Arielle Kebbel Bogart Backstage 2004 Photocall

At a time when Barry Manilow can top the charts singing pop songs of the 1950s and Rod Stewart can sell millions by massacring the Great American Songbook, it's no wonder that others would try their hand. French film and TV actress Arielle Dombasle, who was actually raised in Mexico, went after South of the Border pre-rock pop standards on her 2004 set Amor Amor (released in the U.S. earlier in 2006); here, she takes on quasi-French material of the 1930s-1950s like Cole Porter's "C'Est Magnifique" and the Doris Day hit "Que Sera Sera."

The backstage are Jonas Reingold, Craig Blundell & Rob Townsend of Steve’s Genesis Revisited band. The Backstage has gathered Prog/Jazz/Fusion royalty from around the globe in this exciting, eclectic project and has created the best Prog/Fusion music inspired by the sounds of the 70-ies. Featuring: Steve Hackett, Tom Brislin, Marco Minneman, Nick Beggs, Roger King, Roine Stolt, Pat Mastelotto, Mike Thorne, Andy Tillison, Krister Jonsson, Carl Orr, Adam Holzman, Luke Machin, Randy McStine, James Taylor, Lelo Nika, Chris Lord Alge and Lalle Larsson.

Founded in 1996, ERA (an acronym for Enminential Rythmn of the Ancestors) is the project of French musician Eric Lévi, whose ethereal, evocative soundscapes began in the tradition of artists like Enigma and Deep Forest. ERA's self-titled debut LP was released in 1998 to widespread success. A mix of dramatic pseudo-orchestral fare and lyrics in a self-designed language similar to Latin and Greek, Era also incorporated elements of world music, electronic, and new age. Following up in 2000 with Era 2, Lévi returned in 2003 with The Mass - whose title track referenced Carl Orff's masterpiece O Fortuna - and sales subsequently hit platinum status in France and Switzerland. The Very Best of Era was released in 2004 and featured all the popular tracks from their previous three records as well as several remixes…

Ringo Starr, continuing to recognize a good thing when he sees it as he did back in 1962, is still organizing all-star (or "All-Starr") bands and touring regularly with them. This disc melds a concert performance at the Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada with a good deal of backstage documentary-style footage…

The average listener with only a passing interest in heavy metal might be surprised that the Scorpions had been recording since 1972 – they actually formed in 1965 – as their success in the United States didn't really begin until the release of 1982's Blackout. Hip-O's Box of Scorpions is the first U.S.-released box set from the veteran German rockers to sample from their entire 30-year career…