Guitarist U-Nam is commonly known for his skillful reinterpretation of the style of George Benson and Nile Rodgers, which runs through many of his albums. His recourse to the funky music of the 70s and 80s is also popular. But with his new album U-Nam Goes Big Band (2020) he now falls back on the traditional big band music as known from Duke Ellington or Glen Miller. The album is based on a collaboration between U-Nam and the Lutz Krajenski Big Band. The band leader Lutz Krajenski has already performed with Tom Jones, Ulrich Tukur, Roachford, Inga Rumpf, Udo Jürgens, Randy Crawford, Jasmin Tabatabai, Mousse T and more. One can therefore speak of a pronounced tendency towards popular music, which has been translated into the language of jazz. The album opens with the swinging positive-minded Something Right. A jazzy improvisation develops from the well structured guitar playing, as we are familiar by U-Nam. In the Blink of an Eye is an Estonian evergreen by Arne Oit (music) and Harold Payne (lyrics), that reminds us of the transience of life. So it's a thoroughly contemporary piece. Various soloists rise from the Big Band to support U-Nam and the melody. The One is a further evergreen by Arne Oit (music) and Philip Cody (lyrics), an ode to the Chosen One who brings sunshine to the day.

Fabulously funky. Hypnotically rhythmic. Soulfully Sophisticated. Those six powerful words alone could be the entire overview of this album. But that would be an injustice to the newest project from the genius guitarist, composer and producer U-Nam. Soaring from the success of his previous Billboard Top 25 Smooth Jazz album Future Love, U-Nam picks up where he left off and continues the unfinished work of this album s predecessor. The Love Vault, due to be released October 11 on this own Skytown Records label, was born out of U-Nam s vast collection of previously unpolished, unrecorded or archived songs in the musician s extensive arsenal of music. Amid his infectious guitar licks lies a hip and rich sound that is heavy on throwback funk influences. Sexy Fresh, the albums premiere release, emits a romance drenched vibe that is funky and alluring. Love Potion is an intoxicating concoction of guitar, unrelenting rhythm, and one of U-Nam s signature arrangement sounds, synthesized string accompaniment, yet another trademark of the retro dance groove. Applying the innovative technology of talk box and vocoder, U-Nam implements vocals on a couple of tracks, including Back Seat Lover ( previously recorded by Mayer Hawthorne). Uptempo, happy and addictively appealing, this particular track rates among my favourite on The Love Vault, and the backing vocals of Gennine Francis-Jackson infuse some soulful dynamics and depth. In what is an glaring tribute to the sound of soul music s legendary love walrus, Barry White, Hear, My Dear draws from the title of Marvin Gaye s late 70s hit Here My Dear. The amazingly talented saxophonist Magdalena Chovaancova fo the Euro jazz trio Threestyle lends her talent on this swagger filled groove accompanied by lush string arrangement and additional horn backing. Into The Night delivers an afterhours, fast moving cool drive down the strip on a summer night. Among the many admirable techniques of U-Nam s music is the meticulous arrangement and production expertise, and if my memory is correct, he ranks as the only artist I know that consistently employs strings and horn backing that delivers a multi layered and dimensional sound to his natural artistic brilliance.

While we seldom, if ever, offer reviews of best of collections, guitarist U-Nam s latest release The Essential Collection bears repeating a quick analysis of some of the grooves offered here and does also offer two completely new and hot tracks. Drawn from numerous previous projects, the majority of tracks here should be familiar to U-Nam fans and should certainly capture new fans, as well. Included are tracks from his albums Back From the 80s, Surface Level, C est Le Funk, Unanimity, and Weekend in L.A. (A Tribute to George Benson). If you missed picking up any of these gems, tracks like the romping lead track, a cover of The Crusaders classic Street Life, the supercharged, party-hearty Going for Miles, Something s Up, Throwback Kid (definitely one of my faves), Groove Paradise (another of my faves), the hot and steamy groove Shine On, and the powerful Back In Style (yep, another fave of mine but then, so many are!) should convince you to grab this album to catch up (at least, to some decent extent). Then, there are the newbies: A bouncy and lively cover of Barry The Maestro White s Let the Music Play and the guitarist s own slick, movin jam Soul Breeze. Man, can this cat throw a party. In my review of his Surface Level release, I referred to him as a jazz superhero. Hearing these jams again and adding in the two new tracks, I have to say that he s wearing that label well. A busy man these days having started his own label and signing some real quality talent, you may have assumed that, at some point, he d have to release a best of collection in the interest of time and to remind us of the top-tier material he s released under his own name. Well, here it is, all dressed and ready to party with you.

Feb. 9, 2019 One of the busiest producers and among the most prolific c-jazz artists around, guitarist U-Nam is again presenting a colorful collection of original pearls worthy of inclusion in any jazz lover s library. Future Love is abundant with a solidly generous feel-good jazz vibe that surely stays with you. Here with many of the artists signed to his Skytown record label (saxman Andrew Chmut, keyboardists Valeriy Stepanov and Mattias Roos, and others) and bassist Alex Al, drummer Michael White, and a host of other contributors, the guitarist comes loaded for bear to deliver that unmistakable U-Nam groove. U-Nam s Bensonesque style and dazzling skill, speed, and fluidity on guitar has always been much more than noteworthy. Here is no different as he soars through such catchy tracks as Changes, the title track, Good Old Days, Artbeat, Before You Leave, Luther Vandross Get It Right (one of my faves here), and many more finger-snappin , head-boppin goodies. He comes up for air on the one chilled-out track, the cool & slow R&Bish My Joy. The slick funkiness and cadence of the album is typical U-Nam flavor & texture. The cat definitely knows his way around a fretboard (and keyboard) and a melody. It s no wonder heavyweight guitarist George Benson likes this guy! He always brings the soul of the music with him wherever he goes. To state the obvious, good is good, but exceptional is another thing altogether. I fully expect select tracks here to find their way to the top of the charts. If you re looking for a shot of c-jazz adrenaline, Future Love has your name on a copy.

