sound quality

Jean-Michel Jarre gave a series of five concerts in Beijing and Shanghai in 1981, marking the first time a modern Western musical artist had performed in communist China. Mao let him do the concerts because, according to Jarre's biography, he liked the color of his eyes more than anything else. Recognizing the historical significance of the whole undertaking and the milestone it represented in Jarre's career, a double live album […]

With Number 3 Monkey, Neal Black & The Healers deliver a blues-rock record that feels road-tested, lived-in, and fully connected to the roots that shaped Neal Black’s sound. The album brings together twelve tracks, ten of them Neal Black originals, alongside two classic blues covers — Skip James’ “Devil Got My Woman” and Robert Wilkins’ “No Way To Get Along.” Recorded during a break in the band’s latest European tour, […]

Belgian rhythm & blues outfit The Dibs return with Just For You, a vibrant new album released in March 2026 on Naked Records. Built on deep grooves, soulful vocals, Hammond heat, blues guitar grit and a fully organic band sound, the record captures everything that makes The Dibs stand out: rhythm & blues at heart, but open to soul, funk, jazz, gospel, country touches and blues-rock energy. The album runs […]

Banquet is the fourth album by German progressive rock band Lucifer's Friend, released in 1974, where Lucifer's Friend finally combined the many different elements of their sound (prog, soul, jazz, hard rock) into a coherent and completely distinct style.This time, the main focus of the album is on epic progressive songs with complex orchestrations that go through a variety of surprising and ambitious changes in their orchestrations.The opening track, "Spanish […]

One Step Beyond is the 1979 debut album by British ska-pop group Madness. It was ranked 90th among the 100 greatest albums of all time in a 2005 poll conducted by British television channel Channel 4.The album, which was recorded and remixed in about three weeks, reached number two and remained in the UK album charts for over a year.It was the first album by producers Clive Langer and Alan […]

Orléans Passion – Discover the Beautiful Side of Life Through a Personal Lens Orléans Passion is a heartfelt personal blog created by Jeff, a lifelong resident of Orléans, France. Born and raised in this historic city, Jeff uses the blog as a joyful space to share his passions — from photos and videos to music and reflections inspired by life around him. Embracing “the beautiful side of things,” Jeff takes […]

The Golden Wire is the third solo album by Police guitarist Andy Summers, recorded in November and December 1988 and released in 1989.Andy Summers is a wonderful and demanding stylist, composer and guitar virtuoso. Summers remained very productive after the Police disbanded in the mid-1980s, making a series of distinctive solo albums, and successful films such as Down And Out In Beverly Hills. His solo musical development has been sporadic […]

All Directions is the 15th album by the Temptations, released in 1972 by Motown Records, produced by Norman Whitfield.The LP contains the group's No. 1 hit, "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone", a twelve-minute track that Whitfield produced, as well as its first single release, Undisputed Truth. "Papa" won three Grammy Awards in 1973:Best R&B Vocal Performance by the group, Best R&B Instrumental Performance by the group, which was on the […]

Easter is the third studio album by the Patti Smith Group, released in March 1978 by Arista Records. It was produced by Jimmy Iovine and is considered the group's commercial breakthrough, due to the huge success of the single, "Because The Night", co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 in the United Kingdom.It is the first album released […]

The new Van Morrison album Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge is a reminder of something music fans often forget: the best artists don’t “age out” of relevance — they simply deepen. When a career has been built on craft, tone, and truth, time becomes an advantage. That’s exactly what you hear here: a veteran voice that still knows how to live inside a song, and a bandstand energy […]

Issaquena Getaway is the new full-length album from harmonica virtuoso Charlie Barath - ablues & roots recording with a joyful Delta spirit, and world-class musicianship. Recorded atClarksdale Soundstage in Clarksdale, Mississippi and co-produced by Gary Vincent andCharlie Barath, the album draws its character from the quiet spaces of the Delta, wheresubtlety and groove matter more than volume or excess.Comprised of twelve original compositions and two covers, Issaquena Getaway reflects Barath’s long-standing […]

Blues music has long thirsted after the pleasures and pains of love at the heart of itsemotional essence. Sometimes, though, love and the blues create a thirst for more –like the heady musical cocktail of Seven Deadly Gins, the sparkling new album servedup by the Colorado band Reckless and Blue. The group's searing blues style has madethem winners of the Colorado Blues Society's 2026 Blues Challenge, headed forJanuary's International Blues […]

Organ music has its roots in ancient Greece, played at games and events. Ed Alstrom playsmodern organ music that has its own roots, deep in the blues. He is something of a newcomer to the 'blues scene', but he made a significant impact in 2025 with his self-produced debut album, Flee Though None Pursue, placing #15 in the 2025 Roots Music Report Top 200 and #1 in the Jazzy Blues category. Alstrom started […]

Demons And Wizards is the fourth studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released on 19 May 1972 by Bronze Records in the United Kingdom and Mercury Records in the United States. The album was a huge success, selling over 3 million copies worldwide.The original vinyl release featured a legendary cover, the outside of which was designed by Roger Dean. The inside featured photos of the band, various liner […]

Friday Night in San Francisco is a live album, released on August 10, 1981, by Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía. It was described by jazz writer and critic Walter Kolosky as "a musical event that could be compared to the Benny Goodman Band's performance at Carnegie Hall in 1938 and may be considered the most important of all live acoustic guitar albums".All tracks except "Guardian Angel" […]