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Three decades ago Bruce Iglauer founded Alligator Records, selling his hero Hound Dog Taylor's records out of his car trunk. Since then, Alligator has become America's best-known and most prolific blues label, and many of the reasons for its success appear on this two-disc 30th anniversary collection. Much of the material, including Marcia Ball's "Louella" and Shemekia Copeland's "Turn the Heat Up," comes from relatively recent recordings, since the label also released anthologies honoring its 20th and 25th anniversaries.
But the 30th holds its own, presenting guitar greats like Lonnie Mack ("Stop"), Johnny Winter ("My Time After Awhile"), and Lonnie Brooks ("Two-Headed Man"), as well as harmonica heroes James Cotton ("When It Rains It Pours"), Junior Wells ("Keep Your Hands Out of My Pockets")…

This is a specially priced, two-CDs-for-the-price-of-one photo-cube set, loaded with great stuff from Charlie Musselwhite, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Johnny Winter, Billy Boy Arnold, Lonnie Mack, and a host of others who have trotted their wares on the label over the years. Besides giving the novice one great introduction to the label (as the music runs from traditional to modern), the big bonus here is a treasure trove of previously unissued tracks from Roy Buchanan (a chaotic version of Link Wray's "Jack the Ripper"); Floyd Dixon (a recut of his Blues Brothers-approved hit "Hey Bartender"); Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland in a marvelous outtake from the Showdown! album ("Something to Remember You By"); and the band that started it all, Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers, with a crazed version of Elmore James' "Look on Yonder's Wall," as sloppy as it is cool.

Released in 1989 on Novus/RCA, Stiletto is an atmospheric and atmospheric instrumental masterpiece from pioneering drummer and Santana alumnus Michael Shrieve. Blending electronic percussion and acoustic drums with lush ambient synth textures and avant-garde jazz-rock guitar work, the album features a stellar backing band including trumpeter Mark Isham, former Police guitarist Andy Summers, sound-sculpting guitarist David Torn, and bassist Terje Gewelt. Ranging from cinematic, dreamlike soundscapes like "Moon Over You" and Gil Evans' "Las Vegas Tango" to driving, rhythmically intricate fusion tracks like "Scratch" and the title cut "Stiletto," this session remains a high mark in late-80s progressive fusion and ambient jazz.

Released in 2014 on Playscape Recordings, Pride is an ambitious two-disc set celebrating the 10th anniversary of guitarist and composer Michael Musillami's flagship trio alongside long-time collaborators Joe Fonda on bass and George Schuller on drums. Expanded into stellar guest configurations featuring pianist Kris Davis, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and violinist Mark Feldman, the album highlights Musillami's intricate compositions, which seamlessly balance detailed notation with open-ended free improvisation. Spanning over two hours, the music ranges from playful suites inspired by Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are ("Wild Things Music") to expansive, multi-textured improvised journeys like the 20-minute "Beijing" and "Today the Angels." A landmark release in modern creative jazz.

Michael Jackson – Bad is released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL/MoFi) as a numbered Hybrid SACD. For this audiophile reissue, Mobile Fidelity uses the original masters as the source, making this special edition particularly appealing to listeners who value both Michael Jackson's music and a carefully produced physical release with a clearly documented source.

On "PraeBachtorius", works by Praetorius and Bach based on the same Lutheran chorales are ingeniously combined, so that the respective verses of Bach and Praetorius are heard immediately after each other. It is impressive how well Praetorius' music of the late Renaissance combines with Bach's baroque music to form a harmonious whole on this CD.

Christmas is vocalist Michael Bublé's first full-length holiday-themed album since his 2003 EP Let It Snow. As with that album, Christmas features Bublé backed by small ensembles as well as his big band and orchestra, and includes a handful of classic Christmas songs. In that sense, the album is a rather old-school affair, with Bublé in prime Bing Crosby-meets-Dean Martin vocal style tackling such chestnuts as "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "Silent Night," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." There are also some fine, contemporary, if still retro-sounding, pop moments here including Bublé's duet with the British female pop trio the Puppini Sisters on "Jingle Bells," and his inspired, slightly melancholy reworking of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Ultimately, Christmas is a warm and inviting album that showcases Bublé's impeccable vocal chops.

Buoyed by the popularity of the hit contemporary pop ballad "Home," singer Michael Bublé's 2005 album, It's Time, clearly positioned the vocalist as the preeminent neo-crooner of his generation. Bublé's 2007 follow-up, Call Me Irresponsible, only further reinforced this notion. Not only had he come into his own as a lithe, swaggering stage performer with a knack for jazzing a crowd, but he had also grown into a virtuoso singer. Sure, he'd never drop nor deny the Sinatra comparisons, but now Bublé's voice – breezy, tender, and controlled – was his own. It didn't hurt, either, that he and his producers found the perfect balance of old-school popular song standards and more modern pop covers and originals that at once grounded his talent in tradition and pushed him toward the pop horizon.