Novo Combo - Self Titled Album / The Animation Generation

Finally after all these years both albums by the group "Novo Combo" have been released straight to digital media and they are available on iTunes as well as Spotify, Qobuz and other streaming services. The first album sinply entitled "Novo Combo", was released in 1981. It was a combination of pop-rock and new wave styles, resembling early Police and enhanced by the great musicianship of its members, drummer and former Santana member Michael Shrieve, Pete Hewlett on guitars, bassist and lead vocalist Steven Drees and Jack Griffith on guitars. Their second release "The Animation Generation" continued their preceeding effort but on a more posihed production style. Drummer Michael Shrieve played a very tight and powerfull style and the inclusion of guitarrist Carlos Rios, a former member of Gino Vannelli's group, who replaced Jack Griffith, became the link which tightened the group's style. Pete Hewlett went on to do some work with Billy Joel, Joe Jackson, Carly Simon and Eric Carmen. Steven Drees would later do work with Hall and Oates and Tony Carey before forming his own band, the Bandees and Jack Griffith went on to play with Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana and Gary Moore. Carlos Rios keep on increasing his activities as a session player as he worked with Earth, Wind & Fire, Yellowjackets, Diana Ross and many other famous artists. Drummer Michael Shrieve has continued spanning his solo career. The band dismantled after their second album.

 

To Stream or Not To Stream - That is the question

After and very long absence I am back with this controversial topic

Controversial? some might say!!

Well, for the artists, musicians, composers, sound recording owners and music publishers it is a controversial issue but one that doesn’t seem will go away.

For those of you who don’t know, Music Streaming services such as Spotify, Qobuz and Deezer have taken over the world making available practically every music recording to anybody in a vast spectrum of countries, either for free or for a subscription basis, which differs depending on the service’s business model and its terms and conditions.

The free subscriptions are basically invaded with advertising every 3 or 4 songs and are basically made that way to allure you into getting into a paid subscription. The advertisings are quite annoying and you can’t simply fast forward to your next chosen song, so you have to wait until the advertising is over to continue to listen to the music you’ve chosen.

Services go something like this:

Spotify: On mobile or tablets, you can always listen to artists, albums, created or ready-made playlists for free but always in shuffle mode. If you want to play any song or album in any order as you wish, any time, just upgrade to the Spotify Premium: Web access only without the ads and no commitment, for $4.99/month or Web/Mobile access without the ads and no commitment, for $9.99/month and you can play any song, anywhere. You also have the option of downloading music for fees such as those of iTunes, etc. & you’ll also be able to listen offline.

Deezer: Three subscription modes are available, Discovery: Web access only with ads, this is free. Premium: Web access only without the ads and no commitment, for $4.99/month; Premium+: Web/Mobile access without the ads and no commitment, for $9.99/month.

Qobuz: The world's first high-definition music streaming service based in France and only available in France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Their subscriptions are: Premium 1: Web access only to music on MP3 (320 kbps resolution guaranteed) without the ads and no commitment, for $4.99/month; Premium 2: Web/mobile access to music on MP3 (320 kbps resolution guaranteed) without the ads and no commitment, for $9.99/month; Qobuz Hi-Fi: Web/mobile access to music on True CD Quality (FLAC 16 bit/44.1 kHz resolution guaranteed) without the ads and no commitment, for $19.99/month (Also available with listening limited to classical music for $14.99/month). One feature which separates Qobuz from other services is the option of downloading music at high resolutions. There are two levels of high quality audio available: Lossless, the uncompressed "True CD Quality" at 16-bit, as well as 24-bit Studio Masters range, boasting the actual quality of the files you purchase. Even thou Qobuz service is only available in the countries mentioned above, you can get them to change your account so you can purchase from other countries by emailing customer support in English or customer support in French. I guess this will bring foreign fees charged to your credit card, but Qobuz does have quite a larger selection of HD Tracks for sale (24 bits / 192 kHz on 12000 plus albums called “Qobuz Studio Masters”) making it very attractive for the Hi-Fi aficionado.

There are other services and business mdels as well, but I just wanted to give you an overall picture.

Now, you might say that this is “awesome”, to be able to listen to any music, any time, create your own playlists, etc. and it is wonderful indeed, but it comes at a price not to the consumer but to the artists, musicians, composers, sound recording owners and music publishers making this a controversial issue among music industry professionals.

