Various Artists - Radio Latino

Putumayo

Once again Putumayo Presents has given us top of the notch preformers from around the world. This time we are delighted to hear Radio Latino, a compilation of distinguished artists from latin America and the "Rock en Espanol/Latin Alternative" movement. Putumayo World Music has teamed up with non-profit organization United for Colombia in a fundraising effort to help rehabilitate child victims of landmines in the Putumayo river valley and throughout Colombia.
With inventive hooks, lush arrangements, cultural flair and passionate performances, it's only a matter of time before most of these Radio Latino artists garner worldwide fame. Similarly, Putumayo hopes their collaboration with United for Colombia will help to raise significant funds and increase the awareness of the impact of landmines on Colombian children.

Various Artists - Dare to Struggle: 2 Pac Tribute

First Kut/Lyrical Knockout/Kent

This album was created to enlighten the people to the moral importance and values of Tupac Amaru Shakur's character, and to pay tribute to political prisoners of war. Eight years have gone into the full development of this project and it is the hope of Dr. Mutulu Shakur that this compilation and other projects of this kind are able to heighten the awareness of the youth. This project was conceived with the intention to motivate, inspire and challenge you to dare to struggle against all of our obstacles together. Half of all proceeds go to inner city health and education initiatives.

George Strait - It Justs Comes Natural

MCA/Universal

The king of country music strikes again, notching his 53rd number one. "Give it Away," the debut song from the new album, is Straits fastest moving single in five years, making him Billboard's all-time leader for number one country singles. The album has fifteen songs, which is more than he has ever put on a record before. He thought the were all real good so he couldn't feel right about leaving a single one off.
With this new release and a slew of multi-platinum albums under his belt, George Strait keeps getting better and better, striking a chord among the legions that yearn for wide open spaces and a simpler life.

Moonlight Towers - Like You Were Never There

Spinster

I am so delighted that Spinster was able to furbish pretty packaging for Moonlight Towers first record. They are from Austin, Texas and since 2001 have captivated a growing number of Austin music freaks by flying in the face of convention. In a town filled with beery punk, psychedelic sludge, and more roots than an Alex Haley novel. They dare to be different by embracing clean chord changes, rich harmonies, and classic lines without sounding like a cheap knock off of all the bands in their record collections.

Various Artists Featuring David Lee Roth - Strummin' with the Devil (A Tribute)

CMH

From the beginning Van Halen proved breathtaking and ballsy in equal measure. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Strummin' With The Devil works so well. In it's own hard-pickin' way, this collection offers a similar sense of musical discovery. Here are the same sharp rock gems we know and love retooled using a different sort of metal. Come to think about it, bluegrass and Van Halen much in common--including an emphasis on exceptional instrumental prowess and timeless tales of everyday drama played out in great songs of haunting and enduring power. Having Roth, the Man himself, kick off this party celebrating the timeless music of which he was such an essential part is more than just thrilling--it's downright moving.

Various Artists: Native American Flute Music - Watercolor

Makoche/BMI

The sound of the rain was so beautiful. I sat listening and had to go outside to make sure it wasn't real. This collection of songs was just as spectacular. It got me out of the hectic mindset of day to day drama and put me in a meditative thought pattern the whole night through. I was able to visualize the drums as the flutes painted a picture of sheer relaxation on a musical canvas for imagination to see.
It was inspirational to hear a traditional art being used as a modern tool for thought and meditation. I wish we all had the time to listen and get inspired. Try to think of music as a tool that enables you to go beyond the physical and bring you to the spiritual.

Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band - Dizzy's Business

MCG Jazz

The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band was formed in 1998 to perform Gillespie's classic big band repertoire and continue the legacy left by the late master. For over the past eight years the band have been playing at festivals and concert halls all around the world.
"Dizzy's Bussiness" showcases eighteen disciples from the Gillespie school--many of them musical luminaries in their own right--under the leadership of great trombonist Slide Hampton. Recorded on August 11, 2006 it truly is a passionate, high-energy experience.
little about MCG Jazz: These are a social enterprise supporting the youth education programs of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, a nonprofit, minority-directed, arts and learning organization located in Pittsburgh, PA. A portion of the proceeds of this collection of recordings go to support the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild.

Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone - Blowing Up

JKss/Reprise/Warner Bros

The comedian is blowing up onto the musical scene with his debut. Jamie is best known for his WB prank show The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. He is a top artist on My Space, and understably so. He is hot the lyrics are crudely hilarious and when working with the talent of Stu Stone the rock hard.

