Narrow my search:
From
HI-RES$6.09
CD$5.29
Conversations with Christian
Christian McBride
Jazz - Released November 8, 2011 | Mack Avenue Records
Hi-Res
Booklets
Conversations with Christian is an unusual release, as it features the veteran bassist playing duets with a number of good friends. The vocal meetings include Angélique Kidjo, Sting, and Dee Dee Bridgewater (the latter with a hilarious, funky cover of the Isley Brothers' signature song "It's Your Thing"). The pairings with musicians of McBride's generation (trumpeter Roy Hargrove, tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, and guitarist Russell Malone) all exceed expectations. There are several enjoyable duets with pianists, one featuring Latin jazz master Eddie Palmieri, a duo improvised tango by Chick Corea and the leader, plus an all too rare acoustic outing by the talented George Duke (who tears up the keyboard with his hard-charging "McDukey Blues"). But McBride's meetings with Dr. Billy Taylor (playing his beautiful "Spiritual" with some potent arco playing by the bassist) and the elegant, swinging meeting with the gifted jazz master Hank Jones ("Alone Together") remain moments to savor, as they are among the final recordings by the two jazz greats, both of whom died in 2010. The last track is a funky blues just for laughs, with actress Gina Gershon joining the bassist by playing a Jew's harp, and featuring lots of comic spoken exchanges between the two. Throughout it all, Christian McBride plays with the chameleon-like adaptability of a Milt Hinton or Ray Brown. In the two-plus decades since arriving on the jazz scene, Christian McBride has demonstrated that he is a jazz master in the making, and this is easily one of his most compelling sets.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo
From
HI-RES$18.09
CD$15.69
Before The Flood
Bob Dylan
Pop/Rock - Released June 20, 1974 | Columbia - Legacy
Hi-Res
From
CD$22.59
Ten Summoner's Tales
Sting
Rock - Released March 9, 1993 | A&M
After two albums of muted, mature jazz-inflected pop, the last being an explicit album about death, Sting created his first unapologetically pop album since the Police with Ten Summoner's Tales. The title, a rather awkward pun on his given last name, is significant, since it emphasizes that this album is a collection of songs, without any musical conceits or lyrical concepts tying it together. And, frankly, that's a bit of a relief after the oppressively somber The Soul Cages and the hushed though lovely, Nothing Like the Sun. Sting even loosens up enough to crack jokes, both clever (the winking litany of celebrity pains of "Epilogue [Nothing 'Bout Me]") and condescending (the sneeringly catchy cowboy tale "Love Is Stronger Than Justice [The Munificent Seven]"), and the result is his best solo record. In places, it's easily as pretentious as his earlier work, but that's undercut by writing that hasn't been this sharp and melodic since the Police, plus his most varied set of songs since Synchronicity. True, there isn't a preponderance of flat-out classics -- only the surging opener "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the understated swing of "It's Probably Me," and the peaceful ballad "Fields of Gold" rank as classics -- but, as an album, Ten Summoner's Tales is more consistently satisfying than anything else in his catalog.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
From
CD$16.59
Ten Summoner's Tales
Sting
Pop - Released March 3, 1993 | A&M
After two albums of muted, mature jazz-inflected pop, the last being an explicit album about death, Sting created his first unapologetically pop album since the Police with Ten Summoner's Tales. The title, a rather awkward pun on his given last name, is significant, since it emphasizes that this album is a collection of songs, without any musical conceits or lyrical concepts tying it together. And, frankly, that's a bit of a relief after the oppressively somber The Soul Cages and the hushed though lovely, Nothing Like the Sun. Sting even loosens up enough to crack jokes, both clever (the winking litany of celebrity pains of "Epilogue [Nothing 'Bout Me]") and condescending (the sneeringly catchy cowboy tale "Love Is Stronger Than Justice [The Munificent Seven]"), and the result is his best solo record. In places, it's easily as pretentious as his earlier work, but that's undercut by writing that hasn't been this sharp and melodic since the Police, plus his most varied set of songs since Synchronicity. True, there isn't a preponderance of flat-out classics -- only the surging opener "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the understated swing of "It's Probably Me," and the peaceful ballad "Fields of Gold" rank as classics -- but, as an album, Ten Summoner's Tales is more consistently satisfying than anything else in his catalog.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