And this is why:

One download sold at $0.99 purchased from any store, such as iTunes brings approximately the following revenue for the creators involved:

Store: $0.29; digital distributor: $0.10; sound recording owner: $0.60 and for example in the US the sound recording owner must pay the owner of the composition a fee of $0.091 before they pay the artist, so that leaves roughly $0.50 to be shared between the sound recording owner (Record companies, most of the time) and a percentage paid to the artist based on their contractual percentages. In other countries the author/composer/publisher share gets discounted by the store and paid to the pertaining performance rights society.

One listen at a streaming site, let’s say Spotify in the US, brings approximately US$ 0.007219 for the digital distributor, so approximately $ 0.006136 to the sound recording owner who for example in the US will have to pay 10.50% of that to the owner of the composition, leaving $0.00549172 to be shared with the artist.

So as you can see you would have to sell approximately 92 streams to reach the price of simply one download.

Of course, you cannot compare the two in the sense.  A stream is like a personal radio where you choose what song to listen to and you don’t own anything and the download you actually own but this gives you an idea as to why this is a controversial issue in spite of the fact that record companies and artists alike have embraced the streaming revolution as a media which is here to stay. But the issue is that a lot of people feel compelled to just stream and not buy.

It is a fact that sales have suffered a great deal and many artists and small independent labels find themselves struggling to survive as these revenue streams make it very difficult to recoup the investments needed to produce and market an album.

Some artists, such as Peter Gabriel or record labels such as ECM Records and many others have even blocked their recordings from being offered through streaming services, meaning that if you want their music, you should buy it. Others have decided beforehand that they will make their money on the shows so they use streaming as a mean to get fans to enjoy their music and then go to their shows. Some of the streaming services even alert you as to when your favorite artist will be in town. Other artists simply say that their streaming revenue surpasses the one form downloading, which is actually understandable as the revenue from sales of downloads has decreased dramatically due to people turning to streaming.

But as a consumer, the experience is often different than the one described above. Consumers find quite a few advantages from these services. First of all you are your own radio station; you decide what you want to listen. Some of the cons include the ability to be able to have almost all the music in the world available at your fingertip, the ability to create playlists with your favorite artists or with the albums or songs you would have never bought. For example, you like the Rolling Stones, but you never bought any of their albums because you had other preferences. Well by using these services you can actually create your own personalized Rolling Stones playlist and you would actually find yourself listening to it more often than not. Perhaps it is a list of 80s recordings, the sky is the limit. Some listeners, specially 40 and older are using these streaming services to fulfil their dreams of having their record collection completed with every release from the artist they love or like. And this is especially true since you can create a playlist with as many albums as you like but you also can delete the songs you dislike from each album on the playlist, and they stay deleted; a powerful tool indeed.

And then there is the discovery process. You will find yourself jumping from one related artist to another and soon enough you will have discovered a great deal of new music, meaning new for you as some of the discovery can take you to groups or songs from earlier years, which you never heard before. Or what about rediscovering that great song you always liked but never knew who performed until now that you find it through the related artist tool.

This brings me to another point. If you discover something you really like, then you feel inclined to buy either the CD or the downloads, and perhaps this is one of the most positive aspects of the streaming revolution, if you like something you might then want to buy it so that you can listen to it at your own pace and through different media systems. I can tell you from my own experience that I have bought a great deal of CDs and album downloads, just because I discovered them through my streaming subscription service.

And party music has never been as exciting. The playlists from people’s iPods or telephones have been replaced by the search engines on the party host’s computer streaming service or the playlists created beforehand by the host on his/hers subscription service. Music has indeed become global.

Another advantage of the streaming revolution is that it seems illegal music sharing and downloading has decreased as people can now simply send a URL corresponding to a created or existing playlist and their friends can then open it on their computers using their own subscriptions, or they can share their playlists in any social media making the discovery and sharing process legal and compelling. Some people find it easier to simply have the music on their subscription service available at all times and on any media than actually going on those annoying file sharing searching for something, which readily available on the streaming service, and downloading it with the risk of infecting their computer with a virus.

This brings me to my point concerning this blog.

From now on and when I start posting again, I will list most of my future posts using Spotify playlists (unless it is something, which is not available). That way you can join the revenue stream so needed to keep music, artists and composers alive so that we can continue to enjoy music as we’ve know it.

