Madacy's Ultimate 16 series successfully walks the line between a crummy budget collection and a decent to good collection for a couple of reasons. Despite the lousy artwork, uninspired titles, and sometimes arbitrarily chosen style groupings (for example, Buzz Rock, Body and Soul, Pure Moods), the songs are well chosen and the collections hang together well. All of which means for a fair price you can luck into some really good music. The entry titled Power of Rock is a very strong collection of rock radio staples of the '70s and '80s, with some very big songs by very big names. You can't find better commercial rock radio fodder than Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," Rush's "Tom Sawyer," the Cars' "Shake It Up," or Mountain's "Mississippi Queen." The blend of rockers both hard and soft makes... Less

"Cool Songs for Cool Kids" is Daddy A Go Go's first CD and was named to Amazon.com's first ever Top 10 Best Kids Records of the Year List (1999) and continues to be a favorite among Daddy a Go Go fans. All Music Guide writes: "Cool Songs for Cool Kids is a great introduction to Daddy a Go-Go's cool sound. The title of Daddy a Go-Go's debut Cool Songs for Cool Kids tells most of the story behind the album, though it leaves out the key ingredient of its appeal: the cool dads that comprise Daddy a Go-Go. Walt Brewer and John Boydston mix elements of surf, rockabilly, bubblegum, and classic rock and playful themes into 15 fun songs for kids and parents. Rough, jangly covers of the theme songs to Scooby Doo and Speed Racer, surfy instrumentals like "The Thang From Planet Twang," and witty... Less

100% All Woman is a collection of adult contemporary balladry. That's really the only connection between these songs, since they come from such a wide variety of notoriety and genre. For example, Suzy Bogguss and Janie Fricke are country singers, while Rizen focuses on gospel and Jennifer Holliday is known for her Broadway work. There's also a ringer, a re-recorded version of "I'm Sorry" from Brenda Lee, as well as "Wonderful Woman" from Pete Belasco, the inclusion of which skews the set's title. 100% All Woman doesn't fail as a collection of soft pop. But it doesn't really make an impression, either. ~ Johnny Loftus

Full Title - His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond. Ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist/vocalis t/songwriter and platinum solo recording artist Bob Welch went into the studio and re-recorded songs from the early years of Fleetwood Mac as well as his solo hits. The result is a great collection of songs that capsulate his illustrious career. There are 15 cuts, of which 9 are Fleetwood Mac songs (including an outstanding 9 minute version of the classic 'Oh Well'), 4 solo hits, and one brand new (2003) track...66 minutes of music! Also available for a limited time, One Way is offering their 'Limited Edition Signature Series' which is a hand signed slip sleeve by Bob and hand numbered strictly to 2,500 copies. Slipcase. One Way.

Singers and Songwriters is a very average compilation from St. Clair that haphazardly assembles a group of folk-rock and soft rock songs from the '70s. While it does everybody a favor by failing to recycle the same familiar songs of the era that populate dozens of other various-artist discs, it also fails to present much of an argument for why it exists at all. The picks are seemingly random, and at ten songs, roughly half the space of the disc goes unused. The featured songs include Kenny Loggins' "I Believe in Love," Dan Fogelberg's "Go Down Easy," Van Morrison's "Spanish Rose," Randy Meisner's "Never Been in Love," Dave Mason's "Save Me," Karla Bonoff's "Can't Hold On," and Carly Simon's "Tired of Being Blonde." This is clearly a budget title with little in the way of loving care put... Less

'Til Tuesday: Aimee Mann.The title of Sony Music Special Products' All About Love is a little funny since almost all of 'Til Tuesday's songs were about love, in some fashion or another. Really, the title is just a clever way of making the selection seem a little more careful and considered than it actually is. When it comes down to it, All About Love is like any of its budget-line brethren -- a random sampling of an artist's catalog, containing a selection of hits both big and small ("Voices Carry," "(Believed You Were) Lucky"), plus a number of album cuts. Since 'Til Tuesday's albums contained a number of gems that were never released as singles, this approach works pretty successfully here, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining compilation that will whet the appetites of budget-minded... Less

