Reviews

Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Frank Sinatra

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Popular Standards/Vocal

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Heaven Is: Belinda Carlisle’s “Runaway Horses” Turns 30, Gets Deluxe Edition; “Gold” Anthology Also Released

October 8, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Thirty years ago, Belinda Carlisle released her third LP. Runaway Horses came on the heels of two successful albums: her 1986 IRS Records debut, Belinda (featuring the hit “Mad About You”), and 1987’s Heaven on Earth (boasting the smash “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” as well as “I Get Weak” and “Circle in the Sand”). Runaway Horses completed the hat trick for the Go-Go-gone-solo when it reached the top five in the United Kingdom. Now, the U.K.’s Demon Music Group has revisited the album in a deluxe 30th Anniversary box set…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop

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Belinda Carlisle

Earwig Music Unearths Trove of Chicago Blues and Soul on “Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection”

October 4, 2019 by Sam Stone | No Comments

Chicago in the ’50s was overflowing with skilled bluesmen, vocal groups, gospel singers, not to mention the mom-and-pop labels eager to make a hit off the artists. There are the now-famous labels – Chess, Delmark, and Vee-Jay among them. But the Windy City was so teeming with talent (and entrepreneurial hucksters trying to launch their own careers) that small, independent labels were plentiful. Earwig Music Company celebrates one such label in its ambitious new box set, Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection. It’s not too far-fetched to say the…

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Cadillac Baby, Hound Dog Taylor, James Cotton, Sleepy John Estes

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Comedy, Country, Funk, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Song of Time: Two Folk Classics from Art and Paul Are Reissued for First Time

October 2, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 3 Comments

With a recent pair of reissues, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings has transported listeners to Greenwich Village at the dawn of the 1960s, when guitar-wielding troubadours took the stages at venues like Café Wha? to share their own “alternative” music: folk. While Connie Francis, Brian Hyland, Elvis Presley, and even Percy Faith were ascending to the top of the Pop chart, folksingers were spinning their own musical yarns that didn’t involve teenage romance or itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot bikinis. Two such artists were Art and Paul – no, not that Art and…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Genres:

Folk

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Art Podell, Paul Potash

Review: The Beatles, “Abbey Road: Anniversary Edition”

September 30, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 11 Comments

I. Once There Was a Way to Get Back Home By the opening days of 1969, it was clear that John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were four very different people, temperamentally and artistically. Their lives were taking them in different directions and threatening to pull them apart from the group that made them internationally famous. The Beatles, a.k.a. The White Album, had made high art out of those very differences and – surprising no one – was another triumph for the world’s biggest band. But still there was…

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Classic Rock, Pop

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The Beatles

America’s Gerry Beckley Returns with New Solo Album “Five Mile Road”

September 25, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Gerry Beckley has earned the right to call the opening track of his new solo album “Life Lessons.” The singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and America co-founder is understandably in a reflective mood on Five Mile Road, out now from Blue Elan Records. The artist may be celebrating 50 years with America, but he still has plenty to say. For his first solo album since 2016’s Carousel, Beckley has reunited with many of the same collaborators. Jeff Larson not only co-produced with Beckley but contributes vocals. Singer Jeffrey Foskett, Nick Lane (euphonium, trombone), Larry Klimas…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, Rock

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America, Gerry Beckley

Review: Bridget St. John, “Live at The Betsey Trotwood”

September 24, 2019 by Sam Stone | No Comments

BridgetStJohn LiveAtTheBetseyTrotwood cp

Bridget St. John is one of the treasures of the British folk revival. Her early recordings on John Peel’s Dandelion label in the late ’60s and early ’70s – delicate and delightful as they are – continue to inspire a growing cadre of songwriters, singers, and alternate-tuned guitar-wielders. Fifty years since her debut Ask Me No Questions, St. John continues to perform, criss-crossing between Europe, Japan, and her adopted home state, New York. And she’s still enrapturing audiences of longtime fans and a growing group of new recruits with her enchanting, somehow…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Genres:

Folk

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Bridget St. John

Check Out Grover: SoulMusic Records Collects Columbia-Era Grover Washington, Jr. Titles on “Sacred Kind of Love”