From
CD$23.49
The Essential Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Rock - Released October 31, 2000 | Columbia
A double-disc set released for the holiday season of 2000, The Essential Bob Dylan is a fine choice for the casual listener that just wants all the songs they know on one collection -- it's Dylan's equivalent of Beatles One. Outside of the remastering and the previously non-LP (and very good) "Things Have Changed," there's nothing here for collectors, but, then again, that's not who this was designed for. This collection is for the listener that wants "Blowin' in the Wind," "Like a Rolling Stone," "All Along the Watchtower," "Quinn the Eskimo," "Lay Lady Lay," and "Tangled Up in Blue" in one tidy place. Yes, it's easy to find great songs missing, but for those casual fans, and for those looking for a fairly comprehensive yet concise entry point, The Essential Bob Dylan comes close to living up to its title.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
From
CD$15.79
Mecca And The Soul Brother
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released May 26, 1992 | Rhino
Distinctions
The Qobuz Ideal Discography
It would have been hard to match the artistic success of their debut EP on a full-length recording, but Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth did just that on Mecca and the Soul Brother, and they did so in the most unlikely way of all after the succinctness of All Souled Out -- by coming up with a sprawling, nearly 80-minute-long album on which not a single song or interlude is a throwaway or a superfluous piece. Granted, 80 minutes is a long stretch of time for sustained listening, but the music is completely worthy of that time, allowing the duo to stretch out in ways that their EP rendered impossible. Again, the primary star is Pete Rock's production acumen, and he ups the ante of rock-solid drums, steady cymbal beats, smooth-rolling bass, and fatback organ, not to mention his signature horn loops. C.L. Smooth is the perfect vocal match for the music. He is maybe one of the few MCs capable of rapping a fairly credible love song, as he does on "Lots of Lovin'." "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," a tribute to friend and Heavy D. dancer Trouble T-Roy, who was accidentally killed, packs a poignant emotional weight, but it is Smooth's more direct and conscientious -- and frequently autobiographical -- side which ultimately carries the album lyrically. The songs are connected and the album is propelled forward by Rock's quick, soul-tight interludes; these are usually bits of old R&B and soul tunes but sometimes they're spoken pieces or spontaneous, freestyle sessions. These interludes provide a sort of dense spiritual tone and resonance in the album that is not religiously based at all, but fully hip-hop based, emerging from the urban altars that are the basements and rooftops of the city.© Stanton Swihart /TiVo
From
CD$14.49
So It's Like That
Joe Bonamassa
Blues - Released August 13, 2002 | J&R Adventures
Joe Bonamassa may well be a young guitar virtuoso, in line with the likes of Derek Trucks and John Mayer (like Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd before them) to be the Next Blues-Rock Guitar Hero. Unfortunately, he's not much of a songwriter. So, It's Like That, his sophomore solo effort, is filled with subpar tunes bloated with clichés. The production (by Clif Magness) is swell enough, though Bonamassa's guitar sometimes sounds too carefully dirty, and his band -- comprised of drummer Kenny Kramme and bassist Eric Czar -- far too generic. Bonamassa shines when he is allowed to stretch out and explore, on songs such as the sonically varied "Pain and Sorrow." There, on a long improvisation, he works through myriad modes of playing, textures, and musical ideas. And, since it is one of the album's only extended tracks, it is also one of the album's only redeeming moments -- and the only thing that clearly separates Bonamassa from generic boorishness.
