King's Singers

King's Singers - Royal Rhymes and Rounds (2012)  Music

Posted by Designol at Sept. 27, 2022
King's Singers - Royal Rhymes and Rounds (2012)

King's Singers - Royal Rhymes and Rounds (2012)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 290 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 155 Mb | Scans included
Classical, Vocal Music | Label: Signum Records | # SIGCD307 | Time: 01:05:48

Royal Rhymes and Rounds is the King's Singers' contribution to the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne in 2012. There are ballads, part songs, madrigals, rounds, and anthems written during the reigns of (and some also in honor of) Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. The music from the times of Henry and Elizabeth I is especially strong since it was the era of a flowering of English song, which then lay relatively dormant for several centuries. The composers include such luminaries as William Cornysh, Orlando Gibbons, John Dowland, and Thomas Weelkes, as well as Henry himself, whose rousing ballad Pastime with good companie opens the album. It's in this transparent repertoire that the group sounds its absolute best. The singers' immaculate intonation, focused tone quality, and sensitive musicianship are remarkable.

King's Singers - Christmas (2003)  Music

Posted by Designol at Dec. 2, 2023
King's Singers - Christmas (2003)

King's Singers - Christmas (2003)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 260 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 165 Mb | Scans included
Classical, Choral, Holidays | Label: Signum Records | # SIGCD502 | 01:10:47

Five centuries, seven languages, and six singers with 35 years of remarkable experience inform this rare collection of choral music. In the world-renowned King's Singers resplendent voices, ancient and modern choral music comes to life with all the blazing immediacy and timeliness of the gospel of the nativity. With 25 pieces of music–ranging from familiar works such as "Coventry Carol" to the obscure Tchaikovsky piece "The Crown of Roses"–the King's Singers move through this hallowed and festive set with the vocal mastery that only three-and-a-half decades of accomplished work together is capable of creating. A number of contemporary carols written in the last century by composers such as John McCabe, Philip Lawson, John Rutter, and others are balanced by pieces by Bach and a host of traditional works. Lawson's "You Are the New Day," performed with a string quartet, stands out as one of the more notable performances. Like most of their music throughout Christmas, it reminds listeners that the art of music often interprets divine aspects gladly realized here on Earth.

The Edwin Hawkins Singers - The Buddah Collection (2018)  Music

Posted by delpotro at Jan. 3, 2024
The Edwin Hawkins Singers - The Buddah Collection (2018)

The Edwin Hawkins Singers - The Buddah Collection (2018)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+log+.cue) - 696 Mb | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 288 Mb | 02:05:43
R'n'B, Gospel | Label: Floating World Records

Edwin Hawkins was an American gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer, and arranger. He was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound.
Ray Conniff And The Singers - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1962)

Ray Conniff And The Singers - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1962)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 191 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 77 Mb | Scans included
Easy Listening, Vocal Pop, Christmas | Label: Columbia | # CK 8692 | Time: 00:31:14

Between 1957 and 1968, Ray Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40. He started out at Columbia Records as their home arranger, backing artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, and Johnnie Ray, with his orchestra and was eventually offered the chance to do his own record. We Wish You a Merry Christmas is packed with traditional holiday tunes that Conniff and his (25) Singers wove into a series of medleys. This album has a retro studio sound, which, upon listening, may conjure up images of Lawrence Welk singers strolling the stage, dressed in matching holiday garb. Sometimes melodramatic ("Ring Christmas Bells"), other times, bright and exuberant ("Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"), it's good, clean fun for the whole family and a solid addition to any Christmas catalog.
Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra & VA - Christmastime Is Here (2006)

Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra - Christmastime Is Here (2006)
Indiana University Singing Hoosiers, School for Creative and Performing Arts Chorale
King's Singers, Ann Hampton Callaway, Tony Desare, Tierney Sutton, John Pizzarelli

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 308 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 139 Mb
Label: Telarc | # CD-80538 | Time: 00:58:06 | Scans included
Holidays, Christmas, Orchestral, Choral, Easy Listening, Vocal Jazz

