The title of the new collection from Cherry Red's Righteous imprint, Lush Exotica, conjures up images of tropical islands, palm trees swaying in the breeze, sun-drenched beaches, and Polynesian paradise. Perhaps no artist provided a more vivid soundtrack to those images than Arthur Lyman. The late vibraphonist and marimba player (1932-2002), born in Oahu, Hawaii, […]
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Can a song truly make change? In an increasingly complex, divided and uncertain world, it's a fair question that has no easy answers. As a child, though, I can tell you I believe the answer was yes. After all, there was Harry Belafonte's "Turn the World Around." It's funny to think that a song from […]
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Kenny Rogers released the 28th and final studio album of his lifetime with 2015's Once Again It's Christmas. On June 2, UMe will celebrate the late superstar's musical legacy with a posthumous release featuring eight previously unreleased tracks and two rarities. Life Is Like a Song, coming on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, has been […]
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In the pantheon of jazz-rock, Frank Zappa's 1969 LP Hot Rats is surely near the pinnacle. The primarily instrumental album recorded by Zappa, multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, and the top tier of L.A.'s session musicians melded the compositional and improvisational sophistication of jazz with Zappa's gritty, searing, and blues-drenched electric rock style. Recorded to 16 tracks […]
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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. Follow up your Record Store Day with a few digital versions of the latest exclusive vinyl releases, plus rare live material […]
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Record Store Day! It's that time again where music lovers and vinyl flippers get together at their favorite physical music retailers and wait in line to snag some treasured albums - almost all of which are pressed on vinyl instead of CD (or, you know, sold on secondary marketplaces for above their retail value). It's […]
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When it comes to Record Store Day, Liberation Hall sure isn't kidding around. The label has seven titles from a host of rock, jazz, blues, and folk superstars, all set for release on vinyl at independent record stores everywhere tomorrow, April 22 - but that's not all. All seven albums have also arrived on CD. […]
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Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Philip Bailey, State of the Heart: The Columbia Recordings (1983-1988) (SoulMusic/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) State of the Heart celebrates the timeless voice of Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey with expanded editions of his […]
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The '80s not only saw tremendous soundtracks from many of the established composers in Hollywood, but a new generation of musicians making a mark on the silver screen, as well. Next month, two of the best film music discoveries of the '80s will be the subject of new reissues from Rusted Wave Records and 1984 […]
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Barry Manilow will mark the 50th anniversary of his solo career with an exciting vinyl reissue of his debut album - pressed in a way that's not been heard and seen together since it first came out. The beloved singer/songwriter has been on a hot streak lately that most artists his age would sell their […]
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