© Jesse Jarnow /TiVo
From
HI-RES$17.59
CD$15.09
And It’s Still Alright
Nathaniel Rateliff
Pop - Released January 8, 2020 | Stax
Hi-Res
The day that Nathaniel Rateliff signed his contract with Stax will probably stick with him forever, considering the significance that the music label has for him. The Denver native, either under his own name or with his band The Night Sweats, has always been the perfect ambassador for sweltering, Southern soul music, much like that which was created in the legendary Memphis studio at the end of the 1960s. Yet with this album And It’s Still Alright, he seems to have switched entirely away from soul, instead aiming for a more introspective folk sound. Dedicated to his friend Richard Swift who had worked with him on his Night Sweats albums and who passed away in 2018, this solo album, his first for seven years, touches on themes of loss and perseverance. Rateliff’s voice is impressive in the way it plays on these nuance but manages to avoid becoming overly plaintive. “I think I always want to see hope in the darkness, and I like to try to share that… I always try to write from a perspective of trying to approach everything very honestly, even if it leaves me vulnerable. But overall, it’s almost like I’m a different character when I’m writing for myself. I think this album is a reminder that we all go through hardship, but regardless of the hardship everything ends up where it’s supposed to.” The recording process would also prove to be a highly emotional process as Nathaniel Rateliff returned to Richard Swift’s studio, National Freedom at Cottage Grove in Oregon, joined by two co-producers, Patrick Meese (Night Sweats drummer) and James Barone (Beach House drummer). Conceived with the additional help of Tom Hagerman (a violinist with DeVotchKa), Luke Mossman (guitarist from The Night Sweats), Elijah Thomson (a bassist from band Everest), Daniel Creamer (keyboards in Texas Gentlemen) and Eric Swanson (pedal-steel guitarist for Israel Nash), And It’s Still Alright sheds a new light on this soul singer that certain fans will not have expected. © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz
From
CD$12.09
Demolition Man
Sting
Film Soundtracks - Released January 1, 1993 | A&M
A merchandizing tie-in to a Sylvester Stallone film of the same name, this quickie EP features the slick, intelligent pop craft the public has come to expect from the multi-talented former Police frontman. Noteworthy tracks include Sting's skittish, urban theme song and a fair end-credit ballad co-written with soundtrack maven Michael Kamen. Filling in the cracks are a workmanlike live version of the Police's "King of Pain," and an inexplicable and unconvincing lite jazz version of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life." While not an essential purchase, Sting completists will want it, and the whole further substantiates the notion of Sting as a pop music superman.© TiVo
From
CD$39.09
25 Years
Sting
Pop - Released January 1, 2011 | A&M
Celebrating a quarter century of Sting: The Solo Artist, the three-CD/one-DVD 2011 box set 25 Years is a handsome retrospective bound in a hardcover book. Some box sets are heavy on rarities, all the better to hook the hardcore, some are designed to be comprehensive but 25 Years follows a different route, choosing to offer a leisurely journey through the past, stopping at all the familiar points on a well-worn path. Not counting the DVD, which contains the final show from Sting’s 2005 Broken Music tour and is heavy on Police material (eight of the ten tracks!), there is nothing unreleased nor is there anything unexpected; some charting singles are missing but they’re the ones that reached the lower rungs of the pop charts or only popped up on rock radio (“Down So Long,” “Epilogue (Nothing ‘Bout Me),” “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot”), and the various stray songs and B-sides weren’t even in the running for inclusion. What Sting, who selected this sequence himself, has chosen to present are the hits -- from “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” to “Desert Rose” -- supported by album tracks that are concert or fan staples. Not much of a surprise, yet the 45 songs, along with the photo, sketch, and lyric-laden book, do an excellent job of summarizing the spirit of Sting’s years after the Police. If you’re a fan, it’s a classy slice of nostalgia.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
