After the success of The Art of Tea, Michael Franks was able to more confidently move closer to the kind of music he wanted to make. Employing a more exotic Brazilian feel on Sleeping Gypsy, with lush orchestration (courtesy of veteran jazz arranger and conductor Claus Ogerman), Franks moved his acoustic guitar work to the background to create a romantic sound with no sappiness. With "Down in Brazil" and, particularly, "Antonio's Song," his ode to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Franks was doing with Brazilian music for the rock crowd in the '70s what Stan Getz did for the jazz crowd in the '60s. He again employed his witty wordplay and evocative storytelling ability on "B'wana-He No Home," a song about a time when Dan Hicks was staying at his house while Franks was away. A romantic, elegant and important album in bringing Brazilian music to a wider audience.

No Lookin' Back is the second full-length solo album from former Doobie Brothers singer/songwriter Michael McDonald, released in 1985. For the first time, he co-produced, as well as wrote or co-wrote all the songs. No Lookin' Back was re-released in 1986 with different album artwork, along with the inclusion of the hit single "Sweet Freedom" from the soundtrack of the Gregory Hines/Billy Crystal movie Running Scared.

Runaway is an album by Bill Champlin, released on Elektra Records in 1981. It is notable as containing "Tonight Tonight", Champlin's minor hit as a solo artist, as well as "Sara", which also achieved a degree of chart success.

Come On Over is the third album by Canadian singer Shania Twain (born 1965). With approximately 100 million records sold, she is the most successful artist in the history of country music. Come On Over was also made with the significant contribution of her then-husband and collaborator, producer-composer Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

Best known for a pair of adult contemporary smashes – "Please Don't Leave," a duet with Michael McDonald, and the Pretty Woman soundtrack's "Fallen" – Lauren Wood has parlayed a variety of talents into a career spanning two decades, even if she hasn't remained highly visible throughout that time.

DAVID ROBERTS‘ magnum opus ‘All Dressed Up’ (1982) is considered as a milestone in the AOR / Westcoast genre and it’s easy to explain why. Although it was David’s first album, the man knew how to write catchy songs and perform them in a breathtaking AOR way. Add to that the support of an excellent producer in Greg Mathieson and a whole cast of impressive musicians, and it becomes obvious that one can call this record a classic for the genre.

After 1982’s ‘All Dressed Up…’ DAVID ROBERTS concentrated as songwriter. His compositions can be heard on albums by artists like Starship, Bad English, Lee Aaron, Signal, House Of Lords, Jimmy Barnes, Boulevard, and more.
“The Missing Years” features the demos Roberts recorded himself to showcase his songs to other artists, managers and label executives. Roberts performs most the instruments, with some guitars performed by other musicians, including talented Stan Meissner. This is music written between the ’80s & ’90s, so you can expect the AOR / Melodic Rock style of that era, very well produced & recorded. And there’s some real gems from the genre here.

James VINCENT is just one of many excellent musicians from Chicago area. As a guitarist he changed through a lot of styles, and through his career was not just a solo artist but a studio musician, writer and composer.

Active as a solo recording artist between the years of 1975-1981, Chris Rainbow wrote and recorded three very highly regarded albums, Home Of the Brave (1975), Looking Over My Shoulder (1978) and this release, his third full length recording, White Trails (1979), as well as a collection of singles throughout his valued career. Chris Rainbow also worked extensively adding vocal contributions to artists' work of the calibre of The Alan Parsons Project, Culture Club, Elaine Paige and Toyah Wilcox, as well as producing albums for the likes of Scottish Gaelic rock group Runrig.

Leavin' is a studio album by American recording artist Natalie Cole, released on September 26, 2006, by Verve Records. The album consists of ten cover versions of various R&B and pop songs and two original songs: "5 Minutes Away" and "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love)". It was the second of Cole's albums to be released by Verve Records and her first album in four years, following Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002). Cole promoted the album as a return to her R&B roots, distancing herself from an identification as a jazz artist.

Originally released in 1995, Balance marked the final studio album from the classic Van Halen lineup of Sammy Hagar, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony. The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum record debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Top 40 hit “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You,” along with fan favorites “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” and “Amsterdam.”

Plenty of 80s grooves here – plus a few great 70s numbers – one of the more contemporary volumes of the Steppin Across The USA series! As with previous volumes, the focus here is on tracks that play well on underground dancefloors – especially here in the Windy City, where the Steppers sound still reigns supreme! Most tracks are mellow or midtempo – sliding along on percolating beats, warm keyboards, and just the right touch of soulful vocals – often a shade just away from commercial, but with enough of the best elements to keep things real. Titles include "Yours (12" mix)" by Shai, "Ooh Wee Baby" by Ian Foster, "Missing You" by Chris Walker, "Groovin" by Collage, "Red Lights" by Curiosity Killed The Cat, "Make It Funkier" by Information Society, "Take You Down To Love" by Patrice Rushen, "This Feeling Must Be Real" by Skool Boyz, and "U Send Me Swingin (silky smooth 12" mix)" by Mint Condition. Also features the 70s tracks "I'm Your Lover" by Ronnie McNeir, "Wish You Were Here" by Free Life, and "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers – a great bit of acoustic soul!

In the 1970s, the teenaged Dennis Brown was one of the most popular singers in Jamaica, a reggae artist generally referred to in the same breath as Gregory Isaacs (with whom, in fact, he collaborated from time to time) and Bob Marley. Dubbed the "Crown Prince of Reggae," Brown seems to be ageless; although his voice has mellowed somewhat with time, his more recent work has the same emotive power as his vintage recordings from reggae's golden age, and he continues to effortlessly combine cultural and religious themes with romantic pleas. Tribulation finds him teamed up with some of the top reggae session players around (notably the redoubtable Roots Radics, who sound at the top of their form here) on 16 new songs, all of them presented in the rootsy but contemporary style that has typified Brown's work since the 1980s. Highlights include the aching "Go On Now Girl," which is supported by a very fine computer bassline; the old-school throb of "Rougher Yet," and the more electronic "This Love of Mine." Alvin Ranglin's production is top-notch throughout.

There was a time when Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown were the two most popular reggae singers in Jamaica. That and the fact that all of these songs were produced by Gussie Clarke at the legendary Channel One studio appear to be the two reasons for the configuration of this strange but attractive set, on which the two singers alternate songs (except for "Let Off Sup'm," which features both of them). Actually, the most significant unifying feature of this album is the constant presence of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare's Revolutionaries band, who play on all tracks, and of the vocal group Tetrack, who sing backup and whose leader wrote most of the songs. The songs are uniformly great – apart from their duet, Brown delivers the excellent "Crazy List," "Judge Not," "Deceiving Girl" and "To the Foundation" (note Sly Dunbar's brilliant drumming on that last track), while Gregory turns in "Live & Love," "Street Walker" and "Innercity Lady." The program may appear skimpy at first glance, but each song is presented in "showcase" format (i.e., with dub version appended), so most tracks last over seven minutes. Highly recommended.

While the collaboration between soul singer supreme Ron Isley and composer and arranger Burt Bacharach does not have the adventurous scope of Bacharach's collaboration with Elvis Costello – in that the tunes featured here are mostly Bacharach classics – it is every bit as satisfying. At 62, Isley's voice is sweeter and more resonant than ever. Bacharach's new charts for these songs take into consideration the singer of "Harvest for the World," "Fight the Power," and "For the Love of You." Inside these towering, lush harmonic architectures shimmers Isley's golden throat, adding just that sultry hint of deep soul to the proceedings.