Hubert Laws hits an 80s groove here – but the shift doesn't seem to dampen his soul at all! At some points, the rhythms are a bit more pronounced than before – bouncy and funky at points, with a slight nod to the clubs – yet other points still have that soft, airy finish that made Laws' flute such a big hit earlier in the 70s – mixed here with some nice vocals from Rod McNeill and Eloise Laws too. Most of the album's still instrumental, though – and other players include Bobby Lyle on acoustic piano, Randy Waldman on Fender Rhodes, Nathan East on bass, and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Titles include "Stay With Me", "Morning Star", "Life Cycles", "Gonna Be Happy", "Make It Last", and "Happy Anniversary".

There isn't much arguing that the three studio albums Alex Chilton cut with Big Star between 1972 and 1975 represent the creative high-water mark of his career, but it doesn't seem to be a period he looks back upon with much fondness. The man rarely plays songs from the Big Star catalog in his solo shows, and while he assembled a new version of the band in 1993 – with Chilton and original drummer Jody Stephens joined by Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies – the group has only played sporadic live dates since then (presumably when someone ponies up the right price for a gig), and it has taken 12 years for Chilton to work up the enthusiasm to make a new Big Star album…

These German highflyers had an interesting sound - quite heavy handed, with dabbles into old school hard rock in the vein of Rainbow, Lucifers Friend and Uriah Heep, but when they dress it up, then a whole raft of bands come into consideration.

For nearly 35 years, Steve Howe has been at the forefront of guitarists in popular music. Actually, simply referring to Howe as a just a guitarist is limiting. In addition to being a songwriter he plays more instruments than just the guitar. If it has strings and a fretboard, Howe has mastered it and recorded with it at some point on one of countless albums he's been a part of as a group member, solo artist and special guest…

"Unplug It In" is an acoustic EP by Eddie Money, released in 1992. Recorded at Back Alley, Houston, TX on may 14, 1992; The Backroom, Austin, TX on may 15, 1992. Eddie Money was one of the first rockers to make an attempt to capitalize on MTV's successful Unplugged series. Like any "unplugged" recording, the album features a collection of the rocker's biggest hits performed acoustically.

Percussionist Francisco Mela's second CD as a leader is a compelling blend of many influences, mixing neo-bop, Cuban jazz, and South African jazz, with a fine cast in support that includes pianist Jason Moran, guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke, bassist Larry Grenadier (sideman with Brad Mehldau on a number of his CDs), and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. Six of the eight compositions were penned by the leader. "Tierra and Fuego" is an intricate, adventurous melody with Mela's tense percussion lighting the fire under Turner's burning tenor.

Italian jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, arranger and composer. He was born in 1961 in Berchidda, Sardinia. Notable were his collaborations with Ralph Towner, Uri Caine, Carla Bley and many others. Fresu also composes for movies, theater plays and other popular media. His style is based on the Miles Davis hardbop sound of the 50's, but not being a mere imitation he draws inspiration from Mediterranean musical heritage and classical music.