Fifa Flac

Angelique Kidjo's fifth album Fifa saw the artist experimenting further with the Western genres of soul and pop, resulting in her most mainstream record to date. As evidenced by "Naima," the stunning collaboration with Carlos Santana, Kidjo's instincts for pairing African rhythms and Western structures are inspired. O

When Benin-born guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke appeared at this summer's Ottawa International Jazz Festival, he was a real highlight amongst the entire group of stellar young players in trumpeter Terence Blanchard's band. His solo spot, where he used looping and harmonizing devices to create a veritable mini-orchestra with just one voice and guitar, illustrated how technology can be used to create something natural. Jazz Luddites regularly rail against the use of electronics to tarnish the "pure nature of jazz, but Loueke clearly doesn't subscribe to such a narrow view. Technology is only as good as the hands it's in, and an increasing number of artists are finding ways to utilize it to stretch the shape of jazz. Loueke came relatively late to the guitar.

On March 31, 2015, Kidjo released her collaboration with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. The album contains orchestral versions of 9 songs from previous albums and two original songs: Nanae and Otishe. All the songs are arranged by Gast Waltzing and David Laborier and the orchestra is conducted by Gast Waltzing. The Australian newspaper noted: "Kidjo opens what's arguably her most ambitious album by paying homage to her heroine, Miriam Makeba. None of her three previously released versions of Malaika can match the majesty and grandeur of this latest spine-tingling rendition, which features the singer in superlative voice (in Swahili) backed by the strings and wind instruments of the 110-piece Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. Elsewhere, the consummate guitar playing of Kidjo's compatriot Lionel Loueke and Brazilian Romero Lubambo augment conductor-trumpeter Gast Waltzing's sumptuous arrangements.

Luciano Pavarotti was blessed with one of the most individual, unmistakable and beautiful voices there has ever been. This album contains over 3 hours of music and includes all Pavarotti's opera hits - including Nessun Dorma, his signature aria used as the 1990 FIFA World Cup theme tune and the track that made him a household name as well as all his famous popular songs: O sole mio, Caruso, Santa Lucia, Volare and many more. Other highlights include great duet collaborations with superstar friends Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, Bono, Eric Clapton,Sting and Lionel Richie plus fellow tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in the live Three Tenors version of Nessun Dorma. Pavarotti The Greatest Hits is truly the definitive collection of the music of a true legend.