Revolutions Per Minute

Since 1997, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek have achieved critical success as the rap & producer collaboration known as Reflection Eternal.

Talib Kweli has established himself as one of rap’s premier acts, delivering stunning, uplifting singles like ‘Get By’ and acclaimed, well-rounded and thought-provoking albums like 2007’s ‘Eardrum.’

Hi-Tek has become one of rap’s go-to producers, working extensively with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, G-Unit, The Game and Ghostface Killah, among others.

Having established their success with individual careers, Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli are set to release their long-awaited follow-up album in 2010 entitled ‘Revolutions Per Minute.’

Price: $12.54

So Runs the World Away

”I’ve come to expect good records from him…but this one took my breath away.” Bob Boilen, NPR Music. Ritter’s sixth studio album, So Runs The World Away, marks the beginning of what Josh calls a ”new period” in his life, and it’s reflected in songs that he describes as ”more detailed and feel as if they were painted in oil on large canvasses.” The response has been unprecedented: confirmed highlights include NPR ”First Listen” World Cafe,and print coverage in Filter, Paste, Esquire (music issue), and much more. ”Change of Time” has been featured in March 23 episode of NBC’s Parenthood. Heavy touring continues through remainder of 2010, with many gigs TBA!

Price: $6.99

Live on the Sunset Strip

Three full sets from Otis Redding’s famed four-night stand on Sunset Blvd. in early 1966, the year when he rose from R&B hitmaker to national pop music headliner – and Live on the Sunset Strip captures Redding precisely in that white heat of transition, when his star power was undeniable and it was still possible to catch him backed by his own road band, in the tight quarters of a smoky nightclub.

Price: $10.71

Live At The Troubadour [CD / DVD Combo]

In November of 1970 James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Taylor had just released his debut album for the Beatles’ newly formed Apple Records and King was finding her way as a first time solo performer even though by then she was a famous songwriter with a string of hits for other artists. When they returned to the club for a two-week co-headlining run in 1971 their lives were somewhat different. That summer Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” was topping the charts and King’s landmark Tapestry was on its way to making her a music superstar. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, James Taylor, Carole King and members of their renowned original band “The Section” (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue’s 50th anniversary. Those historic shows are documented in Live at the Troubadour, a special 2-disc CD/DVD. This remarkable recording, culled from these unforgettable shows, features 15 songs and 75 minutes of pristine video and audio including stunning performances of the pair’s most beloved hits such as Carole King’s “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” as well as James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” and “Fire and Rain,” to name just a few.

The return to the intimate Troubadour–the fertile ground that served as the unofficial home to a some of the era’s defining musicians such as the Eagles, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell–rekindled King’s and Taylor’s love for making music together. Variety enthused at the time, “Taylor and King reminded us about the intensity of the song, that the artistically-rich and commercially-viable are not mutually exclusive and how one tiny club continues to be a birthing room for some of this city’s most memorable music.” The experience was deeply felt by everyone, the musicians on stage, and the fans in attendance as well as the project’s technical crew: audio producer Peter Asher (an instrumental figure throughout Taylor’s career) and Emmy-winning video director, Martyn Atkins. Live at the Troubadour is captured in sterling 5.1 stereo and state-of-the-art high definition video.

In the album’s liner notes, Taylor states: “The Troubadour in 1971 wasn’t the beginning, but it was a big step into the light for both of us. When we reunited for the Troubadour’s 50th Anniversary celebration in 2007, it felt like yesterday. It was, and still is, all about the music and the celebration of performing together.” King adds, “What’s even more remarkable is that James’s and my musical connection and friendship continue to transcend time and place. Whenever we’re together, there we are. I feel a tremendous gratitude to be able to share this experience with James, with this fine band, and most of all, with the fans.”

Price: $12.28

Infinite Arms

“Infinite Arms” is Band of Horses’ third full length album and major label debut. Produced by Band of Horses with additional production by Phil Ek and mixed by Dave Sardy, the songs on “Infinite Arms” project the essence of the different American locales that became the setting for the recording and songwriting process, yielding the group’s most focused and dynamic recordings to date.

Band of Horses is Ben Bridwell, Creighton Barrett, Ryan Monroe, Tyler Ramsey, and Bill Reynolds. Infinite Arms marks the recording debut for Ramsey and Reynolds, while Barrett and Monroe graced the last album Cease to Begin. Through extensive touring over the last two years, Band of Horses have become a cohesive force, with all members making invaluable contributions to the unmistakable sound that has Bridwell has crafted since the band’s inception.

Price: $6.25

Brothers

The maturation of the Black Keys as record makers and performers has been both subtle and startling. With their 2008 Nonesuch release ‘Attack & Release’ – the fifth album of their eight-year career which doubled the sales of their previous album and Nonesuch debut ‘Magic Potion’ – guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney illustrated the durability of their few-frills sound, a mysterious and heavy brew of seventies-vintage rock, classic R&B and timeless, downhearted blues. Producer and pal Danger Mouse, their first outside collaborator, didn’t try to reinvent their sound but further isolated its essence with the help of a few carefully chosen guest players and some retro-modern electronic gear. It didn’t need to get slicker to get better, or, as the Boston Globe put it, ”Attack & Release’ proves that cleaning up the boys still won’t stop them from tracking mud all over the house.’

