All That Music! Pop

Tower Of Power - Monster On A Leash (1991)

2011-12-04T09:04:00.002+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Funk, Soul

Release Date: 1991

Label: Epic

Review by Alex Henderson
In contrast to the many soul veterans who who have turned to urban contemporary sounds in the hope of staying on the staying on the charts, Tower of Power has stuck with the type of horn-driven, live-sounding funk and soul that put the Bay Area band on the map. Tower was long past its prime by the time Monster on a Leash was released in 1991, and had experienced its share of personnel changes. Lead singer Tom Bowes, although a passionate and competent belter, is hardly on a par with Lenny Williams. Even so, this is a respectable and decent effort from a band that remained artistically viable by staying true to itself. Unapologetically '70s-sounding, the album falls short of the unmitigated excellence of Back to Oakland and Urban Renewal, but isn't significantly different in its approach, content or attitude. While novices would do better to start with either those gems, this is an album that diehard Tower enthusiasts shouldn't pass up.

Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father 2003

2011-11-05T07:08:00.005+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: R&B

Release Date: 2003

Label: J-Records

Given Luther Vandross's precarious state of health at the time of its release, Dance With My Father’s title track--a tale of yearning for a lost loved one--takes on added poignancy. It’s something of a centerpiece on an album that moves in several directions, reaching for varied constituencies, while ultimately staying focused on Vandross’s trademark buttery vocals. In addition to "Dance," there’s more adult-contemporary balladry ("Buy Me a Rose"), lightly sassy soul ("If I Didn’t Know Better"), and a number of collaborations with hip-hoppers that often work surprisingly well. While suspending disbelief is hard when considering Luther and Foxy Brown as a couple ("If It Ain’t One Thing"), remakes of soft-R&B classics with Beyonce Knowles and Busta Rhymes prove to be highlights. With the Destiny’s Child singer, Vandross actually improves on the familiar Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway take of "The Closer I Get to You," turning in a cut that recalls his slow-burning signature reworking of "A House is Not a Home." A languid turn at "Lovely Day," with a purring Busta, works almost as well. (The "Part II" remix is superfluous, however.) Otherwise, Dance is in the vein of post-‘80s Vandross discs, and guaranteed to please fans. --Rickey Wright

Sade - X2 (2005)

2011-05-14T15:48:00.004+03:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Funk / Soul, Jazz, Pop

Release Date: 2005

Label: BMG

Sade - Diamond Life 1984

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Funk / Soul, Jazz, Pop

Release Date: 1984

Label: Epic

BBC Review
Daryl Easlea 2010-09-08

When you hear the bangs, crashes and whirrs that most music made in 1984, it is amazing to hear how pure and unaffected the debut album by Sade, Diamond Life, still sounds. Emerging from St Martin’s Art School in London, the band was formed from London funk favourites Pride. Adored by publications such as The Face, the group’s lead singer Sade Adu looked stunning and had a voice to match.
Produced by Robin Millar, Diamond Life succeeded in making the Soho in-crowd of the early 80s an in-crowd for the world. With well-honed originals and a cover of Timmy Thomas’ rare groove swamp ballad Why Can't We Live Together?, Sade made explicit both the musical elitism and joy of discovery of that era.
Smooth Operator is a perfect capture of this heady, glossy time. Adu's voice curls round the recording like smoke. Your Love Is King – surprisingly, their only ever UK top 10 single – is sweetness writ large. There’s the dispassionate funk of Hang on to Your Love and the penniless optimism of When Am I Going to Make a living?, which provided a mellow critique of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain ("Haven’t I told you before that we’re hungry for a life we can’t afford?"). The funk of Cherry Pie is reminiscent of later period Roxy Music, a huge, effortless wash of sound.
However, dissenters were rather sniffy about Sade. The album chimed perfectly with the loadsamoney era, and was used by its myriad listeners as a shortcut for Sade’s huge library of musical references. Why hear Roberta Flack, or Donny Hathaway, when you had this? Tracks such as Frankie’s First Affair are rather mired in their day, as is Sally with Stuart Matthewman’s sax draped all over it like some bad detective soundtrack.
Diamond Life became a statistician’s dream; it spent 99 weeks on the UK chart, racked up awards, launched a hugely successful career in the US and put Sade on the bill at Live Aid, and still no-one really had any clue who Adu and her band were. For them, there was no celebrity, no pouring out of clubs at 4am. It started them as a cottage industry at the centre of the music business, and that continues to this day.

Sade - Promise 1985

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Funk / Soul, Jazz, Pop

Release Date: 1984

Label: Epic

PROMISE, Sade's 1985 follow-up to her phenomenally successful debut, has the same breezy, sophisticated R&B approach as DIAMOND LIFE, sounding like a cross between light jazz and a low-key nightclub set of torch songs. Sade's detached, understated vocals are the epitome of cool, and while her technical range is limited--her performances are never about pyrotechnics--her elegant style creates a seductive mood. PROMISE heightens these effects with crisp production, gently interlocking keyboard and guitar lines, and washes of percolating rhythm, creating a textured landscape for Sade's vocals to soar over.

PROMISE contains the gently grooving "The Sweetest Taboo," one of Sade's most instantly recognizable songs, and "Never As Good as the First Time," another pop and R&B chart hit. There is rarely a misstep on the album, as it alternates between subdued grooves and chilly ballads (most notably the melancholic, minor-key "Jezebel"), keeping the musical vibe varied but quiet, and the overall atmosphere low-lit and intimate. Even more successful than its predecessor, PROMISE went triple platinum, and secured Sade's place as a pop sensation.

