Ali (2001)

Following four years after The Drop, Drawn From Life sees Brian Eno collaborating with German DJ J. Peter Schwalm. (Music for Onmyo-Ji, a previous Eno/Schwalm work from 2000, was released in Japan only.) Those who soured at the distant crispness of The Drop will find this to be a more inviting listen, even more so than Eno's 1996 collaboration with bassist Jah Wobble on Spinner. Jazzy, shuffling rhythms and strings that sway from cutting to sighing lay the foundation of most of the tracks, with some repetitive nonmusical effects often falling somewhere in the mix. If there is a fault of the record, it's that the vocals often get in the way of some fine background listening. If you don't have an affinity for Laurie Anderson's voice, you might be troubled that "Like Pictures, Pt. 2," which otherwise happens to be one of the record's most melodic and tranquil tracks, is interrupted by her intonations…

DJ Ravin takes the wheel behind Buddha Bar III, the namesake compilation from Paris's answer to Studio 54. Ravin forgoes the Dinner/Party division that Claude Challe opted for on previous installments of the series, and instead casts Dream versus Joy on this two-disc set. Dream, leaning on the traditional (syrupy Greek strings, Japanese bamboo flutes, Persian harmonists) and New Age Enigma/Deep Forest side of things (Oliver Shanti & Friends, Vangelis engineer Frederick Rousseau) is frankly too restless to be truly dreamy. The frenzied run through so many styles, seemingly solely for the sake of diversity alone, ultimately feels about as sincerely global as a mad dash through Disney's Epcot Center. The second CD in the set, Joy, pays a tad more attention to a general vibe, resulting in a much better overall effect…

This Bach stretches, overflows, dares unexpected slow tempi and explores new territory. the first Partitas are exceptionally poetic. The fourth explodes in a multi-coloured fireworks display.. The sixth reaches zeniths of inspiration.

For over a decade now, legendary film composer Ennio Morricone has resisted the dozens of invitations from labels and artists to remix his original work - until now. Somehow the folks at Reprise were either diplomatic enough with a satisfactory aesthetic approach or had a big enough checkbook to satisfy the artist's concerns (and this writer is willing to believe it was the former). A varied cast of pioneers from electronica's vast frontier was assembled by compilation producers Stefan Rambow and Norman Rudnitzky. The first two cuts are the most obvious. There's Apollo 440's "The Man With the Harmonica," mixed out of the soundtrack for Once Upon a Time in the West. There are layers and layers of keyboards extrapolating the melody - and parts of it - with dub effects and large, deep drums and sequencers…

Monteverdi was only 23 when he published his Second Book of Madrigals in 1590, but he was already a master of the form, and these contrapuntally lively pieces, with their supple and astute text setting, are crowning works of late Renaissance secular polyphony. With this release of the Second Book, Rinaldo Alessandrini moves closer to his goal of recording all of Monteverdi's eight Books of Madrigals, performed by Concerto Italiano, the ensemble he founded in 1984. The series has received much-deserved critical acclaim; three of the releases won Gramophone Awards, and this 1994 recording won a Diapason d'Or. Concerto Italiano is a group whose roster is flexible, based on the requirements of the music performed, and here seven unaccompanied singers configure themselves in a variety of combinations in the five-part madrigals.