1.54 (2016)

A fresh blend of Craig’s pioneering garage sound, RnB and blazing club bangers, this album is a celebration of one of the UK’s most loved artists, back on British soil, and at the helm of his own unique, authentically British sound; a sound that made waves across the globe, making him the voice of one of the most pivotal eras in UK music, and in turn, making him one of the most successful artists in UK chart history. Sixteen years since the critically-acclaimed, Born To Do It changed his life, Craig catapulted back into the charts and in to the nation’s hearts with Big Narstie on the single "When The Bassline Drops", marking the beginning his triumphant return. From the bass bubbling smash hit, "Nothing Like This" with Blonde to the stripped back "All We Needed" showcasing Craig’s vocals, the new album pays homage to his distinctive signature sound, but also shows Craig in a new found light. It is the same, instantly recognisable voice, but showing the progression of an artist that has truly come in to his own.

There is no shortage of recordings of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, one of the most popular pieces in the classical repertory ever since its slow-movement clarinet solo underlaid the quintessence of cinematic romance, Brief Encounter. But this one, by pianist Alexandre Tharaud (he may not be as well known as the decision to omit his first name in the graphics would presume, but he's getting there), is worth strong consideration.

Darkness And Light is the fifth studio album from acclaimed, multi-platinum selling, Oscar, Golden Globe and 10x Grammy Award winning American singer/songwriter John Legend. It was released on December 2nd via Columbia Records as follow-up to 2013’s “Love In the Future.“ This new 12 song collection is produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes), and features multiple guest collaborations including Chance the Rapper, Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, and Miguel. The lead single and video from Darkness And Light, is the anthemic track, "Love Me Now," written and produced by John Legend with Blake Mills and John Ryan (One Direction).

The ’60s would continue to be Cannonball Adderley’s most fruitful period, recording no fewer than 28 albums under his own name by the end of the decade…

The Turtles - All The Singles (2016) {2CD Set FloEdCo MFO48040 rec 1965-1970}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 678 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 304 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1965-70, 2016 Flo & Eddie Inc. (FloEdCo) / Manifesto Records | MFO 48040
Pop Rock / AM Pop / Folk Rock / Sunshine Pop / Psychedelic

Two CD collection from the 60s pop hitmakers. All the Singles collects the A and B sides of every original 1965-1970 Turtles 45, with the tracks presented in the same mono or stereo mixes that were heard on the original singles. All the Singles also features several tracks that were prepared for singles release but not issued at the time. Meticulously researched and prepared from the original master tapes by renowned engineer Bill Inglot. The resulting package offer a unique insight into one of rock's most misunderstood bands.

It's the late Vier ernste Gesänge, Op. 121, that get the big print on the cover of this release by the awe-inspiring baritone Matthias Goerne, but actually the music on the album falls into a neat early-middle-late classification scheme. The group of middle-period settings of poetry by Heinrich Heine doesn't even get graphics on the cover, but these are fascinating. Brahms wrote a lot of songs, but you couldn't do better than the selection and performances here for a cornerstone collection item. Beyond the sheer beauty of Goerne's voice is an ability to shift gears to match how Brahms' style evolved. If you want to hear his real slashing, operatic high notes, check out the Lieder und Gesänge, Op. 32, settings of poems by the minor poets Georg Friedrich Daumer and Karl August Graf von Platen. These rather overwrought texts add up to a kind of slimmed-down Winterreise, and they catch the spirit of the still-young Brahms with his strong passions, elegantly controlled. The Heine settings, which come from several different sets of lieder, are not that often heard and are in some ways the most compelling of the group here.