Zucchero - Miserere 1992

2011-02-27T13:04:00.003+02:00

Format: flac + cue + log

Genre: Blues, Funk / Soul, Pop-Rock

Release Date: 1992

Label: London Records

Zucchero's sixth studio album, Miserere was his first to reach the American audience. Released internationally in 1992, it features 12 original tracks written in Kenya, London, Dublin, Liverpool, New Orleans, and Camargue, France. A close listen to the album even today will astonish the most unfaithful and skeptical listener with Zucchero's maturity and down-to-earth raw feeling, and with its simple messages and an amazing degree of grooviness. Miserere gave Zucchero the opportunity to test himself in the American market and the confidence to support his fiery live shows. The title track, a duet with Maestro Luciano Pavarotti, is a compassionate, if slightly weird and cool, tribute to the end of 19th-century Italian opera tradition. --Ernesto De Pascale

He has never heard of misery?!
If this is so, well done to open this review. The legendary "farmer blues guitar again and grabs his hat and begins to sow scores in Kenya, Louisiana, United Kingdom. The mood of Sugar is broken down; a period of great depression is fought and decided overwhelmingly happy notes ("Gimme The Sun" and "The Brothers"). There is unleashed to the rhythm of "The Scream" as the word itself and with "orgy of Lost Souls", "nit" and "poor Christ" energetic songs with lyrics and colorful coloritissimi! You're listening to a Sugar still strong, arrogant as a doctrine of funky-soul recommended. Do not miss the beautiful ballads like "It's All Right", "Miss Mary" sweet style that will accompany the British bluesman also in the album to follow.
By Anna Solatia "(song" instrumental "accompanied by verses of poetry recited) it is pushed over the fence of a fantastic landscape in which we hear a musical attention to detail, poetic, profoundly limited in the emotions that only an Italian landscape can transmit . Its opposite is the ambiguous and hard "Penis" Zu tell us what he wanted 'with this text remains a mystery but it is not listening very hard over the lines: "Lick my penis ..." ... I'll let you no more!
I would end by citing the same name "Miserere" orchestrated by Michael Kamen (composer of movie soundtracks such as "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner and "Beyond the Dream" with Robin Williams). A true classic work, polluted (in a good way) by the soulful voice of sugar which is accompanied by the great tenor Pavarotti.
Miserere album is a sunny and magical. Try the surreal and is amplified to 100% joy and sadness. It will be impossible for anyone to be insensitive to this work.

(De Baser)

Vaya Con Dios - The Promise 2004

2011-01-15T15:09:00.003+02:00

Format: ape + cue + log

Year Of Release: 2004

Genre: Pop, Rock

Label: Pias

1. No one can make you stay
2. Ain't no love in the heart of the city
3. Don't deny
4. La Llorona
5. Take heed
6. Je l'aime je l'aime
7. The promise
8. Ilia Vaya Con Dios & Bonga
9. La vida es como una rosa
10. Es wird schon wieder gehen
11. How we lose (how we win)
12. Je te veux Vaya Con Dios & Grim

After a ten year hiatus from the spotlight, Vaya Con Dios and it's driving force, singer Dani Klein are back with a new album, The Promise. Originally formed in 1986 by Klein and then partner, bass player Dirk Schoufs with guitarist Willy Lambregt, the band achieved international success by breaking down genre barriers within popular music. By effortlessly combining a rich variety of Mediterranean rhythms, along side melancholy gypsy music, Indian, and Arab sounds, it all showcased the trademark voice of Dani Klein. Vaya Con Dios went on to sell over 7 million albums and had such hit singles as 'Just A Friend Of Mine' and 'Puerto Rico' from their debut album 'Vaya Con Dios' in 1988 'What's AWoman' and 'Nah Neh Nah' from the album Night Owls in 1990. PIAS. 2004.

Gregorian - Christmas Chants (2006)

2010-12-23T20:59:00.005+02:00

Date of Realise: 2006

Genre: pop, Christmas

Label: Edel

Format: ape + cue + test

Holiday release from the Gregorian Chants series that has sold millions of copies worldwide. The Gregorian Masters of Chant are the only worldwide touring Gregorian Choir, having played venues ranging from theaters to arenas to landmark churches. Features yuletide favorites like 'Silent Night', 'The First Noel', 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Amazing Grace' and more.

1. Ave Maria
2. Silent Night
3. When a Child Is Born
4. Amazing Grace
5. First Noel
6. In the Bleak Midwinter
7. Pie Jesus
8. Spaceman Came Travelling
9. O Come All Ye Faithful
10. Gloria in Excelsis
11. Footsteps in the Snow
12. Peace on Earth-Little Drummer Boy
13. Sweeter the Bells
14. Child in a Manger
15. Happy Xmas War Is Over
16. Auld Lang Syne

Gregorian - Masters Of Chant 1999

2010-09-17T06:52:00.003+03:00

Genre: Pop Rock, Downtempo, Ambient
Format: flac + cue + log
Released: 1999
Label: Edel Media

