Hayseed Dixie Bouncin Betty Boogie

Queen. They made music that was so unique, there aren't really that many bands that have been brave enough to attempt cover versions of their songs. Few singers, after all, want to have their voice compared to Freddie Mercury's, few guitarists can negotiate the tightrope wire between dazzling technique and melodic playing as skillfully as Brian May.
While some bands are all about The Sound, and others are all about The Song, Queen excelled at both. Sumptuous productions, virtusoso performances and a willingness to go out on a limb meant that you were guaranteed to hear something you'd never heard before, while the songs got their finely honed hooks in you and refused to let go…

Taken from a live 1993 performance in London, Feed the Fire is an album filled with surprises. Betty Carter is known for her practice of featuring hot new up-and-coming musicians in her bands, but on this recording she is accompanied by established, world-class talent: Geri Allen, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette. Dave Holland demonstrates why he is one of the greatest living bassists with his unerring sense of melody and pitch. Jack DeJohnette, an acknowledged master of the drums for 30 years, is nothing less than explosive, punctuating the solo statements of his bandmates with powerful flurries. Allen's touch is reminiscent of Keith Jarrett's at times, such as on her excellent solo on "Love Notes"…

Rhino's Very Best of Betty Wright collects some of the soul diva's definitive tracks, including her first Top 40 hit "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do," her 1971 Top 10 hit "Clean Up Woman," "Let Me Your Lovemaker," her 1974 Grammy winner "Where Is the Love," and "I'm Gettin' Tired Baby." Though it's not as extensive as the label's earlier compilation The Best of Betty Wright, this album does present most of her major singles as well as a few representative album tracks.