Rather than aging gracefully, Blue Öyster Cult seem focused on immortality. They are a band full of unusual, sometimes contradictory aspects such as lyrics that were more thoughtful than most and also a healthy obsession with monsters and the supernatural.  The aptly named Ghost Stories is cobbled from their tape vaults, with most of the songs originally recorded between 1978 and 1983.  Their two long-tenured frontmen, singer/guitarist Eric Bloom and guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, are joined by guitarist Richie Castellano, bassist Danny Miranda and drummer Jules Radino, with appearances by the original rhythm section of drummer Albert and bassist Joe Bouchard.  George Geranios, the band's engineer during their mid-1970s success, transferred the music from analog tape to digital audio, and the tracks were then torn apart and re-mixed. Given the different vintages of the recordings, the audible differences and jarring transitions between tracks come as no surprise, like with the much sharper, better-recorded "The Only Thing" and the lesser quality "Kick Out The Jams." Even with its scattered lineage, Ghost Stories again defies time and is more than worth a listen. There are spirited covers here of Mann/Weill's "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," which was a hit for The Animals (and a BÖC single in 1978), and the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams." A 2016 recording of the band giving their all in a cover of The Beatles’ "If I Fell," complete with acoustic guitar and bongos, closes the album. Longtime fans will be satisfied by the hard driving '70s rocker "Cherry," which opens with this pearl of wisdom, "Sittin' in the corner/ Graceful as a Virgin Mary," and the band’s heavier heyday is invoked by "Don't Come Running to Me," which features Roeser's incisive soloing. Blue Öyster Cult have never been content to get lumped in with their one-trick hard rock brethren, and they put a convincing funk strut into "Soul Jive." "The Only Thing," a soft soul-lite keyboards-led ballad, shows a band unafraid to stretch as they gently croon, "The only thing that lasts forever is the power pulling us along." That's also a fitting description of what's behind a band that clearly does not fear the reaper.  © Robert Baird/Qobuz

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Britain's Amanda Ghost has the voice, the talent, and the presence of a star. With the husk of Janis Joplin, the vulnerability of Victoria Williams, the rasp of Joan Osborne, the melancholy of Robert Smith, the emotional timbre of Laura Branigan, the dramatic appeal of Edith Piaf, and the resignation of Marianne Faithfull -- too many cigarettes, too much booze, too many disappointments -- Ghost's voice is confessional without being self-pitying, strong while still being warm, confrontational while simultaneously asking for compassion. She faces you with her experience and offers no apologies. A born storyteller, her voice conveys tales most people don't have the imagination to imagine. Ghost Stories, her debut, is a journey, emotionally and aurally. Each cut takes a moment to grab you, but just as you're reaching to hit rewind because you have got to hear that last song one more time, the next track grips you and you can't change it. Despite the coldness of some techno touches (the captivating "Blind Man" could be a big dance anthem, and "Numb" is like a techno/lounge march), there is something innately human about the entire album -- vocals, lyrics, and production. Something of a torch singer, Ghost goes from tough "Filthy Mind" to tender "Idol" to romantic "Glory Girl," and then she turns it all around to find something nostalgic and evocative in the simplicity of the melodies of "Blind Man," "Silver Lining," "Empty," and "A Child Believes." This is a solid, confident debut that will be difficult to follow up, but Amanda Ghost will not be a one-hit wonder; this album is testament to that.© Bryan Buss /TiVo

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