Danger Mouse returned to co-produce ‘Tighten Up’ on ‘Brothers,’ but for the most part, the duo was on its own, spending ten days at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama and coming up with the an even more intensely focused, deeply soulful set that includes a cover of Jerry Butler’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.’ The performances are inventive and impassioned: Auerbach extends his vocal range to falsetto on the lead-off track ‘Everlasting Light’ and ‘The Only One’; ‘Howlin’ For You’ opens with a Gary Glitter-style drum riff and the chorus practically invites singing along. The tunes offer a surprising amount of lyrical candor and more than a little dark humor; the grooves alternate between ballsy swagger and bluesy rumination. The album reflects where Auerbach and Carney have been lately, most recently collaborating with a who’s who of New York City MC’s, including RZA, Q Tip, Mos Def and Raekwon on the 2009 BlakRoc super-session organized by hip-hop impresario and Black Keys fan Damon Dash. They’ve also pursued projects on their own, Auerbach with his solo ‘Keep It Hid’ album and tour, Carney with his band Drummer and its debut disc, ‘Feels Good Together.’ Their maturation didn’t happen just in the studio, though. Carney admits, ‘Dan and I grew up a lot as individuals and musicians prior to making this album. Our relationship was tested in many ways but at the end of the day, we’re brothers, and I think these songs reflect that.’

‘Brothers’ was primarily cut in Muscle Shoals, a setting that turned out to have more in common with the Akron, Ohio factories where the Black Keys used to record. The place was desolate, the town depressed, so once again the duo slipped into a world all its own. They did additional recording at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound System in Akron and The Bunker in Brooklyn. The album was mixed by engineer Tchad Blake, a veteran of sessions with Los Lobos, Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel. Says Carney, ‘The way he approaches mixing is the same way we approach making music. Respecting the past while being in the present.’

Price: $7.90

BIONIC – DELUXE (Explicit)

Price: $12.99

Exile on Main Street

2010 reissue of the classic Stones album housed in a super-jewel case (to complete ‘remasters’ box set). Regarded as one of the greatest albums in Rock ‘n’ Roll history and one of the most defining of the Stones’ catalogue. Upon its release more than three decades ago, Exile On Main Street innovatively wove varying musical genres, instruments and even artists into a compelling rhythmic masterpiece. The original 18-track double-album was recorded in various stages at multiple locations, including Olympic Studios in London, Keith Richard’s mansion Nellcote in France, and in Los Angeles where the literal Main Street influenced the album title. These atypical circumstances surrounding the recording process greatly affected the album’s outcome which was highly reflective and influenced by the sociopolitical turbulence that marked the late `60s and early `70s.

Price: $8.79

Exile on Main St. [Super Deluxe Edition]

Upon its release more than three decades ago, Exile on Main Street innovatively wove varying musical genres, instruments and even artists into a compelling rhythmic masterpiece. This new compilation features 10 tracks originally recorded during the Exile era and only recently discovered while working on the reissue project. The unearthed tracks which include such titles as “Plundered My Soul,” “Dancing in the Light,” “Following the River” and “Pass The Wine” have undergone a unique evolution, while staying true to the essence of the 1972 album. Alternate versions of “Soul Survivor” and “Loving Cup” also are a part of the Exile bonus materials.

As a complement to the release of Exile on Main Street, a documentary, “Stones in Exile,” has just been completed for fans to view on US Network television and through BBC Worldwide internationally. The documentary features rare, never-before-seen archival film, photos and interviews as well as new conversations with the band and the artists they influence. Produced by Oscar -winning filmmaker John Battsek and directed by Stephen Kijak, who is known for award-winning work on Cinemania, and Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, “Stones in Exile” offers an uncommon glimpse into the lives of the band as they created one of the greatest albums of all time.

The original 18-track double-album was recorded in various stages at multiple locations, including Olympic Studios in London, Keith Richard’s mansion Nellcote in France, and in Los Angeles where the literal “Main Street” influenced the album title. These atypical circumstances surrounding the recording process greatly affected the album’s outcome which was highly reflective and influenced by the sociopolitical turbulence that marked the late `60s and early `70s. The Stones nixed the influences of a flower-child era and directed their creative process with the edgier, excessive, “more is more” approach of the `70s. Exile reveals a sprawling mix of genres with undertones of blues, country, R&B and gospel mixed with lyrics that fervently demand for release and liberation.

The album pulled together an electric array of talent including Dr. John, the late Billy Preston and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Guitarist Mick Taylor, who replaced Brian Jones in the band shortly before Jones died in 1969, is a magnificent blues player who brought an intensity and elegance to these epic tracks. At times, these musicians and others lived on the recording studio premises with the band creating an extremely open and creative collaboration for the album.

“The album’s riveting portrait of artists pushed – by the times, by themselves – to the very limits of their creativity has provided inspiration to every musical generation that has come along since Exile was released in 1972,” said author Anthony DeCurtis. “Every song on Exile on Main Street is elevated by its relationship to the music that comes before and after it. The album’s irresistible power is unlikely to diminish any time soon.”

Exile on Main Street will be available in two CD formats: the original 18 track release; a deluxe CD edition with the 10 special bonus tracks; and a super deluxe package that also includes vinyl, a 30-minute documentary DVD with footage from Cocksucker Blues, Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones and Stones in Exile, and a 50-page collector’s book with photos from the Exile era. The 10 unreleased tracks were produced by Jimmy Miller, The Glimmer Twins and Don Was.

Price: $135.94

Heaven Is Whenever

Price: $9.98

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