Beast (Special Edition) (CD+DVD)
DevilDriver tear their way through heavy metal again with Beast, the band’s fifth album for Roadrunner Records, which is an exorcism of animalistic primal hooks, death metal percussion and propulsive thrashing.
With Beast, DevilDriver ventured into new territory: the grooves are catchier than ever, but there’s an intricacy and taut technicality to them, representative of an angrier musical monster. Beast, comes a mere two years after the band’s incredibly successful Pray for Villains, which debuted at number 35 on the Billboard Top 200. Villains even surpassed first-week sales of their critically acclaimed 2007 outing, The Last Kind Words and 2005’s The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand. It’s been a constant uptick for the Southern California quintet since they first blasted a hole through the zeitgeist in 2003 with their pivotal self-titled debut.
The Special Edition CD/DVD version of Beast, features 3 bonus tracks and a DVD that features an hour and a half documentary that chronicles the band from day one through their last album in 2009. It also includes 4 music videos.
Price: $16.47
Whipped Cream & Other Delights (40th Anniversary Edition)
40th Anniversary Edition Of The Classic Album!
1965’s Whipped Cream & Other Delights transformed Herb Alpert & The Tijuana into bonafide superstars, spending an incredible 8 straight weeks at the top of the charts. The album was not only memorable for its music, but for the iconic cover art which featured model Dolores Erickson strategically swathed in whipped cream. The original twelve tracks revolve around the theme of food and include such classics the triple Grammy-winning hit, “A Taste of Honey” and the Dating Game theme “Whipped Cream.” This special 40th Anniversary edition features two studio bonus tracks along with a 20-page booklet and a collector’s poster.
Each album in the Herb Alpert Signature Series features meticulously remastered sound, deluxe packaging, detailed liner notes, and an intro by Herb Alpert containing personal recollections and anecdotes.
Price: $7.25
40th Anniversary (CD & DVD)
February 25, 2011 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Two disc (CD + DVD) release from one of the seminal bands of the Soul and Funk scene of the late 60’s, early 70’s, Tower of Power has been funkin’ the house since 1968. This live concert CD and DVD is loaded with extras, and includes original band members Emilio Castillo, Doc Kupka, David Garibaldi, Rocco Prestia, Mic Gillette, Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite, Chester Thompson, Lenny Pickett, and Bruce Conte. There are two additional bonus features on the DVD that are also must haves. One is the “East Bay Tour,” with Emilio, Doc, Rocco and David Garibaldi taking the fans on a tour of their old stomping grounds.
Price: $12.17
Go-Go Boots
Drive-By Truckers will release Go-Go Boots on February 15, 2011 on ATO Records. Go-Go Boots is their eleventh record and was produced by their longtime producer, David Barbe.
Go-Go Boots builds on their roots with the old Muscle Shoals country-and-soul sound. ‘We recorded nearly 40 songs last year and into this year and fairly early on divided it into two separate albums’ explains DBT co-founder Patterson Hood. ‘The Big To-Do, releases first, was the more straightforward ‘rock’ album. Go-Go Boots is what I sometimes (semi-jokingly) refer to as our country, soul, and murder ballad album. Those elements definitely play into it, but it’s a little more open ended than that.’
Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley continue to be the chief songwriters of the group, continuing a musical partnership that has lasted over twenty-three years. Bassist, Shonna Trucker, flexes her songwriting muscles once again by contributing two original songs to the album. Brad Morgan (drums), John Neff (guitar/pedal steel) and Jay Gonzalez (keyboards) round out the current Drive-By Truckers lineup.
Price: $8.50
Junjo
Junjo boasts an unusual format: A young American woman playing bass and singing wordless vocals with the accompaniment of a Cuban pianist and drummer. But 22-year-old Esperanza Spalding, an Oregon native who teaches at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, is so confident in her multiple roles (she also produced the album, released on a Spanish label) and the music goes down so easily, all awareness of her band’s makeup quickly fades. With their lighter-than-air quality, the tunes sometimes recall early Return to Forever (an association underlined by the inclusion of a Chick Corea composition) and her playing boasts the warm, richly amplified quality favored by many young bassists. But with pianist Aruan Ortiz stretching and shaping the melodies, Junjo is winningly personal. In addition to several originals by Spalding, alone or in collaboration with Ortiz or her drummer, Francisco Mela, it includes a smart and playful reworking of Jimmy Rowles’ classic, “The Peacocks.” –Lloyd Sachs
Price: $10.99
Thickfreakness
Japanese version featuring a bonus track
Price: $7.41
Alligator Records 40th Anniversary (2xCD)
Alligator Records is home to some of the world’s foremost blues and roots rock talent and is regarded by fans and the media alike as the top contemporary blues record label in the world. The Washington Post said, “Alligator is the premiere blues label.” The Chicago Sun-Times added, “Alligator is numero uno among indie blues labels, with artists representing the best in contemporary blues.”