Streaming is here to stay and even if I resisted in the beginning, I have succumbed to the streaming revolution but please remember:

If you love the music please buy it!!

Silvano Monasterios - Unconditional

The Venezuelan-born pianist/composer has synthesized his classical and jazz training with the rich musical traditions of all of South America into a potent personal multifaceted musical vision. Over the years he has led his own impressive groups and performed with a host of jazz greats, such as Randy Brecker, Donald Byrd, Larry Coryell, Paquito D'Rivera, Mark Egan, Arturo Sandoval, Terumasa Hino, Marc Johnson, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditi, Dave Valentin, Othello Molineaux, Melton Mustafa, Sammy Figueroa, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paul Wertico, Lou Soloff and even pop & rock icons Shakira and David Lee Roth. Though the language of jazz is obvious within his music, his originality is both refreshing and a joyful. Whether delving into different traditions or moving beyond them, Monasterios demonstrates his longing and search for love, family and heritage which forever will be at the core of his artistic journey. The influence of his own culture is present in every cell of music he creates; in every phrase he executes; and most of all, in every piece he composes. While his music occasionally touches on Latin jazz expectations, his compositions don't always point South. Monasterios’ music lacks limitations or constraints, as he breaks free from the shackles of Latin jazz labeling to construct a compelling multifaceted musical statement that touches on a variety of styles and moods, ranging from serene to soaring with an emphasis on composition, attention to detail, craftsmanship, fine improvisation and coherence prominently integrated within a romantic atmosphere. But when Monasterios and his peers cut loose their delivery fiercely digs deep into the realms of jazz greatness. The contribution of Silvano Monasterios to the development of jazz is sure to garner recognition and persistence through his masterful playing and composing. Musicians are: Silvano Monaterios on piano, Gabriel Vivas and Jon Dadurka on bass, José Gregorio Hernández on percusión, Troy Roberts on saxophone and Rodolfo Zuñiga on drums.

Track Listing:

1. Farmacia del Angel

2. Monsieur Petit Noir

3. Song for Jacques, Pt. 1
4. Song for Jacques, Pt. 2
5. Sno' Peas
6. Forgotten Gods (sampled above)
7. Unconditional
8. Black Saint
Buy Unconditional at Amazon or

Lou Rawls - Love All Your Blues Away



We have all heard the crooning voice of Lou Rawls (1935 - 2006) through his biggest hits such as "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", “See You When I Git There” and “Lady Love”. From gospel, R&B to soul and jazz to blues and straight-up pop, Lou Rawls was a consummate master of African-American vocal music whose versatility helped him adapt to the changing musical times over and over again while always remaining unmistakably himself. Rawls' smooth, classy elegance permeated nearly everything he sang, yet the fire of his early gospel days was never too far from the surface. Rawls always remained a highly visible figure on the American cultural landscape, pursuing an acting and voice-over career in addition to his continued concert appearances, and doing extensive charity work on behalf of his consuming passion, the United Negro College Fund. “Love All Your Blues Away” is not his best album. Quite honestly I didn’t even know it existed until recently, but it’s an interesting find. Produced by the great Jay Graydon, with contributions by David Foster, it has become sort of an obscure “West Coast” classic. It embodies a mixture of typical 80’s synthesizer-pop and classic Rawls soul and jazz ballads, which seem to come from two different production camps, most likely in an effort to maintain Rawls current with pop music developments of the time and at the same time remain true to his fan base. I have not been able to locate any information on the musicians on this production and this classic has never been released on CD but there’s very decent rip to vinyl on the comments. Portions of this write-up were provided by Steve Huey from AMG.

Track listing:
1. Change Your Mind
2. Are You With Me
3. Love All Your Blues Away (2nd sample above)
4. Stop Me From Starting This Feeling
5. Learn To Love Again
6. Willow Weep For Me
7. We'll Be Together Again (1st sample above)
8. The Way You Look Tonight
9. It Never Entered My Mind