The title of MCA Special Products' Greatest Rock Hits of the 80's shouldn't be taken literally -- after all, these songs are closer to new wave than "rock & roll." Instead, it should be thought of as a random sampler of new wave and pop hits from MCA and MCA-affiliated artists. If you have those expectations, the disc will be quite enjoyable, since it contains such staples as "I Think We're Alone Now," "Safety Dance," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Right on Track," "I Can Dream About You," "Wouldn't It Be Good," "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," "Pass the Dutchie," and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight," all of which are enough to make it worth its budget-line price. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Cool Songs for Cool Kids" is Daddy A Go Go's first CD and was named to Amazon.com's first ever Top 10 Best Kids Records of the Year List (1999) and continues to be a favorite among Daddy a Go Go fans. All Music Guide writes: "Cool Songs for Cool Kids is a great introduction to Daddy a Go-Go's cool sound. The title of Daddy a Go-Go's debut Cool Songs for Cool Kids tells most of the story behind the album, though it leaves out the key ingredient of its appeal: the cool dads that comprise Daddy a Go-Go. Walt Brewer and John Boydston mix elements of surf, rockabilly, bubblegum, and classic rock and playful themes into 15 fun songs for kids and parents. Rough, jangly covers of the theme songs to Scooby Doo and Speed Racer, surfy instrumentals like "The Thang From Planet Twang," and witty... Less

Little Brazil is headed by singer/songwriter Landon Hedges, part of the outer orbit of Saddle Creek Records artists who started his own band with 2005's You and Me, an uncomplicated catchy set of indie pop tunes not that far removed from the Minders/Apples in Stereo side of the old Elephant 6 collective. Little Brazil's second album is a darker affair, from its title and cartoon-suicide cover to the far less sweet-natured songs within. Perhaps to emphasize the fact that a formerly solo project is now more of a real band set-up, the songs are considerably longer than before, with lengthy guitar-squall instrumental sections on songs like "Shades" and "Stretching Skin" that sound directly inspired by Where You Been-era Dinosaur Jr. Mid-period Dream Syndicate come to mind as well on "Good... Less

The title of this 20-track compilation gives you a fair idea of what to expect: pop/rock with a psychedelic touch, though actually all but one of the cuts is from 1967-1970. This is definitely more pop than psychedelia, and in some ways a U.K. equivalent to American sunshine pop. It's certainly a lot closer to the Hollies' "King Midas in Reverse" in tone than, say, Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play." Not to mention that all of these artists are far more obscure than the Hollies and Pink Floyd; even '60s British rock experts are unlikely to have heard of anyone here, except maybe Sounds Inc. and Chris Andrews (whose contribution, "Sad Simon Lives Again," was actually billed to Tim Andrews). Even some of the band names (Peppermint Circus, Tin Tin, Merlin Q, Mood of Hamilton) are fair indication... Less

LISTEN TO SONG SAMPLES AT: MARCERIC.COM , Featuring Singer/Guitar virtuoso Marc Eric's songs from Michael Imperioli's new movie "HIGH ROLLER" and more... This is the artist that is featured in the music video on the DVD extras. Fans of Jimmy H, U2, and Zeppelin should take notice. ... High Roller Songs on CD include: Fallin In: (Opening/Title Track)........ Hollywood: (Young Stuey Scene)......... Hello America: (Casino Scene).......... Yesterdays: (Stuey gets his life back together, also the music video song)... Winds of Angels: (End Credits)......... ................. ................. ..... OTHER SONGS ON CD INCLUDE: Another Moment , Black Rose , The East Wind , Always , Every Word , Sunset Eyes , and Drowning

Recorded in Nashville and released in 1977 -- as if that weren't already patently obvious from the artist name, album title and, most egregiously, the cover photo -- Mosaics: Pieces of Stone remains unknown to all but the most devoted collectors of obscurantist rock. The thing is, sometimes albums remain obscure for a reason. There are little known gems out there, to be sure: Sundazed's unearthing of the unreleased 1967 Columbia album by Smokey and His Sister is a minor folk-rock classic. But frankly, Mosaics: Pieces of Stone is the other sort of lost and obscure album, the kind that disappeared because it simply isn't very good. Jade Stone can't sing a note and is a forgettable songwriter with a knack for song titles like "Working at the Business of Living" and "Man," but his vocals... Less

