Caro Emerald came out of nowhere in 2009 with the summertime hit "Back It Up," a catchy jazz-pop song with a dance beat. The follow-up single, "A Night Like This," was an even bigger hit, topping the Dutch charts. By the time Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor came around, Emerald was well established as one of the most exciting new artists to emerge from the Netherlands in some time, and her full-length album debut was eagerly awaited. It includes the smash hit singles "Back It Up" and "A Night Like This," both written by Vincent de Giorgio, David Schreurs, and Jan van Wieringen. The latter two Dutchmen are Emerald's producers.

Harold Mabern is one of a number of American jazz artists who have developed a strong following in Japan, resulting in regular opportunities to record for the Japanese Venus label. This trio date with bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Willie Jones III (the latter sticking mainly to brushes) covers ten songs from the vast Harold Arlen songbook, though not all of them are well-known standards. Mabern's bouncing, breezy opener is a fun-filled take of "Over the Rainbow," followed by a gospel-inflected soul-jazz treatment of "A Sleepin' Bee" that prominently features Burno. His blues-drenched take of "Blues in the Night" is harmonically rich, while Mabern's jovial treatment of "I've Got the World on a String" swings like mad…

The two albums I.F. and I.F. 2 (short for Intergalactic Federation) Deep Space Network made with fellow German artist Dr Atmo for Fax Records feature longer tracks, offering a bigger canvas for Moufang and Grossmann to work on. These are true collaborations with Atmo - a lover of shadowy, cosmic Eastern melodies and percussion - where the whole ends up greater than the sum of the parts. I.F. contains the extraordinary "Ten Waves", a 25 minute psychedelic blissfest of bleeps, radio & TV samples and spacey melodies driven by a tabla drums and a steady, almost jazzy two-chord progression. This stoned masterpiece was a staple in dance party chill spaces in the 90's and stands up brilliantly today, every bit the equal of other extended chillout classics of the era.

This is the group's rawest and most R&B-oriented album, firmly rooted in the same influences as the Rolling Stones and the Pretty Things and including punk covers of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, et al., along with a few originals in the same vein. For those who don't get enough rough-and-ready British-style R&B and rock & roll from the debut albums by the Stones or Pretty Things, or find the playing by either band a little too tame and mannered, The Sect should be their next stop. Nobody on the British isles, other than maybe Brian Jones in his private moments on the guitar and harp, was more charmingly primitive than the Downliners Sect were on this album, which trades so freely in Bo Diddley riffs and the latter's signature beat that latecomers could be forgiven for thinking that this band had a hand in inventing them.

A cheerful little record, this, of three lightweight works played most exquisitely by very distinguished artists. In fact I am not sure that the chief distinction doesn't emanate from the orchestra: it is a while, as it happens, since I have heard the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and they seem to be playing here better than ever—sweet string tone, pure intonation, finely moulded phrasing, impeccably precise ensemble. Of the three works, the Cimarosa, written for two flutes (in which form it has several times been recorded), is the most attractive for its fluency, its melodiousness (the finale is a real charmer) and its elegant musical form; the Salieri seems by comparison rather carefully devised, though of course it has plenty of entertaining music. Carl Stamitz's piece takes itself more seriously, trying to be symphonic and taking less trouble about being tuneful—though the warm, galant slow movement makes very pleasing listening. The recorded sound is clear and true. (Stanley Sadie, Gramophone)

By 1976, the glam rock that had made Suzi Quatro famous was on its last legs as disco overtook the airwaves and punk rock festered in the clubs. However, Quatro was not going to give up the fight easily, as proven by Aggro-Phobia. This set, produced by British pop mastermind Mickie Most, is a lightweight but tuneful collection of pop/rock. Nothing here hits the manic heights of "Can the Can" or "Devil Gate Drive," but all the songs are solid and listenable. The big surprise this time out is the strong country-rock feel to a number of the songs: the cover of Steve Harley's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" places barnstorming acoustic guitar hooks where fat power chords once existed on Quatro's past hits, and "American Lady" soulfully combines organ and acoustic guitar riffs in a manner reminiscent of Rod Stewart's earthy early hits.