Mac McAnally - Nothin' But The Truth

Songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and producer Mac McAnally has assured his place in music history. McAnally draws from his Red Bay, Alabama birthplace, his Belmont, Mississippi hometown roots and from his Muscle Shoals musical foundation, and at the other end McAnally offers the best of his vocal abilities, songwriting, instrumental gifts and production talents. He signed his first record deal, with Ariola, at 20 and launched two singles to moderate success, "It's A Crazy World" and "Minimum Love". Kenny Chesney cut Mac's "Down The Road" and the song reached the No. 1 spot in the spring of 2009. Alabama took his "Old Flame" to No. 1 in 1981. Jimmy Buffett, Hank Williams, Jr., Reba McEntire, T.G. Sheppard, David Allan Coe, Shenandoah, Ricky Van Shelton, Charley Pride, Randy Travis and Steve Wariner are just some of the artists who have cut McAnally's songs over the years. McAnally also became an in-demand producer, along the way working with Ricky Skaggs, Restless Heart, Chris LeDoux, Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat and Sawyer Brown. Meanwhile, as a musician, his guitar and vocal skills continue to build an enviable registry of credits that include Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Jr., Amy Grant, Jimmy Buffett, Travis Tritt, Linda Ronstadt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dolly Parton and many more. In 2007, McAnally was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2008 the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame followed suit. Even in the midst of creating a prodigious body of behind-the-scenes work, McAnally always continued to make his own music. He has recorded 10 albums. He was the first artist signed to David Geffen's legendary rock label Geffen Records, and that’s when he released “Nothing But The Truth” in 1983. There's just something special about this album from start to finish, the tight playing, the crisp production, the hair raising vocals and harmonies and the intelligent and poetic lyrics, which in all created a very good pop album with just a hint of country roots, where McAnally has headed ever since, culminating with McAnally's triumphant return to the airwaves with a recent No. 1 single (as a writer and an artist) and the release of his new self-penned album “Down By The River”, under a prominent Nashville label. These are all significant pieces of this breathtaking career canvas of a fully developed and self contained music maker who is confirmed as one of the most accomplished and revered creative forces in the music business. Musicians: Mac McAnally on vocals, guitars and keyboards, Duncan Cameron, Hugh McCracken, Kenny Mims and John Willis on guitars, David Hood and David Hungate (Toto) on bass, Brandon Barnes, Clayton Ivey and Steve Nathan on keyboards, Roger Hawkins and James Stroud on drums, Tom Roady on percussion, Randall Bramlett on saxophone and background vocals by Robert Byrne, Mike Cunningham, Lenny LeBlanc, Sarah McAnally & Terry Woodford. Produced by Clayton Ivey & Terry Woodford. This album came out briefly on CD and now is nowhere to be found but you can find a great rip from vinyl on the comments below.

Track Listing:

1. How Cool

2. Middle Man

3. On The Line

4. Minimum Love

5. Lookin' For The Good Life

6. Like Your Mother

7. The City

8. Nothin' But The Truth (sampled above)
9. Other People Say

10. Dark Ages

Paul Hyde & The Payolas - Here's The World For Ya

Vocalists Paul Hyde and guitarist-vocalist Bob Rock formed the Payolas with drummer Chris Taylor and bassist Larry Wilkins. After "China Boys" was released on their own Slophouse Records, A&M signed the band and released four albums, “No Stranger to Danger” (1982), “Hammer on a Drum” (1983), “In a Place like This” (1984) and “Here's the World for Ya” (1985). With the release of “Here's the World for Ya”, the record label decided to put lead singer Paul Hyde's name out front in an effort to hang some fame onto a single recognizable person instead of a fairly anonymous group. The tactic didn't really do much for Paul Hyde's own career or the band, though this David Foster-produced album did net the group a few hit singles, including "Stuck in the Rain", the title track and the power ballad "You're the Only Love”. This is a great pop good sounding album featuring David Foster's slick keyboards and amazing production skills, which in this case failed to bring the band onto a truly compelling platform. At the time Foster had just produced albums for Chicago (16 & 17) and The Tubes (The Completion Backward Principle & Outside Inside), which did propel those bands into higher levels. In the case of the Payolas, the album was indeed a great album but maybe at the time, Foster’s production might have contributed to rob the band of a bit of their earlier identity. You can hear traces of Chicago’s sound prominent in Foster’s contributing songwriting, the vocal harmonies and a production sound similar to that of The Tubes on “Outside Inside”. Nonetheless, this is a superb album, full of great songs, an amazing production and craftsmanship as it truly stands the test of time. After breaking up in 1985, Rock and Hyde continued on, releasing a popular single in 1987 called "Dirty Water." Paul Hyde left for a solo career in 1989; Bob Rock later joined the band Rockhead and then became one of the most sought-after producers in the music business. Musicians: Paul Hyde on vocals, Bob Rock on guitars (he also recorded and mixed the album), Chris Taylor on drums and Larry Wilkins on bass with contributions from David Foster and Christopher Livingston on keyboards, Christopher Allen on harmonica, Mark Rousseau on saxophone, Richard Marx, Paul Janz, Henri Lorieau, Sugar Jones, Mark Lafrance, Todd Smallwood and David Foster on background vocals, Steve Porcaro (Toto) on synth programming and horn arrangements by Jerry Hey. "20th Century Masters: The Best of the Payolas" collects 4 of the 10 songs from this album, "Stuck in the Rain", “It Must Be Love”, “Here’s The World” and “You're the Only Love" and singles and album tracks, including "Eyes of a Stranger", "China Boys", "Never Said I Love You" and "Dirty Water (Rock and Hyde)”. This compilation focuses more on the smoother, poppier side of the band rather than the earlier, punkier work, making it a good overview of this somewhat overlooked band's career. The rest of the album can be found on a link within the comments from a great rip from vinyl.