Fiona Apple, brooding, brainy belter and capital-A artist of near forbidding depth, begins her much gossiped-over third CD on a lark. The title track, one of two songs produced by Jon Brion before the label dispute that prompted hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem) to step in, sounds like a Judy Garland number slathered with irony or something Rufus Wainwright might have had a hand in--strings soar, beats bump around skittishly, and notes require a ladder. But playful as it is, by the time the chorus kicks in it's clear why the world has missed Fiona Apple so much. Young female artists who have stepped into the spotlight since she fled it six years ago-- Nellie McKay and Joss Stone spring to mind for their cleverness and heat, respectively-- seem slight in comparison. With... Less

The seemingly bottomless record collection of Nick Saloman from the Bevis Frond has spawned the third in an ongoing series of albums collecting obscure instrumental tracks from the '60s and '70s, and while many of these songs support the popular notion that the hipper and more interesting rock artists of the day were fond of vocal numbers, there are some fun and exciting tunes to be found on this set. Roaring Blue draws its title from the lead-off track, a swinging dance tune by the Sound of Jimmy Nicol, featuring the drummer who briefly replaced an ailing Ringo Starr during a tour in 1964 (this may explain why Nicol's drums are so far up in the mix), while members of the long-running U.K. pop band Blue Mink appear on the track "Beat Party" under the pseudonym the Underground, and John... Less

"With or Without You" became U2's first number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and was voted Best Single by readers in the 1987 Rolling Stone magazine poll. According to U2.com, "With or Without You" is the second most popular U2 song for artists to cover. The With or Without You cassette single was only released in the U.K., U.S., and Canada. It includes the title track and the two B-sides "Luminous Times" and "Walk to the Water." It has the same cover as the 7" and CD. This single was released in the U.S. in cello wrap and a longbox, which is the most collectible version. ~ JT Griffith

A handful of the most pretentious artists in post-punk England also happened to be among the most talented. Keyboardist Ann Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and his ZTT cohort Paul Morley (who made tea and thought up overblown song titles) were clearly onto something with influential sequencer and car-ignition-drive n cut-ups like "Beat Box (Diversion One)" and "Close (to the Edit)." This collection of early Art of Noise material evokes a period when pop artists were crass enough to exploit their own hype and naive enough to believe they could still create art in the process. And, sometimes, they did. --Bill Forman

Where Jansch's previous albums were largely comprised of self-penned material, this third set was drawn from traditional songs, bar an instrumental reading of Ewan MacColl's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". The artist's highly original guitar style underpins the lengthy title track and the enthralling "Black Water Side". Jimmy Page is only one of many musicians expressing a debt to Jansch and the latter track provided the template for "Black Mountain Side" on Led Zeppelin I. Bert's languid interpretation of "Nottamun Town" inspired a later version by Fairport Convention, but they struggled to match the enthralling atmosphere created here. Jack Orion is a mesmerizing selection from a hugely influential performer.

Personnel: Rob Wells (vocals); Dave Martin , Greg Johnston, Chris Perry (guitar); Adam Alexander (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Gary Craig (drums).Audio Mixer: Lenny DeRose.Recording information: Definitive Sound, MS; Studio La Chambre, Montreal, Canada; The PAD, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photographer: Andrew MacNaughtan. Unknown Contributor Role: Adam Fujiki.When Canadian teen sensation Melissa O'Neil earned the title of Canadian Idol in 2005, much speculation arose about the pop protégée's bright young career. O'Neil, a Western Canadian singer whose masterful voice carried her through the competition, knocked out her competitors week after week by varying her song choice and using impeccable vocals to translate her from casual pop princess to glamorous young diva. Ultimately, this... Less

