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If you're a die-hard Steve Taylor fan from back in the day, you'll already have almost everything included in this compilation. The only previously unreleased material is a demo for a song called "Dream in Black & White" (faded after the second verse) and a medley of early demos called "Shark Sandwich"…

The Dirty Truth marks Joanne Shaw Taylor’s fourth studio release and second time working with producer Jim Gaines (the first being on her studio debut some five years ago) with the goal of tapping into some of what drove White Sugar. The record plays out like what we’ve come to expect from Taylor - a heady combination of not-quite-aggressive and not-quite-mellow - but this one sounds a little closer to home for Taylor. Her songs just sort of flow off of the record naturally, almost as though they’d always been out there somewhere and Taylor merely uncovered them and made them accessible…

This CD is the work of three exceptional blues musicians from the Milwaukee area. The trio consists of Jim Liban on harp, vocals and baritone guitar; Jim Schutte on drums; and Perry Weber on guitar and vocals. Simply stated, these fellas are the real deal. Jim Liban is one of the top blues harp players in the world, but woefully under recognized, and is a soulful singer as well. Schutte and Weber have exceptionally strong blues pedigrees (as does Liban).
The entire CD has a loose, stripped down juke joint vibe - just guitar, drums, harp and vocals on most tracks. No tricks or gimmicks here, folks. Shoot, the closest thing present to an electric bass guitar (sorry Cornbread) is a baritone guitar. Jim Liban’s harp tone is huge, both amplified and acoustic and his vocals are very good. The guitar work of Perry Weber is of the Eddie Taylor less-is-more style (Tasty!) and the drums drive the songs along without overpowering them. A true blues ensemble sound in the spirit of the master of Maxwell Street.

Sounds of the Seventies was a 38-volume series issued by Time-Life during the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s, spotlighting pop music of the 1970s. Much like Time-Life's other series chronicling popular music, volumes in the "Sounds of the Seventies" series covered a specific time period, including individual years in some volumes, and different parts of the decade (for instance, the early 1970s) in others; in addition, some volumes covered specific trends, such as music popular on album-oriented rock stations on the FM band. Each volume was issued on either compact disc, cassette or (with volumes issued prior to 1991) vinyl record.

The two-year interval covered in this volume of Time-Life Music's Singers & Songwriters series was one of consolidation for the many singer/songwriters who had emerged in the early '70s. Carole King followed up Tapestry, the album that established her as a performer after years as a songwriter, with Music, which spawned the hit "Sweet Seasons." James Taylor was on his second follow-up to his commercial breakthrough Sweet Baby James with One Man Dog, which produced "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." His new wife Carly Simon released her third album, No Secrets, which gave Simon her biggest hit yet with "You're So Vain." John Denver, too, hit new sales peaks with Rocky Mountain High and its title single. And Cat Stevens had followed the success of Tea for the Tillerman with Teaser and the Firecat and its second single "Morning Has Broken." Meanwhile, several new singer/songwriters were crowding the field, among them Don McLean with the epic allegory "American Pie," America with its Neil Young sound-alike "A Horse With No Name," and Seals & Crofts with the lilting "Summer Breeze".

This Time Life Singers & Songwriters collection highlights several classic singles released between 1974 and 1975. Among the 24 tracks are the original versions of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John, "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship, and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver, in addition to strong tracks by Carly Simon, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, and Jim Croce. This enjoyable sampler will please any die-hard soft rock fan.

The Legacy Collection plunders the deepest depths of the Disney sound archive to collect, with unprecedented completeness, the audio histories of 11 classic animated films from each era of the Disney Studios, from Lady and the Tramp and Aristocats to Little Mermaid and the Lion King to Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph, with one more CD devoted just to Disneyland. Each disc contains the full score of a film from opening to closing credits, unreleased rarities, and bonus material. Then there's the books.