1. "Brothers in Arms" (Mark Knopfler) 5:09 (original by Dire Straits)
2. "Scarborough Fair" (traditional) 4:06
3. "Tears in Heaven" (Eric Clapton, Will Jennings) 4:43 (original by Eric Clapton)
4. "Still I'm Sad" (Jim McCarty, Paul Samwell-Smith) 4:02 (original by The Yardbirds)
5. "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright) 4:08 (original by Percy Sledge)
6. "Nothing Else Matters" (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich) 5:30 (original by Metallica)
7. "Fade to Grey" (Billy Currie, Christopher Payne, Midge Ure) 3:38 (original by Visage)
8. "Losing My Religion" (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe) 5:01 (original by R.E.M.)
9. "Vienna" (Midge Ure, Chris Cross, Warren Cann, Billy Currie) 4:22 (original by Ultravox)
10. "The Sound of Silence" (Paul Simon) 3:35 (original by Simon and Garfunkel)
11. "Sebastian" (Steve Harley) 3:05 (original by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel)
12. "Don't Give Up" (with Sarah Brightman) (Peter Gabriel) 5:22 (original by Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush)
13. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (radio edit) (U2) 4:14 (original by U2)
14. "Save a Prayer" (Simon Le Bon, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes) 4:54 (original by Duran Duran)

Gregorian is a German band, headed by Frank Peterson, performing

Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs.

Because it features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment,

the music cannot be considered true Gregorian chant.

In 1998, Peterson and his team re-invented the project to perform

popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection

were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be

translatable into the 7-tone scale. After the songs were chosen,

twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers -

were hired.

Barry White - All Time Greatest Hits (1994)

2010-05-23T07:44:00.005+03:00

Genre: R&B/Soul
Format: flac + cue + log
Released: 1994
Label: Mercury

1. Love's Theme

2. I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby
3. I've Got So Much To Give
4. Never, Never Gonna Give You Up
5. Honey Please, Can't Ya See
6. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe
7. You're The First, The Last, My Everything
8. What Am I Gonna Do With You
9. I'll Do For You Anything You Want Me To
10. Let The Music Play
11. You See The Trouble With Me
12. Baby, We Better Try To Get It Together
13. Don't Make Me Wait Too Long
14. I'm Qualified To Satisfy You
15. It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me
16. Playing Your Game, Baby
17. Oh, What A Night For Dancing
18. Your Sweetness Is My Weakness
19. Just The Way You Are
20. Satin Soul

If you ever feel romantic and decide to fill half your CD changer with recordings that set in the mood, there are three specific recommendations I have: Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, Al Green's Greatest Hits, and Barry White's All-Time Greatest Hits. I would suggest three other CD's to fill up the changer and thus make a perfect 6-CD collection, but I'm afraid that nothing else immediately comes to mind.
What makes Barry White's Greatest Hits so great is that the theme of each song is consistent. And that theme is hot romance to the max. Barry White has been able to deliver the message of love as only a true gentleman can. He commands it in a deep baritone voice that can drive the women wild as opposed to those squealing falsetto attempts that never really made it to first base.

Essentially a very thorough compilation of his 20 biggest singles that runs over 75 minutes, Barry White's All-Time Greatest Hits is missing very little. There may be slightly different arrangements in the original LP versions that some listeners might prefer otherwise, but for those who want a definitive collection of Barry White's works, this is about as good as you will ever get.

And some might say that unlike David Lee Roth's A Little Ain't Enough, you definitely can't get enough from this one particular disc. But let's be thankful that we do have this assortment, anyway.

By JON STRICKLAND

VA - Stockfisch Records - Closer To The Music Vol. 2 (2007){Superb SACD Audiophile}

2010-05-01T14:39:00.006+03:00

Genre: Acoustic, Pop
Format: ape + cue + log
Released: 2007
Label: Stockfisch Records

01. Sara K - Stars Hell or High Water

02. Sara K - Set You Free Hell or High Water

03. Steve Strauss - Just Like Love Just Like Love

04. Steve Strauss - Old Crow Just Like Love

05. Eugene Ruffolo - The Same Kind Words The Same Kind Words

06. Ewen Carruthers - When Time Turns Around

07. Ewen Carruthers - Paris When Time Turns Around

08. David Roth - Streets of London More Pearls

09. David Roth - Song For You Far Away More Pearls

10. Christian Willisohn - Caruso Hold On

11. David Munyon - Four Wild Horses More Songs For Planet Earth

12. David Munyon - Lookin' At The Rain More Songs For Planet Earth

13. Mike Silver - Heaven Heaven In Mind

14. Mike Silver - Maybe It's Just Love Heaven In Mind

15. Louis Capart - Au Large du Gueveur Voyage - D'une ?le Ё¤ L'autre

Tom Gibbs, Audiophile Audition

Since the release of Stockfisch's first SACD sampler, the audiophile label has recorded and published many new Stockfisch productions – well known artists of the singer/songwriter scene as well as so called “insider tips”. Listen to 15 new tracks, 70 minutes on this Hybrid-SACD!

Just like Vol. 1, this second Stockfisch collection closer to the music Vol.2 offers on its 15 individual tracks a wide musical variety. Different as they may be, they are bound by an invisible
thread, a common ground for all of them, the guitar based arrangements. This special sound, the
“trade mark” of nearly all Stockfisch productions, is where they all meet. Always energetic, but
at the same time gentle and never lacking transparency, that’s how the artists and their fellow
musicians skillfully present their music. These recordings, as any listener will experience, exemplify once again the Stockfisch philosophy: closer to the music!

"From the opening notes of Sara K.’s “Stars,” you’re greeted with an almost preternaturally wide
and deep soundstage that just defies description. And the ambience of the captured acoustic of the recording venue seems to wrap around the listener... And the astonishingly good performances and equally great recordings continue to flow like good wine..."

