This collection of classic Aretha Franklin songs includes timeless hits like "Just for a Thrill", "Maybe I'm a Fool", "Unforgettable", "Only the Lonely", "Until You Were Gone", "Blue Holiday" and more.
Aretha Franklin was one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records earned her the title Queen of Soul. Franklin never rested on her laurels. Following the early-'70s LPs Spirit in the Dark and Young, Gifted and Black, she scored more hits on the R&B charts than pop, adeptly following the progression of soul in the '70s and '80s thanks to her collaborations with Curtis Mayfield (1976's Sparkle) and Luther Vandross (1982's Jump to It)…

The Wildhearts return in 2025 with a brand new album. Titled ‘Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts’ produced / mixed by Jim Pinder and Carl Bown (Sleep Token / Bullet For My Valentine / While She Sleeps) the record is conceived as a belated follow-up to the classic debut, ‘Earth vs The Wildhearts’. These are songs of defiance and hope, of ragged glory, of true heart-on-sleeve emotion; songs that sound like no-one else on this planet (or the explored parts of space) – all of which holds true for the new album, the band’s first for Snakefarm…. Lead single / video, ‘Failure Is The Mother Of Success’, sums up the album – the 11th since ‘Earth vs…’ – via a spectacular eight minute lap taking in all manner of twists and turns, and the message here is plain, forged through sharp-end experience…

Named after the legend painted on Paul Weller’s amp, Fire And Skill is a superb six disc boxed set – featuring six previously unreleased concerts, one from each year of The Jam’s major-label career.

The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the highest impact on pop music. While they could barely get noticed in America, the trio became genuine superstars in Britain, with an impressive string of Top Ten singles in the late '70s and early '80s. The Jam could never have a hit in America because they were thoroughly and defiantly British. Under the direction of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Weller, the trio spearheaded a revival of mid-'60s mod groups, in the style of the Who and the Small Faces. Like the mod bands, the group dressed stylishly, worshipped American R&B, and played it loud and rough. By the time of the group's third album, Weller's songwriting had grown substantially, as he was beginning to write social commentaries and pop songs in the vein of the Kinks. Both his political songs and his romantic songs were steeped in British culture, filled with references and slang in the lyrics, as well as musical allusions. Furthermore, as the Jam grew more popular and musically accessible, Weller became more insistent and stubborn about his beliefs, supporting leftist causes and adhering to the pop aesthetics of '60s British rock without ever succumbing to hippie values. Paradoxically, that meant even when their music became more pop than punk, they never abandoned the punk values – if anything, Weller stuck to the strident independent ethics of 1977 more than any other punk band just by refusing to change.

One of the best releases of 2025 so far happens to be this lazy, breezy, folk-country gem from 1977. Oceanside Countryside is part of Neil Young's Analog Originals project, designed to preserve the sound quality of the original masters, and it's a real joy to dive into this era and hear anything new (or in this case, newly reconstituted).

Ravel Fragments marks Bertrand Chamayou's tribute to the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel's birthday, a composer deeply influential throughout his career. The album features Ravel’s transcriptions of La Valse and excerpts from Daphnis et Chloé, Chamayou’s own transcriptions of vocal works, and pieces inspired by Ravel, spanning both historical and contemporary composers Including works by 20th-century composers Arthur Honegger, Joaquín Nin, Alexandre Tansman, Xavier Montsalvatge, and Ricardo Viñes, alongside contemporary tributes by Betsy Jolas, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Frédéric Durieux.

Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) and Cambridge Handel Opera Company (CHOC) follow their Gramophone-nominated recording of Eccles’ Semele with a world-premiere recording of John Weldon’s masque The Judgment of Paris. In 1700 the Earl of Halifax decided England needed all-sung opera. He offered a ‘Musick Prize’ of 100 guineas for the best setting of the libretto of The Judgement of Paris by William Congreve, with entries by composers like John Eccles and Daniel Purcell. Weldon’s setting, which won the competition but was never published, is recorded here for the first time. Released as a hardback mediabook, the CD is accompanied by a host of fascinating essays written specially by historians, musicologists and other experts – finally giving this winning masque the attention it deserves.

