As opposed to the original official "Soundtrack" release, a single disc with the soundtrack elements edited and arranged into concert movements, this two-disc set has every note composed for The Phantom Menace, including a cue that was cut from the film. Buffs can readily hear how Williams introduces embryonic forms of familiar themes from the earlier films. For instance, the innocent lullaby for little Anakin Skywalker ends in a nine-note pattern that is the theme of the future Darth Vader's Imperial March. And Williams subtly uses harmonies to mark the character who is secretly plotting to become Emperor. However, in this form the music is totally subordinated to the film's dramatic form, rather than musical logic.This score is not so successful as coherent music, as the earlier films' scores were, as released in their final versions on RCA Victor. The cause is the same dramatic flaw that made the movie unexpectedly unsatisfying: it was really an extended set-up for a larger-scale story, without a central mythic hero who faces a defining ordeal. The score resultingly lacks a unifying focus, as well. Still, this release is a better portrayal of the music than the original soundtrack album, which threw away the concluding fight music, The Duel of the Fates, by making it track two. It is worth the extra cost for film score and Star Wars buffs, and includes some remarkable "desert music" not included in the original disc. It is very well played by Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra with the New London Children's Chorus and the London Voices, all stunningly produced by Williams and recorded by Shawn Murphy. It comes in a lavish package, with over sixty color shots from the movie in a bound-in presentation booklet, clearly aimed at fans and collectors.© TiVo

The legendary Royal Albert Hall is the London counterpart of Paris’ Palais Garnier or Olympia. The venue is an ideal setting for the raw diamond that is Steven Wilson’s music. Wilson has harmoniously integrated a high-flying pop component into his ever unique and genuine approach. This new album is a bit different, something that Wilson wholeheartedly accepts (unlike numerous other artists). For To the Bone he is backed up by his devoted band. It’s a band that deserves special attention, even if Steven has decided not to hide behind a heavy and somewhat misleading shield anymore, like he did with the Porcupine Tree. In this regard, there could hardly be someone more subtle and respectable than Adam Holzman on keyboards. Holzman has worked with his Majesty Miles Davis − most notably on Tutu in 1986, and the subsequent tours for the next three years – as well as Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Robben Ford, and tens of others. Steven isn’t even the first Wilson he’s worked with, as he’s accompanied by Ray, former singer of Stiltskin (known for their hit Inside) and Genesis. Another member of the team is guitarist Alex Hutchings. Hutchings is less known than the others but performed in Thriller Live, the enormous spectacle in tribute to Michael Jackson, and despite the daunting task of following in the footsteps of Dave Kilminster and Guthrie Govan he passes with flying colours. Drummer Craig Blundell (Pendragon, Porcupine Tree…) also successfully replaces the amazing Marco Minnemann and Chad Wackerman…Another seems to have risen in prominence and been an influence on Steven Wilson’s recent musical orientation: the impressively talented bassist Nick Beggs (Ellis, Beggs & Howard, The Mute Gods, Steve Hackett, and… Kajagoogoo). And of course let’s not forget the amazing Ninet Tayeb on Pariah, People Who Eat Darkness and Blank Tapes. With such support throughout the 2 hours and 26 minutes of this live performance Wilson can only spread his wings and even be a little audacious by introducing the most pop track of TTB: Permanating. This track is more than just lyrics; he proclaims his love for the Beatles and ABBA, even if it means offending “music snobs”, and invites his audience to “dance on a little disco and pop”… Wilson takes six Porcupine Tree tracks and two titles from his dark and depressive side (as he admits) − The Sound of Muzak and the eminently gloomy The Raven That Refused to Sing – to close this live album and remarkable display of power. © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz

Marcus Garvey hit Jamaica like a force ten gale, its legacy so great that in later years many fans mistakenly came to believe it was Burning Spear's debut album (it wasn't, two earlier records were released by Studio One). It made an instant hero of Winston Rodney, and the album remains a cornerstone of the entire roots movement. Spear was accompanied by the Black Disciples, a baker's dozen of the island's best musicians, including bassists Robbie Shakespeare and Aston Barrett, guitarists Earl "Chinna" Smith and Tony Chin, and drummer Leroy Wallace. The Disciples helped the vocal trio bring their vast potential and musical vision to vinyl, one they'd threatened with previous releases, but never quite attained. Producer Jack Ruby's was equally important to the album's sound, gracing it with a deep roots mix that accentuated the haunting atmospheres of the music. Unfortunately, the listener experiences only wisps of that here. The Island subsidiary Mango believed the production too threatening, or at least too commercially inviable, for white audiences, and thus remixed it into what they considered a more palatable form. However, Marcus Garvey is so powerful a record that, even in this diluted state, it remains a masterpiece. If the music itself defined and glorified the roots sound, it was Winston Rodney which gave the movement's philosophy voice. Rodney's vocal talent is actually fairly minimal, his delivery more a chant than actual singing, but his intense passion overcame any deficiencies, with Rupert Willington and Delroy Hinds dulcet backing vocals counterpointing Rodney's rougher tones. A fervid rastafarian, Rodney used Marcus Garvey as a shining torch to light the way to political and religious consciousness. The album's twinned themes of cultural concerns and religious devotion combined to create a powerfully intertwined message of faith and political radicalism. "No-one remember old Marcus Garvey," Spear sing at the beginning of "Old Marcus Garvey"; by the time the song's over, it's unlikely anyone will forget again. These musical mnemonics of Jamaica's past heroes and history, which include the hit title track, of course, "Slavery Days," another Jamaican hit, and "The Invasion" are amongst the album's strongest tracks, with the three devotional numbers equally inspiring. Oppression may be the fate of many Jamaicans, both past and present, but by giving voice to those trampled by poverty, slavery, or politics, Spear's underlying message remains one of hope.© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo

After teaming up with Herbie Hancock for the jazz-flavored The Swing of Delight album, Carlos Santana reentered the pop/rock realm with the rest of his band for 1981's Zebop!. He still managed to include a little bit of his famed Latino sound into a few of the tracks ("E Papa Re," "American Gypsy"), albeit only slightly, but Zebop!'s overall feel is that of commercial rock, with the guitar arriving at the forefront through most of the cuts. Santana does a marvelous job at covering Russ Ballard's "Winning," taking it to number 17 on the charts, while "The Sensitive Kind" is built around the same type of radio-friendly structure yet it stalled at number 56. Zebop!'s formula is simple, and all of the songs carry an appeal that is aimed at a wider and more marketable audience base, with "Changes," "Searchin," and "I Love You Much Too Much" coming through as efficient yet not overly extravagant rock & roll efforts. The album's adjustable rhythms and accommodating structures kept the band alive as the decade rolled over, peaking at number 33 in the U.K. but cracking the Top Ten in the United States, which eventually led to Zebop! going gold. Actually, "Winning" followed in the same footsteps as Santana's last couple of Top 40 singles in "You Know That I Love You" from 1980 and "Stormy" from 1979. Shango, the album that came after Zebop!, gave them another hit with "Hold On," sung by bandmember Alex Ligertwood.© Mike DeGagne /TiVo

Tigran Hamasyan is nothing if not unpredictable! First, he perfected the art of the solo in An Ancient Observer, expanding his piano’s expressive register using electronic effects and vocal melismas. Then he went off on a tangent with his incredible album The Call Within, exploring sounds that fused progressive rock, jazz, metal, electronic and traditional Armenian music. Now he’s returned to his first love: jazz. This genius and flamboyant record has undeniably proved he’s among the small number of great contemporary pianists. Leading a trio that includes Matt Brewer on double bass and Justin Brown on the drums (the three of them have outstanding cohesion and collective imagination), Tigran Hamasyan provides us with his modern take on a series of carefully selected songs from the vast repertoire of classics. He’s not afraid to tackle legendary tracks like All The Things You Are, Laura or I Should Care. He even dives into bebop (Big Foot) and hard bop with the beautiful De-Dah by pianist Elmo Hope.The pianist is joined on a few tracks by prestigious guests (Mark Turner, who offers a weightless, nostalgic take on All The Things You Are; Joshua Redman, who packs a punch in a beefed-up version of Charlie Parker’s huge hit Big Foot; Ambrose Akinmusire, who gives a particularly haunting and cinematic rendition of I Should Care). Hamasyan proposes a new angle of attack with each track, focussing on the form and construction of the compositions—it’s simply mesmerising. His trio’s interpretation of Rodgers & Hart’s classic I Didn’t Know What Time It Was is a great example of what this ensemble can do. The song starts in what you might describe as a ‘cubist mode’: cleverly deconstructed in the way it accentuates angles and contrasts whilst still remaining faithful to the melody. However, it gradually becomes fluid and poetic, with lyricism taking precedence over formality. An incredible jazz record. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz

Released just over a year after their blockbuster double-platinum debut, Ratt's second album, Invasion of Your Privacy, contained all of the same ingredients that helped launch the band to MTV and radio success: a batch of commercially savvy pop-metal tunes and a half-naked model on the cover. This may seem like an overly simplistic analysis, but it helps make the point that, for all its many positive attributes (including a number nine chart peak), Invasion of Your Privacy was very much a creative holding pattern for the group. If anything, returning producer Beau Hill merely helped Ratt fine-tune their songs and give them a brighter pop sheen (including some telltale electronic percussion), but although there were still hit singles to be had via riff-driven opener "You're in Love," "Lay It Down," and "What You Give Is What You Get," none of these challenged the first album's "Round and Round" in terms of commercial or cultural ubiquity. Nonetheless, another largely consistent selection of tracks (including fan favorites "Give It All" and "Between the Eyes") helped Ratt avert most accusations of looming creative stagnation, and the full flowering of budding guitar hero Warren DeMartini (while still leaving some lead work for co-axeman Robbin Crosby -- the band's heart and soul) was a highlight in and of itself. Ultimately, no after-the-fact nitpicking can change the fact that Invasion of Your Privacy was a perfectly respectable effort, much loved by Ratt's fans, and easily avoided any hints of a sophomore slump.© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo

Co-composed by Hanz Zimmer and John Powell, both of whom helmed the first installment of the immensely popular Dreamworks animation series, the score for Kung Fu Panda 2 dutifully expands on the motifs that the pair introduced in the inaugural film. Zimmer, who traveled to China in 2007 to absorb the country’s rich musical history, adds more regional flare to the orchestral score this time around, but listeners who enjoyed the initial blend of swashbuckling, martial arts-inspired adventure themes and lush, pastoral interludes won’t come away disappointed, as the two styles are well represented here.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo