William Christie’s account on Erato is probably now a first recommendation… he has marshalled expert singers; Alan Ewing’s Polyphemus is particularly good, well characterized and spirited. Indeed, the whole performance is full of life and personality, and Christie holds everything together with finesse and grace.

This two-disc Porgy and Bess records not an entirely new version of the Gershwin opera, but a claimed improvement on the "complete" version that surfaced in the 1970s and changed the opera from a series of set pieces to a living work of drama.

Award-winning singer, songwriter and activist Melissa Etheridge announces the release of “One Way Out,” the first single off her upcoming album of the same name coming this fall. Set for a May 25 release, “One Way Out” is part of a collection of music written by Etheridge in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that never made the cut….until now.

Andy Breslau described the Holmes Brothers' music as "gospel-infused doo wop funk," which pretty much captures the spirit and synthesis of their style. Combining old R&B, soul, and gospel, brothers Sherman and Wendell Holmes along with Popsy Dixon create a rich sound filled with lovely harmony. The intensity of the group's studio performances evokes a live feel, offering an inkling of what their performances at Lynch's in Manhattan must have sounded like during the '80s. Righteous! collects almost 75 minutes of material from the group's four Rounder albums, beginning with In the Spirit in 1990 and ending with Promised Land in 1997. The album kicks off with a bit of electric blues topped with a healthy dose of soul on "Got Myself Together," a song that jumps out of the gate at a gallop and holds to a steady gait for five minutes. Gospel-drenched pieces like "Promised Land," complete with electric guitar, will have non-believers singing along, while classics like "There Goes My Everything" combine classic soul with a touch of country. One also wouldn't want to miss the Holmes Brothers' takes on Tom Waits' "Train Song" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her." Breslau's liner notes, which travel back to the Holmes Brothers' residency at Lynch's, are both edifying and fun to read. While all of the albums the Holmes Brothers recorded for Rounder are worthy efforts, Righteous! offers a solid introduction to anyone who has missed out on their wonderful music.

With THE FLEMISH CONNECTION vol. 2, I SOLISTI release a second album with works by their composer-in-residence Frederik Neyrinck. He has mastered the art of writing brilliant and innovative compositions that make the most of the wind ensemble’s wealth of sound colours quite like no other. The setting of texts and stories is a recurring theme throughout this fascinating album. Featured are concert versions of two musical theatre pieces: Landru, the story of a famous serial killer, and WILD, a magical realist fairy tale. The third work on the album, De oude woorden van een tijd die komen gaat (The old words of a time that still is yet to come), premiered at the 2021 Klarafestival and is based on a new idyll by Dutch author Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer. Narrator Josse De Pauw and soprano Lore Binon guide us through this work, which is immersed in a medieval atmosphere reminiscent of the current pandemic.

With bassist Eric Wheeler grounding the proceedings with humungous tones and agile lines, pianist Donald Vega bringing harmonic freshness in his comping and excitement in his solos and Watts underscoring the proceedings with his inimitable polyrhythmic touch on the kit, Wyatt is on firm footing here. Trumpeters Theo Croker and Chris Lowery, trombonist Clifton Anderson and percussionist Kahlil Owame Bell all contribute mightily to A Song of Hope, which resonates as a kind of healing balm for these stressful times.

Another Koek is the first CD of the duo Knuijt and Dellebeke, mother Cora Dellebeke and son Stefan Knuijt. From their home village Nieuw- en Sint Joosland in the Dutch province of Zeeland they succeeded in building a career as meritorious musicians both within Zeeland and nationally. At the time they continued looking for challenges to play together and make uncommon presentations. “A different piece of cake,” one could say. The uniqueness of the musical collaboration lies in the combination of instruments they’re specialized in. Cora Dellebeke (1967) is percussionist with het Zeeuws Orkest (the provincial symphony orchestra) and Stefan Knuijt (1992) is composer, pianist and tuba player in de Marinierskapel der Koninklijke Marine, Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy. They play together in a natural fashion, they don’t need many words to explain their intentions and they picked a repertoire which enables them to explore variation, interplay and virtuosity.

