Dina Blade I'm In The Mood For Love (2002)

Handel ‘pops’ as selected by his 18th-century publisher, Walsh. Seven complete overtures, five glorious arias, ‘the song parts’ (vocal lines) given variously to oboe, bassoon and violin. CM90 is on cracking form, instrumental soloists reflecting every nuance of the absent words – an unqualified delight.

John Pizzarelli takes his nifty little act over to the folks at Telarc, and in fact, little has changed at all; if anything, the act has gotten better. The good news is that Pizzarelli shows continued improvement as a vocalist; the nasal, callow, youthful sound slowly gives way to a less naive, more rhythmically hip style in the manner of early Nat Cole. Pizzarelli was a fine, versatile guitarist from the start, and he continues to astonish at lightning tempos here. His airtight longtime trio (brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) keeps right up, switching tempos on a dime. As you would expect, the menu consists of mostly Tin Pan Alley/swing standards from way back ("When I Take My Sugar to Tea," "When Lights Are Low," "Don't Be That Way," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," etc.); the idiom is King Cole Trio all the way, with some Oscar Peterson when Kennedy gets rolling.

Following their critically acclaimed Creation Records’ debut, The House Of Love signed to Fontana and embarked on four years of non-stop recording and touring that would take them into the mainstream. Produced in association with founder, frontman and principle songwriter Guy Chadwick, ‘Burn Down The World’ takes an in-depth look at that period in the band’s career, both in the studio and onstage. Featuring countless never before heard demos, lost tracks and live recordings sourced from Fontana’s archive, alongside rare fan club-only releases, compilation appearances, promotional versions and tracks never before available on CD, and accompanied by the thoughts of Guy Chadwick, ‘Burn Down The World’ sheds new light and insight on a rollercoaster ride which took House Of Love from indie darlings to mainstream globetrotters.