Light & Sound International – January 2019

Through five albums and twelve U.S. R&B charted singles (including the 1977 Grammy-winning global anthem, “Best Of My Love”) released between 1976-1981, The Emotions achieved a level of recognition and success that ensured their place as first tier purveyors of harmonic soul music. The Chicago-based sisters (Wanda, Jeanette and Sheila) developed their distinctive sound as members of the family gospel group, The Hutchinson Sunbeams (with father Joe); after signing with Stax Records’ imprint Volt Records, the trio enjoyed their first Top 10 R&B and Top 40 pop hit with ‘So I Can Love You’ in 1969.

All are exclusive tracks recorded specifically for this CD. Taking the everyday world as source material and inspiration, the three international collaborations between electronic sound artists and visual artists present a vivid introduction to the work of Touch, the ground-breaking audio-visual label, in its twentieth year. Hazard (Benny Jonas Nilsen, Sweden) - has recorded albums for the Swedish dark industrial label, Cold Meat Industry, and Ash International. Hazard's compositions evoke extreme climatic conditions and the perception of time and space as experienced through sound. Filmic in scope, his environmental sounds take the listener to another place, sending images cascading through the mind and captivating in an almost hypnotic way…

Since the late '80s, Irish singer/composer Enya has become the most unlikely of international stars, delivering lush, Celtic-driven pseudo-classical odes in her signature Wall of Sound vocal style, rarely granting interviews, never touring, and generally taking as much time as she wishes between albums. Bucking odds and industry trends, her popularity has remained steadfast, allowing her to become the best-selling Irish solo artist of all time. Following 2008's snowbound And Winter Came, her silence stretched to eight years – the longest of her career – before the mists once again parted to reveal her eighth album, the evocatively titled Dark Sky Island.

Jethro Tull was a unique phenomenon in popular music history. Their mix of hard rock; folk melodies; blues licks; surreal, impossibly dense lyrics; and overall profundity defied easy analysis, but that didn't dissuade fans from giving them 11 gold and five platinum albums…