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Genius Loves Company
:Album Description:DVD is NTSC format, region code 2 :The fact that Genius Loves Company will be Ray Charles's final new album inspires an unavoidable blue feeling. But it's also a happy reminder that the man spent the last months of his life at work doing what he loved. The overall effect of these dozen duets is autumnal and smooth. Brother Ray is on point and cruising here. Fine moments abound--you can hear his delight even in the rather stiff company of ...
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Thickfreakness
: :Akron, Ohio's Black Keys offer crunchy, riff-heavy blues-rock that is remarkably rich and textured, particularly when one considers that they are merely a duo. Continuing in the vein of their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up, this sophomore CD leavens their garage blues with enough innovation to keep things interesting, taking full advantage of Dan Auerbach’s full-throated growl. Particularly appealing are 'Hard Row,' which lurks somewhere between Cream and punk rock, the strong stomp of 'Everywhere I Go,' and the irresistible ...
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After the Rain
:Album Description:Irma Thomas is one of New Orleans' most beloved and iconic entertainers. On 'After the Rain,' the Soul Queen of New Orleans brings her rich and resonant vocals to a surprisingly varied repertoire that spans 75 years of American songwriting, the common thread being Irma's soulful and direct-from-the-heart delivery. Spare and often acoustic instrumental settings by an all-star Louisiana band allow Irma's vocals to shine through on each song. Recorded at rural Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana only months after ...
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Baduizm
:Album Details:BONUS DVD (PAL) :Badu and her large turban appeared out of nowhere in early 1997, on a murmuring, romantic album that trod the median between old-school soul and contemporary electronic R&B. Badu's songs, especially the hit 'On & On' and the catchy 'Certainly,' recall Sade in their polished, subtle sexiness. Badu almost never raises her voice--save the occasional 'ooh-wee!' exultation--but she skillfully uses repetition and chanting to empower her words. Later portraying a beautiful swamp queen, she was one of ...
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Live at the Regal
: essential recording:Heralded as one of the greatest live blues albums ever recorded, this set catches the singer-guitarist as his star was in ascent: in 1964 playing Chicago's answer to Harlem's Apollo Theater--the Regal. King's performance is visceral. He sings so hard that gravel flies even in his clearest high notes. And his trademark single-note guitar lines are sharp and steely, matching his voice with trembling vigor. He offers early hits like 'How Blue Can You Get,' 'Worry, Worry,' and 'You ...
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Turn Around
:Album Description:The Grammy-nominated, former prodigy instrumentalist, who topped the Billboard New Artist chart with his first album at age 15, stands now as a mature creative force, made more sensitive yet also toughened by life's adventures. He's learned what it means to rise above hard times and to find meaning where chaos seemed to rule. These insights, and the emotions they unleash, makes Turn Around the pivotal album of Jonny Lang's career to date - a passage that links the triumphs ...
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Astral Weeks
: essential recording:Never mind that Van Morrison is one of the most indelible songwriters of the 20th century--take each album on its own terms. On 1968's seminal Astral Weeks, a twentysomething Van Morrison can be found belting his gospelly, bluesy vocals in just as fine a form as he would be 20 years hence. In the sociopolitical context of the times, the album cried out about such ubiquitous '60s themes as cultural oppression and social upheaval. But it is Morrison's vocal ...
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Yes We Can!
:Album Description:2008 release. Maria Muldaur's roots are in the Folk revival of the early '60s, a time when figures like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan were making bold statements about the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other burning issues of the day. More than four decades later, in the face of political and social issues in which the stakes are equally high, Muldaur assembles a group of legendary female performers to lend their voices in a critical examination of where we ...
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Greatest Hits Live
:Album Description:2008 release. Maria Muldaur's roots are in the Folk revival of the early '60s, a time when figures like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan were making bold statements about the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other burning issues of the day. More than four decades later, in the face of political and social issues in which the stakes are equally high, Muldaur assembles a group of legendary female performers to lend their voices in a critical examination of where we ...
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Design of a Decade 1986/1996
: :This decade-spanning compilation charts the singer-dancer-actress's transformation from rebellious teenager to sexy diva, along the way check-listing major hits like 'Nasty,' 'Miss You Much,' 'What Have You Done for Me Lately?' and 'Rhythm Nation.' Two new tracks bookend the set, but even the older material--most of it helmed by writer-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis--holds up remarkably well. --Courtney Kemp
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