Awards season was even more depressing than usual for anyone who loves smart, honest country music. Taylor Swift's banal adolescent ramblings, one-hook wonders Lady Ante-

bellum's constant droning, all of Miranda Lambert's wicked sass kicked out of her on that sappy song about the house .... So imagine what a relief it is to hear real poetry, ingenious wit and pedal steel perfection on Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers' second album. A Seattle kid who somehow remembers everything Nashville's forgotten, songwriter Muth sings in a slightly flat purr that works equally well on evocatively elusive country rock lyrics ("I've Been Gone," "Before the Night Is Gone"), socially engaged folk ballads ("Tired Worker's Song") and "If I Can't Trust You With a Quarter," the greatest and funniest anthem ever written (with Anna Brown) for a honky-tonk angel with superior musical tastes. The High Rollers are as tight and innovative a country band as you could ever want to hear; they bring the traditional without ever sounding stale. In a genre that's declared authentic and fresh dirty words, Muth and the boys make those lost values ring.

Bob Strauss, Daily News

Billy Idol's first hits collection, Idol Songs: 11 of the Best, was released in Europe in 1988, while he was still a commanding presence on the charts. The U.S. didn't see a compilation on Idol until 2001. That collection includes other hits (and misses) which are not on this one, most notably his 1990 smash "Cradle of Love" and its followup, "L.A. Woman." This collection, however, includes rare single edits and remixes not available on the 2001 release. First of all, Billy Idol's biggest hit, 1987's "Mony Mony," was released as a live single. That live single was the version that topped the U.S. charts, and is included on this disc. On the 2001 release, however, the original studio version is included, and that version lacks the muscle (and Steve Stevens' relentless guitar licks) found on the live version. Second, this disc includes the single remix of "Catch My Fall," which was the final single released from Rebel Yell. The 2001 set includes the original album version. This disc also includes shorter, more edited versions of "Eyes Without a Face," "Don't Need a Gun," "Flesh for Fantasy," "White Wedding," and "Dancing With Myself." Until 2001, then, this was the only Idol hits collection on the market. If one doesn't mind not having the single remix of "Catch My Fall" and the live version of "Mony Mony," go with the 2001 release.

Billy Idol's first hits collection, Idol Songs: 11 of the Best, was released in Europe in 1988, while he was still a commanding presence on the charts. The U.S. didn't see a compilation on Idol until 2001. That collection includes other hits (and misses) which are not on this one, most notably his 1990 smash "Cradle of Love" and its followup, "L.A. Woman." This collection, however, includes rare single edits and remixes not available on the 2001 release. First of all, Billy Idol's biggest hit, 1987's "Mony Mony," was released as a live single. That live single was the version that topped the U.S. charts, and is included on this disc. On the 2001 release, however, the original studio version is included, and that version lacks the muscle (and Steve Stevens' relentless guitar licks) found on the live version. Second, this disc includes the single remix of "Catch My Fall," which was the final single released from Rebel Yell. The 2001 set includes the original album version. This disc also includes shorter, more edited versions of "Eyes Without a Face," "Don't Need a Gun," "Flesh for Fantasy," "White Wedding," and "Dancing With Myself." Until 2001, then, this was the only Idol hits collection on the market. If one doesn't mind not having the single remix of "Catch My Fall" and the live version of "Mony Mony," go with the 2001 release.

Several years before permanently altering cultural history with an incendiary new kind of dance music issued on 78 rpm platters that bore the black and yellow Specialty logo, Little Richard made his first recordings for the Victor and Peacock labels. In 1989, Bear Family released The Formative Years 1951-53, containing 16 of these historic performances appended with six alternate takes. By dishing out swinging rhythm & blues infused with a New Orleans kick, Little Richard was laying the ground for a much rowdier, edgier manifestation that would eventually envelop him and the entire nation in a defiant and recklessly joyous catharsis called rock & roll. Without these fine R&B records, wouldn't none of that come together the way that it did. If you take this collection, combine it with the Specialty recordings and use selections from the Vee Jay catalog for a chaser, you'll be in a good position to draw your own conclusions regarding what this amazing individual recorded later in life.

