After nearly ten years of existence, the male vocal sextet The Gesualdo Six, formed behind the desks of Cambridge University, can boast of having developed a tone and personality that are all their own, already immortalized on eight albums released on Hyperion. Since Universal Music Group’s purchase of the label, digital music fans can rejoice about being able to enjoy the Hyperion catalogue as it is gradually made available on streaming platforms and for download. The Morning Star is the first new release from The Gesualdo Six since the label’s new life. With the approach of the holiday season, the sextet has come up with a repertoire that sweeps nearly five centuries of vocal music. The common thread that links the works? They all are anchored in a seminal episode of the Biblical tradition: the night the infant Christ was visited by the Three Wise Men. The album features titles from the Franco-Flemish school of the sixteenth century (Lassus, Manchicourt) to contemporary compositions by Arvo Pärt and Joanna Marsh.The vocal perfection of the Gesualdo Six can’t help but unite all sensibilities, going beyond any potential divides within this program that freely and happily jumps from era to era, at the risk of startling the listener’s ear. They manage to do so on account of the musical genius of the singers, who are perfect on all counts: their sonoric unity, the fashioning of their timbre, their perfectly-coordinated breathing. A breathtaking jewel of a record that is likely one of, if not the, most beautiful vocal music production of 2023. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz     

Following the success of Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot continued his success by releasing a greatest-hits compilation. A double album (now a single CD), it contained the most popular songs from his Warner Bros. years on disc two, and he re-recorded many of his early songs for side one of record one. Although not as good, perhaps, as the originals, this did bring them up to date with his current sound style. Just about all the favorites are here (except "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," which hadn't been recorded yet when this set was put together and appears on Lightfoot's second volume of Gord's Gold), making this a good general overview of a strong talent. When Warner transferred the double LP to CD, "Affair on 8th Avenue" was dropped from the program to make the set fit on a single disc. Randy Newman arranged the orchestration on "Minstrel of the Dawn," by the way.© James Chrispell & Steve Leggett /TiVo

Winter's debut album for Columbia was also arguably his bluesiest and best. Straight out of Texas with a hot trio, Winter made blues-rock music for the angels, tearing up a cheap Fender guitar with total abandon on tracks like "I'm Yours and I'm Hers," "Leland Mississippi Blues," and perhaps the slow blues moment to die for on this set, B.B. King's "Be Careful with a Fool." Winter's playing and vocals have yet to become mannered or clichéd on this session, and if you've ever wondered what the fuss is all about, here's the best place to check out his true legacy.© Cub Koda /TiVo

On July 8th, a short film starring Robert De Niro will be released in order to raise awareness and funds for the charity Sea Watch. Produced by Nils Frahm and written by Woodkid - also known as Yoann Lemoine - this 24 minute E.P is split into two long tracks (9 minutes and 15 minutes respectively) and is both moving and intense. The first track is delicate, hopeful, and voiceless, which contrasts with the sometimes blaring noise of the second. In it, "Winter Morning II", the focus shifts towards De Niro's narrative and follows the story of a refugee travelling to Europe in the face of extreme difficulty. In the background, an ominous drone accompanies De Niro's unmistakably dark and battle-weary voice, which is punctuated occasionally by dissonant chords. As a result of both the subject matter and its well-polished production, this E.P will leave a strong impression on whoever hears it.

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Released to coincide with the duo's 2003 reunion tour, this two-disc anthology is no less than the fifth multi-disc compilation of the duo to appear in the CD era. Viewed coldly, it's a mercenary exercise, squeezing yet more juice out of one of the most valuable catalogs in the business. If you happen to be starting from square one, though, it's an excellent package, with all 16 of their singles to reach the Top 100 (including the 1975 reunion hit, "My Little Town"). The other 17 tracks include some of their most beloved non-hits ("Richard Cory," "The 59th Street Bridge Song," "The Only Living Boy in New York") and eight live 1967-1969 performances, none of them found in studio counterparts on this compilation, though all are drawn from previously released albums or anthologies. Some listeners might find some of their secondary Simon & Garfunkel favorites missing; "Anji," "April Come She Will," "Patterns," and "Punky's Dilemma" are absent, for example. But it's a good option for that niche audience looking for something between a single-disc greatest-hits collection and a box set.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

