90s Ska

Pettersson's fame, or notoriety as it were, rests with his dour, frothing at the mouth rants in the form of large symphonies. His songs date from early in his career, and reveal a different composer altogether. The Twenty-four Barefoot Songs from 1935, which make up this collection's core, have a charming, folk-like simplicity in their strophic forms and modest performing demands. If you like Grieg's or Nielsen's songs, you'll certainly warm to these wistful bonbons……An attractive release.

Jed Distler @ Amazon.com

Nina Hagen - Bee Happy (1996) {RCA-Ariola}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 301 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 190 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1996 RCA / BMG Ariola | 74321 36936 2
Rock / Post Punk / Alternative / Indie

Nina is VERY eclectic. At all of the concerts that I have attended, she has sung punk, opera, rock 'n' roll, blues, krishna chants, big band, and other styles. If you enjoy music as music, no matter what the style, then this CD captures that character of Nina– minus the opera. The first version of this CD, the German, Freud Euch, has two opera-style songs on it that aren't on this CD. There are a couple of other songs on this CD and not on Freud Euch: "Born To Die In Berlin" and "Shiva." This CD also sounds more like how the music sounds in concert, having less overdubs and production tweaks than Freud Euch. It sounds like it was produced for the American audience to give them an idea of what to expect from a live performance by her.

Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls - Propaganda (1999) {Naim Audio naimcd036}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 359 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 146 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 Naim Audio | naimcd036
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Neo-Bop / Post Bop / Modern Creative

The Rebel Souls second CD shows them quite adept at many styles of instrumental music, including neo-bop, high life, stealth grooves, and even ska. Drummer Sirota leads this Chicago based quintet plus guests through eight original compositions that are played with a spirit and competence that goes beyond their name recognition. The CD kicks off with the jumpin' ska grooves of "Geronimo's Free" with the band augmented by bass trumpeter Ryan Schultz. There's hard swinging selections like "Ten" on a level rivaling Scofield-Brecker-Metheny-Lovano in sound and stance, and the scorching finale "Hemiola."