Track Listing:
1. Struck in the Rain
2. You're the Only Love
3. It Won't Be You
4. Cruel Hearted Lovers
5. It Must Be Love
6. Little Boys
7. All That I Want
8. Here's the World (sampled above)
9. Rhythm Slaves
10. Never Leave This Place

Buy 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Payolas at Amazo

Lodgic - Nomadic Sands

Lodgic was formed by childhood friends Michael Sherwood (keyboards, backing vocals) and Jimmy Haun (guitar) with Gary Starnes (drums) and Mike Hulsey (keyboards), Guy Allison (keyboards) and Michael's younger brother Billy Sherwood (bass and vocals). They recorded their debut and sole album "Nomadic Sands", released in 1985 on A&M Records. The album was co-produced by Steve Porcaro and David Paich (both members of Toto) and producer/recording engineer Tom Knox. “Nomadic Sands” is heavily influenced by progressive icons Yes and by pop craftsmen Toto with a dose of typical 80’s sounds, but the result is a fine debut for a short lived band with plenty of good songs and a great production. Although the album failed to chart in the U.S., the first single "Lonely Man" was featured in the movie Prince of Bel Air, starring Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley. While Lodgic's output was limited, its legacy was in future collaborations. Lodgic later evolved into the band “World Trade”, which released two albums featuring Billy Sherwood and Guy Allison, “World Trade” and “Euphoria”. Both Sherwoods and Haun later worked with Yes, all three appearing on Yes’ album “Union”. Billy Sherwood and Haun later worked together in The Key, The Chris Squire Experiment and Circa and even performed live extensively with Yes. This album has been released on CD by a German company named YesterRock.

Track Listing:

1. Romance (sampled above)

2. Step Back

3. Lonely Man

4. Red Light

5. Rise and Fall

6. Push So Hard

7. In the Cards

8. Nomadic Sands

9. Linda Sue

10. Bringing Me Back

Buy it from YesterRock

Novo Combo - The Animation Generation

Novo Combo was a rock group which enjoyed some popularity in the early 1980s. The initial lineup was Pete Hewlett on vocals and guitars, Stephen Dees on vocals and bass, Jack Griffith on guitar and drummer Michael Shrieve who played with Santana from the very beginning. Guitarist Carlos Rios replaced Jack Griffith on the band's second album. The band scored minor hits in 1981 with the songs "Up Periscope" and "City Bound" from their debut album “Novo Combo”. “Animation Generation” was their second and last album. Although the style was a product of the era and sort of influenced by The Police, Novo Combo really stood out from the rest, due to its true musicianship and the group interaction brought together by the long live-performing history and great writing skills of its members. Lead singer and bassist Stephen Dees also performed with many other acts such as Hall and Oates and he would later form his own independent pop/art rock band Bandees. Lead guitarist Jack Griffith jammed out with Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana, Gary Moore and now owns a recording studio. Novo Combo's singer and guitarist Pete Hewlett toured with Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Joe Jackson, Julian Lennon, Amy Grant, and Eric Carmen and he made international news while performing with Billy Joel who brought a fully-staged rock production to the Soviet Union in 1985 as part of the first live rock radio broadcast in Soviet history. Michael Shrieve was the original drummer for Santana and at age nineteen, was the youngest performer at Woodstock. He helped create Santana’s first eight albums. Shrieve has collaborated alongside Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Pete Townsend, Steve Winwood, and Andy Summers among others and he continues to produce music for film & TV and many other projects. “Animation Generation” has never been released on CD or downloads but there is a great rip from vinyl, which you can find in the comments below.