Muse, and Matt Bellamy in particular, make no bones about Drones: their seventh album is political through and through, a bold statement concerning the dehumanization of modern warfare. As Muse is not a subtle band - any suspicion they were is erased by the artwork depicting a hand controlling the joystick of an office drone controlling a joystick directing drones - it's hard to avoid their conclusion that war is bad, but this inclination to write everything in bold, italicized capital letters is an asset when it comes to music, particularly here where they've teamed with legendary hard rock producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Always a sucker for oversized guitar riffs and bigger drums, Lange also allows the trio to indulge in a bit of Floydian fantasies - the made-to-order dialogue of "Drill Sergeant" is straight out of The Wall - but he spends much of Drone sharpening Muse's synthesis of every arena rock idea ever essayed…

Alt rock legend Bob Mould returns with his 2025 album. The legendary former frontman of Husker Du and Sugar delivers 11 slices of anthemic, emotional driving alt rock. Featuring singles 'Here We Go Crazy', 'When Your Heart Is Broken' and 'Breathing Room' the album finds Bob on top form.

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason has a passion for curating programmes that cross diverse musical landscapes, and on her debut solo album Fantasie, she takes listeners on a journey that explores connections across different composers’ sound worlds – whether they met, influenced each other, or simply existed in resonance. She is a musician deeply committed to her craft, relishing the challenges of performance and recording and dedicated to her audience, whether in the concert hall or via her recordings and is a talented young artist for whom mastery isn’t just technical but emotional too. Fantasie will be released on a x15 trk, jewel box CD. Specialist promo & marketing activity.

The sorceress Armide, infatuated with the valiant knight Roland, but desperate for Roland to return her love, tries at all costs to lure him into her arms. At the same time, the courageous Herminie tries to protect Tancrede, Roland's companion, from the dangers that threaten him. Published in 1704, Suite d'Armide ou Jerusalem delivree is as rare as it is unique: in the handwriting of the Regent Philippe d'Orleans, its composition testifies to a certain talent and a refined ear. Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon and Cappella Mediterranea brilliantly restore the little-known genius of the sovereign.

After two consecutive new Jethro Tull album releases in 2022 and 2023, another collection - 'Curious Ruminant' - is unleashed on the 7th March 2025. Consisting of nine tracks varying in length from two and half minutes to almost seventeen minutes, this is an album of mostly full band music. Amongst the musicians featured are former keyboardist Andrew Giddings and drummer James Duncan, along with the current band members David Goodier, John O'Hara, Scott Hammond and, making his recording debut with the band, guitarist Jack Clark.

We’ll never know exactly how humans discovered song. Maybe cave dwellers howled along with wolves until melodies came out. But it’s a good bet that as soon as they began uttering words, songwriters became storytellers. And so we have an unbroken line (or, better yet, circle) that draws us directly to Guy Clark. His latest, Songs and Stories, is simply Clark doing what he does best: relating life’s joys and sorrows, from “Homegrown Tomatoes” to “The Randall Knife,” in song.

Yes will soon release a super deluxe edition of their 1972 album, Close To The Edge, which includes a blu-ray with a new Dolby Atmos Mix from Steven Wilson.

Faced with the choice of any single Bud Powell date to aptly represent his intense musical genius, choosing Jazz Giant would not be a bad bet. Culled from two sessions (spring 1949 and winter 1950) this Verve release showcases the master of bebop piano leading a trio - a setting in which he excelled. With impeccable support from bassist Ray Brown and drummer Max Roach, (substitute Curly Russell for Brown on the later date), an inspired Powell roars through a varied selection of original tunes and standards. In the category of brisk burners, we get one of his best-known compositions, the ebullient "Tempus Fugit." Ray Noble's "Cherokee," Harold Arlen's "Get Happy," and the ever-popular "Sweet Georgia Brown" are all taken at almost the same exhilarating clip…