This double-CD release from Britain's Beat Goes On label should interest anyone who's even slightly serious in appreciating Dan Fogelberg's music. For starters, in the absence of any upgrades since the late '80s in the sound of Sony Music's domestic Fogelberg CDs, the remastering of Souvenirs is more than a little welcome – the man's whole early catalog ought to have been remastered long before 2006, based on the crisp results here and the fresh edge it adds to music that is otherwise extremely familiar. And then there's the contents of the first disc, containing Fogelberg's debut Home Free album, which was not a success at the time of its release. Fogelberg and original producer Norbert Putnam remixed the original multi-track tapes from Home Free when it was time to do the CD release, and issued what was, in effect, a somewhat different album, with instruments shifted around in the mix and alterations in the framing and conceptions of various songs.

Her mountainous stature matching the sheer soulful power of her massive vocal talent, Big Maybelle was one of the premier R&B chanteuses of the 1950s. Her deep, gravelly voice was as singular as her recorded output for Okeh and Savoy, which ranged from down-in-the-alley blues to pop-slanted ballads. In 1967, she even covered ? & the Mysterians' "96 Tears" (it was her final chart appearance). Alleged drug addiction leveled the mighty belter at the premature age of 47, but Maybelle packed a lot of living into her shortened lifespan.

Mateo Flecha the elder (1481–1553), better known than his son, composed ensaladas from 1543 to 1548, when he was in charge of music for Maria and Juana, the two daughters of Charles V; his service ended when Maria married her cousin, the future Maximilian II. The form, popular in 16th-century Spain, consisted of a narrative interrupted by quotations of other texts, making up a “salad” that could be varied according to the composer’s taste. They were invariably centered on the themes of Advent and Christmas. Six of these works have been available on disc in multiple versions, notably collections by Paul van Nevel La justa tells the story of redemption as a knightly tournament in which Lucifer defeats Adam and in turn is overcome by the newborn Savior.