Badlands' long lost, third and final album, Dusk isn't really an album at all, but a batch of demos recorded between 1991 and 1992 for the group's then label, Atlantic, which first rejected them, then dropped the band, already mired in personal strife since the troubled sessions for their commercially disappointing second album, Voodoo Highway. Accordingly, the tracks that would eventually surface as Dusk were circulated as bootlegs and would have likely been mostly forgotten if not for the AIDS-related death of singer Ray Gillen, in December 1993, and the subsequent rise of the worldwide web -- both of which undoubtedly helped stimulate interest in the recordings. This led, in time, to their "official" release in 1998 by the Pony Canyon label, but it hardly altered the fact that Dusk's ten tracks were mostly one-take jobs, reportedly cut by Gillen, guitarist Jake E. Lee, bassist Greg Chaisson, and drummer Jeff Martin in just six-to-eight hours. So although the musicianship was impressively solid and the sound acceptable enough, Dusk's songs lacked the usual refinements of a final album mix, and some lyrics were even ad-libbed, resulting in a rather uniform set, devoid of the characteristic variety and bombast heard on Badlands' first two albums. Instead, most cuts might accurately be described as competent blues metal (not unlike previous efforts, just duller), with rare standouts like foreboding opener "Healin'," the distinctively brash "Walking Attitude," and the notably funky "Ride the Jack," still draped under a mantle of weary resignation, reflective of the band's dispirited frame of mind at the time. Also worth mention, though are "The River" and "Lord Knows" -- two promising sketches that may, with additional studio seasoning, have been transformed into powerful, slow-burning blues rockers; as well as the Eastern-flavored "Sun Red Sun," which contained intriguing traces of Alice in Chains, then on the rise along with the entire grunge nation. But, as mentioned earlier, all of the material collected on Dusk was far too raw and undeveloped for proper mainstream consumption, making its commercial existence justifiable only as a parting treasure for avowed Badlands aficionados. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Ian Drury and the Blockheads captured live in performance for the German TV show, 'Rockpalast', in February 1978. The eclectic punk band played songs including 'Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll', 'I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra' and 'If I Was With a Woman'.

2011 album from the acclaimed R&B/Jazz vocalist. As featured vocalist of the UK supergroup Incognito, core member of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove and of course through her own albums and concerts, Maysa has been thrilling R&B and Jazz audiences for decades. Motions Of Love represents the pinnacle of Maysa brilliant recording career. Some of the many highlights include: Stevie Wonder, one of Maysa's most dedicated fans, coming to the party as producer of exquisite ballad he and Maysa have written especially for this album Sweet Dreams and R&B heartthrob Dwele's soulful guest vocal on the hit single "Flower Girl". An exciting video of this song features Dwele as well.

With his raw delivery and raspy tone, singer/songwriter Bobby Womack possesses one of the most recognisable voices in soul music. Nicknamed The Preacher, his songs have been recorded by acts as varied as The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Janis Joplin. This collection contains all his key recordings for the Minit and United Artists labels during the period 1968-1975.

After more than a decade of recording for other labels, George Thorogood & the Destroyers moved back to EMI/Capitol for the release of 2009's THE DIRTY DOZEN. Split into two sides and consisting of covers of classic blues songs, some bar band favorites, and a couple of lesser-known tracks, the album digs back into the archives to uncover some buried tracks from the '80s and '90s. What's uncanny is that apart from the tinny sound of the recordings from the late '80s/early '90s, the band and Thorogood sound exactly the same almost two decades later. George still has the same ferocious slide technique, his growling vocals have barely aged, and the band still has the feel of skilled musicians who know how to play it simple. In other words, GT & the Destroyers still rock, and if you were ever a fan, you still should be. The only real problem with this record is that as cool as it is to hear the band's 1991 take on "Six Days on the Road" or their tumble through Howlin' Wolf's "Howlin' for My Baby," it'd be better to hear more of the new tracks. They have a more immediate feel and the group sounds like they're playing for fun rather than chasing commercial success. There's a fire in "Born Lover" and a bounce in "Run Myself Out of Town" that the old, muffled production can't reproduce. Not that the old tracks are bad by any means, and longtime fans of GT will be glad to have them.

David McVicar's acclaimed 2006 production of Mozart's opera. Antonio Pappano conducts (and accompanies the recitatives) with wit and depth, allowing the ensemble to capture the moments of dramatic tension and engage fully with the rhythm of what is already considered to be a classic production.