Miki

Back in 2008 this band—the only change here being bassist Sean Farias in for Michael Montgomery—produced one of the best albums of that year. In 2011, they've gone and done it again.

Saxophonist Roxy Coss steps boldly into the spotlight with her latest release The Future Is Female. This exciting musical program features Coss brilliant original compositions presented by an amazing group of players, including guitarist Alex Wintz, pianist Miki Yamanaka, bassist Rick Rosato, drummer Jimmy Macbride, plus a special guest appearance by Lucas Pino on Bass Clarinet. Critical listeners will certainly agree that Coss performances clearly demonstrate both her command of the saxophone and her functional mastery of the jazz idiom. With a delicate balance of modernity and classic aesthetics, "The Future Is Female" is insightfully straight forward, steadily swinging, and refreshingly melodic enough to evoke a wide assortment of bright moments to discerning jazz fans everywhere.

Entire albums spent exploring the depths of the various nasty things surrounding romantic relationships were nothing new by the mid-'90s, but the vaguely cinematic and slightly conceptual Split is something more. Perhaps it's the manner in which each distinctive song manages to melt into the next. Or maybe it's the across-the-board improvements over Spooky. Most knew they were capable of more after the decent but flawed record, but it's doubtful many could have predicted something this thoroughly wonderful and varied. Throughout, Lush sounds confident and downright muscular, as opposed to the feathery wisps of earlier material that could be knocked down with the slightest of breezes.

Lovelife represents a major shift in style for Lush. Nearly abandoning the trancy melodies and droning guitars that were its trademark, the band has crafted an album full of sharp hooks and melodies, one that owes a great deal to the Britpop mania of 1995. From the circular melody of the opening "Ladykillers," it's clear that Lush had been influenced by the direct, jagged pop of Elastica, but the band also has reached back into '60s pop. All of the ballads on Lovelife are rooted in the hazy dream pop of the early '90s, but they are given stylish, mod arrangements complete with muted brass. Even more startling is the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood pastiche of "Ciao!," an irresistible duet between Miki Berenyi and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker.

Enjoy this Compilation with the most successful 100 Greatest 90s R&B singers like Changing Faces, Faith Evans, Karyn White and many more!