Dubbed the "Prince of Pops" by the Chicago Tribune nearly 30 years ago, Erich Kunzel – one of the most successful classical crossover artists of all time – has recorded over 70 albums for Telarc; one of the most popular of those is 1990s Christmas with the Pops. The warm and wonderful Christmastime Is Here, named for the Vince Guaraldi classic from A Charlie Brown Christmas that's given a spirited reworking here, is something of a sequel to that collection. With the exception of a punchy Dixieland arrangement of "Jingle Bell Rock," Kunzel and the orchestra – working with the Indiana University School of Music Singing Hoosiers, under the direction of Dr. Michael Schwartzkopf – play most of the classics here very straightforwardly. That is to say, charming, elegant and engaging, just not overly innovative. Telarc's true stroke of genius is having some of its top jazz vocalists perform on lush but smartly restrained arrangements of various classics – like Tierney Sutton on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and John Pizzarelli on "Silver Bells." The disc also showcases two of the label's newest artists, Ann Hampton Callaway (a haunting "I Wonder as I Wander") and Tony DeSare (doing Mel Tormé proud on a dreamy version of "The Christmas Song"). This is 2006's premier holiday disc for lovers of jazz, pop and classical music.

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic (2006)  Music

Posted by v3122 at Aug. 24, 2021
Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic (2006)

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic (2006)
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
True North Records, TMD 430 | ~ 391 or 151 Mb | Scans(600dpi, jpg) -> 53 Mb
Alternative Rock / Country Rock

Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarists Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson all have successful solo careers, but sporadically put their individual projects on hold to record under the Blackie moniker. This album, the occasional band's fourth, comes only a few years following 2004's Bark, yet finds the trio – backed by a quartet of similarly talented musicians on bass, drums, and keyboards – in terrific form…

Gipsy Kings - Roots (2004)  Music

Posted by Designol at March 19, 2022
Gipsy Kings - Roots (2004)

Gipsy Kings - Roots (2004)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 397 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 168 Mb | Scans included
Flamenco, Rumba Catalana, World | Label: Nonesuch | # 79841-2 | Time: 00:57:31

The Gipsy Kings are never going to have the kind of critical acclaim that Paco de Lucia has, but their popularization of poppy rumba flamenca among non-Spanish speakers is nothing to be ashamed of. Nonetheless, here on Roots, the octet turns back to the tradition while making their own imprint on it. Having the band record in an old farm house, producer Craig Street, it seems, simply told them to sit down to play their bittersweet songs. Without electric instruments or a drum set to clutter the mix, brisk acoustic guitars will sweep listeners up in the driving rhythms as lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo soars overhead, particularly on the instrumental songs. When Nicolas, Canut and Patchai Reyes take turns on lead vocals, Street adeptly captures the timbre and nuance of the singers' voices while also delicately balancing the guitar, hand percussion and bass. No pop songs or bombastic rock beats:here's one that purists cannot argue with.

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Kings and Queens (2011)  Music

Posted by v3122 at Aug. 30, 2021
Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Kings and Queens (2011)

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Kings and Queens (2011)
XLD | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
File Under Music, FUM012 | ~ 363 or 148 Mb | Scans
Country Rock / Southern Rock / Stoner Rock

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a band perfectly willing to wear their enthusiasm on their collective sleeve. After all, the project that brought Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson together and gave them their group name was a tribute to Canadian singer/songwriter Willie P. Bennett, and they've never been hesitant to cover songwriters they look up to or bring in guest artists they admire…
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings - Swinging From The Chains Of Love (2009)

Blackie And The Rodeo Kings - Swinging From The Chains Of Love (2009)
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
True North Records, TN 515 | ~ 378 or 130 Mb | Scans(600dpi, jpg) -> 38 Mb
Country Rock / Southern Rock / Stoner Rock

Considering the amount of quality music the ad hoc Canadian singer/songwriter "supergroup" has released under the Blackie & the Rodeo Kings moniker – five albums, including a double from 1996-2007 – this 14-song, 55-minute set should have used the extra 20 minutes of its CD playing time to better advantage. The trio – Colin Linden, Tom Wilson, and Stephen Fearing, all solo artists with well-regarded catalogs of their own – began life by covering the songs of journeyman Canadian songwriter Willie P. Bennett before expanding into original material…

Blackie & The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic Again (2007)  Music

Posted by v3122 at Aug. 25, 2021
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic Again (2007)

Blackie & The Rodeo Kings - Let's Frolic Again (2007)
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
True North Records, TND 455 | ~ 394 or 144 Mb | Scans(600dpi, jpg) -> 53 Mb
Country Rock / Southern Rock / Stoner Rock

The second batch of songs recorded by Blackie & the Rodeo Kings (BARK to the group's fans) at the Bearsville sessions that yielded Let's Frolic is a looser, less structured affair. Far from leftovers, these 14 cuts have a similar feel to the music of the Dylan/Band Basement Tapes – a little rough around the edges but played with undeniable joy and enthusiasm that comes from the participants letting their guards down as the tape rolls…