mere musical partnership. Already hailed for the sincerity of their songcraft, the Lovell sisters now place an even greater spotlight on their gift for storytelling, delving deep into personal narratives with universal themes of self-acceptance and individuality against a backdrop of contemporary blues and rock influences. With their distinctive blend of masterful instrumentation and soulful harmonies, each track unfolds like a chapter, with lyrics that wind deeper and deeper towards the heart of Larkin Poe.

Because The Wonderful Sounds of Female Vocals is a sampler, some music lovers may turn up their noses at the thought of mixing Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Baez on the same disc. For others who may not want to buy all the full-length albums (many double-LP sets) represented here, the compilation functions as a godsend. Analogue Productions owner Chad Kassem did a remarkable job of selecting the collection’s 22 excellent tracks, which range from classic performances to those that are merely pretty damn good. Kassem is no dummy, and I’m sure he thought that once buyers sample the bait here, the hook will be set for the sale of lots of reissue copies of the original albums—most mastered and released by Analogue Productions.

Cardiacs first full-length album gets four disc reissue. Influential British art rock band Cardiacs are to have their debut studio album A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window, catalogue number ALPHLP007, reissued through The Alphabet Concern label on September 6, 35-years after it’s original release. The new reissue features in a casebound book set has four bonus discs featuring a remastered show from London's Town and Country Club in 1987, all of the BBC radio sessions, the complete studio sessions and a previously unreleased version of Gina Lollabrigida where Tim Smith can be heard counting the players in from the top.

EXCEPTIONAL 1975 TOUR BROADCAST RECORDING\n• Following the release of their debut album in August 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd\x27s fan base continued to grow rapidly, partly due to their opening slot on the Who\x27s Quadrophenia tour in the United States. Their 1974 follow\-up, Second Helping, featuring Ed King, Allen Collins and Gary Rossington all collaborating with Ronnie Van Zant on the songwriting, cemented the band\x27s breakthrough. Its single ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, reached #8 on the charts that August. Second Helping reached No. 12 in 1974, eventually going multi\-platinum in July of that year.\n• By 1975, personal issues began to take their toll on the group; in January, drummer Bob Burns left the band after suffering a mental breakdown during a European tour and was replaced by Kentucky native and former US Marine Artimus Pyle. The band\x27s third album, Nuthin\x27 Fancy, was recorded in 17 days and released in March ’74 to great success, being Skynyrd’s first to reach the US Top Ten. Midway through the Nuthin\x27 Fancy tour, guitarist Ed King abruptly left the band after falling out with Van Zant. Van Zant and King\x27s guitar roadie was arrested the day before and spent the night in jail. With his guitar roadie unavailable, King played that night\x27s show with old strings that broke and caused his performance to be substandard, and Van Zant subsequently belittled him in front of his bandmates.\n• The tour was the group’s first to venture outside the US, and included many dates across Europe throughout November and December 1974, but they returned back to the States for Christmas. The jaunt continued in the New Year on their home\-turf however, and during this leg, Skynyrd’s finest show took place at Winterland in San Francisco on 27th April ’75, featuring the band at the top of their game. It was also one of the last shows featuring the original three\-guitar line\-up, Ed King left, as noted above, shortly thereafter.\n• Previously unreleased, this entire concert is now available on this new CD.

Dakar (1957) presents half-a-dozen numbers recorded April 20, 1957 by an ensemble credited as the "Prestige All-Stars." On the bandstand for this date are John Coltrane (tenor sax), Cecil Payne (baritone sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), and Art Taylor (drums). Although at the time these were considered "leaderless" units, upon hearing the interaction of the participants, modern ears might desire to qualify that statement.

The first-time teaming of Poland’s dynamic Marcin Wasilewski Trio and big-toned US tenorist Joe Lovano brings forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced. The alliance plays four new tunes by Marcin and one by Joe, as well as Carla Bley’s classic “Vashkar” (in two variations), plus collective improvisations with strong input from all four players; Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s bass skills are particularly well-deployed in the spontaneous piece “Arco”. Joe will be joining the Polish trio for a number of selected concerts in the autumn. Arctic Riff was recorded at France’s Studio La Buissonne in August 2019, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements of Bahamian traditional music into adventurous, joyful improvisations and influenced players worldwide. His powerful singing stemmed directly from the rhyming tradition created by Bahamian sponge fishermen early in the 20th century. The music is punctuated by Spence’s unique, sometimes otherworldly vocalizations including humming, short bursts of lyrics, and near-scat singing. Some of the recordings include singing by Spence’s sister Edith Pinder and her family members Raymond and Geneva Pinder. Producer Peter K. Siegel captured these performances at Spence’s only New York concert, at the performer’s cottage in Nassau, Bahamas, and at Siegel’s apartment in Manhattan.