Bellini suits June Anderson surprisingly well: 'surprisingly' because her voice is bright and her manner somewhat impersonal and unyielding very much the opposite of sopranos like Selma Kurz and Galli-Curci, or in later days Montserrat Caballe, who could make the cantilena of ''Qui la voce'' and ''Ah, non credea mirarti'' a thing of ethereal tenderness and limpid purity. Yet the Sonnambula aria and a similarly sad and lovely solo from I Capuleti e i Montecchi are among the most satisfying items here. In both of them a prime virtue is that of the well-drawn line, closer to (say) dal Monte and Pagliughi than to Sutherland. She is also, if not exactly imaginative, at least sensitive in her handling of the phrases, and there is no hardening of the sort that with many Italians (dal Monte among them) makes one flinch at the approach of high notes.

Most recordings of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in D minor are based on the completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, which has become the standard performing version, though some of these offer minor modifications of the orchestration and alterations of Süssmayr's awkward counterpoint. Yet as far as historically informed reassessments of the Requiem are concerned, perhaps only Arthur Schoonderwoerd's performance with the Gesualdo Consort and Cristofori on the Accent label is an attempt to re-create the experience of a funeral mass in Vienna in the 1790s.

Five years since their much-acclaimed album VUUR VAN VERZET, early 2023 will see Dutch folk metal collective HEIDEVOLK return with their seventh studio album via Napalm Records, continuing to keep the pagan flame burning! Ever since their impressive 2005 debut, De strijdlust is geboren, HEIDEVOLK has taken the heavy music scene by storm, conquering stages throughout the world with their very own brand of folk metal. With dual clean vocals, irresistibly catchy songs, traditional instruments and fast metal riffing all fueled by their folkloric fire and pagan pride, HEIDEVOLK delivers for an uncompromising sound and musical adventure. Their new masterpiece, WEDERKEER, makes no exception, and proves why the Arnhem-based six-piece is one of the best, unrivaled and most exciting bands of their genre and beyond! In a world of myths, nature and legends of the Veluwe, Netherlands, the concept album is a powerful odyssey of the Self, deeply rooted in metal and folklore.

"Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret" is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released on 27 November 1981 by Some Bizzare Records. The album's critical and commercial success was bolstered by the success of its lead single, a cover version of Gloria Jones's song "Tainted Love", which topped the charts worldwide and became the best-selling British single of 1981. In the United States as a result of the single's success, the album had reported advance orders of more than 200,000 copies. The album spawned two additional top-five singles in the UK: "Bedsitter" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye". CMJ New Music Report included "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret" on a list of The Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time. American magazine Out placed the album at #66 on their list of The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time). It was also included in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Insomnium will release their ninth album "Anno 1696" on February 24th 2023! With their latest masterpiece “Anno 1696”, Insomnium take us into a world woven of sorrow and last crumbling vestiges of hope, of wrath and morbid lullabies, an album relying on the strengths of their beloved trademark sounds and a new sense of grandiose, melancholic storytelling. Welcome to 1696. Welcome to hell.

Hyperion’s Romantic Violin Concerto series reaches volume 8 and the music of the Belgian composer Henry Vieuxtemps, himself widely considered the finest violinist in Europe after the death of Paganini. Listening to the repertoire recorded here, he certainly deserves to be ranked among the most important composers for the violin in the mid-nineteenth century. Vieuxtemps never indulged in sheer virtuosity for its own sake; instead in his concertos and chamber works he brought a more classical dimension to the violin repertoire in place of the technically brilliant variations and fantasies on popular operatic themes that were so popular with audiences.

My Criminal Record is the 17th studio album by Australian musician Jimmy Barnes. The album was released on 31 May 2019. The album is Barnes' first solo album of primarily original material since 2010's Rage and Ruin. It became Barnes's 12th number-one album on the Australian albums chart, making him the artist with the most chart-topping albums in Australian chart history, having previously tied at 11 number ones with Madonna and U2.

"The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop" is the 4th studio album recorded by the Supremes, issued by Motown in February 1965. The album was presented as a covers/tribute album of country songs, as Ray Charles had done with his album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. However, over half of the selections on "The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop" were written in-house by Motown staffer Clarence Paul. One of the songs on the album is "My Heart Can't Take It No More", which the Supremes had recorded in 1962 and released in 1963 as a single. One of Paul's songwriting partners on the album was his fourteen-year-old charge Stevie Wonder, making the Supremes the first act besides Wonder himself to record Wonder's songs. Motown's session group, the Andantes, appear on all but two of the tracks. They accompany Ross completely above Wilson and Ballard on "Baby Doll". The album was a modest success peaking at #79 on the US Billboard Top LPs chart, with sales exceeding 38,000 copies.