Personnel: Kan Daisuke, Ogurusu Norihide (guitar); Takagi Masakatsu (piano).P-Vine's Winter Songs is a lovely collection of Japanese artists' soundscapes that suggest the delicate, spun-sugar beauty of snow, bare trees, frost, and icicles. Takagi Masakatsu, Kan Daisuke, Kouchi Yasuhiro, and Ogurusu Norihide trade off tracks, with Masakatsu's gossamer keyboard pieces -- "Every Moments" and "Sing" are particularly sweet -- providing Winter Songs' musical backbone. Other standouts include Daisuke's "D Site No. 1" and Yasuhiro's "Sebastian," both of which make a lot out of simple acoustic guitar melodies, and Norihide's "5:55," a piano and flute-driven piece that reflects the stillness of early morning or late afternoon. Soothing but never predictable, this album sounds wonderful at any time... Less

Lizzie West and her songs are going places, have been places, and are here right now. "I Pledge Allegiance to Myself," the Brooklyn-based cross-country gypsy’s first CD for Appleseed, recounts her latest adventures on what she calls "the holy road" – the open-minded path to experience, ideas, honesty, and living life in the moment. Lizzie’s debut CD, originally self-released and then reissued in slicked-up form by Warner Bros. as "Holy Road: Freedom Songs" three years ago, won her acclaim as "Breakout Artist of 2003" from AOL and Entertainment Weekly. Hits magazine called her "Marianne Faithfull, Grace Jones and PJ Harvey rolled into one." Her songs were featured on TV shows ("Everwood," "Dawson’s Creek," Third Watch") and in movies ("Secretary," HBO’s "Rock the Boat"). She was on the... Less

Liner Note Author: Will Friedwald.This two-fer CD from DRG Records combines the contents of successive LPs that Lena Horne recorded for United Artists Records in the mid-'60s, Feelin' Good and Lena in Hollywood. Feelin' Good was a typical effort, as she and arranger/producer Ray Ellis surveyed the then-current state of pop and show music to find some new items for her repertoire. They focused in on the just-opened (on Broadway, that is) Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd for the opening track "On a Wonderful Day Like Today," as well as the album's title track and the song from the show that had already become a standard (and a hit for Tony Bennett), "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)." The Great White Way also provided source... Less

When you see lofty titles like The Very Best of Industrial Revolution, it pays to be skeptical. After all, many labels won't think twice about exaggerating if they think it will increase their sales. But this 2000 compilation, which contains a variety of industrial recordings from the 1980s and 1990s, is generally excellent -- although it certainly isn't the last word on industrial. Major industrial artists like Throbbing Gristle, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, and KMFDM are missing. However, the CD does offer exciting tracks by such industrial heavyweights as Einstürzende Neubauten ("Yu-Gung"), Front Line Assembly ("Epidemic"), Skinny Puppy ("Haunted"), and Killing Joke ("Money Is Not Our God"). Much to its credit, Cleopatra shows us how diverse industrial music is. Industrial... Less

On her third Nonesuch disc, Emmylou Harris assembles an extraordinary cast of veteran musicians and fellow singers, all of them longtimefriends, for a set that indeed showcases this Nashville icon, and 2008 CMA Hall of Fame inductee, as all she has intended to be a singularly expressive vocalist, a brilliant interpreter of other people's songs, a graceful and confident songwriter. In particular, thealbum displays Harris's ability to bring new life to songs that may have been overlooked, forgotten or lost along the way. Some of themost affecting material here may be the least well-known though not for long: John Wesley Routh's celtic/country Shores Of White Sands and trucker-poet Michael Germino's heartrending story-song, Broken Man's Lament. Harris has chosen these songs with conceptual... Less

Misadventures In Stereo, the third album by widely lauded singer/songwriter /multi-instrumenta list Jim Boggia, is unmistakably the work of a true believer and pop craftsman who's closely acquainted with music's capacity for transcendent uplift. His songs get the balance right between devastating beauty and sadness, and the big fat joke that is life. Born blind in one eye and with limited vision in the other, Boggia grew up an only child with an acutely developed ear for music. His early fascination for such iconoclastic pop classics as the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society, Nilsson Sings Newman and Stevie Wonder's Innervisons helped to inform an aesthetic sensibility that would push him to create album-length listening experiences on his own releases. Boggia has gained impressive... Less

