Letters in The Dark

Set to return in 2017, The Rasmus have a new album ready for release on October 6th. The 10-track album is titled DARK MATTERS. To accompany the release, the band will be setting out on a European tour later this year.

Aretha Franklin's recordings for Atlantic in the late 1960s and early 1970s are universally acknowledged as her best, and this two-CD set draws exclusively from that era, spanning late 1966 to 1973. Aside from the B-sides "Pledging My Love/The Clock" and "Lean on Me," everything here is a demo, outtake, or alternate version - a real hoard of largely previously unheard material from the prime of one of the greatest soul singers. Franklin and Atlantic did exercise sound judgment as to what to select for release, however. So these recordings, as valuable as they'll be for soul fans to hear, are neither on par with her best official work nor revelatory insofar as uncovering hidden gems or unsuspected stylistic detours. Still, what's here is characteristic Franklin soul, which is satisfying enough…

"Until They Feel The Sun" is the first release from Seattle based prog band, Moon Letters.
The album functions as a 51-minute suite, with melodic themes carrying through the compositions and providing a sense of unity in spite of the variety of sounds. The sonic palette ranges from majestic full-band anthems to delicate acoustic passages to quick odd-meter instrumental workouts. Trew’s voice is expressive and appealing, with a vulnerable quality to it that carries a lot of emotion whether he’s nearly whispering or belting out a big climactic phrase. The band is amazingly tight, with coordination that would do a math-metal band proud, full of varying accents that they all hit together. Keyboard sounds tend to the classics: organ, piano, electric piano, Mellotron-like choir and strings, and Moog-like leads…

The Look of Love is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on September 18, 2001 by Verve Records. It became Krall's first album to top the Canadian Albums Chart. In 2002, the album earned Al Schmitt the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Jim Santella of All About Jazz commented "Lush strings and gliding flutes surround Diana Krall's tender vocals. Even her substantial piano interludes take on the appearance of drifting mists, through the mix of orchestral timbres. With an emphasis on her sultry vocal interpretations, the latest album reaches out to a broad, popular music audience. Nothing wrong with that. It's just that jazz fans usually want the improvised licks along with their melodies…