September 18, 2019 by Sam Stone | No Comments

During the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, there were few jazz musicians as popular and influential as Grover Washington, Jr. The talented reed-man’s skilled saxophone work (he could bring the funk on soprano, alto, baritone, tenor, and even flute) was matched by a pop sensibility that made him an instrumental figure in jazz-fusion as it morphed into smooth-jazz. His music was funky, danceable, accessible, and always smooth. His groundbreaking work in the ’70s and early ’89s has been well-documented — from his beginnings on Kudu/CTI and his genre-defining crossover Mister Magic, to his…

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Funk, Jazz

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Grover Washington Jr.

Review: “Country Music – A Film by Ken Burns: The Soundtrack”

September 17, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

Can the circle be unbroken? asks The Carter Family on the opening track of Legacy Recordings’ new 5-CD, 105-song soundtrack to Ken Burns’ epic documentary Country Music: A Film by Ken Burns. The 1935 funeral hymn is a most appropriate way to begin this collection exploring the manifold branches of country music, but the tone on the box set is far from funereal as it gallops from “hillbilly music” to blues, folk, western swing, rockabilly, countrypolitan, outlaw country, and beyond. Country Music is currently airing on PBS stations nationwide, and this set…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Country

Tags:

Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Eddy Arnold, George Jones, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Marty Robbins, Rosanne Cash, Various Artists, Willie Nelson

Wake Up Everybody: Cherry Red, SoulMusic Collect Classic Philadelphia International Albums from Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes

September 16, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

HaroldMelvinandtheBlueNotes BeForeReal ThePIRRecordings

If you don’t know Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes by now, Cherry Red and SoulMusic Records have just the right collection for you. Be for Real: The PIR Recordings (1972-1975) brings together the four albums recorded by the group for Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records on two CDs, plus a six-song bonus disc. Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes came to Gamble and Huff’s newly-formed label in 1972 after having bounced from label to label including Landa, Arctic, and UNI. Melvin had known Gamble and Huff since childhood,…

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Formats:

Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul

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Review: Chris Stamey and The ModRec Orchestra, “New Songs for the 20th Century”

September 9, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Chris Stamey New Songs for the 20th Century

Chris Stamey has taken many unpredictable paths in a long career, whether as a member of the dB’s, a solo artist, a producer, or a sideman. But his latest project might be his most unpredictable yet. New Songs for the 20th Century, credited to Stamey and the ModRec Orchestra and newly released by Omnivore Recordings, is a sprawling double-album love letter to traditional (read: pre-rock and roll) vocal pop with a heavy jazz emphasis. Written, arranged, mixed, and produced by Stamey, these mostly new compositions have been crafted “under the influence” of…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

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Chris Stamey

Review: Craft Latino Invites You To Take A Far-Out Trip With “Fania Goes Psychedelic”

September 3, 2019 by Sam Stone | 1 Comment

Get ready for a freak-out, because Craft Recordings has announced a new 15-song compilation of experimental and far-out treasures from the legendary Latin music label Fania! Entitled Fania Goes Psychedelic, this crate-digger’s fantasy is part of Craft Latino’s ongoing celebration of the influential imprint that became a home to the Latin-soul fusion “boogaloo” tunes that were coming out of the barrios. Originally founded by musician Johnny Pacheco and lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964, the label grew quickly and eventually become one of the most significant imprints in Latin music as it “documented…

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Genres:

Everything Else, Funk, Jazz, R&B/Soul

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Bobby Valentin, Eddie Palmieri, Jimmy Sabater, Orquesta Harlow, Pete Rodriguez, Ray Barretto, The Lebron Brothers

Review: Expanded Reissues of Renaissance’s “Live at Carnegie Hall” and “Novella”

August 26, 2019 by Sam Stone | 3 Comments

Esoteric Recordings, the progressive rock arm of Cherry Red, has built a reputation for excellent reissues of prog classics, some once-overlooked and others legendary favorites. Among those landmark recordings that have received the Esoteric treatment is Renaissance’s Live at Carnegie Hall. The 1976 release became one of the defining live albums of the decade and has recently been newly remastered and expanded to a 3-CD set as part of the label’s ongoing Renaissance reissue series. Live at Carnegie Hall was a turning point for the British symphonic prog-rockers. The band had built…

