All Categories — CDs  

Amazing sounds from Lee Hazlewood – some of his most offbeat, unbridled recordings ever – and that's saying a lot if you've already heard his classics for Mercury, MGM, and Reprise! The package here brings together rare work from Lee's own LHI label – packaged beautifully with a rich set of notes, session details, and some amazing photos that follow in the spirit of the nutty-looking cover image! Hazlewood's voice is sublime throughout – that deeper-than-deep quality that always leaves us breathless – perfect for the sly wit and and "aw shucks" sensibility of the tunes – and also for unlocking the growing adult sensuality that Lee was letting into his work at the time. A few female singers step forth in that great Hazlweood duet mode – Nina Lizell, Suzi Jane Hokom, and Ann Margret – who each sing on a few tracks – but Lee's in the lead on most numbers, and titles include the previously unreleased "I Just Learned To Run" – plus "The Bed", "Sleep In The Grass", "The Night Before", "If It's Monday Morning", "Won't You Tell Your Dreams", "Hey Cowboy", "No Train To Stockholm", "What's More I Don't Need Her", "Trouble Maker", and "Nobody Like You".

Two really wild records from underground singer/songwriter Arthur Lee Harper – an artist who might have been a folk singer a few years before, but who sounds a lot trippier on this pair of late 60s recordings! Dreams & Images boasts production from Lee Hazlewood and arrangements by Don Randi – both bigger names who work here in really subtle ways – especially Lee, given how different most of Harper's music is from his own recordings. There's a great undercurrent of sadness – those gentle strings and blue notes that Hazlewood might cut through with his own wry wit – but which Arthur takes as a cue to open up with some of the most heartbreaking sides of his vocals. Titles include "Sunshine Soldier", "Children Once Were You", "Blue Museum", "Living Circa 1920", "Valentine Gray", "Dreams & Images", and "Pandora". Love Is The Revolution is a bit more upbeat at times – with some expanded instrumentation that really helps flesh out the more psychedelic corners of Lee's songwriting – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Flowers After Childhood", "Light Up Your Man", "New Day", "Annie Moore", "I/Soldier/Time Love", and "My Woman".

Silly stuff – but it works! Ashwin Batish was born 10 years too late – because if this album was recorded in the 70s, it would have a strong Bollywood groove, with Ashwin's sitar funking over heavy wah-wah guitar. As it is, though, Ashwin recorded this one in 1986 – so the groove's a mix of electro and 80s funk, most of which still works nicely as a base, while Ashwin grooves away on the sitar, like an 80s version of Ananda Shankar. Titles include "Bombay Boogie", "Raga Rock", "Sitar Magic", "Indian Beat", and "New Delhi Vice".

Massive work from Calibro 35 – a group we've been digging on obscure overseas releases – stepping out here on their first American record, and easily their funkiest album to date! The sound is wonderful – still filled with the older Italian soundtrack references that got the group's music going in the first place – but also driven by a much tighter sound at the bottom, especially on the drums – which really drive the tunes strongly! Other instrumentation includes loads of keyboards – especially clavinet-type riffs that fit the group's 70s cop/crime mode perfectly – and titles include "Uh Ah Brrr", "Thank You & Goodbye", "New Delhi Deli", "New York New York", "Italian Band From BBQ", "Rain On Concrete", and "A Massacre At Dawn".

Cool guitar-driven rock from 60s Brazil – a group that's less pop than you might guess from their name, and who work in a burning blend of twangy guitar and moody organ lines! The set's a charmer right from the start – with a slinky feel on many numbers, different than the usual garagey sounds you'd expect from a lineup like this – with lots of mod elements that almost feel like they've come from 60s Italian soundtracks! Most tunes are instrumental, with a strong focus on the guitars – and titles include "I Need You", "All Quiet On The Mersey Front", "Solidao", "As Sete Maravilhas", "Hit Pop", and "Meu Sonho". CD features four bonus tracks too – "Jingle Bells/O Bom Velhinho", "Boas Festas", "Noite Feliz/Parabens A Voce", and "Cancao De Aniversario/Ave Maria".

Spirit, swing, and a whole lot more – a mighty collection of music all hand-picked by the legendary Nicola Conte! There's a deeply soulful groove to the whole thing – and a touch of the exotic as well – and the package really reminds us a lot of the great Gilles Peterson Universal collections that were out a few years back – full of deep tones and rich colors, and proof that when you've got the right guy at the helm, a collection of older jazz tracks can be way more than just the sum of its parts! In addition to Universal label work – originally issued on Decca, Emarcy, and other labels – the package features some Fantasy/Prestige tracks too – including some great gems we might have missed otherwise. Almost 75 minutes of music – with titles that include "Taboo" by Dorothy Ashby, "New Delhi" by James Clay, "Big P" by New Jazz Orchestra, "Juan-Les-Pins" by Staffan Abeleen, "Subo" by Klaus Weiss, "Spanish Castles" by George Gruntz, "Modette" by Roy Haynes, "My Favorite Things" by Sound Of Feeling, "Jungle Fantasy" by Yusef Lateef, "Feeling Good" by Pat Bowie, "The Hooter" by Ernie Wilkins, "Afro Blue" by Abbey Lincoln, "Bogota" by Ahmad Jamal, and "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria.

An excellent collection of soulful house from the Detroit underground of the mid 00s onward – one that's bubbling over with great work from lesser-known talents – all of whom come together to prove that these days, Detroit's one of the most happening music scenes on the planet! There's a really unified feel to the record, despite the presence of so many different artists – and much of the work here is kind of a homegrown version of the better-known cosmic grooves that have been emanating from the city in the work of Amp Fiddler, Ayro, and others in recent years. There's perhaps a bit more of a house-heavy vibe here than those references might imply – but the sound is cosmically soulful all the way through, with some great vocals on the best tracks! Titles include "Everybody (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Courtney Jackson, "Melodies From The Jazz Republic" by Mick Huckaby, "Cosmic Jungle" by Rick The Godson Wilhite, "Ecoutez" by Keith Worthy & Malik Alston, "The Feeling Of Love (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Anetria Wright, "Hot N Funky" by Delano Smith, "Sugar (Amp Fiddler rmx)" by Patchworks, "In The Dark" by Raybone Jones, Marcellus Malik Pittman, & Rick The Godson Wilhite. 2012 version includes the bonus track "Bosmos" by Rick The Godson Wilhite & Kenny Dixon Jr (Moodyman) plus DVD bonus disc: In The Dark: Voices, shot in Detroit by Chris Bravo and featuring Ron Trent, Franki "DJ 3000" Juncaj, Mike Huckaby, Diviniti & Pirahnahead and many more.

One of the most revelatory albums ever cut by reedman James Clay – a player who's often lumped into the "hard blowing" camp because of his Texas roots, but one who emerges here with a great deal of sensitivity and imagination! The record features Clay playing both tenor and flute – clearly a "double dose of soul" – and on the latter instrument, he's got a really wonderful style that's a bit like Yusef Lateef, still hardbop and swinging, but touched with a sense of exoticism that really makes for a unique sound to the record. And even on tenor, Clay's got a looser, more introspective sound here – one that catches the mood set by the rest of the group – with Victor Feldman on vibes, Gene Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – plus a bit of extra cornet from Nat Adderley on a few tracks. The album has a good modal feel in parts, and a stronger soul jazz groove in others – and it's one of the great sets put together as part of the "Cannonball Presents" series for Riverside in the early 60s. Tracks include "Lost Tears", "Pockets", "New Delhi", and "Linda Serene". CD also features 2 bonus tracks!