Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind download album

Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind

Artist: Bob Dylan

Album: Time Out of Mind

Release Date: September 30, 1997

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

After spending much of the '90s touring and simply not writing songs, Bob Dylan returned in 1997 with Time Out of Mind, his first collection of new material in seven years. Where Under the Red Sky, his last collection of original compositions, had a casual, tossed-off feel, Time Out of Mind is carefully considered, from the densely detailed songs to the dark, atmospheric production. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Oh Mercy, the last album Dylan recorded with producer Daniel Lanois, but Time Out of Mind has a grittier foundation -- by and large, the songs are bitter and resigned, and Dylan gives them appropriately anguished performances. Lanois bathes them in hazy, ominous sounds, which may suit the spirit of the lyrics, but are often in opposition to Dylan's performances. Consequently, the album loses a little of its emotional impact, yet the songs themselves are uniformly powerful, adding up to Dylan's best overall collection in years. It's a better, more affecting record than Oh Mercy, not only because the songs have a stronger emotional pull, but because Lanois hasn't sanded away all the grit. As a result, the songs retain their power, leaving Time Out of Mind as one of the rare latter-day Dylan albums that meets his high standards.

Los Originales - Cuban Masters: Los Originales download album

Los Originales - Cuban Masters: Los Originales

Artist: Los Originales

Album: Cuban Masters: Los Originales

Release Date: November 13, 2001

Genre: Latin

Format: mp3 / FLAC

The brainchild of trombone man and longtime Cuban music great Juan Pablo Torres, los Originales are a group of some of Latin jazz's funkiest players doing what they do best. Famed percussionists Francisco Aguabella, Francisco de los Reyes, and Carlos "Patato" Valdes swing en clave like few on earth are capable. When joined by the oft-underappreciated pianist Alfredo "Alfredito" Valdes, Jr., and the father of mambo himself, Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, the rhythm section exudes an unmatchable confidence and sense of elegance. Whether in a gutsy, machismo-laced mambo or a suave and elegant danzon, los Originales prove their claim to the name. It seems that the Cuban music community is glutted with groups following the same model (form an orquesta with a couple serious veterans and a whole lot of competent unknowns, play traditional mambo craze-era music with new arrangements, and call yourself the original gangsters of Cuban music), including groups like Caravana Cubana, Afro-Cuban All Stars, and Cuban All-Stars, to name a few of the better. To be sure, Cuban Masters: Los Originales is a fantastic project. It would be nice, however, to see what these musician's musicians could come up with if they were not scrambling to feed the foreign market's voracious hunger for nostalgia cubana.

Orlando Poleo - Lo Bueno de la Vida download album

Orlando Poleo - Lo Bueno de la Vida

Artist: Orlando Poleo

Album: Lo Bueno de la Vida

Release Date: April 9, 2002

Genre: Latin

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Venezuelan percussionist Orlando Poleo may not quite be a household name in the States. Perhaps he should be. His 2002 release, Lo Bueno de la Vida, manages to cover an amazing array of stylistic territory, and all of it with native ease. Venezuela produces some truly amazing musical talent, but even among them Poleo is a standout, a feather in Caracas' cap. The salsa on the record swings with gutsy confidence. The Latin jazz selections, often favoring Afro-Venezuelan rhythms, are intelligent and intricate. Poleo even includes a few percussion compositions that are so expertly performed as to take on a hypnotic quality. If a musician's quality is reflected by those around him, then Poleo must pack some true star power. The record's guest list is definitely VIP, with appearances from artists like Dave Valentin and Orlando "Maraca" Valle, and a virtual who's who list of percussionists, including up-and-comer Paoli Mejias, Giovanni Hidalgo, Miguel "Anga" Diaz, and Richie Flores, to name a few. Poleo now makes his professional home in France, which challenges the perception that clave only truly lives in the Americas. Sony International struck gold with Orlando Poleo. Those who choose to add Lo Bueno de la Vida to their collections can share in that fortune.

Israel Vibration - Live & Jammin' download album

Israel Vibration - Live & Jammin'

Artist: Israel Vibration

Album: Live & Jammin'

Release Date: September 30, 2003

Genre: Reggae

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Recorded during the duo's February 2003 tour of France, Live & Jammin' easily lives up to its title, with 16 songs and 70-plus minutes of sizzling music. Drawing from across their entire canon, this set could almost pass as a greatest-hits collection, bar the exclusion of numbers written and performed by former member Albert "Apple" Craig. With his departure, the Vibes lost the signature sound of their harmonies, and on-stage the duo rarely even duet; instead, each is individually supported by the harmonies of La Venia Brisset and Kimberley Miller. So this is not the Vibes of yore, but they sound great regardless. The show kicks off with a blistering version of the Soul Vendors' classic "Rockfort Rock," with the rhythm team of Macasea Bey and Errol "Flabba" Holt, along with rhythm guitarist Errol Moore, pumping away. Holt's sinuous, twisting, palpitating basslines are the centerpiece of all the arrangements, but that doesn't prevent lead guitarist Richard Butler and keyboardist Richard Johnson from easily grabbing their share of the glory across the set. And what a set it is, beautifully intermixing recent material like "Level Every Angle," "Jah Runnings," and "Jammin'" with such '90s faves as "Feeling Irie," "Vultures," and "Red Eyes." But then they reach further back in time to include a clutch of now ancient numbers drawn from their debut album -- "Ball of Fire," "Why Worry," "Licks and Kicks," and, of course, the title track, "The Same Song." There are over two decades' worth of numbers that are now truly timeless, with the band -- regardless of age -- ensuring that each sounds remarkably fresh and thoroughly contemporary, without stamping out their original appeal or turning them into modern parodies. Both Cecil "Skelly" Spence and Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin are in powerful form, the band magnificent, the atmosphere superb, and the music just keeps on flowing on. A fabulous live moment that everyone can now share.