You've got to hand it to Lyle Lovett. More than anything else, the dude is smooth. A voracious inheritor and innovator, no one else has ever attempted, let alone mastered, Lovett's smart, stylish blend of influences that vary from the fervor of gospel, the insight of Texas troubadours, the energy of big band jazz and an overall dedication to what fellow Texan Doug Sahm revered as, "the groove." Bebop jazz pianist Horace Silver's "Cookin' at the Continental" is a powerhouse opener with its big horn charts and classy swing band flair. That's followed by the playful Lovett original "Pants is Overrated," where he works his way into a soul/gospel rhythm aided by a chanted chorus—a frequent Lovett device.  What in most hands would sound schizophrenic and a constant overreach, here sounds organic. Predictably, this being Lyle's world, "Pants is Overrated" is also the album's first single. Produced by Lovett and Chuck Ainlay (who also produced his 1989 album, And His Large Band), 12th of June was beautifully recorded in Nashville, Austin, and Los Angeles with a 13-member version of his storied Large Band that includes such stellar instrumental talents as Russ Kunkel (drums), Viktor Krauss (bass), Sam Bush (mandolin) and Paul Franklin (steel guitar). Lovett's talked, idiosyncratic vocals are often supported in the jazz numbers like "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You," by deep-voiced singer Francine Reed. He indulges his ear for slinky R&B in David Frishberg's "Peel Me A Grape," where he and Reed trade verses before trumpeter Steve Herman and tenor saxman Mace Hibbard add compact solos. The album's second half leaves the jazz behind for a slug of Lovett the acoustic singer/songwriter. "Her Loving Man," where he "worships" a woman who is "the queen of knowing," is the latest in a long line of Lovett love songs that began with "She's No Lady" on Pontiac (1987). The title track is the latest in his elegiac tunes about his family while "Pig Meat Man" returns to the familiar subject of food: "I like bacon and ham/ With toast and jam." It's been a decade since Lovett's last record, 2012's Release Me, and for a time it seemed like that might be his final recorded statement. 12th of June was worth the wait. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

Recorded on January 22, 1967, at Lincoln Center in New York, four of these 19 songs were on the 1997 Old Friends box set, but the rest were unissued until the 2002 appearance of this release. The duo performs acoustically, without accompanists (as was usually the case in their concerts), on a fine-sounding and well-delivered set that doesn't contain any revelations, but is nonetheless an excellent document of their live work as they reached their prime. Certainly a Simon & Garfunkel fan could have hardly wished for a better song selection, as it features all the major hits and most of the best album tracks that the pair had recorded prior to 1967: "The Sound of Silence," "I Am a Rock," "Homeward Bound," "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," "Richard Cory," "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "The Dangling Conversation," "Anji," and "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her." Some of the more offbeat moments, however, lie in less-celebrated songs like "Leaves That Are Green," "Benedictus," and "He Was My Brother." Only two of the cuts, though, would qualify as relatively seldom-heard tunes: "A Church Is Burning," which Paul Simon put on his 1965 U.K.-only solo album but was not recorded for release by Simon & Garfunkel, and the uncommonly tough-minded "You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies," which would be a 1967 non-LP B-side (of "Fakin' It"). Numerous live Simon & Garfunkel bootlegs had circulated before this release, so the pair's concert sound will not come as a shock to hardcore fans, but it's great to have a classy, above-board document of their live presence.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

Sjaella is the vocal ensemble of the moment to discover! Six talented and effervescent female singers who are not afraid of anything and demonstrate as much in a programme entitled "Origins", ranging from seventieth-century repertory to contemporary pieces. Out of the ether, into existence. The initial point. The beginning. The ever-recurring origin. Between minimalism and picturesque arias arise light, time, and all life. In "Origins", the female vocal ensemble focuses on natural cycles that have surrounded us since the dawn of time. In every era, people have experienced the changes in the seasons, the gentle rhythm of day and night, the individual flow of the body, and the transience of rebirth. All of these themes are presented as a unit, which forms a cycle of key concepts from the origin of life to a post-apocalyptic vacuum. The music contrasts and combines new arrangements of English songs of the seventeenth century, some of them from Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, with contemporary pieces, including those in the American Minimalist style, such as David Lang’s Evening, Morning, Day. By including mainly commissioned works, the album shows Sjaella’s close collaboration with renowned international composers such as Paola Prestini, singer-songwriter Shara Nova and former King’s Singers member Philip Lawson. © Fuga Libera

Though Andy Gibb's star power would peak with 1978's Shadow Dancing, his Flowing Rivers debut slammed him straight into the limelight and onto the top of the charts -- twice -- in 1977. A talented musician in his own right, Gibb hit the mainstream under the aegis of producer Robert Stigwood, quite independently of his brothers, $the Bee Gees. Although it's uneven and patchy in places, when this LP is good, it's really good. Both "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water are perfect pop songs -- heavier on the guitars than on the disco, thanks in part to the axe-wielding appearances of both renowned British sessionman Tim Renwick, and moonlighting Eagle Joe Walsh. Both do much to showcase the considerable, if immature, talent that Gibb was exercising. Perhaps helped along by Barry Gibb, who wrote the former and co-wrote the latter with Andy, both tracks reached number one on the pop charts in 1977. But, strong as they are, neither gels well with the rest of the album. Andy Gibb alone was actually worth a lot more. This is demonstrated throughout the album, most notably in the title track and "Let It Be Me," which are nice little rockers. In fact, most of this album is comprised of what could be considered classic rock songs. And while it can't be argued that he achieved most of his success with more dance-oriented material, it would have been interesting to see what would have come of his music had he stayed the course dictated by this LP.© Amy Hanson /TiVo

Lacking some of the focus that made her debut album so stunning, Hell Among the Yearlings is nevertheless a thoroughly satisfying second album from Gillian Welch. Instead of backing away from the rustic folkiness of Revival, Welch deepens her bleak, clear-eyed world view, which makes her spare, old-timey arrangements all the more powerful. On occasion, the performances and songs are a bit too studied to be truly effective, but those moments are fleeting -- Hell Among the Yearlings offers ample proof that Welch is a talented, individual songwriter and that her debut was no fluke.© Thom Owens /TiVo