This compilation of familiar soft rock includes such notables as "Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young, "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat & Tears, "When I See You Smile" by Bad English and "Can't Get It Out of My Head" by Electric Light Orchestra. ~ Keith Farley

Seeing budget compilations of '90s alternative rock might make the people that grew up with it feel old and sad, but not half as sad (or, more likely, confused) as seeing songs like Extreme's power ballad "Hole Hearted" or Ugly Kid Joe's hair metal snark-fest "Everything About You" on Radio Waves of the '90s: Alternative Rock Hits. This foray into pop-metal is a serious flaw in the collection, but fortunately not an entirely fatal one, as it redeems itself with more likely tracks such as the Gin Blossoms' "Follow You Down," Semisonic's "Closing Time," and Del Amitri's "Roll to Me." Despite the somewhat random song selections -- which, puzzlingly, also include Tears for Fears' bombastic, early-'90s single "Break It Down Again" -- the album does manage to feature three of the decade's best... Less

Continuing her quest to create music with the greatest authenticity, Canada’s Allison Crowe releases her new album, This Little Bird, on October 9, 2006. "Soulful. Alive. Joyous. Grievous. Real, true, music is what I want to make,” she says. With this 12-song collection, Crowe, again, succeeds. Nine new originals map universal emotional and spiritual territory. The artist’s range is remarkable - encompassing the elegiac “Phoenix”, gorgeous songs of love and hope, such as “Effortless” and “There Is”, the jauntily dark humor of “Skeletons and Spirits”, the raucous celebration of the title track, a celebration of simple pleasures in “Circular Reasoning” - and more. Acclaimed not only as an exciting songwriter and live performer, but, also, as a song interpreter, for freshly definitive takes... Less

A lot of people write songs, Hoekstra writes five-minute worlds (Wired Magazine). Doug Hoekstra is a unique and compelling artist whose work has been heralded by critics, djs, and fans throughout the U.S. and Europe. Raised in Chicago and based in Nashville, he has earned a well-deserved reputation as a man with an ear for a phrase and an eye for detail, a songwriters songwriter (CMJ Music Monthly).Doug Hoekstras latest project, Blooming Roses, features all of the Hoekstra hallmarks honest vocals, narrative lyrics, emotive chord changes and impeccable musicianship. From the soul vibe of the title track (Blooming Roses) to the atmospheric groove of the closer (Everywhere is Somewhere), the music is infused with mood and purpose, creating a unified and rich musical landscape that stands... Less

“Time To Go”, Russell’s third CD release to date, continues to explore his trademark ‘ethereal Americana’ style. Woody Russell offers 12 captivating new songs that do justice to the craft of songwriting. Clearly becoming more comfortable with his diverse musical background, the songs on this recording move smoothly from rockin’ Delta slide guitar riffs and gritty vocals to somber storytelling ballads. His custom “resolectric” guitar conjures up a wicked banjo-type sound on several tracks that is strangely powerful and absolutely unique to this release. The entire performance from his band is stunning and well produced, with lush vocal harmonies and haunting instrumental textures throughout. Continued respect for earlier American roots music, such as the blues and traditional country, is... Less

About as fun and interesting an album as one could hope for considering the overall subject matter of the project (War Child is a charitable organization that provides relief to children suffering in conflict stricken regions around the globe), WAR CHILD PRESENTS HEROES pairs rock icons with current artists covering classic songs from the former's catalogs. The results are an understandably mixed bag, yet consistently enjoyable. The Scissor Sisters' clubby synth-pop take on Roxy Music's "Do the Strand" is utterly delightful; the Hold Steady tackle Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" with a subtlety not often associated with them; the Yeah Yeah Yeahs offer an appropriately giddy take on "Sheena is a Punk Rocker"; and TV on the Radio deliver perhaps the most radical and inspired reworking... Less