Zucchero - Zu & Co 2004

2010-04-01T06:15:00.004+03:00

Genre: Pop/Rock
Format: ape + cue + log
Released: 2004
Label: Universal Int'l

01. Dune Mosse - Zucchero & Miles Davis

02. Muoio Per Te - Zucchero & Sting

03. Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime - Zucchero & Vanessa Carlton/Haylie Ecker

04. Mama Get Real - Zucchero & Mousse T

05. Like The Sun - Zucchero & Macy Gray/Jeff Beck

06. Baila Morena - Zucchero & Mana

07. I Lay Down - Zucchero & John Lee Hooker

08. Blue - Zucchero & Sheryl Crow

09. Pure Love - Zucchero & Dolores O'Riordan

10. Wonderful World - Zucchero & Eric Clapton

11. Pippo - Zucchero & Tom Jones

12. Hey Man (Sing A Song) - Zucchero & B.B. King

13. Flight - Zucchero & Ronan Keating

14. Cosi' Celeste - Zucchero & Cheb Mami

15. Diavolo In Me - Zucchero & Solomon Burke

16. Senza Una Donna - Zucchero & Paul Young

17. Il Mare Impetuoso Al Tramonto Sali' Sulla Luna E Dietro Una - Zucchero & Brian May

18. Miserere - Zucchero & Luciano Pavarotti/Andrea Bocelli

Album Review iTunes

Italian star Zucchero has coaxed a wide variety of fellow artists into the studio over the years, and those vocal duets and other collaborations are gathered together on this collection, covering a period of over 15 years. This is one of those albums on which, intentionally, the selling point is the laundry list of co-stars, which is formidable: Jeff Beck, Andrea Bocelli, Bono (as a songwriter), Solomon Burke, Vanessa Carlton (on piano), Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Miles Davis, Haylie Ecker of Bond, Macy Gray, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Cheb Mami, Mexican group Mana, Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, and Paul Young. These luminaries join Zucchero to sing and play a batch of his songs (and sometimes co-write them), with many of the lyrics in English. Zucchero has one of those familiar gruff rock baritones, most reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, though it sounds at times like Joe Cocker and even ascends into a Sting-like tenor. The music is mostly also familiar, bearing the trappings of Euro-American classic rock balladeering in a manner that ruled adult contemporary radio for much of the 1980s and '90s. It's no wonder that the album is a co-production of the Concord label, known for its classy jazz catalog but lately branching out into pop, and Hear Music, the recording arm of the Starbucks Coffee company. It's easy to imagine this music playing at a low volume in the nearest Starbucks coffee shop and intriguing patrons who recognize the voice of Sheryl Crow or a guitar lick by Eric Clapton and wonder where it comes from. And that's appropriate, since this album is as much a marketing concept as it is a musical one.

Ayo - Gravity at last 2008

2010-01-09T06:35:00.003+02:00

Genre:RnB, Neo Soul, Pop-Rock
Format: Flac + cue + log
Released: 2008
Label: Polydor

01. I Am Not Afraid

02. Maybe (Ayo Blues)

03. Slow Slow (Run Run)

04. Love And Hate

05. Get Out Of My Way

06. Better Days

07. Change

08. Piece Of Joy

09. Lonely

10. Sometimes

11. What's This All About?

12. Mother

13. Thank You

There are lives that are lived like fairytales. With the release of her debut
album Joyful in 2006, Ayo revealed she has a pretty unique destiny. Born from
a Gypsy mother who passed on a passion for travelling and meeting people,
and a Nigerian father who raised her, and from whom she inherited her love
for music, it was inevitable Ayo would one day become an artist. At 19, she
moved to London in her quest for the same, but it was only when she moved
on to Paris that Ayo realised her dream and signed to her label, Polydor
France.
With her captivating, magnetic voice, she has since stolen the hearts of her
audience, initiated by the success of her debut smash single, ‘Down On My
Knees’, that saw Joyful rise to the top of the album chart. Close to 500,000
copies of the album were sold in France alone (over 750,000 worldwide) and
the album spent more than 30 weeks in the Top 20.
Ayo’s live career took off with her playing to thousands nationwide, including
an unprecedented 5-night sell-out run at the legendary Olympia in Paris, one
of which went on to be released as a DVD, ‘Live at Olympia,’ which was soon
certified a Platinum release. She has been nominated for ‘Best Female Act of
the Year’ at the Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2007 and she also received
a nod for best video ‘Down On My Knees.’
From this foundation, Ayo took her cool, seductive style outside France,
releasing Joyful in over 40 markets worldwide, securing further honours
including GOLD Awards in Greece, Italy and Switzerland and DOUBLE
PLATINUM in Poland, matching the extraordinary French success for a debut
album.
By early 2008, her insatiable appetite for travel found Ayo dropping her bags
in The Bahamas. She locked herself away in the fabled Compass Point
Studios, owned by Chris Blackwell, founder of the equally-renowned, Island
Records.
Working alongside the ghosts of past recording sessions by such greats as Bob
Marley and The Rolling Stones, Ayo developed her songs the old-fashioned
way using vintage analog equipment. After working with Norah Jones, Jay
Newland returned to co-produce with Ayo after their successful collaboration
on Joyful. With further collaborations from Lucky Peterson on keyboards, and
former Bob Dylan collaborator Larry Campbell on guitar, 13 songs were
finalised as the album, ‘Gravity At Last.’
This second collection of songs continues the quality shown by its
predecessor, with the hushed but powerful voice recorded with desire to
capture the moment. ‘I didn’t have any specific reason for changing
anything,’ Ayo explains, ‘Music remains my best therapy, and honesty is my
flag.’
However, ‘Gravity At Last’ is more complex than it would appear. Rather than
following the current obsession with “Reggae Folk”, Ayo opted for a more
luxurious and orchestrated album. ‘This album is more rhythm-based, even if
the voice and the guitar are kept at the forefront,’ explains the singer. From
the African heat of ‘I Am Not Afraid,’ the aching blues of ‘Maybe’, the intense
ballad ‘Better Days’, and to the gospel-style of ‘Thank You’, Ayo has widelybroadened
her range of influences.
Though musically diverse, love remains the main lyrical-theme on the album.
This subject offered Ayo the chance to write double meanings into many of
her songs, with the singer excelling in detailing personal and intimate topics.
‘Many people will recognize themselves in my lyrics, because they have
already had the same experience,’ describes Ayo. However, many of the
subjects remain very personal, ‘A song such as ‘Lonely’ could easily be
considered a love song, but it’s a song written on tour about my Dad, when I
didn’t have any news from him for months.’
This level of thought is also apparent when Ayo explains her meaning behind
the album title, ‘Gravity At Last.’ ‘The Gravity I’m referring to is musical, as my
sound is heavier now. But this also relates to the maturity of a girl who
became a woman by becoming a mother. My social role has evolved as I’m
now not only my parents’ child, but a parent with a child, a head of a family.
Many things have changed in my life these last two years; now I’m more
mature, more adult, and am able to understand things I didn’t get before.
Becoming a mum changed my perspectives.’
Family and home are the one of the cores of this new album, with Ayo only
too aware that such a life is no fairytale. All the episodes, the gigs, success,
and happy or unhappy emotions that she has been part of or experienced
over the past two years, have deeply moved the singer and been channelled
into her most recent work.
Her first single, ‘Slow Slow (Run, Run)’, was originally named ‘Run Run,’ and
helps to demonstrate how she is adapting to the speed at which her level of
fame is rising. Ayo explains this sentiment, ‘The title of this album also refers to
a feeling of relief. ‘At Last’ indicates that I’m happy to be untroubled today,
that I feel stronger and more confident now that I have left my past behind.’
For us, the good news is that the future is hers.