Track Listing:

1. Animation Generation

2. Too Long Gone

3. Slow Fade (sampled above)

4. Keep Your Love Alive

5. Anyone Can See

6. Welcome Innervision

7. Chained Man

8. Follow the Love

9. She Runs

10. No Wonder

Tom Snow - Hungry Nights

Tom Snow is one of the most respected and recorded songwriters of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. His work can be found in virtually every genre. Snow has worked and collaborated with the cream of Hollywood’s songwriting talent and with a wide variety of artists as he has spent a lifetime building an extensive and eclectic catalogue of beautifully crafted compositions adapting to any musical genre while honing his craft as a “tunesmith” with a Midas commercial touch. His songs are heard everywhere, such as “Let’s Hear It For the Boy” by Deniece Williams (from the film “Footloose”); “After All” by Cher & Peter Cetera (from the film, “Chances Are”); “He’s So Shy” by The Pointer Sisters; “Make A Move On Me” by Olivia Newton-John; “Somewhere Down the Road” by Barry Manilow; “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” by Melissa Manchester; “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” by Peabo Bryson; “Don’t Call It Love” by Dolly Parton; “Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville and “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” by Bonnie Raitt. He has won and has been nominated for numerous awards including the Oscar, the Grammy, the Emmy, the Tony and numerous BMI awards, including BMI awards for songs receiving a million or more plays on radio. He also composed numerous songs and soundtracks for Film and TV and he was the composer for the Broadway Musical “Footloose”. Snow studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After moving to California to pursue a solo and songwriting career, he signed with Capitol Records as a solo act in 1975 and he produced two albums, “Taking It All In Stride” and “Tom Snow”. In 1982 Snow departed briefly from his songwriting career and with the help of producer/guitarist Dean Parks they produced Snow’s last solo album “Hungry Nights” for Clive Davis’s Arista Records. This album has become one of the most sought after “West Coast Sound” productions as it finds Snow in top notch form as a songwriter. The songs are intimate, beautiful and a strong portrait of Snow delicate commercial touch, which hits you straight in the heart, just as the name of one of his songs. Musicians are: Tom Snow on keyboards & vocals; Dean Parks as producer on synthesizer, bass, saxophone & guitars; Jeff Porcaro, Jeremy Smith, Michael Baird, Ed Greene and Tris Imboden on drums; Lenny Castro on percussion; Leland Sklar, Hadley Hockensmith and Abraham Laboriel on bass, Richard Page, Carol Carmichael Parks and Tom Kelly on background vocals. This album has been released on CD twice, once a few years ago with a different cover and in 2013 as a Japanese Import available at Amazon (Tom Snow Hungry Nights) or at CDJapan. In the meantime here is a great rip from vynil.

Track Listing:

1. Hungry Nights

2. Straight For The Heart

3. Love Hangs By A Thread

4. Our Song

5. Somewhere Down The Road

6. Soon

7. Don’t Call It Love

8. I Almost Let You Go (sampled above)

9. I Think I Know Too Much

10. Time Of Our Lives

Buy Hungry Nights at Amazon or at  CDJapan

Helge Lien Trio - Natsukashii

The Japanese term “Natsukashii” describes how intense memories can suddenly be triggered by something trivial. Norwegian pianist Helge Lien has dedicated his Helge Lien - Natsukashii to these moments, when reality is replaced by reverie and a simple chord can reveal innermost secrets. Lien embraces the acoustic jazz piano trio format made famous and successful over the years by a wide variety of acoustic jazz pianists ranging from Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett; and it also works well for Lien, who favors a clean-sounding post-bop pianism mixed with a crystalline melody approach. There are no standards at all on this recording thus Lien’s thoughtful original compositions offer an attractive blend of intellect and melodic lyricism while giving Lien's improvisations a more personal quality. This album is outstanding, relaxing, lyrical, dreamy and stimulating as well as rhythmically charged. This is a solid outing that showcases Lien's talents as a pianist and as a composer and at the same time it portrays the trio experience as a symbiosis of togetherness. Helge Lien - Natsukashii offers the same receptivity and appeal to a wide variety of music lovers enjoyed by the league of leading contemporary trios and Lien’s older peers. It truly offers exciting new soundscapes. The Trio: Helge Lien on piano, Frode Berg on upright bass and Knut Aalefjær on drums. This production was beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered by Jan Erik Kongshaug of ECM fame. Thanks to Alex Henderson and Gudrun Endress for their contribution to this write up.

