The Hard Way is the only studio album from American hip hop trio 213, which consisted of Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. The reunion of the group first appeared as 213 in Warren G's The Return of the Regulator in the track "Yo' Sassy Ways". In 2003 Snoop Dogg, released his series of mixtapes, from which the second compilation Welcome to tha chuuch, Vol. 2 included the first version of "So Fly", which is a parody of the then chart-running hit single by Monica, So Gone.

The Passion according to St John as recorded here is a rather simple work. The Passions written by Italian composers are in no way comparable to the Passions which were written in Germany. This was the direct result of the reforms of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) which ordered settings of the Passion story to be simple, using only the text of the Gospels without any free poetic addition. So this Passion isn't much different from the Passions written in the renaissance. It is also part of a tradition in Naples, performing the St John Passion on Good Friday. The best-known example is Alessandro Scarlatti's St John Passion, written about 100 years earlier.

The emergence of Chris Connor as a singer began when Stan Kenton engaged her as his featured orchestra vocalist in 1953. With her uncanny vocal resemblance to June Christy, she immediately burst onto the national scene. Tall, blonde Chris was becoming one of the select corps of younger girl vocalists, and in the fall of that year she left the bandleader and beganbuilding a reputation as a single on the eastern club circuit, soon signing an exclusive contract with the then-new Bethlehem Records label.

Founded in 2008, the Austrian trio Mother's Cake are set to unleash their third studio album, 'No Rhyme No Reason'. Songs such as first single 'The Killer', 'The Sun' and album opener 'No Rhyme Or Reason' create an immediate impact via an explosive alliance of garage, psych, indie and blues rock, while lengthier sonic excursions such as 'Streetja Man', 'Enemy' and 'H8' delve deeper with elements of psychedelic, progressive and space rock mixed into compelling sound palettes.

The Band of Heathens are a veteran group no strangers to the Americana scene. Formed since 2005, the Austin, Texas based group tends to primarily stick to a sound grounded in rock with plenty of country, blues and soul influences mixed in for good measure. In other words, they fit the Americana definition quite well.

Stitch Of The World, Tift Merritt's sixth studio album was written on a friend's farm in Marfa, Texas, at Merritt's California cabin, and in New York City in the wake of several major changes in her life. The album was recorded in Los Angeles while Merritt was six months pregnant, after which she relocated to her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The albums the band recorded for Virgin Records in one package complete with bonus tracks previously unreleased from sessions recorded for the BBC - Remastered from original tapes. The band that featured Phil Collins from Genesis on drums, have never had a upgrade on the catalogue and having all the albums on one 4-CD set is the first time in a number of years they have been available. The set also features sleeve notes by Malcolm Dome and upgraded artwork.

Neal Casal's Anytime Tomorrow is arguably a slight step back from Basement Dreams, although more slickly produced. Some of the songs follow a predictable trajectory, while others are obvious in their borrowing of other artists' styles. The wistful/worshipful "No One Above You" is vaguely reminiscent of Eric Clapton's "Let It Grow," while other standout tracks are "Oceanview," which floats along with a gentle dream-like Beach Boys quality, and "Just Getting By," which could almost be a Ron Sexsmith number.

A cofounder of the tropicalista movement with Veloso, Gil, Bethania, et al., Zé has faded into obscurity as his music becomes more and more experimental and eccentric. This is by far the best Brazilian recording I've ever heard (caveat emptor!), partly because of the gentleness of Zé's weirdness and partly because he sounds so Brazilian even as the other tropicalistas come to associate "avant-garde" with increasingly Pan American pop-soup.

Although Tom Scott recorded one throwaway after another in the 1980s and '90s, he's still quite capable of recording a decent album – which he proved on his 1992 straightahead date Born Again and his 1996 reunion with the L.A. Express, Bluestreak. Spontaneity and inspired blowing are the rules this time. Instead of pandering to smooth jazz radio, Scott lets loose and plays from the heart for a change. The Angelino (who's heard on tenor & soprano sax and flute) avoids smothering this very 1970s-sounding jazz/R&B/pop date with production and gives ample solo space to both himself and such Express alumni as Joe Sample (electric keyboards) and Robben Ford (electric guitar). A forgettable version of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" never really takes off, but that's the only really disappointing song on Bluestreak – an album that was long overdue.