Vaya Con Dios - Vaya Con Dios 1988

2009-11-14T07:26:00.005+02:00

Genre: Pop
Format: Flac + cue + log
Released: 1991
Label: Metronome

01. Don't Cry for Louie

02. Moonshiner

03. Lord Help Me Please

04. Lay Your Hands (Off My Man)

05. Lulu's Song

06. Just a Friend of Mine

07. I Sold My Soul

08. One Silver Dollar

09. Philadelphia

10. Remember

11. Puerto Rico

12. Johnny

1988 debut from the band Vaya Con Dios featuring the Belgian chanteuse/lyricist/ producer Dani Klein. Ariola Belgium.
Have you ever experienced music taking you to bars that are just about to close, lights which have just been turned on to full degree, people leaving and chattering, some drunk in their loved one's arms, whilst a stranger approaches you to make a sleazy comment, with an untrustworthy look in his eye? You know his intentions, but you cannot yet resist, because you are tipsy as you fall for his meaningless lines.
If there is one album that plays music with pictures, feelings, sounds, touch, and smell then this is the one.
Vaya con Dios burst onto the scene with their premier album, simply breathtaking. Powerful lyrics, enchanting music, and fantastic sense of song. That powerful voice by Dani Klein... She will recreate the rythm of a slowing train by singing syllables of a line, she will lay her heart with emotion coming from the song, and she will recreate any situation or scene she sings about with her intuitive knowledge of the song's atmosphere.
Atmospheric. That's the word to sum up this album.--S. Mitrovic

Sting - Nothing Like The Sun 1987 [MFSL.GOLD.UDCD546]

2009-11-10T07:48:00.003+02:00

Genre: Pop/Rock
Format: Flac + cue + log
Released: 1987
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab / UDCD-546

01. The Lazarus Heart

02. Be Still My Beating Heart

03. Englishman In New York

04. History Will Teach Us Nothing

05. They Dance Alone (Gueca Solo)

06. Fragile

07. We'll Be Together

08. Straight To My Heart

09. Rock Steady

10. Sister Moon

11. Little Wing

12. The Secret Marriage

"WITHOUT FREEDOM FROM the past," sings a typically philosophical Sting on one track called 'History Will Teach Us Nothing', "things will only get worse."

This may be true. Buckminster Fuller has, according to the sleeve notes, said so too. But in the fact of 1985's Dream Of The Blue Turtles, history has certainly taught us that freedom from the pop past of The Police allows a more versatile and sophisticated, less obviously cynical Sting. Finally finished with all the silly voices and dippy white reggae jogging rhythms, freed of the bass-drums-guitar format and adding a jazz inflection to his work, the star in Sting was beginning to shine in a new kind of way. And on the evidence of this second solo studio LP – a double, no less – it seems that Sting will only get better.

Though brilliant in places, Blue Turtles was a patchy collection. On Nothing Like The Sun, musical Sting seems to have solved most of his stylistic difficulties. It's a much more even textured album. Where different styles stick out – as during the musical tour of Manhattan on the affectionate 'Englishman In New York' – it is because they are meant to. Among the musicians credited here are Kenny Kirkland and Branford Marsalis (again); Eric Clapton, Andy Summers, Mark Knopfler and Hiram Bullock variously on guitar (this time Sting sticks mostly to bass), Gil Evans and his orchestra on an enjoyable version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing', and Ruben Blades doing a Spanish talkover in the moving 'They Dance Alone'.

