Cowon Jetaudio 7.5.5.25 Plus VX (retail Fosi + Skins)

Edsel is pleased to announce the release of a comprehensive Five Star box set, which has been personally curated by DENISE PEARSON. Five Star were managed by their Father, Buster Pearson who harboured the idea that his talented children could be the UK's 1980s version of an older Jackson 5. Following an appearance on BBC One's Pebble Mill in 1983, Five Star signed to RCA Records then spent 1984 honing their craft and performing at numerous club PAs around the country…

For longtime fans of genre-bending jazz piano trio the Bad Plus, 2016's It's Hard will feel pleasantly familiar. Once again showcasing the talents of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King, It's Hard finds the Bad Plus reworking a set of well-curated pop covers. In that sense, the album fits nicely next to the group's previous covers albums, all of which helped build their reputation as a maverick, forward-thinking outfit unafraid to recontextualize both modern pop songs and traditional acoustic jazz. Particularly effective here is the trio's languid, impressionistic take on Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over."

Feature-length documentary about the band + full-length, never-before-seen performances of: "Best I Can" and "Working Man" (with John Rutsey, performed live at Laura Secord SS, Spring 1974), "La Villa Strangiato" (live at Pinkpop 1979), "Between Sun And Moon" (recorded at Hartford, CT, June 28th 2002), "Far Cry" and "Entre Nous" from the Snakes & Arrows tour and "Bravado" and "YYZ" from the R30 tour.

The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 5 collects more pop and rock holiday tunes, this time venturing further into the '70s and '80s with songs like Paul McCartney & Wings' "Wonderful Christmastime," Hall & Oates' "Jingle Bell Rock," and Barry Manilow's "It's Just Another New Year's Eve." The collection still features traditional pop chestnuts, including Dean Martin's "A Marshmallow World," Johnny Mathis' "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)," and Andy Williams' "Sleigh Ride," but this volume's overall feel is more contemporary than classic. Other highlights include Manhattan Transfer's "A Christmas Love Song," the Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping," the Tokens' "Little Drummer Boy," and the Jackson 5's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." If The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 5 isn't necessarily the most coherent volume in the series, it's certainly one of the most interesting.