Find the most popular songs of the Soul's legend reinterpreted by the Jazz scene. A selection of the most beautiful covers from "Superstition" to "Sir Duke" or "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" with Tok Tok Tok, Viktoria Tolstoy, Stéphane Belmondo, Ida Sand. Tracklisting was made by the specialist Lionel Eskenazi, a famous French jazz journalist (Jazz Magazine).

Windy City Soul: Smooth '70s Soul from Chicago Review by Thom Jurek
Back Beats Records is strictly a compilation company based in the U.K. and distributed throughout the European Union at a budget price. What they do is simply compile collections of dance music by well-known and obscure artists from the disco era to the late '90s. And for what it’s worth, when it comes to licensing, they do a terrific job, and this set is a case in point. Compiled by Ian Dewhirst, Windy City Soul collects 21 tracks of Chicago soul recorded during the '70s, most of it in 7" versions. There are plenty of “name” artist mainstays here, such as Barbara Acklin, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Tyrone Davis, the Chi-Lites, the Impressions, the Dells, etc. What isn’t so obvious are some of the track choices and artists included, such as Sidney Joe Qualis and his slippery, positive groover “Run to Me,” or Mighty Doug Haines original 45 rpm mix of “I’ll Be Right Here,” a stellar example of Northern soul from its latter period. The same goes for Otis Leavill's gorgeous falsetto on “I Love You.” Also check the female vocal trio the Promises' “(I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real,” There isn’t a weak track in the bunch, and this is essential listening for any soul music fan.

The second album from this British jazz-rock quintet rocks harder than their first outing. Their take on Jack Bruce's "Rope Ladder to the Moon" is especially strong, and "Jumping off the Sun" has a similar feel. "Bolero" has been done to death, but guitarist Dave Clempson (who later replaced Peter Frampton in Humble Pie) uses it to launch a showcase of guitar fireworks. In fact, Clempson's blazing guitar licks shine throughout. Dick Heckstall-Smith once again impresses on his arsenal of saxophones and woodwinds, and the seven-and-a-half minute title cut which he co-wrote with drummer Jon Hiseman is a highlight of this disc.

Violet are a melodic rock/AOR band from Germany formed in 2020, releasing their debut album ‘Illusions’ in 2022.

Kraut! Demons! Kraut!: German Psychedelic Underground 1968-1974 Review by Richie Unterberger
This is the kind of compilation you can expect to flourish as the realization comes to pass that several types of special-interest rock cults will not be catered to by the CD explosion. There's no label or catalog number on it, but if you're in a big city or hip college town with a record store oriented toward specialty collectors, you might be able to find it. What we're dealing with here is rare Krautrock, some taken from private pressings that reached only into the three figures. None of these artists will be familiar, even to those who listen to college radio stations willing to play vintage Krautrock, with the exception of Can (represented by a 1969 single, on one side of which the band backed Margareta Juvan). This is actually more accessible than the more widely known, progressive rock-oriented style of Krautrock's salad days, as it bears a heavier influence of late 1960s psychedelia.

The internationally celebrated Vermeer Quartet, known for its extensive, major-label recordings of standard repertoire, has turned to its hometown record label, Chicago’s Cedille Records, for a program of important yet surprisingly neglected Tchaikovsky works.

Designed as a companion to Bruce Springsteen's 2016 memoir Born to Run, Chapter & Verse provides something of an aural autobiography, tracing Springsteen's development from a Jersey garage rocker into one of the great American songwriters. Springsteen compiled the 18-track disc himself, intending his selection to mirror the themes in his book, so he balances epics with intimate miniatures since both kinds of songs can capture his quests for deliverance and escape. He alternates his well-known anthems ("Born to Run," "Badlands," "Born in the USA"), with a few other popular singles ("Brilliant Disguise," "The Rising") and a host of deep cuts, all of which tend to downplay both his romantic and hard-rocking sides.