Tony Bennett has a typical lack of effusiveness about the kudos of his seven-decade career, but he does reportedly display an inscribed picture from a longtime colleague and fellow saloon singer in his Manhattan apartment. It reads: "To the best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard." It's signed "Frank Sinatra." But don't take the Chairman's word for it. Just listen as these two discs bound from one masterly performance to the next, documenting a career whose ups and downs--Bennett actually went long years without a record contract--belie a robust evolution of vocal strength and subtlety of phrasing. The arc of Bennett's art in the decade from "Cold Cold Heart" and "Rags to Riches" to "The Best Is Yet To Come" and his signature "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is remarkable enough, but it just keeps getting better. When the singer's management shrewdly orchestrated his MTV-powered "comeback" in the late 1980s and '90s, Bennett delivered considerably more than mere hype. Indeed, the highlights of those efforts (a warm, semi-autobiographical collection of ballads; tributes to Sinatra, Astaire, Ellington, and the blues; the obligatory MTV Unplugged set) included here barely skim the surface and arguably warrant a double-disc collection all their own. Still, the 39 tracks here represent the best kind of anthology: one that leaves you craving more. --Jerry McCulley

It is impossible to appreciate Ron Wood's music and muscianship to the fullest without the context of the original albums. Buying every single album Ron Wood has ever been part of, however, is obviously not cost effective for the casual fan. So the compilation "albums" are the next best thing. Every music fan needs to have a little Woodie in their collection. That being said, "Essential Crossexion" is arguably the best Ron Wood compilation available; & a great place to start a Ron Wood collection for someone on a budget. The track selection here is phenomenal. The songs span from his early career as a bassist with Jeff Beck to guitarist & Keith's foil in the Stones. The sound quality is very, very good and a definite upgrade if you have some of this music on the original cd releases or even vinyl. The great thing about this is you can use this album as a springboard to explore Wood's individual albums or work with his other bands. My personal favorites are "I've Got My Own Album To Do" and the best album the Stones never did, "Gimme Some Neck"; both feature Keith Richard too. For fans out there who already have some of Wood's cds, get "Crossexion" for playing in the car (especially if you are too lazy, like me, to compile your own disc from the original album cds).

This collection contains all of Sonny's important British and American hits (with and without Cher) from 1964 to 1967, although some minor hits are missing. The classic hits here are I got you babe (number one in Britain and America), Laugh at me (a Sonny solo), Just you, Baby don't go, What now my love, Little man (number one in several European countries) and The beat goes on. There are many other wonderful songs including Sing c'est la vie, which was number one in Belgium but didn't chart at all (maybe wasn't released) in Britain or America.

A respected jazz guitarist, Ernest Ranglin is one of the foundation musicians for Jamaican ska and reggae, and his contributions at the legendary Studio One have earned him the right to cross genres at will. This collection is a reissue and remix of his 1977 album Ranglin Roots, with added tracks that more than double the length of the original release without breaking or shifting its tone. This is probably the funkiest of Ranglin's albums and horns predominate (played by veterans Cedric Brooks, Dean Fraser, Herman Marquis, Joe McCormack, Jackie Willacy, Todd Schwartz, and Mark Feinberg), with Ranglin's light, fluid guitar runs slipping in and out of the gaps in seemingly effortless fashion. Although he hints and occasionally leans on Jamaican rhythms, Ranglin is first and foremost a jazz player, and he creates on this, and his other albums, a sort of Caribbean pop jazz hybrid that is his alone.