During the years in which Bernard Foccroulle was successively director of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, he never ceased to devote himself to his instrument, the organ, regularly making recordings, giving numerous concerts and several premieres. The compositions on this recording range over that thirty-year cycle, from the 1991 premiere of Jonathan Harvey’s Fantasia in Strasbourg to that of Betsy Jolas’s Musique d’autres jours, a piece combining organ with cello that was premiered in Paris in February 2021 during the Présences Festival. His collaboration with the cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton also resulted in a new composition by Bernard Foccroulle for this organ-cello duo!

Claus Zundel, also known as The Brave is a German composer, songwriter, producer and pianist. He has created several worldwide successful musical projects, most notable Sacred Spirit and B-Tribe (sold 20 million. copies combined), as well as more Indie projects such as "Moroccan Spirit", "Classical Spirit", "Divine Works", Ancient Spirit and his latest project "Tango Jointz". His music style is usually called as "The Brave Sound" as it considers a large number of music styles mixed in his special way. He often collaborates with musicians and singers from around the world and creates "The Brave Sound" projects with them.

The BoDeans may have to play second-fiddles to guitar great Les Paul as Waukesha, Wisconsin's favorite musical sons, but their rootsy, unpretentious rock & roll carved them a comfortable niche and loyal following from the late 1980s on. This 17-track anthology spans a decade of the band's history, eschewing strict historical chronology for a running order that's both more artistically interesting and listener friendly. Indeed, fully a third of the tracks issue from the band's 1995 live album Joe Dirt Car, a gambit that helps underscore their spare, straightforward musical charms. The twin talents of singer-songwriters Sammy Llanas and Kurt Neumann form the band's core, and the close harmonies of early hits "She's a Runaway" and "Fadeaway" set the band's tone, recalling rough-hewn takes on a vocal tradition that stretches back to the Everlys and Lennon-McCartney. But it's a collection that also reveals the band's range, from the U2-like drama of "You Don't Get Much" to the pop-savvy Party of Five theme "Closer to Free" and a passionate live take of "Feed the Fire" that recalls John Mellencamp at his best. –Jerry McCulley

A former member of Betty Carter's band, Green shows on this set that the word on him was correct; he's both an aggressive and sensitive stylist, able to rip through songs and make quick, yet correct chord changes. Yet he can also play a passionate ballad and not rush through it, instead developing and then completing his solos impressively.

The budget-priced Anthology is a solid retrospective encompassing Stella Parton's country hits from 1975 to 1989. Its two dozen tracks include most of the singer's biggest smashes (including "I Want to Hold You in My Arms Tonight," "The Danger of a Stranger," "Standard Lie Number One" and "Stormy Weather") as well as selected album cuts; only the omission of chart entries like the Top 20 hit "Four Little Letters," "It's Not Funny Anymore" and "I'll Miss You" keeps it from being a definitive overview.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1967 Pop classic containing both the stereo mix and very rare mono mix of the album. Arranged by the legendary Gene Page (Phil Spector/Barry White/Buffalo Springfield), The New Wave fused the Folk-Pop sounds of Simon & Garfunkel and Chad & Jeremy with contributions from LA studio wizards, including Carol Kaye and Van Dyke Parks-concurrent to his work on the Beach Boys' Smile. Vibes, oboes, harpsichords, swirling strings, breezy vocals, and gently psychedelic affectations abound on this incredibly rare artifact of 1967 Los Angeles. The 16-page, full-color booklet includes rare, unpublished photos and extensive liner notes featuring the participation of original band members. Now Sounds.

This Deluxe expanded edition of the album features 4 bonus tracks in addition to the 10 new Streisand duets of Broadway classics with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The inspired new musical pairings include Anne Hathaway, Daisy Ridley, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Antonio Banderas, Jamie Foxx, Seth MacFarlane, and a spectacular virtual duet with Anthony Newley. This album follows 2014’s “Partners”, which debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Top 200, and received Platinum Certification. The greatest star to ever come out of Broadway, Streisand returns to her roots with 'ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway'.

The complete memorable recordings made by Billie Holiday in 1956-57 backed by a small group including Ben Webster, Harry Edison, Jimmy Rowles and Barney Kessel. A complete Holiday set recorded at Newport during the same period has been added as a bonus. Includes 16-page booklet.