Music For A While
Revolver
Pop - Released June 1, 2009 | Parlophone (France)
Download not available
Revolver are a band from France with a serious jones for mid-period Beatles, as you might have inferred from their choice of band name. It's hard to imagine why anyone would list the Fab Four as a major influence at this point in pop history. While these guys clearly have a gift for charming melodies, the chance of any young band matching the energy, creativity, and exuberance of the Beatles is close to nil. That said, there are a few cuts here that do capture that mid-'60s Brit-pop flavor without falling too flat. The cello-dominated track "Leave Me Alone" has a vague resemblance to "Can't By Me Love" and sports some glorious harmonies. "Balulalow" echoes the sound of Rubber Soul with its jaunty rhythm and piano fills that suggest the guitar of George Harrison. "Luke, Mike & John" has a bouncy McCartney-ish melody, the lilt of a country tune, more lush harmony singing, and another Harrison solo, this time on guitar. They stretch a bit on the lazily titled swing tune "Untitled No. 1"; "Do You Have a Gun?," which sounds a bit like the Zombies gone acoustic, although the vocals lack the unique quality of Colin Blunstone; and "Get Around Town," a swing tune with a vaudevillian feel and a lyric that suggests the Brecht/Weill standard "Alabama Song." Most of the lyrics here are fairly derivative and awkward, too. Perhaps because English isn't their first language, they often seem to be an afterthought, although they manage to avoid the obvious clichés that often plagued ABBA.© j. poet /TiVo
Revolver are a band from France with a serious jones for mid-period Beatles, as you might have inferred from their choice of band name. It's hard to imagine why anyone would list the Fab Four as a major influence at this point in pop history. While these guys clearly have a gift for charming melodies, the chance of any young band matching the energy, creativity, and exuberance of the Beatles is close to nil. That said, there are a few cuts here that do capture that mid-'60s Brit-pop flavor without falling too flat. The cello-dominated track "Leave Me Alone" has a vague resemblance to "Can't By Me Love" and sports some glorious harmonies. "Balulalow" echoes the sound of Rubber Soul with its jaunty rhythm and piano fills that suggest the guitar of George Harrison. "Luke, Mike & John" has a bouncy McCartney-ish melody, the lilt of a country tune, more lush harmony singing, and another Harrison solo, this time on guitar. They stretch a bit on the lazily titled swing tune "Untitled No. 1"; "Do You Have a Gun?," which sounds a bit like the Zombies gone acoustic, although the vocals lack the unique quality of Colin Blunstone; and "Get Around Town," a swing tune with a vaudevillian feel and a lyric that suggests the Brecht/Weill standard "Alabama Song." Most of the lyrics here are fairly derivative and awkward, too. Perhaps because English isn't their first language, they often seem to be an afterthought, although they manage to avoid the obvious clichés that often plagued ABBA.© j. poet /TiVo
From
HI-RES$18.09
CD$15.69
Inferno (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Hans Zimmer
Film Soundtracks - Released October 14, 2016 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
From
HI-RES$24.99
CD$19.99
Night and Day: Live Cocktail and Coffee Bar Music Selection
Gabrielle Chiararo
Jazz - Released April 28, 2016 | GBMUSIC
Hi-Res
From
CD$11.29
African Rhythms 1970-1982
Oneness of Juju
Jazz - Released July 17, 2020 | Strut
Distinctions
Pitchfork: Best New Reissue
From
HI-RES$15.69
CD$12.55
Lethal Weapon 4
The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and Voices
Film Soundtracks - Released June 25, 2020 | Music Manager
Hi-Res
From
CD$7.49
Insight (Music from the Motion Picture)
Lisa Gerrard
New Age - Released August 17, 2011 | Lisa Gerrard & Marcello De Francisci
From
CD$12.59
Soul Cages Trio 2 (Live)
Yannick Robert
Jazz - Released November 16, 2023 | YANNICK ROBERT, GILLES COQUARD & CÉDRIC AFFRE
From
HI-RES$31.59
CD$27.09
Mercury - Acts 1 & 2
Imagine Dragons
