Assembled with the cooperation of the band, Styx's entry in Universal's 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection series of discount-priced best-of's, surveys the group's tenure at A&M Records, where they scored most of their popular success. Of course, the early hit "Lady," recorded for RCA-distributed Wooden Nickel Records (and thus in the vaults of rival major label BMG), is not included. Neither are the Top Ten hit "Don't Let It End," or the Top 20 hit "Renegade" (mistakenly called a Top Ten hit in the liner notes). But the rest of Styx's big A&M hits – "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Come Sail Away," "Mr. Roboto," "The Best of Times," "Babe," "Show Me the Way" – are on the disc, along with several Top 40 entries and the popular album track "Boat on the River," from 1979's Cornerstone LP.

Franck Pourcel & his Grand Orchestra.
French violinist Franck Pourcel is best-known for his jazzy string arrangements of pop hits, as well as his lush easy listening arrangements and film scores.
By 1958, Pourcel started recording classical music. His series of Pages Célèbres led him to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra, The Society of Concerts for the Conservatoire, The BBC Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, and the Lamoureux Orchestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

Recorded at Snap Studios and mixed at Strongroom Studios in London, Magnolia represents the ultimate culmination of songwriter & guitarist Bruce Soord’s ongoing quest to raise spirits and connect. A devastating yet uplifting collection of 12 beautifully crafted songs, it showcases the band’s intuitive chemistry and soulful demeanour, cramming a vast array of emotional shades and inspirational ideas into its 47 mesmerising minutes. Veering from the strident opening assault of ‘Simple As That’, due to be the first single, through to the cinematic sweep of the closing track ‘Bond’, it marks an important step in the band’s story, while skilfully encapsulating everything that has made their musical journey such a relentlessly fascinating one.

Soft & romantic piano music, slight scents of jazz, beautiful songs and ballads - all these elements united in the lovely piano player from Atlanta, Georgia and her second album on Innovative Communication. She's all woman and her music expreses exactly that quality in songs that are catchy and full of lovely, evergreen melodies.

Carved from the frozen landscapes of Norway, 1349 have etched their mark upon the black metal pantheon, wielding their instruments like war-axes in the vanguard of the genre's relentless assault. With a legacy drenched in the blood of aural extremities, they have become the standard-bearers of unyielding sonic warfare, relentless in their pursuit of the darker arts. Behold The Wolf and The King, the latest cataclysm to be unleashed by 1349. A tempestuous odyssey through eight tracks of pure, unadulterated black metal, flawlessly showcasing the band's mastery over chaos and carnage. From the voracious onslaught of The God Devourer to the sinister depths of Fatalist, each track is a portal into a realm where shadows reign supreme, and the air is thick with the stench of decay. Ash of Ages blends thrash influences with extreme black metal flourishes…

Although they might not admit it, fans of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan have been waiting for the next Stevie Ray to rise out of the blues-rock circuit, and while countless hotshot guitar slingers certainly have dressed the part, few if any of them have that same mixture of explosive skill and hard-earned soul. New England's Albert Cummings might just be the guy who can do it, though. Calling him the new Stevie Ray wouldn't be fair, certainly, but Cummings, a carpenter from Williamston, Massachusetts, has that same explosive, soulful and emotional tone that made Vaughan so special. He also is somewhat of an "aw, shucks" kind of guy, with very little show-biz about him, but when he picks up that Fender Stratocaster, sparks fly. True to Yourself is Cummings' debut with the Blind Pig label, and working with Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon is sure to draw parallels with Vaughan, but Cummings, although his guitar tone and attack are definitely similar, is a much more grounded songwriter, and there is somewhat of a domestic veneer to these tracks.

On his 35th album as a leader, pianist and composer David Benoit changed up his game. Remarkably, 2 in Love is the very first time in his long career that he's worked with a vocalist on an entire album. His chosen collaborator is Jane Monheit, one of the most celebrated mainstream jazz singers. All but one of these ten songs are originals co-written with three different lyricists: Lorraine Feather, Mark Winkler, and Spencer Day. Produced by the pianist, 2 in Love was cut live in the studio – a daunting prospect for most contemporary vocalists. But Monheit is no ordinary singer. Check her delivery on the knotty, Latin-tinged opener "Barcelona Nights." She glides through the changes and imbues her canny phrasing with just a hint of samba, with each articulated syllable entrenched in the song's groove. The sultry passion in her utterance is complemented beautifully by Pat Kelly's nylon-string guitar in the bridge. The title track is a swinging bossa with charging piano and hand percussion. Monheit has demonstrated throughout her career that her grasp on the form is both expert and soulful.

After being succesful in almost every European and Asian countries (and relatively in North America), the swedish members of ABBA decided to record their most recognizable hits in Spanish in order to conquer the Latin American region. So, they took into account tunes with a Latin flavour: Hasta Mañana, Fernando, Mamma Mia, and of course Chiquitita, among others. The result was a huge success all over South and Central America,due to the well-polished tracks, highlighting the outstanding voices of the singers whose pronunciation in Spanish was remarkable. This is really a very beloved album for Latin American people, a triumph in all senses!

Having made several changes in their business and musical efforts in 1972, Grand Funk Railroad made even more extensive ones in 1973, beginning with their name, which was officially truncated to "Grand Funk." And keyboardist Craig Frost, credited as a sideman on Phoenix, the previous album, was now a full-fledged bandmember, filling out the musical arrangements. The most notable change, however, came with the hiring of Todd Rundgren to produce the band's eighth album. Rundgren, a pop/rock artist in his own right, was also known for his producing abilities, and he gave Grand Funk exactly what they were looking for: We're an American Band sounded nothing like its muddy, plodding predecessors. Sonically, the record was sharp and detailed and the band's playing was far tighter and more accomplished…

An ECM New Series debut for a Danish composer of great originality. "Sørensen’s music is dreamscapes without boundaries," Nordic Sounds has written. "Down to the last detail of its structure it wishes to accommodate itself to the lyrical leaps and irregular rhythms of consciousness." On "Birds and Bells" Sørensen plays continually with spatial depth in the music, inviting the listener to experience it from unusual and changing perspectives as glissandi sweep through the ensemble sound and composed "echoes" reverberate. The music is well served by an exceptional pan-Scandinavian cast under the direction of Christian Eggen.