Erik Truffaz received an early introduction into the world of a professional musician, thanks to his saxophone-playing dad. When he was ten years old, the French trumpeter began performing in his father's dance band. As he grew older, Truffaz performed with other bands in the region until he was 16 and heard Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. The great jazz trumpeter's music inspired him to learn more, and he set off for Switzerland's Geneva Conservatoire, where he became a student. Truffaz's repertoire expanded to works by Mozart and Verdi, and he performed as part of L'Orchestre de Suisse Romande. He also played in cover bands before establishing a group called Orange. The band concentrated on Truffaz's compositions…

Featuring the best material from their first two albums as well as their classic debut single "Market Square Heroes," 1984's Real to Reel is an excellent live document of Marillion, the undisputed leaders of the short-lived mid-'80s progressive rock revival. In fact, these recordings make a strong case for the many fans who actually prefer the band's more refined live versions over their rather flat studio counterparts. For the uninitiated, Marillion basically picks up where Peter Gabriel-era Genesis left off, writing complex, multifaceted, and unashamedly overblown compositions topped with dense, often incomprehensible lyrics from vocalist Fish. Thematically, the darkly ironic "Assassing" and the flippant "Garden Party" are complete polar opposites and clearly display the band's incredible creative scope. But the album's centerpiece has to be the dramatic, ten-minute war chronicle "Forgotten Sons."

Gold is right – after gradually building their reputation a series of nine LPs, the Climax Blues Band finally enjoyed a serious hit single with "Couldn't Get It Right," which hit number three on the American charts and led to this album and then two years of almost constant touring. The group is at its most laid-back here, slipping more into a funk than a blues groove for most of Gold Plated's length. They keep some elements of their earlier sound, such as Peter Haycock's searing guitar solo on "Mighty Fire," but those looking for the group's unabashed older style will have to content themselves with just three numbers here: "Berlin Blues," with its chiming overlaid and over-amplified guitars, or the slow, Chicago blues-style "Rollin' Home," and the high-energy "Extra."

It can be very difficult to write about an artist with a reputation like Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream). Such thoughts can cloud one's judgment and objectivity. But Froese has not been on the e-music forefront for 40-plus years for nothing. He has stayed there because he is a great musician. Pinnacles showcases his penchant for gentle melodies, heavy sequences, and light atmospheres. This disc is firmly in the middle of the Berlin school, of which Froese is a founder. This CD will appeal to fans of Alpha Wave Movement, Klaus Schulze, Dweller at the Threshold, and Radio Massacre International. It is an important e-music CD.

Cieli di Toscana (Tuscan Skies) is Andrea Bocelli's eighth studio album, released in 2001. Cieli di Toscana sold millions of copies in a few weeks after its release, and quickly become the biggest selling album in the world in 2001, No. 1 on the CNN Worldbeat Global Album Chart. In the United States, the album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 85,000 units sold in its first week, and blew through 177,000 copies over Christmas week of 2001, Bocelli's best sales week in America, at the time. That record stood for the following 8 years, until My Christmas, Bocelli's first Holiday album, was released in late 2009 and achieved better sales weeks. The album topped the charts in Sweden and the Netherlands, and reached the top 3 in at least 8 other countries, including the UK, where it spent two weeks at No. 3 on the albums chart, Bocelli's highest chart position in the country to date, and the highest chart position ever for a foreign-language pop album.

The British singer-songwriter Sam Brown became famous with solo albums such as the unforgettable ,STOP' and recordings and gigs with Pink Floyd, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Jon Lord, Jools Holland and many many more. Together with the British singer Sam Brown the small but fine label Valle Venia has created into being a quite special project. Fragile is the sixth album by Sam Brown and is the eighth CD produced by Valle Venia, a label which combines music, art and science. It was released in 2002. Fragile is an album to dive into. It connects Sams sensory voice with different sound constellations under the most melodic aspect. Cello, piano, cembalo, loops, violins and percussion evoke the complete emotion spectrum of her voice. With its very special and unique instrumental constellation, deep lyrics and melancholy sounds, "Fragile" has no expiration date. Strongly recommended!

Chess Blues is a superlative four-CD box set featuring important tracks by all the main stars of the label (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson), as well as much previously unreleased material. A well-done retrospective of Chicago blues in its heyday, as recorded by America's greatest blues label, Chess.

Fresh from his 1991 self-titled debut, Seal followed with another self-titled release. And true to form, it's another stunning work, although it becomes clear that a musical maturation has taken place. Produced by ex-Buggles frontman Trevor Horn (Pet Shop Boys, ABC, Yes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Seal is far more enchanting than his debut. True, Seal is a bit too relaxed at times, but aside from that criticism, the record is lush with harmonies and over-the-top melodies. "Don't Cry" flows with the luxuriant vibes of a hushed vocal and a bellowing string arrangement.

Marc Craig Cohn is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. Cohn is best known for the song "Walking in Memphis" from his eponymous 1991 album; the song, which was a Top 40 hit, has been described as "an iconic part of the Great American Songbook. In early 1991, an Ohio-bred songwriter with a soulful voice and folk-infused piano pop sound emerged seemingly out of nowhere with "Walking in Memphis," a heartfelt tribute to the land of the Delta blues that climbed to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him three Grammy nominations, one of which he won.

While they never scored major commercial success in either the United States or the United Kingdom, the Creation inspired a cult following during their original 1966-1967 run that continues to grow with the passage of time, and with good reason. The Creation's pre-psychedelic fusion of mod style and freakbeat sound was intriguing enough, but the real key to their music was the guitar work of Eddie Phillips, who combined forceful, elemental picking with feedback and the use of a violin bow (years before Jimmy Page embraced the idea) that allowed him to conjure singular sounds from his axe. Combine that with the inspired crash-and-bash of bassist Bob Garner and drummer Jack Jones, and the soulful passion of vocalist Kenny Pickett, and the Creation produced a sound that was second only to the Who for sheer power and inventiveness during their brief, impressive heyday…