Country

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Boz Scaggs, Bruce Springsteen, Lorne Greene, Louis Armstrong, Madonna, Patti Page, Pulp, Roger Williams, The Art of Noise, The Pointer Sisters

Release Round-Up: Week of September 22

September 22, 2023 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! The Replacements, Tim: Let It Bleed Edition (Sire/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Replacements have teamed up with Rhino for their fourth mega-box set edition of a classic album from their catalogue. After heavy-duty expansions of debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Pleased to Meet Me and a reorganized version of Don’t Tell a Soul called Dead Man’s Pop, the Minneapolis punk legends have announced the “Let It Bleed” edition of Tim, their first album for a major label and their last…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, Rock

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Andy Taylor, Carrie Underwood, Clarence White, Dio, Firefall, Jackson Browne, Jason Mraz, Kylie Minogue, Paul Rodgers, Sheena Easton, Steve Marriott, Susan Tedeschi, The Breeders, The Replacements

Christmas Collection

September 20, 2023 by Joe Marchese

Even as they’ve announced a farewell tour and a slowing-down of activities, The Oak Ridge Boys have prepared a new title to share the joy of the season. Christmas Collection, coinciding with the group’s annual holiday concerts, features a baker’s dozen of classic songs which appear to have been drawn from the Oaks’ past Gaither releases including 2012’s Christmas Time’s A-Coming and 2016’s Celebrate Christmas.

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Country, Gospel, Holiday

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The Weekend Stream: September 16, 2023

September 16, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week’s latest brings you a classic country centennial, remixes from Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson and The Art of Noise, a rare album from a songwriter moonlighting as a singer, hard-to-find Olivia Newton John songs and so much more! Hank Williams, Hank 100: Greatest Radio Hits (BMG Rights Management) (iTunes / Amazon) The initial puzzle piece in a planned centennial…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

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Crystal Waters, Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross, Mark James, Nick Cave, Olivia Newton-John, Pat Boone, Pulp, Seaweed, The Art of Noise, Veruca Salt

Release Round-Up: Week of September 15

September 15, 2023 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! The Who, Who’s Next / Life House (Polydor/UMe) 10CD/1BD: The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Album Only, Black Vinyl): The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Half-Speed Mastered Album Only): The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Transparent Blue Vinyl w/tip-on jacket): The Who Official Store Links TBD 4LP (Album + San Francisco Concert): The Who Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP (Album + Life House Demos): The…

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Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, Rock

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Beck Bogert & Appice, Carly Simon, Hank Williams, Herb Alpert, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Steve Miller Band, The Who, Willie Nelson

Phases and Stages: Atlantic 75 Campaign Continues with Vinyl Me, Please and Acoustic Sounds Partnerships

September 13, 2023 by The Second Disc | 9 Comments

Eagle-eyed vinyl shoppers might have noticed a steady stream this year of reissues from the storied Atlantic Records catalogue, with titles including Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis, Otis Redding’s Otis Blue, Aretha Franklin’s Lady Soul, and Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required. Today, the label unveiled the full slate of 90 vinyl reissues commemorating Atlantic’s 75th anniversary – as well as special campaigns coming from Vinyl Me, Please and Acoustic Sounds. The Atlantic 75 collection has been curated by label Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman, revisiting selections from across Atlantic’s rich story. Almost…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Everything Else, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Don’t Stop the Music: Sundazed Chronicles Jackie DeShannon’s ’50s Radio Days on “The Sherry Lee Show”

September 8, 2023 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Earlier this year, Jackie DeShannon’s seminal 1965 recording of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love” was inducted into the National Recording Registry. The era-defining single is just one of the many high points of DeShannon’s extraordinary legacy; Jackie toured with The Beatles, penned a rock and roll classic with the oft-covered “When You Walk in the Room,” co-wrote and introduced the anthemic “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” anticipated the ’70s singer-songwriter boom with her 1969 album Laurel Canyon, and gifted Kim Carnes with the…

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CD, Vinyl

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Country

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Jackie DeShannon

Release Round-Up: Week of September 8

September 8, 2023 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Al Stewart, Songs on the Radio: The Complete U.S. Singles 1974-1981 (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) This definitive, first-ever singles collection from singer-songwriter Al Stewart brings together the A- and B-side of every single during the period in which Stewart catapulted from folk clubs to the mainstream. Stewart bridged the gap between FM rock and AM pop on such classic tracks as “Year of the Cat,” “Carol,” “On the Border,” “Time Passages,” “Midnight…

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Blu-Ray Audio, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Al Stewart, Alice Cooper, Art Pepper, Black Sabbath, Christopher Guest, Fleetwood Mac, Graham Parker, Harry Shearer, J. Geils Band, Jeff Harnar, Jefferson Starship, Marvelous 3, Michael McKean, Nanci Griffith, Paradox, Pat Boone, Rain Parade, Rooney, The Doors

In Memoriam: Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023)

