Feed Christa Wells

As a composer of sacred music, Bob Chilcott has found his own niche by writing accessible choral works that speak to contemporary sensibilities. As has been noted frequently, his Requiem evokes Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Duruflé, mostly through its gentle feeling and serene melodies, though without imitating their style or content. Rather, it has its own mix of somber harmonies and fluid, chantlike lines, and the expression of the work is a little cooler and darker. Chilcott's music admits occasional and mild dissonance, though the orientation is strongly modal and the harmonies always feel like a natural result of the counterpoint. Chilcott's Salisbury Motets, Downing Service, and three shorter pieces share the same modern Anglican style, which is approachable and easy to follow. The Wells Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Matthew Owens, sings with a pure tone and clear diction, and the sound of the recordings is quite resonant, thanks to the responsive acoustics of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.

Philadelphian Terri Wells had sung in '70s soul group City Limits and contributed the lead vocal to contemporary Dexter Wansel's Top 40 R&B hit "The Sweetest Pain" prior to releasing this underrated solo effort in 1984. The set is notable for its distinctively smooth jazz-oriented take on contemporary R&B.

In the follow up to 2015’s Night Drops, Italian producer Indian Wells aka Pietro Iannuzzi returns with his third full length. Released via Los Angeles label Friends of Friends - home to the likes of Shlohmo, Nadastrom and Jerome Lol - Where The World Ends tackles the concept of borders that perpetuate our day to day politically, socially and geographically.

The Mary Wells volume of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection may not be definitive, but the 11-track compilation contains all of her biggest hits – "Bye Bye Baby," "I Don't Want to Take a Chance," "The One Who Really Loves You," "You Beat Me to the Punch," "Two Lovers," "Laughing Boy," "You Lost the Sweetest Boy," and, of course, "My Guy" – which makes it the ideal choice for budget-minded fans.

The music Earl Hooker and Junior Wells made together demonstrates the blues in transition, still upholding its traditions but recasting them in a format that reflected the musical taste of contemporary black society. Shortly after these records were produced, the Blues Boom shifted the music’s focus on to young white audiences. The tracks featured here represent some of the last instances of Chicago blues being produced for the artists’ own community.

Last Time Around – Live At Legends is a fitting farewell to the late, great Junior Wells and his partnership, friendship and kinship with Buddy Guy that lasted decades. The album is a historic release in many ways. It reunites two blues legends who began their unique association in the 1950s. The album was recorded live in March 1993 at Buddy Guy's world-famous Chicago blues mecca Legends, and it's an acoustic document of many classic songs that made both Wells and Guy legends in their own right, such as "She's Alright" and "I've Been There," along with other classic blues standards such as "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Key to the Highway," all delivered with a looseness and power that define both Guy and Wells. It also marks the last time the two ever played together.