H.i.p.

An operatic anthology of beloved opera performances spanning multiple vocal ranges that capture the joyous essence of the Christmas season.

This 27-track CD of rather mysterious origin is the most comprehensive Billie Davis anthology, but not without its imperfections. In its favor, it does include nine tracks from her 1963-1964 girl group-influenced singles, whereas the most commonly available Davis anthology (Tell Him: The Decca Years has just four of those. In all, it has ten songs not on Tell Him: The Decca Years, but is also missing three songs that are not that release, whose sound quality is better (though not seriously flawed). And the liner notes on Her Best: 1963-1970 are perfunctory, though it does contain a complete 1962-1970 Davis discography. So what most people would pick this up for are the ten songs not on Tell Him, which are useful for Davis fans, but not (with one exception) among her most outstanding recordings. That one exception is the moody, sassy 1964 single "Whatcha' Gonna Do," perhaps her best girl group-styled effort; the Mersey-influenced chirpy warble of its B-side "Everybody Knows" is pretty enjoyable too.

"SWORD AND STONE" and "WORDS AND TONES" by Victor Wooten, who has been heralded as “the Michael Jordan of the bass” and “one of the most fearless musicians on the planet”. In 2011, Rolling Stone Magazine voted Victor one of the Top Ten Bassist of ALL TIME. “Words and Tones” is a collection of original music featuring female vocalists. “Sword and Stone” is an instrumental version of many of the same songs from the CD "Words and Tones" and includes different interpretations, musicians, and performances, which showcase different sides of Wooten’s approach to music, performance, and songwriting.

Most alternative music lived underground. It made a lot of noise, but no-one in the mainstream could hear it…. The nineties would see it go so much further than many of us expected. It wasn’t just the popularity of alternative music which would change; the music was constantly reinventing itself too, sucking in influences from different genres and different eras.