Horn 1997

Grand Funk Railroad continued to move further into the pop/rock mainstream with this hit album. They are aided considerably in this aim by the ultra-slick production of Jimmy Ienner, a producer best known for his work with the Raspberries: songs like "Runnin'" and "Memories" boast rich yet punchy horn and string arrangements that beef up the group's sound without softening its energetic edge. The album's combination of high-gloss production and the band's energy resulted in some impressive hits: "Some Kind of Wonderful" is an exuberant, organ-drenched soul song that highlight's the group's strong harmonies while "Bad Time" mixes a delicate, string-laden melody with a pulsing beat from the rhythm section to create a one-of-a-kind power ballad.

Steve Davis is one of the breed of young boppers whom have mastered the idiom. Here, the trombonist leads a group mostly culled from One for All, a conglomeration of extraordinary musicians who perform regularly together in the Big Apple. Veteran pianist Harold Mabern joins them, adding experience and depth. Davis plays a mean 'bone, strongly indebted to Curtis Fuller. Like Fuller, he sticks to the middle range of the horn, boasts a somewhat nasal tone, and plays smoothly at almost any tempo. He is also a good, if cautious, composer. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander continues to grow both in stature and skill, and contributes solidly with strong solos. While there is nothing revolutionary or new in the group's playing, there is a strong sense of camaraderie and precision that lifts this performance to a higher level.

World Turtle are an English progressive rock band formed by former Haze-members Chris and Paul McMahon after their earlier band's demise. While Haze were more traditionally prog, World Turtle's sound is somewhat more commercial; by using funk rhythms and horn-sections their music becomes reminiscent also of pop artists such as the late Genesis or Phil Collins' solo work. After Haze drummer Paul Chisnell left the group in 1988, the two remaining members, brothers Chris (bass, keyboards) and Paul McMahon (guitar, vocals) formed a first version of World Turtle with Pendragon-drummer Fudge Smith. This line-up, however, was short-lived. A new version of World Turtle appeared in 1991, with only the two brothers remaining…

Many people have thought many things about Grand Funk Railroad, but chances are, no one ever thought they were politically conscious, despite songs like "People Let's Stop the War," "Save the Land," and "Freedom Is for Children." That's only one of the reasons why the double-disc Bosnia seems so odd: it's hard to believe that the band had even heard of Bosnia, much less care about what was happening there…

On this prime collection of R&B and blues songs and influences from Boz Scaggs' youth – and four new yet classic-sounding self-penned originals – the blue-eyed soulman eschews the slick production values of his pop chart-toppers such as "Lido" and "Lowdown," instead getting way down and his hands dirty with the honest blood, sweat, and tears of the real down-home blues. Packing in tow drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist Fred Tackett (from Little Feat), and slow-burning, soulful horn arrangements by Willie Mitchell, one of the founding fathers of Memphis soul (and composer of Come On Home's title track), Scaggs' covers of songs originally composed and performed by such legends as Jimmy Reed ("Found Love"), T-Bone Walker (the legendary "T-Bone Shuffle"), Sonny Boy Williamson ("Early in the Morning") and Bobby "Blue" Bland (the thunderous "Ask Me 'Bout Nothing (But the Blues)"), along with "It All Went Down the Drain" (Earl King), and the smoldering "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" (David Porter with Isaac Hayes), are absolutely impossible to resist. Come On Home is a genuine musical treasure.

Ensemble Zefiro was founded in 1989 by oboists Alfredo Bernardini and Paolo Grazzi together with bassoonist Alberto Grazzi and consists of talented musicians drawn from leading Baroque orchestras. Zefiro regularly appears to great acclaim at major European, Asian and South American festivals.

This Gershwin collection is divided into two CDs; the first has many of his more popular pieces from Broadway productions, and the second has a selection of his symphonic works. Some of the songs on the first CD are performed by singers such as Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington and sound absolutely spectacular.

On their third album, Lucifer's Friend took a new tack: instead of being a progressive band or a hard rock band, they decided to incorporate both styles into a more ambitious sound that also worked in elements of soul and jazz. The resulting album, I'm Just a Rock 'n' Roll Singer, lacks the coherent flow that defines a good album but offers an array of tuneful, well-crafted tracks nonetheless. By this time, the band had learned to make their songwriting the focus of each track and tamed the instrumental soloing that overwhelmed Where the Groupies Killed the Blues.

As a present to their fans, particularly the ones on the Internet, the band decided to put out another live album - such live releases now tallying in double figures, unprecedented for any rock band. Unedited, undubbed and with a three-piece horn section blowing in on four tunes at the Olympia in Paris, Deep Purple are in their best habitat - exhibiting raw power, free-for-all jamming and charging into the new numbers culled from Purpendicular. Reinvigorating the classics, namely "Smoke On the Water," "Speed King" and "Highway Star," the veterans still prove they can mess with the best on stage.