Bluegrass singer/guitarist Tony Rice has been recording songs written by Gordon Lightfoot throughout his career, and this 17-track compilation gathers them together, adding a previously unreleased version of "Whispers of the North" that was cut for Rice's Me and My Guitar album. Included are tracks Rice recorded as part of J.D. Crowe & the New South, the Tony Rice Unit, the Rice Brothers, in a duo with Norman Blake, and as a solo artist. That means that on the various tracks he's joined by a newgrass who's who that includes Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, and Bela Fleck, among others. The selections include "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Early Morning Rain," but for the most part Rice eschewed Lightfoot's better known compositions, and the collection serves to illustrate the overall quality of the songwriter's catalog. Rice did not just use the songs as platforms for picking sessions, either. His singing clearly influenced by Lightfoot's, he brought a strong interpretive ability to the lyrics. Of course, the picking is pretty hot, too.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

While we associate Tchaikovsky with music of virtuoso power and difficulty, sweeping up audiences with the fire of the Violin Concerto and First Piano Concerto, he also applied himself to music for the ever-growing market of amateur music-makers during his lifetime. Like many other great composers, he knew how to write for musicians of moderate ability without compromising or simplifying the individuality of his voice as a composer. Also like many great composers, regularly finding himself in grim financial prospects, he tapped into a reliable source of income by supplying publishers who had a seemingly limitless market for music composed with amateur musicians in mind, especially by the acknowledged masters of their day. Both of the cycles recorded here by Yuan Sheng were produced for this market, comprising short pieces, most of them quite simple on the page, but thoroughly imbued with quintessentially Tchaikovskian qualities. Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album, Op. 39, is a collection of twenty-four pieces for children studying the piano. Inspired by Schumann’s Album for the Young, Op. 68, these pieces are musically satisfying with imaginative titles and settings. The set contains a number of character pieces using a great variety of moods and scenes. The pieces are based on themes with familiar places and sounds, narrative elements, and international musical styles. Character pieces, short works that reference something non-musical such as a person or a place, were quite popular in the Romantic period and made excellent pedagogical works, inspired by familiar places and sounds that children would be acquainted with at this time and still today. Tchaikovsky’s 12 Pieces, Op. 40 are a set of works he composed between February and April 1878, immediately before he began work on his Children’s Album, Op. 39. The works contain a variety of moods and dances of moderate difficulty, providing a much-needed distraction for Tchaikovsky from the large-scale works he was producing at the same time (the Violin Concerto and the Grande Sonata for piano). They contain two mazurkas, two waltzes, a Danse Russe, a scherzo, chanson triste, Song without Words and a fiercely difficult Etude: all vintage Tchaikovsky in melodious charm and clever wit, relatively unknown and a valuable addition to the repertoire. As part of his Piano Classics discography, Yuan Sheng recorded The Seasons - Tchaikovsky’s best known solo piano cycle - in 2017. The album was widely welcomed for its serious approach to music which is too often treated trivially. Likewise, he invests these cycles with an authentic delicacy of touch and gravity of expression – in Tchaikovsky, tears are never very far away. © Piano Classics

Following the release of the award-winning "Sugarloaf Mountain: An Appalachian Gathering", Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire present "Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain". In this celebration of the American immigrant experience, fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes and singers join with children’s voices to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian Christmas. From Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to folk carols and shape-note hymns at a toe-tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia, Apollo’s Fire follows the journeys of the Irish and Scottish settlers who bravely crossed the Atlantic, settled in the mountains and welcomed Christmas with love, singing, dancing and prayer. © Avie Records

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More than one fan called The World Is Saved a perfect winter album upon its release, and that's a good assessment even above and beyond its striking cover photo, showing Stina Nordenstam standing in snow at night. Nordenstam's move over the years from polite, jazz-inflected pop to something far more unusual and haunting -- even while retaining many of the same musical elements she started with -- has been its own underappreciated tale, and The World Is Saved is a striking new chapter, as befits an album that begins with the line "They put a needle once in my spine." Nordenstam's ear for her own vocal gifts might well be the key to her work, using everything from close microphone singing to distanced, echoed sighing, sometimes in combination with each other. But most often it is all about the voice as it stands, taking the central role in a song while never dominating it; the many musicians helping her often create some tight grooves and performances (the slink of "On Falling" alone shows that this album is as much for dancing as contemplation, while "From Cayman Islands with Love" singlehandedly makes the idea of trip-hop interesting again) but always with a careful and calm air. The steady guitar part that opens "125" is a prime example on its own, it's at once serene and stark, then suddenly silenced by Nordenstam's singing. The textural combinations that result can be a delight, from the mix between Hammond organ and a slipping, sliding electronic cascade on "Winter Killing" to the nervous, just off-kilter-enough string arrangements on "I'm Staring Out the World" (an absolutely wonderful song title) and "The Morning Belongs to the Night." The American edition adds some tracks from contemporary singles to the end of the disc.© Ned Raggett /TiVo

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