Sierra Soft

ERA 1 (As, Bs and Rarities 1978-1984) is a new Chris Rea rarities compilation that brings together his early work in a triple-CD package.

‘One Fine Day’ was originally recorded in 1980 at Chipping Norton Studios and was produced by Rea himself. Never officially released as a single body of work, a limited run of 1000 brings together this collection of songs for the very first time. Some of the tracks have never been released before whereas other re-recorded versions have appeared on various albums and as b-sides.

UK compilation album that brings together a collection of Chris Rea's early work between 1978 to 1984. The set provides a comprehensive look at Rea's progression as a solo artist, which started following spells in bands Magdalene and The Beautiful Losers. With a career spanning over 40 years and over 30 million album sales, Chris Rea's distinctive husky-gravel vocal and incredible body of work has seen him become one of the most loved solo artists the UK have ever produced. A formidable songwriter, and still playing live to this day, he has released an incredible 24 studio albums, the most recent being 'Road Songs for Lovers' in 2017 which was met with huge critical and commercial acclaim.

When Boz Scaggs signed with Virgin Records after spending at least 17 years with Columbia, listeners had no idea what to expect. Some Change proved to be a pleasant surprise. Instead of going out of his way to be as slick and commercial as possible or offering something contrived and robotic, the singer-turned-restaurant-owner let his better instincts win out and delivered a very honest and natural-sounding collection of pop, pop/rock, and soul-influenced pop. On songs ranging from the smooth "I'll Be the One" (which has a slightly Average White Band-ish appeal) and the haunting "Sierra" to the ominous "Follow That Man," there's no question that Scaggs is coming from the heart. Arguably, Some Change is his best album since 1976's Silk Degrees.

Introducing American soprano Nadine Sierra with her debut album, There’s A Place for Us. The album is not only a showcase of her stunning, MET-seasoned vocalism but also a reflection of America’s history as a refuge for all. In this spirit, the album features music by Leonard Bernstein and émigrés Igor Stravinsky and Osvaldo Golijov, as well as songs from Heitor Villa-Lobos in homage to Sierra’s Portuguese roots. Offering her sumptuous voice in a range of genres from Brazilian art music to American opera and art song, Sierra reminds us that all music and all people have a place in America.

The works included on this album span 25 years of creative activity. While current projects are always my focus, looking back is not something I often do; however, this recording confronted me with compositions representing a good part of my creative life. Most interesting was to notice that, although my music has changed through the years, there are traits common to all these pieces. These are elements that encompass aspects ranging from the expressive to the technical. A penchant for certain types of melodic constructions, harmonies, and orchestration choices is always present in these works. Another common element is the use of idioms that stem out of Afro-Caribbean and, more specifically, from the folk and popular music of Puerto Rico’ Composer, Roberto Sierra.