Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason proudly unveils his 21st full-length album, A Shade of Blues. A project over a decade in the making, this blues-infused masterpiece showcases Mason's legendary artistry and collaborative spirit. The album features an impressive lineup of guest artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Michael McDonald, Mike Finnigan, Warren Hill, and more. A Shade of Blues sets the stage for Mason's highly anticipated 2025 tour, celebrating over five decades of electrifying performances and sold-out shows worldwide.

Susannah McCorkle suceeds where others have failed on her latest release for Concord Jazz titled, From Broken Hearts to Blue Skies. Her silky voice wraps around the classic Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington "Something to Live For," like a velvet envelope. Filled with emotional yearning, her interpretations render the listener motionless, rapt in the charisma of her phrasing and nuance. Many of the songs are indicative of broken-hearted love including "Losing Hand," a Ray Charles blues favorite from the '50s about a woman with a man gone astray. But McCorkle changes her tune and rebounds with a vibrant remedy on "I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle," in classic Bessie Smith style. Susannah McCorkle suceeds as the voice of authority, a voice that has feeling and experience and one that respects the original content of each song…

Where most Italian progressive rock favors the overblown symphonic tendencies of the music's Emerson, Lake & Palmer axis, the comparatively unassuming Acqua Fragile is a much more gentle affair. Think Gentle Giant or the more lyrical moments of early Yes or Renaissance. (It will be almost impossible not to think of early Genesis; singer Bernardo Lanzetti sounds frighteningly similar to Peter Gabriel, especially on the opening "Morning Comes," which would not sound out of place on Trespass or Nursery Cryme.) The lyrics, in English, are pretty atrocious - "Science Fiction Suite" is about as promising as its name suggests - but really not much more so than many prog bands singing in their mother tongue. Musically, however, the album is often quite lovely, with acoustic guitars predominating on most tracks and some impressive multi-tracked harmonies coloring the arrangements…

The share of love for music lasts longer than many marriages. 20 years is the period of Chris Gilcher, Ingmar Hänsch and Marcell Meyer unified as a team called Levitation. Affected by a distinctive style, they’ve been shaping a sound that has inspired a whole generation. Chillout is the musical genre, they had a big impact on - most of all with their contributions for the ground-breaking compilation-series Café Del Mar, above all "More Than Ever People" feat. Cathy Battistessa. For one part, "Essential Levitation" is a collection of 20 tracks on 2 CDs, which presents the best achievements of the team in 20 years. For the other part, it is new material which Levitation has produced for this release over the past three years. To escape the stereotype of lounge music as just another muzak, Levitation has always strived for high standards in songwriting and composition…

The latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy's highly acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series shines fresh light on the provocative new musical directions Dylan was taking as a songwriter and a recording artist from 1980 through 1985. In the early 1980s, while the music industry was grappling with the arrival of new trends and technology, from MTV to compact discs to digital recording, Bob Dylan was writing and recording new songs for a new decade, creating an essential new chapters in his studio catalog. Bob Dylan - Springtime In New York (1980-1985) celebrates the rich creative period surrounding Dylan's classic albums Shot Of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque with previously unreleased outtakes, alternate takes, rehearsal recordings, live performances and more.