The People's Friend From 20 February 2016

Agua Y Fuego is a new album of Belle Perez, released February 19, 2016 on Universal Music Belgium. Born to Spanish parents in Belgium, Belle Perez (originally Maria Isabelle Perez) began her musical career in 1999, as a straightforward pop star attempting to get into the Eurovision competition and singing largely in English. After two Top 20 albums released in that same English pop format, Perez moved to a Latin pop format with 2002's Baila Perez album, taking on a sound not unlike Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine. High energy Latin dance music (but with a slight European twist) became the order of the day for Perez and provided her the top slot on the Belgian charts as well as a Top 20 position in the Dutch charts as she began to branch out internationally.

The Long Ryders - Final Wild Songs (2016) {4CD Box Set, Cherry Red ‎Records CRCDBOX21 rec 1983-1986}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.96 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 651 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 372 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983-86, 2016 Cherry Red ‎Records / Sid Griffin / Universal | CRCDBOX21
Rock / Alternative Country / Americana / Alternative Rock / Country Rock

The Long Ryders were formed by several American musicians influenced by Gram Parsons and the Byrds, with country and punk rock influences. The band featured Sid Griffin on guitar, autoharp, and bugle, Stephen McCarthy, guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, and banjo, Des Brewer, as bassist, (later replaced by Tom Stevens) and Greg Sowders, playing drums and percussion. With a sound reminiscent of Gram Parsons, Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers, but with a harder edge, they anticipated the alternative country music of the 1990s by a decade. This 4-CD career overview has been compiled with both Sid Griffin and Tom Stevens from original tapes (where they exist) - Sid has contributed a track by track breakdown for the set. The set features all the original albums as well as demos, singles and rare live recordings. Re-mastered by Andy Pearce the recordings and in Sid's opinion have never sounded so good. A new booklet designed by Phil Smee contains many rare photos and memorabilia.

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1984 and 1983 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

For those who don't want or can't afford to plonk out for the Toots & the Maytals' Time Tough: The Anthology, The Very Best Of provides the perfect solution, distilling down that two-CD, 41-track set to a single 19-song disc. There are a few subtle differences, however; for starters this set boasts two different versions of the band's reggae smash "54-46, That's My Number," as well as the original ska version of their Jamaican Song Festival winner "Bam Bam," unlike the anthology, which included only a later remodel. However, the "Never You Change" found on this set is not the trio's original ska hit, but a reggae-fied remake. The rest of the album pulls directly from the anthology, with the disc divided almost evenly between the trio and a solo Hibbert's pre- and post-Island career. Thus, for those who prefer the Maytals' ska and/or reggae hits, this is not the collection for you, as there are much better compilations of those periods. But for fans looking for a larger overview of both the band and Hibbert himself, this is an excellent place to start.