Roger Love

Vocalist/guitarist Roger Hodgson must have really felt stifled toward the end of his tenure in Supertramp in the early '80s – despite co-writing and singing many of the band's biggest hits – because his solo debut, 1984's In the Eye of the Storm, is a remarkable work of explosive creativity…

Haydn’s songs, German and English, have never quite had the standing they deserve: two of the English canzonettas and one of the German songs here are not even in the current catalogue. Most often they are sung by sopranos, but there is no reason why a tenor shouldn’t be used; Haydn, a tenor, is known to have sung them himself. The performances here, by all three singers and Roger Vignoles’ alert and thoughtful accompanying perhaps plays a key role take them seriously and show them as the substantial music they are.

Ray Obiedo (as guitarist) and Norbert Stachel (playing tenor sax as part of the Tower of Power horns) help turn the throbbing retro-soul meets Memphis-flavored soul jam "Horn-afication" into one of the most memorable cuts on keyboardist Roger Smith's Consider This. Smith begins with the moody undercurrent of the Hammond B-3 beneath the bright, percussive brass, then keeps that brooding texture going beneath a call and response between the horns and his happy-go-lucky keyboard melody.

As Long as I Have You is Roger Daltrey's ninth solo album, due to be released on 1 June 2018. Work on As Long As I Have You was started shortly after Going Back Home was released (in March 2014) and continued during breaks on The Who's 50th anniversary tour, The Who Hits 50!. As Long As I Have You features Pete Townshend's guitar on seven tracks as well as guest performances from Mick Talbot on keyboards and Sean Genockey on lead guitar. The album is a mixture of self-penned tracks such as "Certified Rose" and the soulful ballad "Always Heading Home" along with songs that have inspired Daltrey over the years including Nick Cave's "Into My Arms", "You Haven't Done Nothing" by Stevie Wonder, Stephen Stills' "How Far" and the title track originally recorded by Garnet Mimms in 1964, the year that Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon changed their name from The High Numbers and became The Who.

Roger Eno's Swimming is a rather drastic departure from his more classically oriented and purposely ambient work. Rather, it is a series of 14 songs, eight of which are vocal, and three of which are his versions of traditional tunes. The overtone of the entire proceeding is quiet, graced with a simple elegance illustrated with acoustic and electric guitars, basses, pianos, keyboards, vibes, other delicate percussion and subdued synthesizers emulating a skeletal string section…

This delightful disc, performed by one of the most admired sopranos of today, accompanied by her long-time collaborator, pays homage to an important musical tradition and part of performance history, and to four great sopranos from the past.