User Your Ears

It's been almost 9 years since the release of their last release. With such a wait rest assured that the Whispers have delivered what can arguably be described as their one of strongest albums ever released. Their sound is as fresh and vibrant as ever was. This time around, they've released For Your Ears Only on their own Satin Tie label. A strong album with a supporting cast of a whole plethora of quality artists all helping to make this one special album. The music feels real, not synthetic like so much of today's R&B. They may have a throwback sound, but the songs sounds surprisingly fresh.

Ed Jones may now be considered a stalwart of the UK & International jazz sceen. Signed orignally by Gilles Peterson on Acid Jazz and after many years in Incognito he has always ploughed his own furrow leading different small groups himself. This quartet with Impossible Ark regulars Ross Stanley, Riaan Vosloo & Tim Giles is a fully freewheeling afair. Taking hard bop melodies and systematically dismantling them. Rough, furocious and virtuosic performances by all members of the group are always soulful.

In the spring of 1966, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears represented a genuinely new sound, as fresh to listeners as the songs on Meet the Beatles had seemed two years earlier. Released just as "California Dreaming" was ascending the charts by leaps and bounds, it was the product of months of rehearsal in the Virgin Islands and John Phillips' discovery of what one could do to build a polished recorded sound in the studio – it embraced folk-rock, pop/rock, pop, and soul, and also reflected the kind of care that acts like the Beatles were putting into their records at the time. "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" are familiar enough to anyone who's ever listened to the radio, and "Go Where You Wanna Go" isn't far behind, in this version or the very similar rendition by the Fifth Dimension.

One of the finest pop albums of its time, Walls Have Ears remains one of many overlooked gems from the new wave era. This mysterious trio wrote pure and unabashed pop songs heavily influenced by the '60s and '70s and dressed them up in '80s clothing. Guitars float and shimmer above a synth foundation, allowing vocal harmonies (and some bits of brass) to roam freely in and out of each song. The haunting "Say You Will" is drop-dead gorgeous with its acoustic guitar riff and pained vocals. "Yo-Yo" could have been a massive hit with its classic hook bouncing around the room. "Remember Me and You," "Tell Me Baby" and "Love Me Too" contain all the elements that make pop music so enchanting and enticing. When BOS get all gooey on ballads such as "Lovers," "Close to Me" and "Photograph," the effects are mesmerizing. An album to love and embrace your whole life through. – AllMusic Review by Stephen Schnee

Iconic British band Ozric Tentacles have announced ‘Travelling The Great Circle’, an expansive new hardback book release, featuring remastered music from one of the bands most creatively thrilling and acclaimed periods.