Dirt Merchant (1999)

34 of the hit '70s soul/ funk/ disco group's very best, plus updated mixes of three different smashes added as bonus tracks, 'September '99' (Phats & Small Remix), 'Boogie Wonderland' (Stretch & Vern Remix) and 'Let's Groove' (Merchant Of Menace Remix). Also includes the original versions of these three, plus classics like 'After The Love Has Gone', 'Got To Get You Into My Life', 'Fantasy', 'Getaway', 'Sing A Song', 'Shining Star' and 'That's The Way Of The World'. 37 tracks total. Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, dance, Latin, and Afro pop. They have been described as one of the most innovative and commercially successful acts of all time. Rolling Stone called them "innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing" and declared that the band "changed the sound of black pop".

Teaming up with T-Bone Burnett was a good, healthy move for Natalie Merchant. She had begun to sink into vaguely tuneless singer/songwriterisms with her second solo album, Ophelia, and the sag in artistic quality was notable – which may have been why she bought time with a live album in 1999. Burnett helps restore some musical backbone to her music on Motherland, even if the record is hardly a gritty affair (apart from Merchant's voice, which seems to have deepened and grown tougher since the last time out). Still, there's some character within the sound – atmospheric, blues post-folk-rock, music that breathes – not nearly as precious as Tigerlily or any of the 10,000 Maniacs' records, for that matter, while retaining Merchant's signature sound. Upon first listen, none of the songs announce themselves, yet it all sticks together, and repeated plays reveal Motherland as a subtle grower that will satisfy her large cult.

Fedora Records has been quietly, steadily documenting real deal blues from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast. Arthur Williams plays funky-nasty harmonica and sings earthy vocals on shuffles like Don Robey’s "Mother-In-Law Blues" and J.B. Lenoir's "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" and on dirges like Mercy Dee Walton's "One Room Country Shack."

Many figured that the Red Hot Chili Peppers' days as undisputed alternative kings were numbered after their lackluster 1995 release One Hot Minute, but like the great phoenix rising from the ashes, this legendary and influential outfit returned back to greatness with 1999's Californication. An obvious reason for their rebirth is the reappearance of guitarist John Frusciante (replacing Dave Navarro), who left the Peppers in 1992 and disappeared into a haze of hard drugs before cleaning up and returning to the fold in 1998. Frusciante was a main reason for such past band classics as 1989's Mother's Milk and 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and proves once and for all to be the quintessential RHCP guitarist. Anthony Kiedis' vocals have improved dramatically as well, while the rhythm section of bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith remains one of rock's best…

Carl Jackson, an accomplished bluegrass instrumentalist and songwriter, was born September 18, 1953, in Louisville, MS. While playing in his father's bluegrass band at the age of 14, he was approached by Jim & Jesse to join their backing group, the Virginia Boys. He accepted and spent most of his teenage years playing banjo for Jim & Jesse and other groups at the Grand Ole Opry…

Transience started as a side project for Lands End keyboardist Fred Hunter, and was almost considered Lands End itself following the recording of Natural Selection. All members of Lands End contributed to Sliding; still, this is not a Lands End album – one would be tempted to say it's better than that. Each song relates to a particular U.S. landmark, from Captiva Island, FL, to Maui. The music belongs to the light neo-prog genre and is keyboard-driven, as could be expected. These atmospheric songs slowly surround the listener by evoking the corresponding landmark. Very laid-back, they remain tighter and more focused than typical Lands End material.

By 1997, Crosby, Stills & Nash were without a label thanks to a drastic artistic slump, but they began working on a new album, paying for studio time out of their own pockets. Neil Young expressed interest in the tapes, and suddenly, a new CSNY album was in the works. Even though Young's continual tinkering pushed its release back by months, Looking Forward still feels rushed and half-finished. It's immediately apparent that the record began as a self-financed project; it sounds weirdly muted, as if all the levels weren't set accurately; similarly, it's possible to hear sometimes awkward overdubs added to basically completed tracks. While they may have named the album Looking Forward, CSNY are alternately nostalgic and haunted by the past, which colors their attempts to look toward the future. All four of Young's songs fit squarely within the Harvest tradition, as he tries to balance his restless nature with growing old…

Producer Chris Bangs cranks out ten jazzy dazzlers, contributing musically on bass and drums and co-writing eight of the ten songs, with many featuring the delightful vocals of Camelle Hinds, who is simply entrancing on "State of Mind" and "Always Be the One." The title track is a delicacy for the ears, an intricate movement arranged with diamond-cutter precision. Living up to his name, "Way Over There," "Watuzi Strut," and "Guiding Light" are bangers from a banging, slick, contemporary jazz CD.