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Still Magic: Mint Audio Collects Peter Skellern’s “Complete Decca Recordings” on New 3-CD Set

August 19, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 3 Comments

Peter Skellern’s 1972 hit “You’re a Lady” introduced a new, original voice onto the pop scene. A No. 3 hit in his native England, the gentle ballad was covered by artists ranging from Davy Jones to Johnny Mathis. A second major hit came three years later with “Hold On to Love,” and Skellern continued to make music on records, television, stages, and even churches for the rest of his life. The singer-songwriter sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 69, but the U.K.’s Mint Audio label has recently celebrated him…

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Genres:

Pop

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Peter Skellern

Review: Bobby Rush Proves He’s At the Top of His Game With “Sitting On Top of the Blues”

August 16, 2019 by Sam Stone | No Comments

Legendary bluesman Bobby Rush is back with a new album, Sitting on Top of the Blues, which is released today on CD and LP through Rush’s own Deep Rush label. At 86 years old, the Louisiana-born guitar slinger and singer has traveled from the Chitlin’ circuit to the world’s stages since 1951. He’s released music on indie labels across the nation, recorded for Gamble & Huff, and has performed alongside a who’s-who of funk, soul, and blues luminaries. You’ve probably heard some of his classics on Omnivore’s four-CD box set Chicken Heads:…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues

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Bobby Rush

Run Back to Mama: Ace’s “Horn Rock” Anthology Features Chase, Blood Sweat and Tears, Delaney and Bonnie, More

August 15, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

The new collection on Ace Records’ BGP imprint packs a mighty punch. That’s because it’s dedicated to Horn Rock (with the equally-important subtitle And Funky Guitar Grooves), that boldest and brassiest of rock subgenres. The phrase “horn rock” immediately brings to mind the sound popularized by Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears (only one of which is represented here) but the added colors afforded by horns were applied to recordings in the baroque-rock, art-rock, psych-rock, and jazz-rock idioms, just to name a few. This 17-track sampler from artists both unfamiliar and unknown…

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Formats:

CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

Tags:

Al Kooper, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chase, Delaney and Bonnie, The Electric Flag, The Flock, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Sons of Champlin, Tower of Power, Various Artists

Review: Davy Jones, “Live in Japan”

August 13, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Everyone’s familiar with the initial wave of Monkeemania that swept America in the 1960s, not to mention the second wave spurred on by MTV’s reruns of The Monkees’ classic sitcom in the 1980s. But 7a Records – that tireless label dedicated to all things Monkee – has trained a well-deserved spotlight upon a lesser-known chapter of the Monkees phenomenon. The time was 1981 and the place was Japan. The late Davy Jones seized upon the popularity of a Kodak commercial there featuring “Daydream Believer” to take to the country’s pop charts and…

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Formats:

CD, DVD, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop

Tags:

Davy Jones, The Monkees

Rhino’s 10-CD Woodstock Set “Back To the Garden: The 50th Anniversary Experience” Delivers the Goods

July 31, 2019 by Sam Stone | 7 Comments

Fifty years ago this summer, more than 400,000 fans convened at Max Yasgur’s farm for a music festival that would come to define not only the era, but the entire ethos of music festivals to come. With every passing decade, the magic of Woodstock has been celebrated and, indeed, re-marketed to new generations of music fans. The ’90s saw two new Woodstock-branded festivals and an array of 25th anniversary products, including a compilation called Woodstock Diary and a 4-CD box set. To mark the festival’s 40th anniversary in 2009, yet another box…

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Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Folk, R&B/Soul

Review: Ernie Kovacs, “The Ernie Kovacs Album: Centennial Edition”

July 25, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Some 57 years after his tragic death in an automobile accident at the age of 42, Ernie Kovacs remains one of America’s most influential comedians. The pride of Trenton, New Jersey, Kovacs pioneered an experimental, largely improvised, zany style of comedy on television, the ripple effect of which has been felt on programs from Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In through Saturday Night Live. While far too much of Kovacs’ oeuvre hasn’t survived, a remarkable amount has, thanks to the herculean efforts of his widow, the late Edie Adams, and her family. 2019 marks…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Comedy

