Michael Albion Macdonald Secret of Secrets

La véritable magie noire ou le secret des secrets. Manuscrit trouvé à Jerusalem, dans le sépulcre de Salomon. …

After his debut on the tiny Brut Records (a short-lived record label of the famous cologne company), Michael Franks established both his unique sound and a recording process he has continued throughout his career. Primarily a jazz artist, Franks crossed over to pop and rock fans through heavy FM airplay beginning with The Art of Tea. Sensually suggestive and playful tracks, such as "Popsicle Toes" and "Eggplant" contain sly wordplay and almost Henry Mancini-like, breezy jazz-pop. Employing a similar approach as Steely Dan did with its music, Franks' singing and songwriting formed the basis of a sound rooted in the support of top-notch musicians, many of whom were the hottest studio jazz players on the scene. Here, the killer rhythm section of drummer John Guerin and bassist Wilton Felder is augmented by horn pros Michael Brecker and David Sanborn, with Franks and Larry Carlton handling all the guitar work. This winning combination of players, styles, singing, and songwriting would be reshuffled and refined over the years, but perhaps with no finer results than on this official major label debut.

This, one of Tippett's earliest acknowledged works, is one of his most popular. The music relates the true story of a young German Jew who, terrified and enraged at the treatment of his mother, kills a Nazi officer and touches off a violent pogrom. Tippett adopts the structure of Bach's Passions, in which arias alternate with choruses and Lutheran hymns (chorales), although in place of the chorales Tippett substitutes magnificently moving Negro spirituals. "A Child of our Time" offers music of rage, poignancy, and deep compassion. As the title itself implies, it is both specific to a certain time and place, and universal as well. No lover of classical music can afford to ignore it.

An extraordinarily rich and atmospheric collection of solo music recorded during the first lockdown in July 2020. Michael is a Northern Irish bassist/cellist/composer/improviser born in 1986 and based in Leeds…

An essential collection of the unmistakable voice of Michael Bublé, featuring his career-defining songs available on CD. Includes “Haven’t Met You Yet”, “Feeling Good”, “Sway” & more, as well as two new never-released songs, “Don’t Blame It On Me” and “Quizas, Quizas, Quizas”.

Given the late-2010s influx of symphonic easy listening albums reviving old rock and R&B records, it's not surprising that a living, breathing singer would take advantage of this trend. Michael Bolton is the one who steps into this breach, issuing A Symphony of Hits in early 2019. Recorded with the West Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, the album still contains hints of slick adult contemporary – there's nary a string to be heard on a stiffly funky "Soul Provider," the whole thing has a patina of radio-ready gloss – yet it delivers what it promises: it has Michael Bolton singing with an orchestra.