Alternative & Indie - Released July 1, 2022 | Kid Ina Korner - Interscope
Hi-Res
After the catharsis of 2021's Act 1, Imagine Dragons complete the story with Mercury: Act 2, a whopping 18-track journey that examines the time after the shock and grief of loss has begun to settle. While part one processed those messy emotions with some of the rawest and most vulnerable moments in the band's usual radio- and gym-friendly catalog, part two loses focus by biting off more than they can chew. There are plenty of great songs here -- fully expected for a band as hook-savvy as Imagine Dragons -- but there's simply too much going on and not enough editorial trimming to make this as impactful an experience as Act 1. Starting strong with irresistible singles "Bones" and "Sharks," Act 2 soon takes a turn to the pensive and reflective, with frontman Dan Reynolds lamenting his shortcomings on "I Don't Like Myself" and pleading for relief on "Take It Easy." The second half of the album is weighed down by similar moments, snuffing the momentum of the handful of classic stompers peppered throughout. Of this introspective bunch, the country-dusted acoustic gem "Crushed" is on par with "Wrecked" as a tearjerking standout, as "Sirens" merges the group's usual radio-friendly ear with a deep well of emotion. While the buoyant handclaps-and-synths highlight "Younger" and the riffs-and-breakbeats blazer "Blur" come closest to joining their array of mainstream smashes on a future Greatest Hits set, the bulk of Act 2 is truly for the dedicated fans who care to patiently sit with Reynolds and his feelings until everyone's ready to pump out a more focused and immediate set. [Compiling both parts on Mercury: Acts 1 & 2, the band presents the full experience across an expansive 32 tracks, which joins Act 1 and 2 as well as the hit single "Enemy" with JID from the Arcane League of Legends soundtrack.]© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo
From
HI-RES$69.79
CD$63.09
Over-Nite Sensation
Frank Zappa
Rock - Released September 1, 1973 | Frank Zappa Catalog
Hi-Res
Booklet
Love it or hate it, Over-Nite Sensation was a watershed album for Frank Zappa, the point where his post-'60s aesthetic was truly established; it became his second gold album, and most of these songs became staples of his live shows for years to come. Whereas the Flo and Eddie years were dominated by rambling, off-color comedy routines, Over-Nite Sensation tightened up the song structures and tucked sexual and social humor into melodic, technically accomplished heavy guitar rock with jazzy chord changes and funky rhythms; meanwhile, Zappa's growling new post-accident voice takes over the storytelling. While the music is some of Zappa's most accessible, the apparent callousness and/or stunning sexual explicitness of "Camarillo Brillo," "Dirty Love," and especially "Dinah-Moe Humm" leave him on shaky aesthetic ground. Zappa often protested that the charges of misogyny leveled at such material missed out on the implicit satire of male stupidity, and also confirmed intellectuals' self-conscious reticence about indulging in dumb fun; however, the glee in his voice as he spins his adolescent fantasies can undermine his point. Indeed, that enjoyment, also evident in the silly wordplay, suggests that Zappa is throwing his juvenile crassness in the face of critical expectation, asserting his right to follow his muse even if it leads him into blatant stupidity (ironic or otherwise). One can read this motif into the absurd shaggy-dog story of a dental floss rancher in "Montana," the album's indisputable highlight, which features amazing, uncredited vocal backing from Tina Turner and the Ikettes. As with much of Zappa's best '70s and '80s material, Over-Nite Sensation could be perceived as ideologically problematic (if you haven't got the constitution for FZ's humor), but musically, it's terrific.© Steve Huey /TiVo
Suppose you have a more precise idea of what you want. If you are searching for the album "Bad" by Michael Jackson, type michael jackson bad. The album in question will be displayed at the top, as it is the most relevant.
By default, search results are sorted in order of relevance. The drop-down menu to the right of "Sort by" allows you to display the results in the desired order.