Ladies Night Tempo

The sax field becomes even more populous with another of the 1996's freshest new voices, ultra silky alto and soprano goddess Pamela Williams. On the aptly titled Saxtress, she carves her own niche in the rhythm and jazz annals with a rich mix of mellow and smokin', twisting her horn in the many directions that producer Martin Walters leads her. For a time, the surprisingly well done pop covers ("I Can Love You Like That," "The Secret Garden," "Natural Woman") may prompt you to think you've stumbled onto yet another John Tesh sax project. But soon, Williams slowly emerging vision takes over and originality wins out. While smooth and mid-tempo ultimately win out, the collections two real bass-soaked cookers "Ladies Night" and the title cut find her blowing damn the consequences…

Heatwave’s sophomore LP CENTRAL HEATING (R&B #2/Pop #10/UK#26), released in 1977 on GTO Records, more than lived up to the group’s breakthrough album from the year before. All but two of the tracks were penned by Rod “Thriller” Temperton with the remainder from the hand of lead vocalist Johnnie Wilder. The stand out tracks include the funk smash and disco-era anthem “The Groove Line” (R&B #3/Pop #7/UK #12) and the quiet storm classic “Mind Blowing Decisions” (UK #12/R&B #49) as well as party grooves “Put Out The Word,” and “Party Poops” and the smooth soul of “Happiness Togetherness” and “The Star Of A Story,” which was later covered by George Benson on his Quincy Jones produced Give Me The Night album.

Celebrated as the musical poet of the English landscape, Vaughan Williams was also a visionary composer of enormous range: from the pastoral lyricism of The Lark Ascending and the still melancholy of Silent Noon to the violence of the Fourth Symphony and the grand ceremonial of All people that on earth do dwell, he assumed the mantle of Elgar as our national composer. This edition, released to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, presents all the major orchestral, chamber, vocal and stage works, as well as many lesser pieces and rarities, in the finest interpretations. All your favourite Vaughan Williams is here, in over 34 hours of music on 30 CDs.