"Vangelis - Blade Runner: EMS Recombination" is an EMS Team attempt to create a "Best of" soundtrack from all the available bootlegs of Vangelis’ superb score. The selection criteria was very simple: find the pieces that represented the film score in their cleanest (without dialogue and sfx as much as was possible) versions and be of the best available sound quality. For the lossless release, the EMS Team wanted to offer something a little different and not just repackage the original version. Changes were made to the running order and tracks were reworked as other sources were found. Extended versions of "At Mr. Chew's" and "Desolation Path" were created along with new tracks "Waiting For Zhora" and "Memories Of Green/Blade Runner Blues". With the help of some new friends, the EMS Team are proud to present for the first time a clean version of "Thinking Of Rachel".

Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr., May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", Turner's career as a performer stretched from the 1920s into the 1980s. "Classic Hits: 1938-52" is a five-discs, 123-track package of Big Joe Turner's earliest recording sessions before finding stardom with his mid-'50s R&B sides, and it's quite a luxury to have Turner's sides for National, Aladdin, Freedom, MGM, and Imperial remastered and together in one collection.

EZdrummer® is a multi-microphone drum sampler designed for musicians and producers in need of a compact, affordable, easy to handle plug-in without compromising sound quality or control. The visualized drums in the interface combine auditioning of sounds and drumkit construction. The extensive drag and drop MIDI library (featuring 8000+ MIDI files) enables users to create a great drum track in just a few clicks. For more advanced handling, users can control microphone bleeding and levels between drums using the internal mixer.

The mixer also allows stereo and multitrack routing into the host through one single plug-in, and thanks to the second generation Toontrack® Percussive Compression (TPC), system requirements are kept to a minimum.

The drums for EZdrummer® were recorded, produced and played with the best in the business. From our pro Superior Drummer® line weve adopted the humanizing features that are instrumental in making our drum samplers the pinnacle in digital drum production.

With EZdrummer®, Toontrack® have stepped into the next generation of acoustic drum samplers.
Youre welcome to follow!

Recording Notes
In 2005 Toontrack® Music was contacted by Pat Thrall with a request to record drums for the Superior Drummer® software engine at the New York studio where Pat had his professional home at the time. We all knew Pats work (with Glenn Hughes, Black Crowes etc) and jumped at the opportunity to work with one of our heroes. Matters weren´t made worse by the fact that Pat introduced another long time hero of ours to add his talents, passion and experience to the recordings, Neil Dorfsman. Neil has been around since the 70s recording and producing artists like, Kiss (oh the stories), Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Sting etc. Enough said?

Pat also brought along renowned live and session drummer Nir Z whose credits include such diverse acts as Genesis and Joss Stone to play his GMS drums for the sessions.

The team was finalized with Mattias Eklund and Henrik Kjellberg from Toontrack® Music and together they conducted a number of recordings during 2005. The sounds for EZdrummer® were recorded and produced at Avatar Studios New York (formerly known as Power Station) on the 1st of October 2005 by Pat Thrall, Neil Dorfsman and Nir Z. Needless to say the recordings ended up every bit as great (and better) as expected. The timeless quality of the sound, the consistency of the playing and recording and the legendary atmosphere from a studio that has seen many of the greats create their masterpieces within its walls all make for a worthy start of the next generation of Toontrack® acoustic drum samplers.

EZdrummer® Facts & Features
7000 sound files at 16-bit / 44.1kHz equivalent to 5Gb of uncompressed wav files.
Instant access to more than 8000 midi drum patterns with prelistening, quick browsing and dragndrop functionality.
Same extensive layer depth on all drums and cymbals as in EZdrummers big brother Superior Drummer®.
EZdrummer® ranges from entry level usability to pro handling
Features multiple microphone control
TPC II reduces system requirements to a minimum
Operates in General MIDI
Internal mixer allows stereo and multitrack routing into the host through one single plug in
Preset mix modes for quick sound changes
Interface visualizes the drums loaded and combines auditioning and kit construction
Drums recorded at Avatar Studios, New York by worldclass drummers and producers
The humanizer function combines drum hit randomizing and non-cycling
Velocity sweep allows instant changes to MIDI data, extending groove context relevance
Possibilities for the user to add their own MIDI files to the library