The Lady September 2023

Best known for his work with Racer X and Mr. Big, there’s no denying that Paul Gilbert is a phenomenally talented guitarist. The Dio Album features 12 covers (plus Japanese bonus track) of some of the late legend Ronnie James Dio's most iconic works with a certain twist: Gilbert has replaced the would-be vocals with verbatim lead guitar parts. Forged out of love and admiration for Ronnie James Dio's music, Gilbert's inspiration for a Dio covers record came to him unexpectedly, but nonetheless transformed into a unique collection of songs worthy of a sea of metal horns.

'Squeeze' is the new album from Hollywood's new bad boys of party Rock n Roll: The Bites. Primed to drop jaws with their monster hybrid of breath-taking high speed garage rock rhythms, stadium-ready choruses, unashamedly retro style and, above all, their dedication to making every live show an undeniable excuse to party, 'Squeeze' will be ready for rock fans to sink their teeth into during Summer 2023.

In 1973 it was announced that Deep Purple - at the time, one of the biggest rock bands in the world - had a new vocalist, a young unknown singer from the north of England called David Coverdale. David wrote and recorded three studio albums with Deep Purple, all of them classics; Burn, Stormbringer & Come Taste The Band. The fiftieth anniversary of this momentous event is now celebrated with the Special Gold Edition of The PURPLE Album. Cherry picking the best tracks from Deep Purple’s Mark 3 and Mark 4 line- ups, all newly remixed and remastered for 2023, Whitesnake’s twelfth studio album features Reb Beach on guitar and Michael Devin on bass, joined by Joel Hoekstra on his first Whitesnake album, plus drummer Tommy Aldridge reappearing on a Whitesnake studio album for the first time since 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue.

Named Gramophone’s One to Watch and winner of the 2022 International Handel Singing Competition, Alexander Chance makes his recording debut on Linn. Drop not, mine eyes is a recital of English lute songs that soaks up the zeitgeist of the past couple of years to create a programme full of melancholic works by Dowland, Campion, Danyel, Purcell and others. If the ever-popular Dowland was readily prone to sadness, as exemplified by the pair I saw my lady weep and Flow , my tears, or indeed In darkness let me dwell, the polymath Thomas Campion favoured a more sober style, as shown in I care not for these ladies . Thomas Ford displays his more profane side here with Fair, sweet, cruel and What then is love . When it comes to melancholy, John Danyel’s Grief, keep within and Drop not, mine eyes are every bit as good as Dowland. The programme closes with Purcell, the other English Orpheus. Toby Carr provides sympathetic accompaniment on lute and theorbo.