Hyperion is delighted to introduce the highly sought-after German cellist Alban Gerhardt to the label with these dazzling performances of three cello concertos written within the span of five years either side of the close of the nineteenth century. This disc is a fitting start to Hyperion’s new series of Romantic Cello Concertos; a follow-up to the highly successful Romantic Piano Concerto series and Romantic Violin Concerto series.

Released to coincide with what would have been Freddie Mercury's 70th birthday, the excellent 2016 double-disc anthology Messenger of the Gods: The Singles brings together all of the legendary Queen vocalist's solo A-side and B-side singles. Originating from a variety of projects, including Mercury's one and only proper solo album, 1985's Mr. Bad, these are all the songs released under Mercury's name and not as Queen singles. Nonetheless, there was some cross-pollination and several of these songs were later reworked as Queen tracks. While Queen were primarily known for their muscular, guitar-oriented rock, they were also innovators who experimented with funk and dance grooves. Mercury himself was always an eclectic artist whose tastes ranged from early rock & roll to disco to classical music.

Tavener wrote the extraordinarily moving …Depart in Peace… following the death of his father. Written for soprano, violin, tampura and strings it features Eastern elements and a glittering setting of the Song of Simeon ; Patricia Rozario and Clio Gould are outstanding soloists in this beautiful piece. Clio Gould’s perfectly pitched and emotive violin playing takes centre stage in My Gaze is Ever upon You and Tears of the Angels . John Tavener, who passed away in 2013, was described as one of ‘ the very best creative talents of his generation ’ by The Times; these compositions are among his finest.

Ruth Gipps (1921 – 1999) was born in the English seaside resort of Bexhill-on-Sea. Encouraged as a child by an ambitious pianist mother, she appeared locally as a prodigy pianist. She was accepted by the Royal College of Music in 1937, at the age of sixteen, having won the Caird Scholarship. She quickly matured, both as composer and pianist. She studied with Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, and later the oboe with Leon Goossens. During the Second World War she gained a position as oboist with the City of Birmingham Orchestra and devoted a great deal of her time to composing.

The Secret Language of Birds is Ian Anderson's third solo album, but the first to specifically highlight his melodic skill and guitar prowess on a set of folk-inspired songs. His first solo album, 1983's Walk into Light, was marred by its full embrace of sterile '80s production in lieu of rusticity. While his second effort, 1995's Divinities, was a move in the right direction and a sonic precursor to the set at hand, it still was held back by its conscious decision to downplay Anderson's obvious acoustic heritage for a more classical bent. But sometimes the obvious is what works best, and Jethro Tull fans were pleased to learn that Anderson's third release finally embraced his classic sound. Just like Tull's excellent Roots to Branches, this one has a decided ethnic flair, running the gamut from Indian to Russian to Celtic.

With the appearance of Lighthouse, singer/songwriter David Crosby, age 75, continues a late career renaissance that began with 2014's Croz – his proper studio follow-up to 1971's classic If I Could Only Remember My Name. This set was produced by Snarky Puppy boss Michael League, who co-wrote five of these nine tunes with Crosby. The producer, a lifelong fan of the 1971 album, approached Crosby about recording something quick and dirty over a couple of weeks. He was met with incredulousness. The artist was used to working on albums for months, even years. After three days, they completed three new songs, and Crosby was all in.

Brainbox is a Dutch rock group from the late 1960s/early 1970s. The band was founded in Amsterdam by guitarist Jan Akkerman, drummer Pierre van der Linden and singer Kazimir Lux (Kaz). Their debut single was "Down Man", which established their progressive blues sound. They had several hit singles in the Netherlands, including "Down Man". "Doomsday Train", "Summertime", "To You", "Virgin" and "The Smile".

Limited edition, vinyl only live EP comprised of live recordings from The Smile’s debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention, as well as the band’s rendition of Thom Yorke’s 2009 solo track FeelingPulledApartByHorses. Recorded in various cities (including venues such as London Roundhouse and Berlin’s Tempodrom and Primevera Sound, Barcelona) over the course of The Smile's first ever tour last summer.