Recent and Forthcoming Releases - Review Highlights
Non-Classical
Rock and Pop
Abba – Love Stories – Polydor 559221214
17 of Abba’s love songs including "The Day Before You Came", "The Winner Takes it All", "I have a Dream" and "Fernando". Q says it is "an unfettered delight".
Bryan Adams – On a day like today (Mercury A&M 5410162)
More laidback than usual and with a Mel C collaboration.
Aerosmith – A Little South of Sanity – Geffen – GED 25221
Double live set recorded between 1993 and 1998 which includes "Back in the Saddle", "Cryin", "Janie’s Got a Gun" and "Love in an Elevator". Q gave it 4 stars.
Alisha’s Attic – Illumina (Mercury 558 9912)
Second album from the Poole sisters, recorded this time in New York with Prince/ Bowie collaborator Mark Plati
Ash – Nu Clear Sounds (Infectious INFECT60CD)
Second album from the grungepop meisters (remember Goldfinger? Girl from Mars? Oh Yeah?), now with new guitarist - Charlotte Hathaway - and new influences – Sonic Youth!. Melody Maker loved and gave it 5 stars. Select gave it 4.
Audioweb – Fireworks City
Select describe Fireworks City as heavy in substance and turned up guitars ….something genuinely populist, lyrically relevant and genre defying.
Babyface – Christmas with Babyface -Epic 4924532
Babyface’s Christmas R&B selection.
Burt Bacharach – The Look of Love – Rhino
This 3 CD box set with 75 tracks, an essay by Bill de Main, thorough notes on the individual tracks by Alec Cumming will remind you why Burt is the legend he is. Includes tracks such as Magic Moments (Perry Como), Make it easy on yourself (Jerry Butler), 24 hours from Tulsa (Gene Pitney) Anyone who had a heart, Walk on by, I say a little prayer (Dionne Warwick), What’s new pussycat (Tom Jones), Alfie (Cilla Black), The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield), Close to you (The Carpenters), God give me strength (Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello). MOJO says the album is "just about the best tribute imaginable to a pop giant of Bacharach’s stature." Is this the album we can all buy for our parents and not mind when they play it?
Beautiful South – Quench (Go Discs/Mercury 5381662)
Intelligent tunes with the former Housemartin, Norman Cook, overseeing rhythms on several tracks. More positive and upbeat that its predecessor
Beck – Mutations - Geffen GED 25184
It’s not the official follow up to Odelay but Music week gives it 5 stars anyway and describes it as a "enthralling and charming acoustic based record …. Here he eschews hiphop stylings and relies purely on his straight songwriting skills to dazzling effect." Also described as space age folk rock.
Tony Benett – The Essential Tony Bennett - Columbia 4928222
Retrospective of his 50 years in show business. Includes classics such as "Fly me to the Moon" and "I left my heart in San Francisco" as well as duets with Elvis Costello and KD Lang.
B*Witched – B*Witched (Glowworm/Epic 4917042)
The debut album from the band responsible for "C’est la vie". A fun-filled collection
Billie – Honey to the B (Innocent CDSin1)
Effortless pop songs and some R&B from the singer that gave us "Because we want to". Music Week loved it.
Black Sabbath – Reunion – EPIC
Live set from December 97’s Birmingham reunion for Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tommy Iommi. Apparently it was a great gig and this double CD captures it.
The Boo Radleys – Kingsize (Creation CRECD 228) – Q Magazine gives the new album from the Liverpool kings of loud guitars and melodies 4 stars and says "..At times this sounds like Phil Spector and Brian Wilson wrestling for control of the universe.."
Buzzcocks – Love Bites - EMI 7243 85226724
Their second album released in 1978. Includes "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone you Shouldn’t Have)", "Just Lust", "Sixteen Again" and "Operators Manual". Comes with a bonus CD of 1978 A sides and B sides.
Cardigans – Gran Turismo
Uplifting and melancholic, thoughtful and energetic – this is clear, uplifting pop music.
Mariah Carey – No 1s – Columbia 4926044)
She has only had one UK no 1 (Without You) but in the States she has had 13 in eight years. Only the Beatles and Elvis can beat that! Tracks on this album include "Visions of Love", "Emotions", "I’ll Be There", "Dreamlover", "One Sweet Day", "Always be my Baby", "Honey" and a duet with Whitney Houston.
Lloyd Cole - The Collection
All his hits from the Lloyd Cole and the Commotions to the present day. Includes Perfect Skin, Lost Weekend, Forest Fire, Brand New Friend, Jennifer She Said, Like Lovers Do and more.
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – Painted from Memory (Mercury CD 5388027) 4 stars from Q Magazine for this intriguing collaborative effort between one of the finest pop composers of the 20th century and the ever-acerbic Elvis C.
Bing Crosby – Winter Wonderland
Is it really that time of year again? Mind you Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without White Christmas would it? And he has got a lovely voice.
Culture Club – Greatest Moments – Virgin – CDUF 2865
Greatest hits selection including "Karma Chameleon", "Church of the Poison Mind" and the new single "I Just Want to Be Loved". Sure to bring back happy memories of those wild nights out at Camden