Deborah Blando

David Daniels' Rinaldo is surely the equal of his illustrious 18th -century predeccessors. His countertenor is one of the most accomplished voices I have heard… As Arimda, Noemi Nadelmann's voices started where her legs ended, and shet hrew coloratura at us as though it was going out of fashion (astride her pet Hydra being a particularly fabulous show-stopper). David Walker as Goffredo is no vocal sluch either; his voice is brighter edged than Daniels', and almostb as fluent.

The cover's cutout silhouette of these guitar-slinging soul/blues women is a succinct visual overview of the rather ambiguous contents within. Recorded in preparation for 2007's Blues Caravan tour featuring journeywomen singer/songwriters Sue Foley and Deborah Coleman along with the comparatively fresh-faced Roxanne Potvin (whose first widely distributed set was released earlier the same year), the disc seems more like a respectable concert souvenir than an actual collaborative affair. The 11 tracks break down into three solo cuts from each participant, one shared and joyous effort on the closing cover of a Chess oldie, "In the Basement," and a crackling instrumental dominated by Foley's always impressive guitar. There are many fine moments here, especially as Coleman lays into an easy funk groove on James Brown's "Talking Loud" and on Potvin's emotionally charged ballad "Strong Enough to Hold You".

Although Debbie Harry's popularity had decreased by the late '80s, 1989 wasn't a bad year for her at all. That year, Blondie's former lead vocalist successfully portrayed a struggling singer on the brilliant but underrated CBS crime drama Wiseguy, and demonstrated that she could still have considerable fun in the studio. Under the direction of hit producer Mike Chapman – who had worked with Blondie, as well as with everyone from Sweet to Scandal – Harry delivers an eclectic CD that isn't in a class with a Blondie treasure like Parallel Lines but nonetheless has a lot going for it. Much of this new wave-ish pop/rock and European-flavored dance music is heartfelt, clever, and quite memorable. Everything from the charming "Brite Side" (which she performed on Wiseguy) to the addictive "Bike Boy" to the haunting "He Is So" makes it clear that Harry, at 43, was far from a has-been.

“And the violin dances Furiant, carried away by an irresistible ardour”. Beyond the intrinsic character of gypsy music, which constantly moves back and forth between melancholy and joy, dance is the obvious thread running through this album. It creates a bond through its intensity and infinite rhythmic contrasts, revealing a wide range of emotions. One dance can contain an entire life, with its laughter, its tears, its perpetual movement, its ruptures, its unpredictability in the passage from one emotional state to another…