Drawing on over 30 years of experience playing the country-blues, complete with tutorials from some of the undisputed masters, it comes as no surprise that Stefan Grossman can so consistently conjure up the authentic spirit of the music with each successive release. His original compositions show Grossman to be the most confident of guitarists in his genre, effortlessly borrowing from the stylings of Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Blind Willie McTell among various others. While his playing isn't overly flashy, it need not be. The precision and craftsmanship injected into the fluid, rolling original "Yazoo Strut," the harder blues groove of "Spider Web Blues," and a powerful rendition of Reverend Gary Davis' "Candy Man" are country blues at its very best.

Although the Roomates formed in 1987, and the 30 songs on this CD weren't recorded until about 20 years later, the sound is very much like that of a doo wop group of the late '50s and early '60s. The production is clear and certainly not at all lo-fi, but the simple instrumentation, upfront harmonies, and basic, catchy material could almost lead many listeners to mistake these for early-'60s recordings. As the very title of the record indicates, the quartet is very influenced by white East Coast doo wop groups such as Dion & the Belmonts, and those familiar with the form will also hear similarities to the Elegants, the Mystics, and the Earls. Steve Webb, Glenn Brentnall, and Nick Kennedy all take their share of lead vocals, and most of the material, unusually for a retro ensemble such as this, is original, usually from the pen of Webb or Kennedy. Because it's not a record of classic covers, but it's certainly in a retro style, listening to the CD can be an odd experience: none of the songs are on the order of the great doo wop classics, but the caliber of the tunes are way above the average of what actual doo wop groups were recording on their LP filler tracks and non-hit 45s.

Written in 1740, Deidamia was the last of Handel’s Italian operas; thereafter he relinquished the form and turned his creative energies to English oratorio. The libretto is based on the myth of Achilles’ boyhood: disguised as a girl on the island of Scyros to escape his fate at Troy, Achilles is unmasked by Ulysses and joins the war, abandoning his lover Deidamia. Despite its heroic subject Deidamia is written with a light, almost comic touch, Deidamia herself providing a central seriousness as she moves from the ecstasies of young love to a tragic maturity, forced to release the boy she loves to his inevitable death. Simone Kermes is Deidamia and Anna Bonitatibus her cynical adversary Ulysses; Alan Curtis’ new recording reveals the many beauties of a very human and appealing work that marks a wistful end to the golden age of Baroque opera.

After the great success of its GENUIN debut album, which was highly acclaimed by the press, the Duo Brüggen-Plank is now following suit: The violinist Marie Radauer-Plank and the pianist Henrike Brüggen play works by the Romanian national composer George Enescu, opening up exciting and unknown worlds for us. Enescu covered a long distance from his first salon pieces to his later works. Genuinely unique, he was both modern and influenced by the ancient, exotic rhythms and harmonies of his homeland. The two musicians approach Enescu's colorful soundscapes with verve and musical splendor, refinement, and expansiveness. A folkloristic discovery—and much more!