The reissue labels were never very kind to Syreeta, resulting in the sad fact that compilations remain the best (if not the only) way to hear what made her recordings so special. The Essential Syreeta is the best of a tiny lot, with a passable selection of material from her '70s and '80s records. For some unknown reason, the compilers virtually ignored her fine 1972 debut; only two songs are included, one of them (fortunately) her sweet, grooving remake of Stevie Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" (first heard earlier that year on Stevie's Music of My Mind).

John Martyn’s seminal live album from 1975 has been given the deluxe edition treatment to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Disc One is the original eight-song concert digitally remastered and sounding as fresh as a daisy. The collection includes live versions of "May You Never", "Bless The Weather" and "Solid Air". Disc Two features four songs which didn’t make it on to the original album, including "I’d Rather Be The Devil", "So Much In Love With You", "Clutches" and "Mailman", plus a further six previously unreleased songs recorded in rehearsals and featuring Paul Kossoff on guitar..

This massive 30 CD compendium commemorates the tricentenary of C.P.E. Bach's birth. The Hamburg and Berlin Symphonies, the Württemberg Sonatas and the Magnificat are among the many works included in this set. The artists included, too numerous to mention, include Rinaldo Alessandrini, Raphael Wallfisch and Hartmut Haenchen.

A mixture of mostly R&B and soft jazz combined with a taste of drum programming, synths, flutes, trumpets and sax. I dunno…maybe it takes more than one listen to really get the feel of what these Blackbyrds are trying to put across. I'll tell you this much, it's not the Blackbyrd music from their funky fusion days. If the name Incognito was slapped on the front of this CD it would be a distinct improvement. After listening to the CD I was really disappointed. Not one cut on it made me want to get up and groove except "No Stopping", an Incognito tune if ever I heard one. Drum programmed front to finish, synth-laden lead and accompanied by more synthetics, yet it's the best track on this mediocre effort. I was expecting so much more from the Blackbyrds as it's been decades since they've produced a studio album. This lackluster release really wasn't worth the effort.

The most famous violin concertos ever written are well represented in this 10-CD set of Menuhin's finest performances-but so are many less-familiar works that Menuhin resurrected. Beginning with The Four Seasons by Vivaldi; Violin Concerto in E by Bach, and many more pieces by both composers, the set moves on to Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in C Major Haydn; Violin Concertos. Nos. 4 & 5 Mozart; Violin Concerto in D Beethoven; Violin Concerto in A Minor Dvorak; Violin Concerto in D Brahms; Violin Concerto in B Minor Elgar, and more!

Marking the 300th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach’s birth in 1714, this 13-CD box at budget price presents a survey of his greatest works, performed by some of the most renowned musicians in the world of historically informed performance. Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714-1788), the second son of JS Bach, was a celebrated figure in his lifetime and is recognised as a crucial figure in the transition from the Baroque to the Classical styles. Mozart, no less, said of him: "He is the father, we are the children.”

The press release manages to write several paragraphs about Roger Eno without mentioning his brother. We will though. It's our Brian's brother. But really he should be seen in his own right as a composer of note and here collaborates with producer Youth (Killing Joke, Embrace etc). The pairing of Roger’s melancholic piano lines and Youth’s cinematic production gives the album a deeply moving quality. Wistful piano melodies twist and turn through vast, yet sparse, soundscapes, dipping through a myriad of influences. Orchestral swells rise throughout the mysterious track, Velvet Minute, whilst Salty Tears brings out a soft and sombre side to jazz, and closer Forgotten Song showcases an inspired take on merging Roger’s minimalist piano with Youth’s organic and synthetic sound design…

On British Blues Explosion Live, Joe Bonamassa pays homage to legendary British guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with his stunning performance of their blues-rock classics. Recorded at Greenwich Music Time at The Old Royal Naval College in London in July, 2016…

Displaying a command of pop styles and satire, 10cc showed that they are a force to be reckoned with on their first album. Hooks abound, harmonies shine, and instrumentation is dazzling without being overdone. Though charges of "self-consciously clever" could be leveled at the group, their command of witty, Anglo-styled pop is so impressive that even those criticisms must be weighed against the mastery of styles. All four members sing lead and are talented songwriters, and this leads to a wide variety of styles that add to their vision…

Stevie Wonder was getting his fusion of soul, rock, and various other styles together when Music of My Mind appeared in early 1972. A bit shapeless compared with Talking Book, the masterpiece he'd release by the end of the year, this disc nonetheless finds the then-21-year-old self-assuredly deploying an array of synthesized textures and natural voices: check out the drawl lurking around the edges of "Sweet Little Girl." Not an essential album, but an entertaining one–and one that, in retrospect, carried enormous implications for the future of American music…