Buy it from Ozella Records

Randi Tytingvåg - Let Go

Norwegian singer Randi Tytingvåg is simply a very special artist, with her own musical vision. She sneaks through her songs with irresistible charm and charisma, phrasing with extreme agility. Her intonation is remarkably confident and her voice commands the greatest of precision. She displays poise and confidence in an atmosphere of total suspense. Although far removed from Scandinavian seriousness, there is still a touch of melancholy that threads a canvas of Nordic delight, through the beautiful and poetic songs, which exude the charm of youth, the road to awareness, life’s illusions, the promises and disappointments of love and the memory of wonderful mild melodies of times gone by. Her songs flow between musical genres such as chamber-jazz, Nordic folk, Klezmer, Classical, Pop, Tango or Cabaret perfectly implemented through tasteful arrangements sustaining an atmosphere of warmth and melancholic intimacy paired with an untamed and constantly present “Joi de vivre” (zest for life). But in spite of her prominent solo artist portrayal, this is a group effort created by the multifaceted framework of the amazing musicians who contribute their talents to create such unique beautiful production. The mélange of elements makes this music sound as a tight ensemble of perfection. This is paired with the beautiful utilization of acoustic instruments enhanced by a beautiful and sophisticated recording. Treat yourself to a real time-out listening to this production; the music is just too beautiful to let it play in the background. Musicians: Randi Tytingvåg on vocals, Anders Aarum on piano, Espen Leite on accordion, Jens Fossum on bass, Ola Kvernberg on violin, Morten Michelsen on clarinet and Julie Dahle Aagård on background vocals. Originally released in 2006 it has been newly re-mastered and released worldwide by the German record label Ozella Music. Thanks to Tadjana Zilg, Christoph Giese, Norbert Neugebauer, Rocktimes März 2010, Heidi Eichenberg and MDR-Figaro for their contribution to this posting.

Buy it at Ozella Music or Amazon Let Go

Contante & Sonante - Highlights and Rarities

“Highlights and Rarities” is Contante & Sonante's long-awaited comeback release after the critically acclaimed triumph of 2009's “Fly Away: The Songs of David Foster”, which definitely marked a turning point for the indie label. “Highlights and Rarities” is a special compilation of songs from the label, comprised of the previously mentioned David Foster tribute, Steve Dorff's magical release of “Original Demos” and two releases by Swiss music-maker Urs Wiesendanger, “Somebody New” and “A Christmas Eve in LA”. But this isn't your typical compilation album. The real treat comes with the eight unreleased songs such as the enchanting ballad "My Angel's Voice” by Steve Dorff, beautifully performed by the late Warren Wiebe; the previously unreleased gems by Urs Wiesendanger, "Luckiest Man", a smooth, sultry R&B number featuring great vocals courtesy of the talented Skyler Jett and "When I Think of You" featuring great Swiss singer Rey Thomas. Additionally you’ll find three previously unreleased numbers from the same Fly Away sessions, which remained uncompleted at the time and have been produced and re-arranged by the very talented Tomi Malm for this special compilation. Among these new songs, the haunting cover of "Forever" (a ballad originally sung by Kenny Loggins, who co-wrote it with David Foster for Loggins’ Vox Humana album, featuring a fantastic new name from Korea, SunHo Lim; a stunning rendition of The Tubes' rocking classic "She's a Beauty" with amazing vocals by Bjarne Langhoff and last but not least is a new outstanding bossa nova flavoured version of the David Foster and Boz Scaggs’ hit "Look What You've Done To Me" with wonderful vocals by singer Cecily Gardner. What is amazing about this release is that just as “Fly Away: The Songs of David Foster”, the real beauty of this album rests in the fact that these are great beautiful songs brought to life by a cast of superior musicians and singers and the appeal of these covers and originals is undeniably attractive and you cannot help but to feel the labor of love minced into this release, which compels you to continue listening to this wonderful production again and again.

