What's Cool? (coming Century)

Eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist Al Basile releases Through With Cool, which features Basile himself on production duties along with the guitar stylings of Kid Andersen. The album was recorded at Lakewest Studios in West Greenwich, Rhode Island.

Coming Down is the first solo album from former Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets guitar player Daniel Ash. First single "This Love" was a #2 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., where his former bandmates Peter Murphy and David J had already scored Top 10 hits. Natasha Atlas sings and plays instruments on most tracks.

Jeremy Wall is best known for his years with Spyro Gyra, which grew increasingly formulaic and predictable as the 1980s progressed but was still exciting back when the pianist/keyboardist contributed such memorable tunes as "Shakedown" and "Mallet Ballet." Some might have feared that Cool Runnings would be full of boring elevator jazz, but the CD is actually fairly decent. Though not mind-blowing, light and atmospheric pop-jazz offerings like "Ancient Words," "Key West Strut" and the Latin-flavored "Into the Sunset" aren't nearly as contrived as most of the studio recordings Spyro was coming out with at the time.