September 2, 2023 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

As the son of a son of a sailor/I went out on the sea for adventure/Expanding the view of the captain and crew/Like a man just released from indenture… As the self-described son of a son of a sailor, Jimmy Buffett took to the seas for adventures beyond his wildest dreams. He recorded his first album for Andy Williams’ Barnaby label in 1970, but that album, Down to Earth, would sell a reported 324 copies in its initial outing. Buffett soon traded earth for water and embarked on a voyage unlike any…

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Classic Rock, Country, Pop

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Jimmy Buffett

The Weekend Stream: September 2, 2023

September 2, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. It’s a full ’80s revival this week, including a rare Duran Duran track and some live cuts from Squeeze,and – whether you’re ready for it or not – a batch of Christmas catalogue titles. Duran Duran, Ball and Chain (Tape Modern/BMG) (iTunes / Amazon) Duran Duran are back in a big way this fall, set to release the album…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Art Blakey, Chet Atkins, Duran Duran, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Mickey & Sylvia, Squeeze, Stanley Turrentine, Tamar Braxton, The Art of Noise, Visage

Release Round-Up: Week of August 25

August 25, 2023 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Shania Twain, Come On Over: Diamond Edition (Mercury/UMe) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP (U.S.): ShaniaTwain.com 3LP (International): ShaniaTwain.com 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Three years after revisiting one of her first major releases, 1995’s The Woman in Me, country-pop icon Shania Twain will do the same for her 1997 follow-up Come On Over – the album that made her a pop star. The Diamond Edition of Come On Over will encompass a number of formats, including 2CD/2LP standard…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, SACD

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Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Latin, Rock

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Alice Cooper, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Bebel Gilberto, John Fogerty, R.E.M., Shania Twain, The Ocean Blue

The Weekend Stream: August 19, 2023

August 19, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week is packed with rare treasures from Willie Nelson, Was (Not Was), Sergio Mendes and more, plus a new Guns N’ Roses track and a whole different way to hear the early hits of Chicago. Willie Nelson, Teatro (Deluxe) (Island/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) Released in 1998, Teatro found Willie Nelson, producer Daniel Lanois and a band that included…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Chicago, Guns N' Roses, Leo Kottke, Madonna, Pat Boone, Propaganda, Pulp, Sara Evans, Sergio Mendes, Special Ed, Urge Overkill, Was (Not Was), Willie Nelson

Cover Me Up: Jason Isbell’s ‘Southeastern’ Set for Expansion

August 10, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Already enjoying a burgeoning solo career after his time with the alt-country group Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell established a presence as one of the genre’s most intriguing performers with his fourth album Southeastern, released in 2013. Ten years later, he’s revisiting the record in a deluxe edition. The remastered and expanded Southeastern will combine the original album with two alternate listens: a disc featuring demo versions of every track on the album and a set featuring Southeastern complete in concert at Knoxville, Tennessee’s Bijou Theatre last December. The accompanying booklet to the set, available…

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Country, Folk, Rock

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Jason Isbell

Release Round-Up: Week of August 4

August 4, 2023 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Spinners, The Complete Atlantic Singles: The Thom Bell Productions 1972-1979 (Real Gone/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) This definitive 2-CD anthology from upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Spinners presents every one of the quintet’s beloved A- and B-sides helmed by the late, great Thom Bell on Atlantic Records, with each and every song in its original single version. It adds up to a total of 43 mighty tracks on 2 CDs,…

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Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Country, Pop, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock, Soundtracks

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ABC, Bob Marley, Grateful Dead, Luna, Paul Franklin, Rick Springfield, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Spinners, Vince Gill

Bluegrass

July 24, 2023 by Joe Marchese

The indefatigable Willie Nelson’s latest studio album recasts many of his classic compositions in bluegrass fashion. Titles include “On the Road Again,” “Yesterday’s Wine,” and “Bloody Mary Morning.” Nelson’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon has produced this tribute to the great string bands of yesteryear. Available on CD/digital September 15, and LP September 29.

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Country

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The Weekend Stream: July 22, 2023

July 22, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. Today brings remixes from ABC, Madonna and Cypress Hill, plus rarities from Stan Getz and Julie Andrews! ABC, The Look of Love (Single) (Mercury/UMC) (iTunes / Amazon) Another single from the upcoming reissue of The Lexicon of Love; like last week’s, it focuses on “The Look of Love” – arguably the signature hit from ABC’s debut – as heard in…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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ABC, Bill Anderson, Cypress Hill, Julie Andrews, Madonna, Pulp, Stan Getz, Tavares

Come On Over: Diamond Edition

July 19, 2023 by Joe Marchese

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP (Original): Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD) 3LP (International): Amazon U.S. (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD) 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Three years after revisiting one of her first major releases, 1995’s The Woman in Me, country-pop icon Shania Twain will do the same for her 1997 follow-up Come On Over – the album that made her a pop star. The Diamond Edition of Come On Over will encompass a number of formats, including 2CD/2LP standard…

