a Time For Ballads

During times of extreme political and social change, Stevie Wonder's voice and songwriting served as cultural and spiritual guideposts to many a listener, often lending insight and a barometer with which to measure the ways of the world. But that was largely during the golden phase of his career, generally regarded as being the late '60s through 1980's Hotter Than July. His work in the mid-'80s through the '90s was marginal in comparison, only hinting at glimpses of former brilliance, sugar-coated by over-polished production and radio-friendly content.

Once Upon a Time in the West is the second studio album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was released on 3 September 2007 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK. It reached #1 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release, unlike its predecessor Stars of CCTV, which took around five months to do so. It also reached #5 in the European Top Albums.

Freddie Jackson ended his five-album stay at Capitol ended with Time for Love, a satisfying effort that isn't much different from his previous Capitol releases. The New Yorker obviously knew what his strengths were – smooth soul/urban contemporary music and romantic ballads – and once again, the singer succeeds by zeroing in on them. The standout track is a poignant cover of the Gamble & Huff classic "Me and Mrs. Jones" (recorded by Billy Paul in 1971 and subsequently by the Dramatics), and Jackson also brings plenty of honest emotion to such slick yet gritty tunes as "I Could Use a Little Love Right Now," "Trouble" and "Can We Try." Though it falls short of the excellence of Rock Me Tonight and Just Like the First Time, this CD was a welcome addition to his catalog.

Térez Montcalm is a Canadian jazz singer and guitarist who broke through to international success in 2007. She is primarily a jazz artist, who has a bit of a Janis Joplin like rock edge to her live performances. In this album she sets aside the guitar and concentrates purely on the slow and varied tempos of these Shirley Horn ballads near and dear to her heart.

Danish rockers D-A-D will release their first album in eight years, "A Prayer For The Loud" on May 31 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "DIC.NII.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK" harks back to the core of what D-A-D does better than most: four guys who play thrilling rock music with ferocious energy, catchy songs and an infectious commitment. "A Prayer For The Loud" has a clear musical link to classic D-A-D albums such as "No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims" and "Riskin' It All".

Despite the pessimistic title, all of the members of this particular quartet (vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Grady Tate) were still active into the mid-'90s. The music is unsurprising but still quite enjoyable and virtuosic as Bags and Co. perform blues, standards and ballads with their usual swing and bop-based creativity. Highlights include the title cut, "Stuffy," "What Am I Here For" and a vibes-piano duo version of "A Time for Love."