Track Listing:

1. A Little Thing Called Life
2. Kindred Spirits
3. Somewhere In Time
4. My Angel's Voice*
5. The Final Reason Why
6. If Only For A Day
7. Luckiest Man*
8. When I Think Of You*
9. The Christmas Song
10. This Christmas
11. Silent Night*
12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas*
13. In The Stone
14. Jojo
15. Through The Fire
16. Forever*
17. She's A Beauty*
18. Look What You've Done To Me* (sampled above)

Tracks 4, 7,8,11,12,16,17 & 18 Previously Unreleased
Tracks 1, 2 & 3 from Steve Dorff “Original Demos”
Tracks 5 & 6 from Urs “Somebody New”
Tracks 9 & 10 from “A Christmas Eve in L.A.”
Tracks 13, 14 & 15 from “Fly Away: The Songs of David Foster”

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The Idan Raichel Project - Within My Walls

Led by Israeli keyboardist/producer Idan Raichel, The Idan Raichel Project seeks to give voice to the amazingly diverse blend of world cultures that comprise Israel's colorful musical landscape. Raichel was conscripted into the Israeli army where he joined the Army rock band and after completing his military service, Raichel started working as a counselor at a boarding school for immigrants and troubled youth. Notably, the school was filled with young people from Ethiopia who were part of Israel's growing community of Ethiopian Jews. Raichel began to fall in love and identify with Ethiopian music and culture. He also found that most of the immigrant boys he worked with were forced to shun the culture of their homeland in desperate hopes of assimilating into mainstream Israeli society. Inspired by this realization, Raichel began investing time in learning more about the many immigrant cultures that made up Israel. Raichel hoped to encourage his students and friends to embrace and live out their native cultural heritage. Meanwhile, Idan had become a successful backup musician and recording session player for some of Israel's most popular musicians. He decided it was time to pursue a project that reflected his richly multicultural musical ideals, and began working on demo recordings and The Idan Raichel Project was born, featuring the songwriting and production skills of Raichel, and the musical contributions from an amazingly diverse cast of players. The Idan Raichel Project burst onto Israel's music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where headlines are too often dominated by conflict. After much success of the first two albums, in November 2008, The Idan Raichel Project released the album “Within My Walls” (Bein Kirot Beiti); an enchanting blend of Raichel’s poetic lyrics sung in Hebrew, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole and Swahili with African, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds coupled with beautiful arrangements and sophisticated production techniques. Contributions come from Colombian singer Marta Gómez, Cape Verdean luminary Mayra Andrade and the silken-voiced Somi of Rwandan and Ugandan heritage, a 24-piece arranged by Israeli arranger Assaf Dar who transposed this engaging melodies into an orchestral format, Middle Eastern percussionist Zohar Fresco, traditional flute and woodwinds specialist Eyal Sela, Mark Eliyahu on kamancheh (a traditional Persion fiddle) and legendary bassist Alon Nadel. The result is a deeply moving beautiful recording, overflowing with rich melodies, engaging poetry, stunning vocal performances and intricate arrangements based on songs which address the struggle for personal fulfillment and the true meaning of love in a conflicted and complex world.

1. Todas las Palabras (All the Words) feat. Marta Gómez

2. Bein Kirot Beiti (Within My Walls) (sampled above)

3. She'eriot Shel Ha'Chaim (Scraps of Life) feat. Amir Dadon

4. Mai Nahar (River Waters) feat. Anat Ben Hamo

5. Chalomot Shel Acherim (Other People's Dreams)

6. Ôdjus Fitxadu (With My Eyes Shut) feat. Mayra Andrade

7. Shev (Stay) feat. Maya Avraham

8. Rov Ha'Sha'ot (Most of the Hours) feat. Ilan Damti

9. Min Nhar Li Mshiti (From the Day You Left) feat. Shimon Buskila

10. Cada Día (Every Day) feat. Marta Gómez

11. Hakol Over (This Too Shall Pass)

12. Nin'al Be'Mabato (Locked in His Gaze)

13. Maisha

Buy it at Amazon Within My Walls or