Alligator Records celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2011 with the release of The Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. The 2-CD set clearly lays out Iglauer’s wide-ranging blues vision. From the ragged glory of Hound Dog Taylor to the raw Chicago blues of Koko Taylor, Son Seals, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Lonnie Brooks and Eddy Clearwater to the harmonica workouts of Charlie Musselwhite, William Clarke, James Cotton and Rick Estrin to the guitar pyrotechnics of Guitar Shorty, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, Michael “Iron Man” Burks and Tinsley Ellis to the front porch roots-rock of JJ Grey & Mofro to the gospel soul of Mavis Staples, the one constant is Alligator’s dedication to releasing what has been dubbed “Genuine Houserockin’ Music.”
From the early days of recording only Chicago blues artists to the addition of national and international artists to the label’s commitment to younger roots acts who are creating new blues for a new millennium, Alligator continues to forge ahead. Even after 40 years, Alligator is committed to discovering great new talent, proving that the passion, soul and redemptive power of blues and roots music is alive, well and genuine, capable of rocking the house for many more years to come.
Price: $12.99
50 Classics For Relaxation (2 CD)
This timeless music speaks to the heart, soothes the soul and stirs the senses. 50 Classics for Relaxation is a special collection of classical music perfect for ‘quiet time.’ These
arrangements are an easy background for meditation, yoga,
a romantic evening-anytime the listener wants to slow down.
With 50 compelling songs by master composers, our collection will appeal to classical music aficionados and
those looking for stress relief. It truly speaks to everyone in the universal voice of symphonic sounds – it’s
enchanting, elegant and beautiful.
Price: $6.56
The Gate
The New York Times is one of numerous publications to declare that Kurt Elling is the “standout male vocalist of our time,” and The Gate, Elling’s follow-up to his Grammy-winning Dedicated to You, is among his strongest albums–and perhaps the finest of his career. Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan), The Gate is a musical collection in which boundaries cease to exist, a sensibility enhanced by producer Don Was, who had expressed the desire to work with Elling–an opportunity which Elling found irresistible.
The Gate points Elling into a new and satisfyingly emotional direction. He has somehow found a way to make a deeply personal statement out of the music of King Crimson, Joe Jackson, Stevie Wonder and the Beatles–in addition to providing a new and vibrant understanding of Miles Davis, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. That Elling is first and foremost a jazz singer makes the work searching and enthralling. His phrasing is cool and meditative as he ventures into areas usually reserved for instrumentalists. As a lyricist, Elling breathes new life into gems previously known only for their melodies. “His words are informed by a powerful poetic spirit,” said poet and Bollingen Prize winner Robert Creeley. “Kurt Elling takes us into a world of sacred particulars.”
The Gate features longtime associate, Laurence Hobgood on piano, Bob Mintzer on sax, John McLean on guitar, John Patitucci on bass and two drummers, Terreon Gulley and Kobie Watkins–in addition to percussionist Lenny Castro. Said Elling, “The musicians on this recording inspired me to be…better.” Said The Washington Post, “Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. With his soaring vocal flights, his edgy lyrics and sense of being on a musical mission, he has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz.” That spirit is in rich evidence on The Gate–and a musical feast awaits those who pass through. Produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan), The Gate is a musical collection in which boundaries cease to exist, a sensibility enhanced by producer Don Was, who had expressed the desire to work with Elling–an opportunity which Elling found irresistible.
Price: $12.91
I Feel You
I Feel You is a thrilling collaboration that blends Alpert and Hall’s vocal and instrumental gifts to perfection. The songs cover several reinterpreted classics spanning four decades. Recorded in Los Angeles, it is the duo’s first studio album in almost ten years. The songs selected by Alpert and Hall include such classics as Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and Peggy Lee’s “Fever” as well as two Beatles tunes “Here Comes The Sun” and “Blackbird.” All the songs on I Feel You are filled with unique and innovative arrangements along with skilled improvisations which breathe fresh life into them. Also on the album is a reinvented version of the Tijuana Brass hit, “What Now My Love.”
“Each song is like a flower opening up, exposing new color and fragrance, strength and fragility,” commented Hall. “I think the key to a great song is always the melody and Lani thinks it’s an equally expressive lyric which is one of the reasons we’re a good team. The songs on I Feel You reflect honesty and our mutual commitment to all the songs we do together is to make them sound fresh,” added Alpert. The outcome of their complementary philosophy is 14 songs on I Feel You that marry the essence of their shared gifts.
Price: $12.15