Needless to say, then, the playing is impeccable throughout. But that's not the point. Sting can now juxtapose pieces as various as a piece of sweaty, thumping R&B ('We'll Be Together' – the album's sequel to 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free'), an updated tongue-in-cheek version of the story of Noah's Ark set to a piece of jazz sleaze ('Rock Steady'), and a song based around a mournful melody from German composer and Brecht collaborator Hans Eisler ('The Secret Marriage'), and still make it all sound shamelessly, seamlessly Sting.

Lyrical Sting meanwhile still spends a lot of time singing about love, mostly in songs that have the word "heart" in the title – 'The Lazarus Heart', 'Be Still My Beating Heart'. Best of this bunch is 'Straight To My Heart', a simple fresh-sounding song built around what feels like a flamenco-derived rhythm.

After love, Sting's next favourite subject is death, in various guises. The best part of this album is side two, on which concerned Sting first takes a tragic view of history in 'History Will Teach Us Nothing', then sings about torture and the disappeared in Chile on 'They Dance Alone' (a song that also refers to his own mother, recently deceased, to whom the album is dedicated) and finishes with 'Fragile', a hymn to mortality apparently inspired by a friend of Sting's being murdered by the Nicaraguan Contras. On the second or third play, this reviewer found that sequence reducing him to tears.

It's a measure of what makes solo Sting special that after so many years in the hype machine, living a lifestyle based on god only knows what riches in the bank, he has finally found the will and the voice to sing simply and affectingly about political subjects like the arms race, the miner's strike or torture in Chile – a country to which, as part of The Police, he once actually paid an official visit.

At heart, he's clearly just another northern romantic. Idealist Sting counterposes political tragedy against the consolation of love, still tempering both sides of the equation with a vague mysticism. These songs are sensitive, literate, intelligent, thoughtful, moving and occasionally very funny too. There aren't too many stars who can manage all that and we should value Sting for it. Dave Rimmer, 1987

Gregorian - Sadisfaction (1991)

2009-10-25T14:26:00.004+02:00

Genre: Pop
Format: Flac + cue + log
Released: 1991
Label: Metronome

01. Whatcha Gonna Do

02. Once In A Lifetime

03. So Sad

04. Forever

05. The Quiet Self

06. Reflect

07. Monastry

08. Gonna Make You Mine

09. You Take My Breath Away

10. I Love You

11. Why Did You Go (I Feel Sad)

12. The Mission

13. Depressions

Gregorian is a German band, headed by Frank Peterson, performing Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. Because it features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment, the music cannot be considered true Gregorian chant.

In 1998, Peterson and his team re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. After the songs were chosen, twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were hired.

I'm back to uploading and this time I have enough disk space to avoid deleting old uploads. Sorry, but after a couple of disk disasters I don't have the source files for my old uploads any more so they're gone. Sorry about that. Once my ratio is up enough I will re-DL my remaining uploads so i can seed them in future. Huge thanks to RolloTomasi for suffering through my re-acquisition of uploader status as we searched for a CD that was in AccurateRip that I could rip for him.

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Sarah Brightman - Symphony 2008

2009-05-08T07:22:00.012+03:00

Genre: Symphonic Rock, Classical/ Pop
Format: flac + cue + log
Released: 2008
Label: Manhattan Records

01. Gothica

02. Fleurs Du Mal

03. Symphony

04. Canto Della Terra (Duet With Andrea Bocelli)

05. Sanvean

06. I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go) (Duet With Paul Stanley)

07. Schwere Traume

08. Sarai Qui (Duet With Alessandro Safina)

09. Storia D'Amore

10. Let It Rain

11. Attesa

12. Pasion (Duet With Fernando Lima)

13. Running

Sarah Brightman took five years between 2003's pop exotica outing Harem and Symphony. The over-the-top gothic excess in the artwork here seems like a cousin to Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell II, so much so that it feels like legendary theatrical rock excess king Jim Steinman -- a former associate of Brightman's longtime producer Frank Peterson (who wrote or co-wrote five of these tunes) -- is haunting the recording. Despite the big duet presences here -- Andrea Bocelli (again) on"Canto della Terra," tenor Alessandro Safina on "Sarai Qui," vocalist and actor Fernando Lima, and Kiss' Paul Stanley -- there are relatively few moments of real inspiration amidst the obvious kitsch. Symphony is trademark Brightman. It sits dead center at the crossroads of classical crossover, pop, and musical theater. Despite the star power on board, this is exactly what EMI wanted from her. The reprise of her first duet appearance with Bocelli is a firm showcase for both voices, and "Sarai Qui" with Safina is among best things here -- even if the arrangements threaten to do in all that vocal power. As for "Pasion," Lima's voice, with all of its high tenor acrobatics, is as lilting as her light soprano. It may work in the theater, or in the movies, but it doesn't here. "I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)," with Stanley, is a bit of a campy cheat. Brightman originally recorded this for the Pokeman soundtrack with Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann. Stanley's vocal chops just don't equate with the former. With acoustic guitars all but drowned in strings, the emotional punch of the original is lost. Brightman simply soars, and if her ice queen vocal isn't believable emotionally, it contains enough drama to keep it from falling into the abyss. Peterson and Carsten Heusmann's cool sound and synth loops on "Gothika" set up the meld of bombastic electric guitars and the London Symphony Orchestra in "Fleurs du Mal." It's full of sweeping textures where a lone clarinet sweeps in before the woodwinds on the third verse; strings shift, swoop, and soar; and a choir comes hammering down on the refrain like thunder trying to bury Brightman in her full but false fragility act. The title track begins as one of the most overblown things on the set, but in comparison to others, it is one of the simplest, breeziest melodies here. There is one genuine surprise: a cover of "Sanvean," written by Lisa Gerrard and Andrew Claxton. Brightman allows Gerrard's words (the English title amounts to "I Am Your Shadow") to haunt her, imbuing them with a classically delivered discipline that showcases the otherworldly and sorrowful melody in the piece. And if there were any radio programmers with brains, they'd choose either the classically tinged and passionate Cordel/LaBionda/Brightman number "Storia d'Amore" or the relatively straight-ahead melancholy pop/rock anthem "Let It Rain" as a single. The latter may be more standard radio fare, but the former would grab the attention of anyone who heard it. The album's nine-plus-minute closer, "Running," is a virtual multi-part suite disguised as a single song. There is an operatic intro that becomes fist-in-the-air uplifting rock & roll bombast in the first half -- it even includes an electric guitar solo, enormous drums, and a choir hammering home the refrain with Brightman before it moves back toward opera, then silence, then more orchestral and vocal drama. This track reeks of Steinman -- and his lyrics would have been far better than what is here. Symphony is stronger than Harem, yet not as adventurous as Luna, and is more self-indulgent than both. Reviewed by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Sarah Brightman - Symphony, Promo Trailer