Released as a private edition of only 200 copies in 1977 on the 'Joint' label (but recorded two years earlier, in 1975), Warlus 'Songs' could be regarded as the king of all French 70s obscure private pressings. Warlus was the brainchild of young musician Richard Maubert, who created a mini- masterpiece of twisted, melancholic fuzzed- out psychedelic- pop, with a charming homemade sound/ production and druggy atmosphere. Sung in English, it also brings to mind some obscure USA private pressings like Kath. This is a very special record that will appeal to both psych afficionados and fans of 70s DIY weirdness. If you like other French private pressings like Dandelion and Les Temps Heureux, you'll be amazed when you hear Warlus…

A brand-new, unreleased entry in the Lost Not Forgotten Archives, "Live at Madison Square Garden (2010)" sees Dream Theater supporting the legends, Iron Maiden, performing to a hometown New York audience in one of the world’s most iconic venues.

"Havana Candy" was Patti Austin's second solo album and was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen. Stylistically, it's very similar to its predecessor and Patti's passionate and emotive vocals are truly magical and spellbinding on gorgeous ballads like "I Just Want To Know", "Little Baby" and "That's Enough For Me". While not commercially successful, "Havana Candy" is a Patti Austin classic which anyone who loves good music should not miss out on.

Ten Summoner's Tales Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After two albums of muted, mature jazz-inflected pop, the last being an explicit album about death, Sting created his first unapologetically pop album since the Police with Ten Summoner's Tales. The title, a rather awkward pun on his given last name, is significant, since it emphasizes that this album is a collection of songs, without any musical conceits or lyrical concepts tying it together. And, frankly, that's a bit of a relief after the oppressively somber The Soul Cages and the hushed though lovely, Nothing Like the Sun. Sting even loosens up enough to crack jokes, both clever (the winking litany of celebrity pains of "Epilogue[Nothing 'Bout Me]") and condescending (the sneeringly catchy cowboy tale "Love Is Stronger Than Justice[The Munificent Seven]"), and the result is his best solo record. In places, it's easily as pretentious as his earlier work, but that's undercut by writing that hasn't been this sharp and melodic since the Police, plus his most varied set of songs since Synchronicity. True, there isn't a preponderance of flat-out classics – only the surging opener "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the understated swing of "It's Probably Me," and the peaceful ballad "Fields of Gold" rank as classics – but, as an album, Ten Summoner's Tales is more consistently satisfying than anything else in his catalog.

Originally issued in 1976, "End Of A Rainbow" was Patti's solo debut album for CTI Records. Although not a commercial success, this album was one of the first ever to be exclusively devoted to the Quiet Storm "sound" that was just-then blossoming. Patti's soulful, tender and at times wistful and melancholic vocals are nothing short of exquisite. Patti wrote all eight tracks herself and CTI boss Creed Taylor obviously spared no expenses in getting the best session players for this cult classic. Now that it's available on CD "End Of A Rainbow" definitely deserves a reappraisal.

In 1964, Count Basie handed the reins of his band over to composer and arranger Billy Byers, purportedly to modernize his sound to the times. More accurately, Byers energized the band with his bright charts loaded with counterpointed exchanges and interplay, plus a depth and density the Basie band had long since relinquished to other similarly sized groups. With stellar personnel - including Eric Dixon, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Marshall Royal, Al Aarons, and Don Rader - Byers and Basie stoked the coals of the band with some red hot bop and intricate charts atypical to the laid-back approach that always served the band and its fans well. The upbeat tracks, the roaring "Basie Land," hard charging "Rabble Rouser" and the tumbling melody of "Gymnastics" are particularly noticeable, as the horns jump in and out of unison…

Bomb Strikes' much loved Funk N' Beats compilations reach something of a milestone with the 10th volume in the series. For such an occasion, the label called upon a true legend of the sound, who has featured many times on the previous volumes, Bristol’s very own Boca 45. Scott Hendy immersed himself in all things Hip Hop and Funk from a young age and has been unleashing productions upon the world for the last 25 years on legendary labels such as Grand Central and Mass Appeal. His place as an aficionado is beyond doubt with his selection and turntable skills seeing him hold down residencies at Fabric, appearing globally and even being hand-picked by the mysterious artist Banksy to open his Dismaland project. With such credentials and decades of crate digging to draw upon, the album was always going to be something special.