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

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Shania Twain Hopes to Impress You Much with ‘Come On Over’ Expanded Reissue

July 17, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 10 Comments

Let’s go, girls! Years after revisiting one of her first major releases, 1995’s The Woman in Me, country-pop icon Shania Twain will do the same for her 1997 follow-up Come On Over – the album that made her a pop star. Due in stores August 25, the Diamond Edition of Come On Over will feature a number of formats, including 2CD/2LP standard editions and 3CD/3LP deluxe packages. The 3CD includes both mixes of the acclaimed album – the standard country/pop/rock mix issued in America and a second “international” dance version released around…

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

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Shania Twain

Review: Kenny Rogers, “Life Is Like a Song”

June 26, 2023 by Joe Marchese | 9 Comments

In the booklet to his new posthumous release Life Is Like a Song, the late Kenny Rogers is quoted: “Music is the greatest memory-maker you’ll ever encounter. A song can lock you right into a memory for a lifetime.” Rogers’ own music, whether “The Gambler,” “Through the Years,” “Lady,” “She Believes in Me,” “You Decorated My Life,” or “Islands in the Stream,” certainly proves that adage. The Texas-born singer, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 81, blurred the lines between country and pop as he racked up 24 chart-toppers…

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Reviews

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Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, Lionel Richie

The Weekend Stream: June 18, 2023

June 18, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. Our latest round-up brings you deep cuts from Pat Boone, rarities from Nat “King” Cole and a brand-new series diving deep into the works of Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington, Ellington in Order, Volume 1 (1927-1928) (Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) A century ago this year, pianist Edward Kennedy Ellington played his first gigs as a bandleader; by the end of…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Alan Parker, Carolyn Franklin, Cy Coleman, Donna Lewis, Duke Ellington, John Williams, Nat King Cole, Pat Boone, Patti Page, Paul Simon, Pulp, The Offspring

Release Round-Up: Week of June 16

June 16, 2023 by The Second Disc | 7 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles available today. The Weather Girls and Martha Wash, Carry On: The Deluxe Collection 1982-1992 (SoulMusic/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Hallelujah! Carry On: The Deluxe Collection 1982-1992 is a long-overdue assessment of Martha Wash and Izora Armstead’s unlikely journey toward the top of the pop charts, some fascinating music that came before it – and a triumphant second act by Wash following some truly bizarre situations that only could have happened in the music industry. This 4CD box set, compiled and produced…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Bettye LaVette, Bobby Brown, Cat Stevens, Drive-By Truckers, John Mellencamp, Martha Wash, Paul Young, Pet Shop Boys, Poco, Steve Lukather, The Weather Girls, Toto, Yusuf

Release Round-Up: Week of June 9

June 9, 2023 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Alice Cooper, Killer: Deluxe Edition (Warner/Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Killer, released in November 1971, was the fourth album from the original Alice Cooper band line-up of singer Alice Cooper, lead guitarist Glen Buxton, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith. But it was the group’s second album to crystallize the hard rock sound for which Cooper would become known. This newly remastered Deluxe Edition features the…

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Blues, Country, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

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Alice Cooper, Barbra Streisand, Brandy Clark, Harry Chapin, Ratt, Shane McAnally, Tracy Nelson, Willie Nelson

Release Round-Up: Week of June 2

June 2, 2023 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. Sylvester, Disco Heat: The Fantasy Years 1977-1981 (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Disco Heat: The Fantasy Years 1977-1981 celebrates the late disco/dance music pioneer with 26 tracks on two CDs drawn from all six of his albums for the label, as well as the rare 12-inch Disco Versions that kept the dancefloors burning. In addition to crossover smashes including “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat),” the collection offers an array…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Rock

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Ben Folds, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Foo Fighters, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Kenny Rogers, Norah Jones, Roger Waters, Rufus Wainwright, Sylvester, Tanya Tucker, The Hollywood Vampires

Life Is Like a Song

May 29, 2023 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Target-Exclusive CD: Target.com Kenny Rogers’ first posthumous studio release, Life Is Like a Song is built around eight never-before-heard recordings spanning 2008-2011 and two rarities. Among the selections, the superstar brought his familiar, distinctive, and lived-in vocals to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and The Temptations’ Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong/Rodger Penzabene standard “I Wish I Would Rain” (both of which feature new instrumentation from producers Kyle Lehning and Viktor Krauss) and to a perhaps more unexpected cover of “I Will Wait for You,” the lovely Academy Award-nominated…

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The Weekend Stream: May 27, 2023

May 27, 2023 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend from a Sly and the Family Stone rarity to the latest expanded edition from Taylor Swift! Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years Too Soon (The Remix Album) (Epic/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Perhaps the most bizarre item in the Sly and the Family Stone catalogue has hit download and streaming services this weekend. Ten Years Too Soon enlisted…

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