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Andrea Bocelli - Amor (2006)

2009-04-01T07:19:00.010+03:00

Genre: Pop
Format: Flac + cue + log + test
Released: 2006
Label: Sugar

01. Besame Mucho

02. Cancion Desafinada (Canzoni Stonate)

03. Solamente Una Vez

04. Somos Novios (it's impossible)

05. Jurame

06. Pero Te Extraño

07. Las Hojas Muertas (Les Feuilles Mortes)

08. Momentos

09. Me Faltas (Mi Manchi)

10. Cuando Me Enamoro (Quando M'Innamoro)

11. Porque Tu Me Acostumbraste (aka Tu me acostumbraste)

12. Amapola

13. Verano (Estate)

14. Nuestro Encuentro (Sentado a 'Beira do Caminho)

Personally, I am not a big fan of Andrea Bocelli, however, I do respect his music. I know many, many fans of his music and his voice. Granted, he does have an extremely beautiful voice, but with each new CD he has released, I hear very little difference in musical growth and exploration. Is it because he has discovered a model that works so well, or is it because that is all he can do? Questions, I may never be able to answer.

What I do like about Bocelli's Amore is the fact that he is singing several popular songs from the 1920's to the 80's. Familiar tunes, although in foreign languages, are easy to hum along with. Song's like "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Somos Novios" (with Christina Aguilera) are among my favorite. As I said before, he has become synonymous with romantic songs, and this album is no exception. It would be a perfect accompaniment to that box of chocolate and roses you plan on buying your loved one for Valentine's day.

Along with Andrea's new album, comes a whirlwind of advertising and promoting. During the month of February alone, Bocelli will appear on the Today Show, Dateline NBC, The View, Live with Regis and Kelly, CBS Morning Show, Martha Stewart, Tony Danza, and more. He will also perform at the Olympic Closing Ceremonies on February 26, 2006 in front of a worldwide television audience of over 1 billion people.

Gregorian - The Dark Side 2004 [The Original]

2009-03-15T14:19:00.008+02:00

Genre: Classical/ World/ Pop
Format: Ape + cue + log + test
Released: 2004
Label: edel

01. Hurt [Originally Performed by: Nine Inch Nails]

02. My Immortal [Originally Performed by: Evanescence]

03. The Four Horsemen [Originally Performed by: Aphrodite's Child]

04. Unbeliever

05. Where The Wild Roses Grow [Originally Performed by: Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue]

06. Close My Eyes Forever [Originally Performed by: Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne]

07. More [Originally Performed by: Sisters Of Mercy]

08. Uninvited [Originally Performed by: Alanis Morissette]

09. The Raven [Originally Performed by: The Alan Parsons Project]

10. Gregorian Anthem

11. Ave Satani (The Omen) [Originally Performed by: Jerry Goldsmith]

12. The End [Originally Performed by: The Doors]

13. In The Shadows [Originally Performed by: The Rasmus]

One of the most successful pop/classical fusion projects, Gregorian mixes well-known pop and rock songs with Gregorian chants. Overseen by producer Frank Peterson, co-founder of Michael Cretu's Enigma outfit, Gregorian's first album, Masters of Chant, released in 1999 (an early 1991 Peterson album released under the name Gregorian isn't counted among the group's official releases, but already employs the same aesthetic), became a smash hit throughout Europe, entering the Top Ten in nine different countries. The following albums continued in the same vein, covering songs by Peter Gabriel, Lenny Kravitz, Coldplay, Björk, Queen, Tears for Fears, and others. The Dark Side, released in 2004, put a stronger emphasis on the rock element and included songs by Nine Inch Nails and the Doors. Including two live DVD releases, several sequels to the Masters of Chant album, and a 2006 Christmas album, Gregorian sold over four million records under Peterson's guidance.

