Stevie Ray Vaughan had always been a phenomenal guitarist, but prior to In Step, his songwriting was hit or miss. Even when he wrote a classic modern blues song, it was firmly within the genre's conventions; only on Soul to Soul's exquisite soul-blues "Life Without You" did he attempt to stretch the boundaries of the form. As it turns out, that was the keynote for In Step, an album where Vaughan found his own songwriting voice, blending blues, soul, and rock in unique ways, and writing with startling emotional honesty. Yes, there are a few covers, all well chosen, but the heart of the album rests in the songs he co-wrote with Doyle Bramhall, the man who penned the Soul to Soul highlight "Change It."

By the dawn of the 1980s, Uriah Heep was considered a relic in the heavy metal world and no one was surprised when they disbanded shortly after 1980s half-hearted Conquest album. However, everyone listening received an unexpected surprise when the band returned with a new lineup and a sleek, revamped sound on 1982's Abominog. If one can get past the Spinal Tap-like title and the gruesome cover art, this outing quickly reveals itself to be one of the most consistent and engaging albums in the group's lengthy catalog. The new Uriah Heep that debuted on this outing was a different animal from the gothic metal ensemble that barnstormed its way through albums like Look at Yourself and Return to Fantasy: echoes of the group's old style could be heard in the drama and instrumental firepower of the new songs, but the overall sound owed a greater debt to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and harder-rocking AOR groups of the time.

Nikolai Lugansky and Sakari Oramo conclude their Rachmaninov cycle with the Second and Fourth Concertos, generally matching the proficient (though somewhat generic) standards characterising earlier releases in this series. The Second’s ample rubato and incisive climaxes are far better judged than in the recent, horrifically indulgent Lang Lang/Gergiev recording (DG, 4/05). And although Lugansky’s piano dominates in the mix, the first movement’s rolling arpeggios do not pull focus from the orchestra who, of course, have all the thematic material. In the slow movement I’d prefer a firmer, chamber-like profile between the pianist and first-desk wind soloists. You’ll also glean more ferocity and shapely characterisation from Stephen Hough, Krystian Zimerman, Sviatoslav Richter and Julius Katchen throughout the finale, but this is not to disparage Lugansky’s fleet, assured and world-class fingerwork.

Listening to the opening tracks of Fremtiden is like being able to hear events on an atomic level, perhaps in a cloud chamber where elementary particles trace minute trajectories, constantly colliding, releasing and absorbing tiny packets of energy. When we reach track 4, however, this subtle sonic ambience has somehow taken on cosmic proportions and the interactions surround us as we float, weightless, in a much larger outer-space. It is a fascinating journey in contemporary drone-based electronica.

Drive is an album by American banjoist Béla Fleck. The album was produced toward the end of Fleck's New Grass Revival career and before the Flecktones were formed and included an all-star list of bluegrass performers…

Throughout its nearly decade-long run, the G3 series of tours has always featured guitar wizards Satriani and Vai at the helm, with a mystery third guest always in the rotation to contrast against the mentor-and-student duo. Sometimes the results are complementary (Eric Johnson), and other times they're mildy theatrical and amusing (Yngwie Malmsteen). This time around the special guest star, Dream Theater's John Petrucci, finds himself in the middle of Tokyo and starting off the two-disc session. His "Glasgow Kiss" and "Damage Control" are both presented with great skill and technical precision, sometimes hitting too close to the mark, making his accuracy and his performance seem cold and calculated.

Compiled from the finest sources available, Pizza and Fairy Tales is a detailed examination of Paul McCartney's mid-80's era of "finding himself" in the new musical world order. Working with several esteemed producers, McCartney veered from style to style looking for a direction. The result was a lot of music, much of it unheard previously, which is featured on this two-CD collection.

Inspired by classic prog giants like Pink Floyd, Genesis and King Crimson, Finnish band Overhead formed in the late nineties to record, and eventually release their first full version album "Zumanthum". Their music is refined and elegant with well-built melodies, clear and powerful vocals quiet and contrasted parts, sophisticated arrangements and great instrumental parts. After having published a first album and guested on the Kalevala project, these young Finnish musicians join the Musea label at the occasion of the release of their second opus. "Metaepitome" (2005) is composed by six long and complex pieces, two of them being suites about 15 and 20 minutes long. The music still includes a few influences from ink Floyd, Rush, Marillion, Dream Theater or King Crimson…

This famous production of Donizetti’s Mary Stuart was one of English National Opera’s most memorable from the 1980’s. Dame Janet Baker chose the title role of Donizetti’s Scottish queen for her farewell to the London operatic stage in 1982. It was a triumph for Dame Janet, in one of the most rewarding of operatic roles. As Mary, she displays her full range as a great singing actress, at times imperious and confrontational, yet during the quieter reflective moments intensely moving. Her adversary Elizabeth is sung by Rosalind Plowright, in one of the best performances of her career, both intense and passionate in this demanding role. The famous, though entirely fictional, encounter scene between the two Queens is extremely powerful. The cast also includes John Tomlinson I commanding voice as Talbot, and David Randall as an ardent Leicester. The Performance is gloriously conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.

The cube made with matches which appears on the cover of this disc, showing on flames in the inside of the digipak and afterwards completely burnt, plays with the ideas that inspire this dazzling recording: the four ways to the knowledge of numbers through the Quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy), which are expressed through something as ephemeral assound, where also the unexpected and the emotion of the moment take place.