Here's to Life is a 1992 studio album by Shirley Horn, arranged by Johnny Mandel (also the composer of three of the songs on the album), who received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) on this album.
Horn recorded with her trio (which includes bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams) first, emphasizing slow ballads. Mandel used the pianist-vocalist's improvisations and chord voicings as the basis for his charts and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis took guest solos on "A Time for Love" and "Quietly There." Shirley Horn fans will love this CD (which includes such numbers as "Here's To Life," "How Am I To Know" and "If You Love Me") but no real surprises or contrast occurs.

Kosmodysseia is the new album by Finnish heavy progressive/psych rock band The Fërtility Cült. This Tampere-based band has progressed and grown a lot in a few years and now seem to be annual performers at Fruits de Mer Records's Crabstock Festival in Wales. In addition to the standard rock instrumentation and great vocals their sound is heavily saturated with Hammond organ, Rhodes piano and saxophones making them sound rather special at least in Finland at the moment. There's also some cello and violin on the album. The new album seems less doom metal and more progressive rock which is definitely a good thing this time but there are still some heavy, gloomy parts in there.

There are a couple of names here, like Memphis Minnie and Lucille Bogan, that will be familiar to fans of the early blues on this interesting collection of female blues singers who recorded between 1923 and 1930, but most of these singers will be unknown to all but the most serious blues scholars and collectors. Most of them recorded sparingly, often cutting only the two sides of a single 78, before vanishing into the mists of history, remaining now only as vocal ghosts in the digital glow of the 21st century. Those voices, however, remain amazingly powerful, and the honest coarseness and barely veiled sexual themes of these songs is oddly refreshing and hopeful, and the directness of some of these sides seems bold even by today's standards…

Various Artists - The Ace Story, Volume 5 (2012) {Ace Records CDCHD1351 rec 1956-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 258 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 144 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 27 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-62, 2012 Ace Records | CDCHD 1351
Rhythm & Blues / Rock & Roll / Early R&B / Soul / New Orleans R&B / Blues

All good things must come to an end. And so it is that, having reached Volume 5 this month, we bid a fond farewell to “The Ace Story”. There’s enough good stuff left in the vaults of Johnny Vincent’s label to fill five more CDs, but our original plan was to expand the albums we put out in the late 70s and early 80s, so we’re stopping here – for now, at least – in the knowledge we have built a library of compilations that show the venerable imprint in its very best light.

Original Hits: 70s is a decent six-disc set, highlighting 111 pop singles released in that decade. Along with the original versions of radio classics by Al Stewart, Blondie, the Knack, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Dr. Hook, are less-than-obvious inclusions by Peter Tosh, XTC, the Move, and Benny Hill!

The cast album for the critically acclaimed Broadway production of David Byrne’s American Utopia, with music and lyrics by David Byrne, is now available on a double CD, following its recent digital release.

Dean Martin finally got access to conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle for an album project, and the result was an easy swinging collection with appealing horn charts and a series of comfortable readings of recent and vintage standards. Especially notable were the two songs borrowed from My Fair Lady, "On the Street Where You Live" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," which Martin and Riddle re-imagined as straight-forward love songs; "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" (which Martin would try again in a more contemporary arrangement four years later for one of his biggest hits); and a solo version of "Just in Time," which the singer had recently done with Judy Holliday in the film version of the musical Bells Are Ringing. This Time I'm Swingin'! was a good, confident set by an artist who had figured out how to make competent albums without expending a lot of effort, which was a key to his charm.

A confident and consistent album, The Blue Cafe combines Rea's atmospheric songwriting with larger doses of his slide guitar playing than usual. An overlooked talent of his, it underlies this collection of contemporary sounding songs rooted in dance beats and blues (a strange combination, but it works). Two songs from different sides of the spectrum illustrate the album well: "Sweet Summer Day" is one of the best from a master of summer anthems ("On the Beach," "All Summer Long," etc.), while "Where Do We Go From Here?" is a bitingly perceptive indictment of the emptiness of consumer culture laid against a cool, smooth backing track. All in all, this is one of Rea's most introspective albums and a strong addition to his catalog.

Rooted in the Blues and spanning out to include a variety of rock, tropical and blues styles, while using all the spare keys available to an accomplished guitarist, this music rocks, rolls and captures emotions. Jimmy Thackery has been writing and performing his original music for over 40 years, hitting the stages of large venues and getting down at your favorite neighborhood bars. An impeccable crowd pleaser, his loyal fans never miss the chance to see his live performances, and he relishes their commitment by giving the best show possible every time he and The Drivers set the downbeat. Spare Keys is a showcase of Jimmy's styles, many of which he gained by playing with and learning from some of the famous original Bluesmen, such as Muddy Waters and Otis Rush. Jimmy leads you on an emotional journey through the jungle, around some heartache and into the floating clouds that you'll want to ride as long as possible.

The Best of Leonard Cohen is a greatest hits album by Leonard Cohen, released in 1975. In some countries from Europe, it was released under the title Greatest Hits. This alternative title was used for the original vinyl release and for CD reissues from the 1980s onwards. The album was not a hit in the United States but did well in Europe, Cohen's major market at the time. He toured in support of the album in 1976, beginning in Berlin on April 22 and ending in London on July 7. The front cover photograph was taken in 1968 in a Milan hotel room, according to Cohen's liner notes. In July 2009, this compilation was re-released in England under the title Greatest Hits with updated artwork and a revised track listing.

Composer-pianist David Chesky has written seven new pieces that draw their inspiration from the Fantasia form. The Fantasia has evolved from its Renaissance roots and has become a vehicle for a composer's freedom of expression, utilizing rhythm, harmony, and improvisatory skill. And David Chesky brilliantly succeeds, not only in remaining faithful to the original concept of Fantasia, but also in creating a new genre of music with these works.