Peter T. O’brien

Here we have the first recording of Handel's final Italian opera with a period instrument orchestra, chorus and a superb American cast. Deidamia was Handel's last opera. He began work on it in October, 1740, at the same time he was completing its companion work, Imeneo, which he had begun two years earlier. On November 8, Handel presented his London winter season - with some new works, some revivals - and for this purpose had engaged the Theatre Royal at Lincoln's Inn Fields. Opening night saw a semi-staged version of the serenata Il Parnasso in festa; later in the month came the premiere of Imeneo. Despite a superb score and fine cast, the production was a failure and was offered only once again in early December. The fact is that opera - Italian opera - was passe in London by this time. The public had turned to other musical delights - stage works in English of a more frivolous nature than Handel's offerings.

Assembled from a mountain of bargain-bin samples, Belgian-Australian maverick Gotye's second solo album, Like Drawing Blood, is an impressively eclectic cut-and-paste affair that suggests "the next Sting/Peter Gabriel" labels are doing him a slight disservice. Produced by Franc Tetaz (Architecture in Helsinki), the follow-up to 2003's Boardface undeniably still tips its cap to the two juggernauts of '80s world-pop, particularly on the reverb-drenched dub of "Puzzle with a Piece Missing" and the melodic AOR of "Night Drive," the latter of which ends in a clattering Phil Collins-style drum solo. But Gotye's musical brain is far too hyperactive and intelligent to simply focus his efforts on one particular type of pastiche, and elsewhere, he makes convincing forays into foot-stomping Northern soul on "Learnalilgivinanlovin," claustrophobic trip-hop on the Harry Belafonte-sampling "Hearts a Mess," and lolloping electro-funk of "Thanks for Your Time" (perhaps the best song to be inspired by the frustrations of call centers), while also venturing onto the postwar dancefloor with the instrumental Gallic waltz of "Seven Hours with a Backseat Driver" and the strutting tango of "Coming Back".

At age 86, British blues godfather John Mayall is still going strong. In 2016 he pruned his touring band to a trio with Mayall acting as his own guitarist and keyboardist. This date finds him returning to the quartet lineup with a host of all-star axe-playing guests including Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Alex Lifeson, Steven Van Zandt, and Todd Rundgren, as well as his newest touring slinger Carolyn Wonderland (the first female to hold that role in one of his bands). He is also accompanied by his working rhythm section of bassist Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport, with Billy Watts on rhythm guitar, and the horn section from Late Night with Conan O’Brien.