Gunther Laudahn : Guitars

Frank Peterson: Bass
Carsten Heusmann, Jan-Eric Kohrs : Keyboards
Roland Peil : Drums

Ray Charles - His Greatest Hits Vol. 2 1987[DCC DZS-037 Mastered by Steve Hoffman]

2009-02-04T07:57:00.005+02:00

His Greatest Hits Vol. 2 1987[DCC DZS-037 Mastered by Steve Hoffman]

Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Piano Blues, Soul
Format: Flac+ cue + log
Released: 1987
Label: Dcc Compact Classics
Number of Discs: 1

Track Listings:

1. Busted - (02:12)

2. Hit the Road Jack - (02:01)

3. I Can't Stop Loving You - (04:13)

4. You Are My Sunshine - (03:03)

5. Ruby - (03:55)

6. Sticks and Stones - (02:16)

7. Take These Chains from My Heart - (02:59)

8. Them That Got - (02:50)

9. No One - (03:13)

10. Without Love (There Is Nothing) - (03:40)

11. Don't Set Me Free - (02:39)

12. I'm a Fool to Care - (03:21)

13. Makin' Whoopee, Parts 1 & 2 - (06:20)

14. Hardhearted Hannah - (03:19)

15. Baby It's Cold Outside - (04:13)

16. At the Club - (03:03)

17. In the Heat of the Night - (02:38)

18. Eleanor Rigby - (03:01)

19. Look What They Done to My Song, Ma - (03:46)

20. America the Beautiful - (03:35)

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Ray Charles - His Greatest Hits Vol. 1 1987[DCC DZS-036 Mastered by Steve Hoffman]

2009-02-03T20:29:00.002+02:00

His Greatest Hits Vol. 1 1987[DCC DZS-036 Mastered by Steve Hoffman]

Genre: Rhythm & Blues, Piano Blues, Soul
Format: Ape+ cue + log
Released: 1987
Label: Dcc Compact Classics
Number of Discs: 1

Track Listings:

1. Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles, Carmichael, Hoagy

2. Unchain My Heart - Ray Charles, Powell, Teddy

3. Born to Lose - Ray Charles, Brown, Frankie

4. One Mint Julep - Ray Charles, Toombs, Rudy

5. You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles, Arnold, Eddy

6. Smack Dab in the Middle - Ray Charles, Calhoun, Chuck

7. Crying Time - Ray Charles, Owens, Buck

8. Hide nor Hair - Ray Charles, Mayfield, Percy

9. Let's Go Get Stoned - Ray Charles, Armstead, Joseph

10. That Lucky Old Sun - Ray Charles,

11. Don't Change on Me - Ray Charles,

12. Your Cheatin' Heart - Ray Charles, Williams, Hank [1]

13. I Don't Need No Doctor - Ray Charles, Armstead, Jo

14. Careless Love - Ray Charles, Handy, W.C.

15. My Heart Cries for You - Ray Charles, Faith, Percy

16. I Chose to Sing the Blues - Ray Charles, Charles, Ray [1]

17. If You Were Mine - Ray Charles,

18. Baby Don't You Cry - Ray Charles, Johnson, Buddy

19. Here We Go Again - Ray Charles, Lanier, Don

20. Yesterday - Ray Charles, Lennon, John

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All That Music: My Favourite Discoteque 80's Vol.1 2008 [FLAC]

2008-07-19T22:31:00.017+03:00

CD 1

01 - Piano Fantasia - Song For Denise
02 - Desireless - Voyage Voyage
03 - Alphaville - Sounds Like A Melody
04 - Bad Boys Blue - You're A Woman
05 - London Boys - Requiem
06 - Baltimora - Tarzan Boy
07 - Blue System - My Bed Is Too Big (Radio Version)
08 - Fancy - Lady Of Ice
09 - Silent Circle - Touch In The Night
10 - Modern Talking - Cheri, Cheri Lady
11 - Gina T. - Tokio By Night
12 - Radiorama - Aliens
13 - Ken Laszlo - Hey Hey Guy
14 - Miko Misson - How Old Are You
15 - Gazebo - I Like Shopin

CD 2

01 - Irene Cara - Flashdance... What a Feeling
02 - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
03 - Stevie Wonder - Part-Time Lover
04 - Laura Branigan - Self Control
05 - Murray Head - One Night In Bangok
06 - Scotch - Disco Band
07 - Off - Electrica Salsa (Baba Baba)
08 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (Come Fighting)
09 - Duran Duran - Wild Boys
10 - Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
11 - Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
12 - A-Ha - Take On Me
13 - Michael Sembello - Maniac
14 - Stephanie - Irresistible
15 - Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin
16 - Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

150 min. Total Dance Time

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All That Music: My Favourite Disco Fever 70's [FLAC]

2008-07-15T11:48:00.003+03:00

01 - Lipps Inc. - Funkytown (03:57)
02 - Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing (04:04)
03 - Village People - Y.M.C.A. (03:31)
04 - Donna Summer - Hot Stuff (03:43)
05 - LaBelle - Lady Marmalade (03:10)
06 - Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way (03:37)
07 - Cameo - Word Up (04:20)
08 - Sister Sledge - We Are Family (03:35)
09 - Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (03:26)
10 - Eruption - One Way Ticket (03:35)
11 - Earth, Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland (04:50)
12 - Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing (04:14)
13 - ABBA - Dancing Queen (03:48)
14 - K.C. & The Sunshine Band - Thats The Way (I Like It) (03:02)
15 - The Gap Band - I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Ooops) (03:27)
16 - Diana Ross - Upside Down (04:06)
17 - Eruption - I Cant Stand The Rain (03:07)
18 - Kool & The Gang - Ladies Night (03:10)
19 - Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (03:18)
20 - Donna Summer - I Feel Love (05:52)

Hope you enjoy!

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