Good as i Been to You

BOB DYLAN’S FIRST SOLO ACOUSTIC ALBUM IN NEARLY 30 YEARS REMAINS AN OVERLOOKED GEM: GOOD AS I BEEN TO YOU SERVES AS A PRELUDE TO HIS CELEBRATED LATE-CAREER ARC. Sourced from the Original Master Tapes, Presented in Audiophile Sound for the First Time, and Strictly Limited to 2,500 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity’s Hybrid SACD Plays with Arresting Clarity and Detail. Three decades before he released The Philosophy of Modern Song — an insightful book devoted to 66 tunes that both impacted his career and the music world at large — Bob Dylan issued Good As I Been to You. The under-heralded 1992 album, Dylan’s first solo acoustic album in nearly 30 years and first all-covers effort in nearly 20 years, can be seen as a prophetic prelude to what has become the Nobel Laureate’s celebrated late-career arc. It’s also an absorbing continuation of the custom Dylan has embraced since he first picked up a guitar.

"Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings" is an 87-track, four-disc box set that covers Aretha Franklin's Atlantic career, spanning from 1967's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" to 1976's "Something He Can Feel". Over the course of the set, all of Aretha's best-known songs, including all of her Top Ten pop and R&B singles, are included. For fans who only know the singles, the set is primarily notable for the wealth of album tracks and forgotten singles that are included, which nearly equal the hits in terms of quality. Stopping just short of her move to disco, "The Queen of Soul" just misses being a totally comprehensive collection, but it remains definitive – it may miss some of her later hits, but every one of her greatest tracks is in the box. The Queen of Soul is one the cornerstones of any soul collection.

The Story So Far have been around for a long time. Like all bands of similar longevity, they've grown up – and so has their sound. A slight shift has certainly occurred on fifth album I Want To Disappear, though it isn’t any less enthralling. It’s been six years since we last got a studio album from the pop-punk quartet, and as the band have moved out of their 20s and into their 30s, their energetic sonic identity feels a tad more sophisticated.

late night drive home have never known a world without Wifi – without access to the endless stream of joy, sorrow, heartbreak, and hope that we all tune in and tune out to on the daily. In many ways, the guys can't really extricate themselves from that reality – even their band name comes from a random Wikipedia page – but they're trying to at least grapple with it.

Continuing with the celebration of his 50th Showbiz Anniversary, Engelbert Humperdinck is getting ready to release his first album of brand-new material in years with, 'The Man I Want to Be' on OK!Good Records. There are new songs by Richard Marx, Jon Allen (including the title track), Richard Scott, Steve Mac, Les Reed and Engelbert's daughter Louise Dorsey some unexpected covers of Bruno Mars' 'Just the Way You Are' and Ed Sheerans' 'Photograph' - plus three classic songs recently introduced in his Live Show: Willie Nelsons' 'Crazy', Eddy Arnold's 'Welcome to my World' and the NY classic 'On Broadway', all of which have been turned inside out.

When two legends meet, one can expect an exceptional album, especially when a former member of the Jazz Messengers, Javon Jackson, brings all his expertise to this project, which is intellectually a true treasure as well as a collector’s album. Indeed, this collaboration is no coincidence, with the poet Nikki Giovanni contributing her texts, rooted in deep social poetry.

Dolly Parton's years for the Monument label were good ones, resulting in terrific straightforward country numbers, many of them written by her. The uncredited pickers, in particular the pedal steel, keep things really cooking. The arrangement on the opening number, "Why, Why, Why," makes the listener's head spin with both the precision of the pedal steel riffs and the clever shuffling of chords from the standard 1-4-5 progression. Even a skeptic will be able to follow Parton into her private realm of despair, always delivered in a beautiful voice promising hope.

"Lady Soul" is a pinnacle release in an astounding artistic career from soul giant, Aretha Franklin. The album was her second release to top the Billboard R&B charts. Lady Soul features some of Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby).” Selling over a million copies, the recording was featured on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time” and VH1’s “Greatest Albums Of All Time”.

he mythological status of 1969’s Woodstock Music and Arts Festival can sometimes feel overpowering. The festival is the ultimate expression of the 1960s. Moments from the three-day concert have crystallized as symbols of the era, with details like Richie Havens’ acoustic prayer for freedom, Roger Daltrey’s fringed leather vest, or Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” held up as sacred countercultural relics.