Jazzlobsterman Indecision (2008)

In 1995, Emmylou Harris made a decisive break with her creative past, recording the album Wrecking Ball with producer Daniel Lanois and abandoning the traditional country purity of her best-known work for lovely but spectral musical landscapes and exploring her muse as a songwriter in a way she had never attempted before. After Wrecking Ball, Harris recorded three albums in which she made the most of her new creative freedom and honed her impressive gifts as a songwriter, but All I Intended to Be, her first new release in five years, finds her reaching back toward a sound and style that recall the country and folk influences of her earlier work. But All I Intended to Be is clearly the work of an artist who is looking to the past entirely on her own terms, and with the lessons learned since 1995 clearly audible at all times…

In the early '60s, the U.S. government came up with the idea to tape jazz instrumentalists and vocalists for special programs aimed at recruiting young men for the National Guard. While it seems puzzling that male teenagers of the era would be drawn to the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Woody Herman, both of whom are heard in this program, the music is superb. Vaughan's vocals are on the money throughout, especially in the lush treatment of "On Green Dolphin Street" (with Herman's clarinet in the background), along with one of her most requested numbers, "Poor Butterfly." Herman's instrumentals include a swing version of "Muskrat Ramble," along with oft-requested numbers like "Woodchopper's Ball" and "Four Brothers"…

This 2008 singles collection from Queen comes housed in a flip-top box and contains 13 singles released between 1973 and 1979, including the hits “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “We Are the Champions,” and “We Will Rock You," all of which feature faithfully reproduced cover artwork and vinyl-perfect audio…

Abdullah Ibrahim's followers likely have preferences for his big-band, large-ensemble, trio, or solo works, but any of his fans will agree that all of his projects display a unique melodic touch that is immediately recognizable and pleasant. Well into his golden years, Ibrahim still proves he has the Midas touch on this collection of 22 solo acoustic piano pieces. It's a mix of familiar songs and new material, all referencing the elements of life, nature, hearth, and homeland that have always been central themes in what he calls storytelling, not mere music-making. On this triptych through memorable experiences, the pianist weaves his way through many short snippets of phrases that have served him well, and a few extended discourses that define his career and its struggles to come out triumphant…

Stone Garden hailed from a state one could assume was among the last touched by the chemical stimulant-inspired revolution in rock music in the '60s. But you wouldn't be able to tell that from Stone Garden. Cobbled together from live and studio recordings made between 1969 and 1971, the reissue collects virtually every available note by the pack of Idaho teens, including both sides of their lone, extremely rare 45 ("Oceans Inside Me"/"Stop My Thinking"). Aside from that single, all the tracks remained unreleased until appearing as a superbly packaged 1998 Rockadelic LP, reproduced in its entirety on this Gear Fab CD. So is it worth all the archival fuss? Mostly, yes, it really is. Stone Garden is an always blistering and often thrilling racket that splits the difference between the plundering depths of hard rock and the mind-excursion highs of psychedelia (or, more precisely, acid rock), carving out a nifty Western patch of its own.

Slide guitarist Lil' Ed Williams & the Blues Imperials bring the energy of live performance to their seventh Alligator release, Full Tilt. The highlights on this disc tend to reflect that of the album's title, especially the spirited cover versions of the Contours' "First I Look at the Purse" and Hound Dog Taylor's "Take Five," along with the originals "Hold That Train," "Candy Sweet," and "My Baby Moves Me." Lil' Ed's raucous guitar chops are at center stage on those tracks and the additional backing from horn players Eddie McKinley and David Basinger and pianist/organist Johnny Iguana add some extra kick. There are a few lukewarm tracks that are a bit too rote and, unfortunately, bring down the overall good-time party appeal of this disc. Still, fans of Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, or electric modern blues in general, will want to add this to their collections.

2008 reissue of this compilation from the British Art-Rockers featuring one bonus track: 'The Secret Life of Henry'. Essentially a Best of the band's recordings for Mercury Records this includes the UK hit singles 'Life Is a Minestrone' 'Good Morning Judge' and 'Dreadlock Holiday' amongst others. Also features the rare 'We've Heard It All Before' and 'The Power of Love' singles, both non-LP and both co-writes with Andrew Gold.