2020

Hey Clockface arrived quickly on the heels of Look Now, but where that 2018 album seemed constructed as classicist Elvis Costello, drawing upon his strengths as a melodicist and the muscle of his regular backing band the Imposters, this 2020 affair feels as if it was designed to surprise. It comes into focus quite slowly, with reeds and strings murmuring in a quiet drone before Costello launches into the spoken word of "Revolution #49." The spell is broken in a flurry of gnarled guitars that usher in "No Flag," a transition that establishes how Hey Clockface doesn't follow any particular path.

Five CD set featuring all of the albums recorded by Eric Burdon & the Animals for the MGM Records label issued between October 1967 and December 1968. Eric Burdon & the Animals came together in December 1966 when the original Animals had ground to a halt. Vocalist Eric Burdon recruited Vic Briggs (guitar, piano), John Weider (guitar, violin, bass), Danny McCulloch (bass) and Barry Jenkins (drums) to form a new group which changed direction away from raucous rhythm and blues and embraced psychedelic rock and the influences of the emerging counter-culture…

Ireland is a Revue show that combines 10 years of Celtic Thunder hits and focuses on their most popular songs of the last decade, their Irish and Celtic fan favorites. Drawing from their most popular Television Specials of Celtic Thunder – The Show, Mythology, Legacy and Celtic Thunder X, Celtic Thunder Ireland features the songs and performances that launched Celtic Thunder into the hearts of Public Television viewers across the US. Memorable moments include their unique take on beloved Irish classics “Danny Boy” “She Moved Through The Fair” and “Caledonia”, their inspiring anthems of “Ireland’s Call’ and “My Land” and their fun upbeat numbers such as “Star of the County Down” “Seven Drunken Nights” and “Place in the Choir”. The wonderful arrangements of the ensemble numbers in Celtic Thunder Ireland reflect the power of the soloists, who range in age from 14 to 40, and feature songs that celebrate a common Celtic heritage.

Letter to You comes quickly on the heels of Western Stars, a long-gestating 2019 immersion into the lush, progressive country vistas of the early 1970s, but in a sense, it's a true sequel to Bruce Springsteen's 2016 memoir Born to Run and its 2017 stage companion Springsteen on Broadway. It's an album where Springsteen reckons with the weight of the past, how its ghosts are still readily apparent in the present, an album where the veteran singer/songwriter is keenly aware he has more road in his rearview mirror than he does on the highway ahead of him. Springsteen does find himself drawn to the good old days, reviving three unrecorded songs from the days separating the split of his first band the Castiles and his contract with CBS, adding them to a clutch of new songs where Bruce ponders what it means to be the "Last Man Standing," surrounded by the spirits of old friends who may no longer be alive but are still a palpable psychic presence.

Collecting nearly four decades of material in one stylish package, Depeche Mode delivers their most comprehensive studio collection to date with the MODE box set. A whopping 18 discs' worth of music, MODE charts the band's evolution from their debut studio recording (the pulsing synth-pop "Photographic" from the 1981 Some Bizzare Album compilation) all the way to an electronic-washed cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" recorded live during their Spirit era…

Trio founded in 2014, Un Poco Loco keeps (re)visiting its personal history of jazz, a history maybe a bit crazy but mainly very liberated. After the eponym Un Poco Loco and Feelin’ Pretty, dedicated to the West Side Story of Leonard Bernstein, Fidel Fourneyron, Sébastien Beliah and Geoffroy Gesser have already asserted a strong musical identity, proving if need be that traditions are not less honored than freedom. The critics haven’t mistaken (with notably a victory at the prestigious contest Jazz Migration) ; the public even less. For this third record, the trio comes back with a new renowned repertory to reinvent, Charlie Parker’s!

René Thomas (1927-1975) was considered the best European jazz guitarist of his generation by fellow musicians and critics, but his career was marred by the pervasive skepticism of jazz fans. Despite trying hard to carve his own space, he never obtained the recognition he deserved for his immense talent, perhaps because of his introverted character and prolonged withdrawals from the scene.

AVID Jazz continues with its Four Classic Albums series with a re-mastered 2CD fourth set release from Stan Getz, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.

New album, Chris Tomlin & Friends, finds the acclaimed worship leader/songwriter collaborating with some high-profile artists, including several in the country music community, bringing them into his musical world. The project finds Tomlin teaming up with Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Lady A, Brett Young, Russell Dickerson, Chris Lane, RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope, Blessing and Bear Rinehart (NEEDTOBREATHE). CD available August 28th.