Dig Here

Isaac Hayes - Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It? (2005) [2CD+Bonus DVD] {Stax}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 980 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 376 Mb
DVD-5 -> 826 Mb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | ~ 15:25 | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 63 Mb
© 2005 Stax / Concord | 0025218884327
Soul / Funk / Blues / Blaxploitation / Fusion

One of the better and more thoughtful Isaac Hayes compilations, Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It? is a three-disc (two CDs and one DVD) set that covers his years on Stax. There's a wide range of material here, from singles to deep album cuts, that provide a very representative look at these years, and Stax is even wise enough to include "I Stand Accused" and "Walk on By" in their full 12-minute versions. Only minor quibbles could be made with the selections. The third disc, a DVD, contains three songs performed by Hayes at Wattstax. And then there's the cherry – er, some other spherical object – on top: Hayes' performance of Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls."

Buddy Collette & Chico Hamilton - Tanganyika (1956) {Dig–V.S.O.P. #20 CD rel 1993}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 223 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 1993 Dig / Tampa / V.S.O.P. Records | V.S.O.P. #20 CD / Tampa #34
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Reeds / Drums

The cover and the title tend to make you think you're going to experience something like Herbie Mann's 'Sugarloaf - Jazz Impressions Of Brazil', a musical reaction to a country and its culture, but that's not really what's on offer here. Sure, there is a track called 'Tanganyika' and another called 'Jungle Pogo Stick' and a third titled 'A Walk On The Veldt' but their connection to Tanganyika (Tanzania) or any other part of Africa is pretty hard to discern. No matter, because what we have here is a great session from the Capital Records Studios in Hollywood CA on Oct 11, 1956 with Buddy Collette and John Anderson blowing up a storm, driven along by Chico Hamilton on drums and with some very sympathetic guitar from Jim Hall.

The Dig’s newest release, Bloodshot Tokyo is a dreamy, ambient soundscape, peppered with stories of love and creative, timeless songwriting. Opening with the sparkling and confident, “Ordinary Mind,” which really sets the tone for the record, and closing ten songs later with a very selfless and loving “Over The Rails,” Bloodshot Tokyo takes listeners on a journey from start to finish.

I Dig Dancers was, as the title indicates, aimed at attracting dancers and securing an identity for the band as a dance organization. There is, therefore, a plenitude of tunes eminently suitable for tripping the light fantastic to a band with a full solid ensemble sound and relaxed, clever and swinging arrangements at tempos tailor-made for the ballroom. The band assembled here was an all-star aggregation that was put together to support a European tour of “Free and Easy”. When that show ended, Jones took this great band, that featured Benny Bailey, Clark Terry, Phil Woods and others, on a tour of Europe and also made many of these recordings. After returning to the states, Jones made some more recordings, this time with Freddie Hubbard and Oliver Nelson on board.

David Crosby and Graham Nash, two-thirds of Crosby, Stills and Nash, began writing and playing together 36 years ago and their brand of mellow harmony became one of rock's trademarks. Together and apart they have had circuitous careers since, taking in drug rehab and political activism (in the case of Crosby) and photography (Nash is a digital imaging pioneer). Their last album together was the mid-Seventies Wind on the Water. Now, more than thirty years later, comes another, simply titled Crosby-Nash…

Florida Georgia Line - Dig Your Roots (2016) {Big Machine Label Group BMXFG0300A}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 368 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 119 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 121 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 Big Machine Label Group / UMG | BMXFG0300A
Country / Country Rock / Contemporary Country / Country Pop

Three albums in, Florida Georgia Line carved out their own niche – part good times, part tearjerkers – but they're not staying in place. Rather, if 2016's Dig Your Roots is any indication, they're choosing to settle into a groove, sliding into their status as slowly mellowing country bros. Staring down 30, FGL still find time to have fun, but the party no longer lasts all night; it's a gentle breeze on an "Island" or a Sunday afternoon reggae sunsplash with Ziggy Marley. Such softening of the ravers puts the rest of their music in sharper relief, making it all seem sentimental. Naturally, this is a conscious effort on Florida Georgia Line's part, a reflection of their steady maturation and the realization of their natural affinity for the MOR adult contemporary of the Backstreet Boys, the former teen pop band who cameo on "God, Your Mama and Me."