Ten+years+after

Scottish whiskey-voiced vocalist Frankie Miller never made much of a splash in the States, despite, or perhaps because of, his fixation on American soul and R&B. Yanks have never been terribly appreciative of the music that originated in their homeland, which might have been a contributing factor to Miller's marginal popularity in the U.S. He was a fairly major star in the U.K., though, big enough for EMI to remaster, repackage, and reissue his catalog (at least for the titles on their Chrysalis imprint) into this generous four-disc box. They even include a few rare singles and, more importantly, the original mix of his second effort, High Life, along with the previously released one, expanding this set's total to eight albums from 1973 through 1980.

Not just a great tribute, but one of the best blues releases in years. England's premier blues band, The Hoax, follow up last year's fantastic album, "Big City Blues" with this great 'tribute' to B.B. King. The twin guitars of Jesse Davey and Jon Amor are absolutely on fire throughout the entire set, singer Hugh Coltman's voice has never sounded better, and the rhythm section of Robin Davey on bass & Mark Barrett on drums are rock solid. Complemented by a smokin' horn section and keyboards for this recording, the band really gives the listener the impression that they all really love these songs, and their idol that they pay tribute to with each and every note played. Not only one of the best 'tribute' albums I have ever heard, but one of the finest blues albums I have had the pleasure of listening to in years.

Known both for his solo hits in the '80s as well as his hits with the band Smokie in the '70s, Chris Norman is a British soft rock singer with an international following whose career spans several decades. A few years after the success of his 1978 Suzi Quatro duet, "Stumblin' In," he parted ways with Smokie and found solo success with his second album, 1986's Some Hearts Are Diamonds. In the decades that followed, Norman proved himself to be surprisingly prolific, delivering a new studio album every two or three years and maintaining a large fan base in Germany, where his chart success continued into the 2000s. Following a 2004 resurgence and Top Ten German hit with "Amazing," he continued releasing new material as well as career-spanning collections like Definitive Collection: Smokie And Solo Years.

Coming off his two-volume tribute to Jimi Hendrix, Electric Chubbyland, Popa Chubby is still high on rock & roll. While his love of the blues remains strong and dominates a handful of the tracks here, Deliveries After Dark features more heavy metal thunder and hard rocking than usual. The furious "Sally Likes to Run" captures that arena rock feel with enough cowbell to keep Christopher Walken happy while the title track crunches like Deep Purple in "Highway Star" mode. The epic "Man of the Blues" should easily satisfy longtime fans with its classic Chubby sound, but "Grown Man Crying Blues" and "I'll Piss on Your Grave" sound like the blues by way of a rock band.

Two years after the debut that enthusiased both audience and critics, Modrec has signed with Inner Ear Records and they are back with their brand new album, “Mascaraddiction”. The integral compositions and the mature English lyrics of “Mascaraddiction” reveal that, ten years after its formation, the band keeps working hard and developing. “Mascaraddiction” is an Athens kid. It breathes into the days and nights of the big city, following the crazy rhythms of its everyday life, gets inspired and records its urban landscapes, watches and comments with an almost visible, fierce and penetrating aura and vocals masterly acrobating on a spine of powerful punk-rock guitars that very often flirt with metal.