Joy Unlimited

One has to admit, the German psychedelic rock reissue label Garden of Delights puts a lot of care in its sampler albums. They are generous - occasionally to the detriment of an album - and packaged with informative and lavish 16-page booklets. For every tenth release of their catalogue they pick a track from each of the nine previous releases and compile them under a volume of this series. All catalogue numbers are an integer multiple of ten. The tracks chosen for these samplers comprise recordings from the field of progressive rock music in all its different shades, ranging from psychedelic to symphonic, fusion and blues-rock, provided that there are progressive elements in it.

This jazz-vocal group presents a decent yet mostly uninspiring collection of holiday classics, including "Joy to the World," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night," "Deck the Halls," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."

There's truly enough warmth and good vibes to go around on Red Hot Chili Peppers' 12th full-length, Unlimited Love. Not only did the band re-form their seminal lineup, welcoming guitarist John Frusciante back into the fold after a decade-long absence, but they also reunited with longtime production guru Rick Rubin, who was swapped out for Danger Mouse on their last album, 2016's The Getaway. With the gang back together, there's a palpable joy born from the energy of four buddies just having fun in the studio.

There's truly enough warmth and good vibes to go around on Red Hot Chili Peppers' 12th full-length, Unlimited Love. Not only did the band re-form their seminal lineup, welcoming guitarist John Frusciante back into the fold after a decade-long absence, but they also reunited with longtime production guru Rick Rubin, who was swapped out for Danger Mouse on their last album, 2016's The Getaway. With the gang back together, there's a palpable joy born from the energy of four buddies just having fun in the studio.