Lobo

On this new recording, Coro Victoria offers a portrait of Alonso Lobo (1555-1617) through a cross-section of his sacred output (his works in Spanish are all lost). The group also illustrates the variety of interpretative practices of the period. The concluding O quam suavis est Domine is sung by a single soprano while the vihuela accompaniment supplies the remaining five parts. Church choirs sang this music in the liturgy, but minstrels also played it during processions, and there was free traffic between sacred and secular contexts.

Like David Hill, Jeremy Summerly moves the music of each Mass on fairly briskly until the Sanctus and Agnus Dei, when a poignant contrast. The two motets on which the Masses are based are sung as postludes, and very beautiful they are, especially the idyllic O magnum mysterium. Finally, the short Verse est in Luctum (a setting of a section of the Requim Mass) by Alonso Lôbo, a Spanish contemporary, ends the concert serenely. The recording is excellent and this is a fine bargain.

Anyone who has ever loved "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" will find plenty to explore on The Best of Lobo, which contains 18 tracks including "I'd Love You to Want Me, " "Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend, " "How Can I Tell Her, " and, of course, "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo."

Originally issued in 1973, CALUMET is one of the finest albums by Floridian singer-songwriter Lobo (born Roland Kent Lavoie). With a light, laid-back sound that makes contemporaries such as the Eagles and Jackson Browne seem edgy by comparison, Lobo eases into a set of amiable soft-rock tunes, including “How Can I Tell Her” and “It Sure Took a Long, Long Time.”

This budget-priced two-for-one collection presents a pair of mid-1970s albums by Floridian singer-songwriter Lobo (born Roland Kent Lavoie): JUST A SINGER (’74) and A COWBOY AFRAID OF HORSES (’75). Highlights of the set include the breezy light-rock tunes “Rings” and “Don’t Tell Me Goodnight,” songs that embody Lobo’s sunny, laid-back sound.

2011 DGG released a spectacular 10-CD anthology on Archiv Produktion with Ensemble Plus Ultra (EPU), the finest British early music singers (Early Music Today), commemorating the 400th anniversary of Tomas de Victoria s death. This box won a Gramophone award.