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Ernie Kovacs

When Will You Be Mine: Ace Releases Dion’s First Two Columbia Albums on CD

July 25, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 4 Comments

Dion DiMucci was just 20 years old but already a chart veteran when he went solo at the dawn of the 1960s. Enduring hits like “I Wonder Why” and “A Teenager in Love” had been recorded with his friends The Belmonts, but when Carlo Mastrangelo, Angelo D’Aleo, and Fred Milano wanted to emphasize doo-wop harmonies and Dion wanted to rock and roll, Dion and the Belmonts split. How would the Italian kid from the Bronx follow that amazing first act? The answer was “Runaround Sue,” the chart-topping record which established Dion as…

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Blues, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

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Dion DiMucci

Review: David Bowie, “The Mercury Demos”

July 22, 2019 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

David Bowie collectors with a taste for vinyl have had much for which to be grateful this year. Parlophone and Rhino recently unveiled the third in a series of vinyl box sets this year, The Mercury Demos. (The just-released fourth such box commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of “Space Oddity.”) An LP rather than a collection of singles, The Mercury Demos officially premieres ten early, one-take recordings from the future superstar, recorded on a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine in Bowie’s flat in spring 1969, with accompaniment from his friend and collaborator John “Hutch”…

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Review: Cheryl Lynn, “Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology”

July 16, 2019 by Sam Stone | 3 Comments

Last month, Cherry Red’s SoulMusic imprint released an exciting new compilation of Cheryl Lynn classics. Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology brings together 31 of the powerhouse vocalist’s most enduring tracks. The 2-CD set not only represents tracks from her classic Columbia albums Cheryl Lynn (1978), In Love (1979), In the Night (1981), Instant Love (1982), Preppie (1983) and It’s Gonna Be Right (1985), but also features rare 12″ remixes; dance versions; soundtrack selections; and duets with the likes of Toto, Hubert Laws, and Luther Vandross. The result is the first-ever…

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Genres:

Disco/Dance, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Cheryl Lynn

Review: Norma Tanega, “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog” [Green Vinyl Reissue]

July 9, 2019 by Sam Stone | 2 Comments

Our friends at Real Gone Music have long been combing the vaults of the major labels in search of overlooked classic albums that deserve another moment in the spotlight. The Second Disc was able to take a listen to one of the label’s newly reissued limited-edition titles – Norma Tanega’s Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog – which returns to vinyl in a special bright-green color variant. Tanega’s folky ’60s pop has found new life on TV shows and compilations, but her debut has never been reissued on vinyl. Now, a new audience…

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Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Everything Else, Folk

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Norma Tanega

Review: Various Artists, “Motown: The Complete No. 1s”

July 3, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

Smokey Robinson’s mama famously told the young singer-songwriter that he’d better shop around, but happily, those looking for the definitive chronicle of Smokey and Diana and Mary and Flo and Martha and Marvin and Stevie and co. need shop around no more. To mark the label’s 60th anniversary, Motown: The Complete No. 1s is back in print in a slightly-expanded edition, and this 11-CD box set is, simply, one-stop shopping. Impressively housed within a sturdy replica of 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, this collection features all of the company’s chart-toppers…

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Pop, R&B/Soul

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Diana Ross, Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, The Temptations, Various Artists

Review: Klaus Nomi, “Klaus Nomi” (Real Gone Vinyl Reissue)

July 1, 2019 by Sam Stone | 4 Comments

With the new reissue of Klaus Nomi’s self-titled debut album, Real Gone Music has presented another lost classic album on vinyl for the first time since its original release some three decades ago. It’s one that is full of strangeness, starkness, and subtlety. Klaus Nomi stuns with a diverse repertoire, an over-the-top theatricality, but, more importantly, a dedication to craft that sometimes gets lost in the narrative. Yes, the NYC performance artist collaborated with David Bowie (as seen on SNL circa 1979); he wore outrageous costumes and vaudevillian makeup; and his vocal…

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