01 March 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Jazz
Deuces Wild
You can’t move an inch without tripping over a superstar on this album of celebrity duets. On DEUCES WILD, B. B. looks beyond the blues world to collaborate with such unlikely folks as Willie Nelson, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, and even rapper Heavy D. On newly recorded versions of classic B.B. numbers such as “The Thrill Is Gone” (with Tracy Chapman) and “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss” (with the Rolling Stones), the legendary blues guitarslinger reinvents his own material to accommodate his famous pals, whose respect for King and enthusiasm for this project are apparent on each track. Most effective are the tunes that find B.B. paired up with veteran blues belters like Joe Cocker (“Dangerous Mood”) and Van Morrison (“If You Love Me”)....
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B.B. King, Blues, blues rock, classic rock, Deuces Wild, guitar, Jazz
20 January 2010
By Lyov
In Pop
Sacred Love
On the day that the second live album of Sting’s illustrious solo career (and third if you count the Police’s 1995 LIVE set) was to be recorded in Tuscany, Italy, the widely respected singer/songwriter/bassist was beset with one of the world’s worst horrors of all-time. The show was to be recorded and broadcast live on the web on September 11, 2001, the day of the World Trade Center tragedy. Instead of canceling it altogether, Sting went on with the recording (although the web broadcast was scrapped except for a single song), resulting in the release of the 15-song ALL THIS TIME, just two short months later. Featured are a trio of Police-era classics inventively re-arranged (“Roxanne,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” and “Every Breath You Take”), plus renditions of such solo selections as the expansive “(If You Love Somebody) Set Them Free,” “Brand New Day,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,” and the poignant folk-like ballad “Fields of Gold.”...
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british, classic rock, Pop, Rock, Sacred Love, singer-songwriter, Sting
19 January 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Country, Lounge
Love Elvis
Does the world really need another Elvis Presley compilation? Well, it does, actually. Unlike some of the more haphazard reissues, LOVE, ELVIS is a collection with a focus, bringing together 24 of the King’s best ballads and love songs. It has been done before, but never in such a nice, big, well-chosen chunk. Elvis himself always idolized the cool lounge style of Dean Martin, and while Presley’s menacing, sexually charged early rock & roll hits revolutionized popular music, he could also be a seductive crooner with the best of them. LOVE, ELVIS is a stylish, cohesive package that showcases this softer side of the King to full advantage. While some of the later material from the 1970s is no match for timeless classics like “It’s Now or Never” and “Love Me Tender,” all of the songs fit seamlessly together in an inspired, non-chronological sequence. For a satisfying, romantic Valentine’s Day collection, you can’t beat LOVE, ELVIS....
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classic rock, Elvis Presley, Love Elvis, oldies, Rock, rock and roll, rock n roll
16 January 2010
By Lyov
In Blues, Pop
Heart & Soul
While Rod Stewart was busy chasing American songbook classics up the charts in Cole Porter drag, 60’s Brit-soul colleague Joe Cocker pursued a more contemporary and compelling set of standards. The material here stretches from the soulful American r&b hits that first inspired the gritty-voiced singer to their modern progeny, emotive ballads like REM’s “Everybody Hurts” and the compelling studio/live takes of U2’s “One” that bookend the album. Cocker revisits old inspirations Lennon (“Jealous Guy” recast as warm, Caribbean-rhythmed r&b) and McCartney (a grand, if less inspired “Maybe I’m Amazed”), but it’s on more vintage material like “Chain of Fools” and Lieber-Stoller’s “I Keep Forgetting” and “I (Who Have Nothing)” that Cocker truly invests his considerable interpretative instincts. Jeff Beck solos with tasteful, typically elastic lyricism on the latter, while fellow ax icon Eric Clapton torches “I Put A Spell On You” with his own bluesy fire. But as brilliant as Cocker and his session cohorts (who also include Steve Lukather and Dean Parks) often are, their efforts sometimes skid on C.J. Vanston’s way-too-slick production; aiming for the middle of the road, Vanston instead drives material like James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” and Cocker’s otherwise lovely read of “Everybody Hurts” towards a ditch....
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Blues, blues rock, classic rock, Heart & Soul, Joe Cocker, Rock, Soul
12 January 2010
By Lyov
In Pop
Mr. Jones
What a difference one album can make. A couple of years ago Tom Jones’s reputation was at a bit of a low ebb, routinely derided as a cabaret singer well past his sell-by date. Then came Reload, a spirited collection of collaborations with a host of young indie stars that did wonder for the randy Welshman’s street cred. Now we have the follow-up, which sees him take an even greater leap into the unknown by making a whole record with the aid of R’n'B superstar Wyclef Jean. ...
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classic rock, male vocalists, Mr. Jones, oldies, Pop, Rock, Tom Jones
02 November 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Songs From The West Coast
SONGS FROM THE WEST COAST was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. “I Want Love” was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
“Original Sin” was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance....
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classic rock, Elton John, piano, Pop, Rock, singer-songwriter, Songs From The West Coast
21 September 2009
By Lyov
In Rock
Farewell Song
This collection features Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company as well as live with the Kozmic Blues Band. There’s also a tear-down-the walls version of Etta James’s “Tell Mama” with Full Tilt Boogie, recorded live in Toronto. Other highlights include a studio recording of “One Night Stand” (produced by Todd Rundgren) and a marvelous rendition of Sam Andrews’s poignant “Farewell Song,” taken from a 1968 Winterland show. Ending the CD is Joplin’s killer “Catch Me Daddy,” taken from a Cheap Thrills session. The members of Big Brother dislike this album intensely, since the producer replaced the band’s instrumentals with those of studio musicians. This is one of Joplin’s most inspired studio vocals, and it would be interesting to hear the instrumental track that brought out such an incredible performance...
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Blues, classic rock, Farewell Song, female vocalists, Janis Joplin, Rock
Lisa Ekdahl
Flora Purim 
Tu Vo Fa l'Americano
Johnny Cash & June Carter
DJ Vadim