During my time at ProgPower Europe 2019, I heard a lot of chat about a band called Thoughts Factory. I’d never heard of them before but when there’s a buzz about a band at this great festival, I tend to sit up and take notice because the punters know their music. Regrettably my inability to get to bed at a reasonable hour on any night in Baarlo meant that I missed the impromptu listening session that was set up to hear this record. Nevertheless, I made it my mission to ensure that I checked out Thoughts Factory when time allowed.

"Kon-Tiki" is an instrumental tune by the Shadows. It became a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart in October 1961. It was the fifth Shadows hit and their second to reach the top of the UK chart. The name refers to Thor Heyerdahl's ship Kon-Tiki.

Die Puppini Sisters sind ein im Jahr 2004 gegründetes Gesangstrio. Die Gruppe wurde von Marcella Puppini gegründet, die sich von dem französisch-belgisch-kanadischen Animationsfilm Das große Rennen von Belleville dazu inspirieren ließ.

Normally, the first few lines of an album review are fertile soil for some rock-and-roll philosophy, or irony, or witticisms, or some old-fashioned rock history. However, what does one say about a Helsingborg-based Swedish metal band, with a mild-mannered Clark Kent alter ego in the form of a 70s/80s glam funk AOR band themed around airline travel? Not much. It has a way of speaking for itself.
In the way of light history, metal band Soilwork gives us fairly legendary Björn “Speed” Strid on vocals, as well as David Andersson on guitars. From 2007 to 2012, the two began scheming a musical way to tell the tales of rock-and-roll excess and absurdity of the 70s and 80s, and once Arch Enemy’s Sharlee D’Angelo insisted upon not being left out of the absurd shenanigans, thus was The Night Flight Orchestra born. In the years since, the band released four albums, exploring tales of travel, romance, heartbreak, space exploration, and even the deliciously retro “Turn to Miami” found on their fourth album, “Sometimes the World Ain’t Enough,” complete with its obviously quasi Miami Vice underpinnings.

Hell Freezes Over is the second live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album is the first to be released after the Eagles had reformed following a fourteen-year-long break up. The band's lineup was that of the Long Run era: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. It contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special. Two Top 40 Mainstream singles, "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive", were released from the album. It also features an acoustic version of "Hotel California". The four new studio recordings are the last to feature Don Felder, who was fired from the band in 2001.

Brothers (printed as This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers. on the front cover) is the sixth studio album by American rock duo The Black Keys. Co-produced by the group, Mark Neill, and Danger Mouse, it was released on May 18, 2010 on Nonesuch Records. Brothers was the band's commercial breakthrough, as it sold over 73,000 copies in the United States in its first week and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, their best performance on the chart to that point.

This is the fourth release in the last two years or so from The Apaches, an album that sees them maintain an “album a year” pace - since their 2016 debut. This is without a doubt their best yet - if you take surf, spaghetti western and Euro instrumentals, this would have elements of all three, but veer closer towards the spaghetti/Euro sounds. The songs are well-written, melodic and catchy, the members are all masters of their instruments, and the production is spot on. Undoubtedly one of the top releases of 2020!

The time has arrived for TESTAMENT to unleash new thunder to the masses and reveal their thirteenth studio album: Titans Of Creation. Just as the elements of this planet thrive within all living creatures, each musician in TESTAMENT represents a necessary component of this latest musical endeavour. Still filled with a massive and unstoppable energy since their last release, TESTAMENT has taken their style to the next level and present an album that is loyal to the roots of traditional thrash metal while still bringing alluring, brilliant, and progressive ingredients to the table. Bass is showcased, new vocals are introduced, and as expected, the guitarwork of Peterson and Skolnick is greatly complex and mesmerizing.

Crime of the Century est le troisième album studio de Supertramp, sorti en 1974, et le premier de la formation « classique » du groupe : Rick Davies et Roger Hodgson y sont rejoints par Dougie Thomson (basse), Bob Siebenberg (batterie) et John Anthony Helliwell (saxophones, clarinette et chœurs).
Crime of the Century marque le début du véritable succès du groupe en se classant dans le Top 5 au Royaume-Uni et dans le Top 40 aux États-Unis. Le single Dreamer se vend également bien. En France, l'album est certifié disque d'or en 1978 pour 100 000 exemplaires vendus et disque de platine en 1980 pour 400 000 exemplaires vendus.

Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released by A&M Records on 29 March 1979. It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned four U.S. Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song" (No. 6), "Goodbye Stranger" (No. 15), "Take the Long Way Home" (No. 10) and "Breakfast in America" (No. 62). In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.
In 1980, Breakfast in America won two Grammy Awards, including Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording, and Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It holds an RIAA certification of quadruple platinum and became Supertramp's biggest-selling album, with more than 4 million copies sold in the US alone. It was No. 1 on Billboard Pop Albums Chart for six weeks, until 30 June 1979. The album also hit No. 1 in Norway, Austria, Spain, Canada, Australia and France.