Live at the Astoria is a live concert video from English alternative rock group Radiohead's concert at the London Astoria venue on 27 May 1994, released on 13 March 1995 to VHS, and later to DVD in 2005. The concert is notable for its collection of songs being heard then for the first time. These songs would not appear until the release of The Bends, ten months later. It is Radiohead's only concert home video to date, not including the From the Basement DVD which is a live performance recorded in a studio rather than in front of an audience. The DVD edition of Live At The Astoria, digitally restored and remastered, was released on 21 November 2005 in Europe and on 22 November 2005 in North America. To be included on the bonus discs of the collector's editions of Pablo Honey and The Bends, the concert was split between the two. "You", "Ripcord", "Creep", "Prove Yourself", "Vegetable", "Stop Whispering", "Anyone Can Play Guitar", "Pop is Dead" and "Blow Out" were included on the re-release of Pablo Honey. Whereas "Bones", "Black Star", "The Bends", "My Iron Lung", "Maquiladora", "Fake Plastic Trees" "Just", and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" featured on the re-release of The Bends.

Three CD set containing the classic albums and recordings made by the legendary Chicken Shack between 1971 and 1974. Featuring the albums Imagination Lady, Unlucky boy, and Goodbye Chicken Shac'. With an illustrated booklet. Chicken Shack had come to prominence in the late 1960s as one of Britain's finest Blues bands, recording a series of albums for the Blue Horizon label. By 1971, the band had undergone changes to their line-up and guitarist/vocalist Stan Webb took the band in a harder rock direction. Signing to Decca's Deram label in 1971 under a production deal, Webb's band recorded the fine album Imagination Lady.

Inspired by classic & electric blues, the Bridget Kelly Band has placed their unique stamp on the blues-rock genre; with high-energy live performances and a hybrid sound that mixes Texas Blues with various Southern Blues traditions. The sultry vocals of singer Bridget Kelly and incendiary lead guitar work of Tim Fik forge a signature sound that combines female urban blues with dynamic riff-driven blues.

What a Brahms cycle! Günter Wand’s fairly brisk tempos, astute sense of linear clarity, and palpable dynamic intensity often hold a modern-day sonic mirror to Toscanini’s way with the composer. Listen to how the First symphony’s driving introduction ever so gradually eases into the incisively shaped main theme, or notice the fourth-movement introduction’s seamless yet almost improvisatory transitions. The Third’s difficult-to-balance first movement is all of a piece, with the sustained wind passages, brass outbursts, and often buried lower strings contoured in revelatory perspective.

What a Brahms cycle! Günter Wand’s fairly brisk tempos, astute sense of linear clarity, and palpable dynamic intensity often hold a modern-day sonic mirror to Toscanini’s way with the composer. Listen to how the First symphony’s driving introduction ever so gradually eases into the incisively shaped main theme, or notice the fourth-movement introduction’s seamless yet almost improvisatory transitions. The Third’s difficult-to-balance first movement is all of a piece, with the sustained wind passages, brass outbursts, and often buried lower strings contoured in revelatory perspective.

A world might seem to divide the unbridled Romanticism of Berlioz from the highly controlled Late Baroque art of Rameau. However, separated by less than a century, the same passion links these two works that prove more similar than their stylistic divergence might suggest. There is the same audacity in orchestration, combined with an innate sense of drama that springs repeated rhythmic and harmonic surprises. The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra shows its versatility under Daniel Harding, who posses a matchless gift for establishing a dialogue between these two pioneering geniuses.

Despite critical acclaim as a performer, the rootsy singer/songwriter T Bone Burnett earned his greatest renown as a producer, helming recording sessions for acts ranging from Roy Orbison and Elvis Costello to Counting Crows and Sam Phillips.

Este fantástico disco pensado especialmente para los amantes del Barroco, muestra la realidad de la música teatral española al despuntar el siglo XVIII. Con un poderío instrumental impresionante, unos arreglos hermosos y mucho talento, el disco propuesto por el director Fahmi Alqhai al frente de su Accademia del Piacere deja claro cómo el estilo italiano arraiga en España de mano de la corte borbónica fundiéndose con los ritmos y armonías locales que tanto influyeron en Sebastián Durón, uno de los nombres fundamentales de la renovación de la música española del momento.

Streamlining the muted, organic atmospheres of the previous Gone to Earth to forge a more cohesive listening experience, Secrets of the Beehive is arguably David Sylvian's most accessible record, a delicate, jazz-inflected work boasting elegant string arrangements courtesy of Ryuichi Sakamoto. Impeccably produced by Steve Nye, the songs are stripped to their bare essentials, making judicious use of the synths, tape loops, and treated pianos which bring them to life; Sylvian's evocative vocals are instead front and center, rendering standouts like "The Boy With the Gun" and the near-hit "Orpheus" - both among the most conventional yet penetrating songs he's ever written - with soothing strength and assurance.