Héctor Lavoe - A Man and His Music: La Voz download album

Héctor Lavoe - A Man and His Music: La Voz

Artist: Héctor Lavoe

Album: A Man and His Music: La Voz

Release Date: July 17, 2007

Genre: Latin

Format: mp3 / FLAC

No one made salsa great more than Willie Colón, but a large part of what made Colón great was Héctor Lavoe. "El Cantante" was the greatest vocalist in salsa history, a man whose gift for vocal improvisation and rhythm was in similar company with James Brown and Ray Charles -- and precious few others. He sang his lines with the same melodic dexterity as the greatest jazz singers (with more resemblance to an instrument than a voice). Also, he played off Colón's sprightly arrangements and punchy trombone lines to perfection. In fact, it's difficult to tell who inspired the other more. Still, it's clear they did most of their best work together -- at least five of their albums belong in the canon of great salsa: La Gran Fuga, Cosa Nuestra, The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, Lo Mato, and El Juicio. La Voz, the two-disc compilation of Fania recordings, spends most of its first half reprising Lavoe and Colón's greatest sides, then focuses on Lavoe's excellent "solo" career (including La Voz, De Ti Depende, and El Sabio) plus a trio of his greatest appearances as part of the Fania All-Stars. It's the greatest Lavoe compilation ever assembled, with remastered sound and excellent liner notes from Little Louie Vega, the Masters at Work producer who knows his Héctor Lavoe better than anyone (he's Lavoe's nephew).

Modest Mouse - Building Nothing Out of Something download album

Modest Mouse - Building Nothing Out of Something

Artist: Modest Mouse

Album: Building Nothing Out of Something

Release Date: January 18, 2000

Genre: Pop/Rock

Format: mp3 / FLAC

Building Nothing Out of Something collects Modest Mouse singles and rare tracks from the group's indie-label years, including the studio tracks from the Interstate 8 EP and their contributions to the Sub Pop Singles Club. Despite the songs' motley origins, Building Nothing Out of Something works well as an album, balancing the group's quirky and often poignant pop songs with their more abrasive rock side. The wonderfully dreamy, off-kilter "Interstate 8" and "Workin' on Leavin' the Livin'" (which cleverly quotes Eraserhead's "Lady in the Radiator Song") are two shining examples of the group's elastic, loopy guitar pop, while "All Nite Diner," "A Life of Arctic Sounds," and "Other People's Lives" define their high-strung rock sound. Slower songs like "Grey Ice Water" and the Santo & Johnny homage "Sleepwalkin'" round out this look at Modest Mouse's diverse but consistently worthwhile indie output.

Joey Beltram - Form & Control download album

Joey Beltram - Form & Control

Artist: Joey Beltram

Album: Form & Control

Release Date: June 14, 2002

Genre: Electronic

Format: mp3 / FLAC

The title of Joey Beltram's fourth mix album takes on a special meaning after reading the inside statement of purpose: "The continuous mix heard here was recorded straight through and not edited in any way." Of course, it couldn't be any other way for a chance-taker like Beltram, a techno renegade and among the least likely to ever be associated with any Pro Tools-heavy mixes like the ones streaming out of Global Underground's hard drive. Burning through almost two dozen tracks in over an hour, Beltram stays on a course of hard techno, but offers up so much variety and so many change-ups that it sounds positively rangy. Midway through -- and beginning with his own remix of "A Gig in Cannes" by Conga Squad -- he briefly switches over to more of a high-energy disco sound, but ends with a few of his own harder productions and Jeff Mills' "Dynamic."

Orquesta Todos Estrellas - Oro de Cuba download album

Orquesta Todos Estrellas - Oro de Cuba

Artist: Orquesta Todos Estrellas

Album: Oro de Cuba

Release Date: May 7, 2002

Genre: Latin

Format: mp3 / FLAC

With all the big-band flair and drama of the Tropicana Club of Havana's yesteryear, the Orquesta Todos Estrellas have struck gold. Oro de Cuba captures the mystery and wonder of the Cuban music that first captured the world's heart in the '50s. With an enormous, thundering horn section, a handful of percussionists, and some time-tested soneros, the Orquesta have all the pieces in place to do nostalgia de Cuba like no other group today. With musical direction from Michael Patterson and Adolfo Pichardo, the former with ample Broadway and theater experience, the latter with his roots deep in the Latin folkloric tradition, the experience of Oro de Cuba is the meeting of two worlds. Combining the bright lights of the stage show with street musicians from the barrios was magical 60 years ago when it was pioneered, and the same aesthetic works today. Featuring some of the golden age's musicians, like vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer and percussionist Amadito Valdés, some of the key players have even remained the same from the style's creation to it's re-creation. Through the eyes of Oro de Cuba, it's easy to see how the world's love affair with Cuba began.

Dean Martin - My Kind of Christmas download album

Dean Martin - My Kind of Christmas

Artist: Dean Martin

Album: My Kind of Christmas

Release Date: October 6, 2009

Genre: Vocal

Format: mp3 / FLAC

My Kind of Christmas includes a variety of holiday favorites performed in Dean Martin's inimitable, easygoing style. Among the 14 cuts are "Blue Christmas," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," and "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Also featured is a newly recorded duet with actress/singer Scarlett Johansson crooning along with Dino’s voice on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Those who appreciate Martin’s laid-back vocals should find this disc a welcome addition to their holiday music collections.