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  • Taylor Swift has been of legal drinking age for almost two years as I type this review, but that should not keep those of us who are older and potentially wiser from enjoying a nice glass of Catena Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 while listening to her latest release Red. A young romantic, Swift opens up the photo album of her love life’s successes, failures and wishful memories through songs primarily self-penned. Why the title Red? Swift explains, “…when you experience love that’s fast paced and out of control and mixes infatuation, jealousy, frustration, miscommunication, and all of those lovely emotions… In retrospect, it all looks red.”...

  • Michael Buble’s voice makes me smile and desire sweets and bubbles and fancy dresses and long gloves. I can almost hear the scratch of a needle on a spinning record with his crooning, smooth voice and upbeat style. He has a voice with old soul....

  • Just when you thought that Jazz-Rock Fusion was defunct, or even worse, dead, Grammy-nominated Keyboardist, Composer, Producer Jeff Lorber has breathed new life into it, bringing back killer grooves, funky bass lines, sultry saxophones, and wonderfully rich melodies all woven together into a tapestry of Jazz, Funk, R&B, Latin, Dance, and House....

  • Great music, like great wine, is not easily produced. Some of the sweetest efforts are born of trial and tribulation. Especially when it comes to Love and Pinot Noir! Enter the perfect wine and music pairing; Carol Duboc’s preeminent release, the soulful and sultry “Smile”, paired with Davis Bynum’s Pinot Noir “Jane’s Vineyard”, 2011. Both are elegant, yet complex....

  • Vintage rockers turning to orchestras for new takes on their music has become a firmly established trend over the past few years, and in all honesty it hasn’t always been a welcome one. But I’m happy to report that Symphonicities, the new album of Sting’s music seen through the classical lens of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, isn’t just another attempt to rehash memorable songs from years ago. Instead, it’s a new look at the great works of a great artist, filled with (for the most part) strikingly unusual, challenging arrangements which push the boundaries of the songs to which they pay tribute....

  • Jill Scott’s newest release, her first in 4 years, “The Light of the Sun”, is a big, smooth, and uplifting production, that makes you feel. It makes you feel good, makes you feel smart, makes you feel hopeful, and makes you want to dance! From the first glance at the cover, where she’s standing next to a classic Lincoln Mark IV, you know it’s gonna be a bit retro. Scott clearly loves the 70’s R&B, with it’s funky grooves, real drums, and clean guitars, and that’s just fine with this listener. She harkens to the Isley Brothers in “So in Love”, featuring Anthony Hamilton, with an infectious bass line and incessant four-on-the-floor groove. It feels like the 70’s but with a modern flair. Her love of the DC “Go Go” sound is evident on “Shame” featuring Eve, and the jazz influences on “Blessed”, “All Cried Out”, “Quick”, “When I Wake Up” and “Rolling Hills” are refreshing and keep this record from being labeled cookie-cutter Hip-Hop....

  • And touch the sky they do! This latest release by Contemporary Jazz quartet, Fourplay, is probably one of my favorite contemporary Jazz albums. I put it on and want to play it again and again which rarely happens to me. For two decades, this group of legendary studio musicians has enjoyed consistent artistic and commercial success. In the course of a dozen recordings – six of which have climbed to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Album charts – the supergroup has continued to explore the limitless dimensions and permutations of jazz while at the same time appealing to a broad audience....

  • Adele effortlessly illustrates the pain of heartbreak and lost love through her sophomore album “21” (named for her age when it was written). The English singer-songwriter first gained recognition when her debut album “19” was released in 2008, which earned her Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. This follow-up album not only mixes the genres of soul, R&B and pop, but is also influenced by the sounds of blues and country music that she discovered while touring through the southern states. With the help of talented producers, such as Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth, Adele has created a passionate and dark sounding album, which empathizes her powerful vocals....

  • The 10-time GRAMMY® Award winning a cappella jazz group known as “Take 6” has managed to get even better with time. Mixing elements of jazz, gospel, R&B and vintage doo-wop is what Take 6 does best, and I don’t think they have ever done it better. The new release, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” is quite honestly one of the most wonderful Christmas albums of the year and one of the most interesting ever. The rich vocal arrangements are full and complex yet somehow simple enough to make you want to sing along with the familiar Christmas melodies. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” and “The Sugar Plum Dance” are standouts, but the entire album is fabulous from beginning to end with such Christmas classics as; “White Christmas”, “Jingle Bells”, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and more. It is honestly hard to believe that all but one of the songs is recorded with just voices. It feels like a 5 piece band and a full orchestra. How do they do that?...

  • by Jonathan Mitchell Hall of Fame songwriter, Lamont Dozier, is a living legend. If you have any doubt, look up Holland-Dozier-Holland and marvel at the incredible string of #1 hits that he wrote with the team of Brian and Eddie Holland for the Supremes, 4......