Hymns - Brother/Sister

Rock Ridge

Their sound is a beautiful marriage of big city life and the back porch breeze of a Texas night. Brother/Sister, the debut album was recorded during the summer of 2005 at Blackland Records' in house studio in Celeste, Texas.
The seeds that would grow into Hymns were originally sown more than a decade ago at an elementary school in North Carolina, where Brian Harding and Jason Roberts met. With drummer Matt Cole, they chose to attend college together where the trio worked under a number of band monikers. After moving to New York in 2003 they reinvented themselves as Hymns and completed the line up with bassist Jeremy Kay.
I personally enjoyed the album. I thought it was an original concept. I would go out of my way to hear more from this band.

Sammie - Sammie

Motown

Sammie hit the music industry hard at the young age of twelve. Now more than five years after his debut he releases his self titled record that could be described as further education of himself. This album is a well mixed blend of hip-hop influenced mid-tempo tracks and soulful R&B ballads. Personally I was thrilled to see that he took a break from his career to attend high school and then came back with new material. He is matured beyond his years and is bound to entertain us with more creative material in the near future.

Randy Rogers Band - Just a Matter of Time

Mercury Nashville

With a song like Whiskey's Got a Hold On Me, how could you not learn to like Randy Rogers? His voice is melodic. The songs are easy going telling you more than the usual 'my dog was shot and my wife is leavin' me' crap modern country tends to be. Actually it happens to be the only song I liked, but if you like country than this is top notch song writing, good tunes and positive sad stories. The best part of listening to this album was when a buddy of mine got up and started making a fool of himself while it was playing.

Dawn Shipley and the Sharp Shooters - Baby if I...

El Toro

Dawn Shipley and the Sharp Shooters, a LA based band, have a sound that is unique and inspiring. The music is mostly upbeat and fun, a mixture of rockabilly, hillbilly and rock-n-roll with elements of traditional rhythym and blues, jazz and honky tonk. The song tell stories of love and loss, some are funny, some are not. They are tales anyone can identify with in some sense. She truly ranks high with the likes of Reverand Horton Heat.

Omara Portuondo - Buena Vista Social Club Presents...

Nonesuch

Omaro Portuondo is one of Cuba's most celebrated female voices. During a career that stretches back to the early fifties, she has sung a huge variety of Cuban styles including the jazz influenced 'filin' and vocal quartet harmonies as a founding member of the renowned Cuarteto Las D'Aida.
This album features her seasoned voice in a variety of settings, accompanied by a dream band recorded at Havana's Egrem Studios.

New Found Glory - Coming Home

Geffen

With the last three of their records going gold, and having sold over 2.5 million CD's, Jordan Pundik (vocals), Chad Gilbert (guitar), Steve Klein (guitar), Cyrus Bolooki (drums) and Ian Grushka (bass) are flaming hot! The new album, "Coming Home" is like no other New Found Glory record before it.
"Usually with every record we think we got to put in a real fast punk song or people won't like it, but this wasn't anything like it." "We asked each other, who is New Found Glory, realistically? We are a band that people enjoy listening to not because we give off this harsh serious message. WE sing about who we are and what effects us." And that is exactly what Coming Home is. An album of and about New Found Glory.

TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

Interscope

TV in the Radio's new album is a double hitter! They have a great sound mix. Song after song is an electronica day dream. So naturally, the five guys from Brooklyn have been busy promoting the their album. After winning the Shortlist prize for most creative and original album "Return to Cookie Mountain" has shown us all that these men are serious artists and are dually capable to put out the best in noise time after time. They are one of the few bands to hold themselves to a higher standard.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Tripp Underwood - So This Is Readin: Life on the Road With The Unseen

Hopeless Records

So This Is Readin? (title and art inspired by the bands early AF release So This Is Freedom?) is seventeen chapters full of tours, record labels, poorly planned travel, fights and a whole lot of struggling. Tripp takes us from the formation of The Unseen all the way to current Hell Cat Records days with plenty of successes, failures, and fun in between.

Jimmy Buffet - Take The Weather With You

RCA Nashville

After putting out over forty records the singer/songwritter Jimmy Buffet has released a new record. An accomplished arrangement of talented musicians like Doyle Grisham, Robert Greenidge, and the rock band Gomez all appear on Buffet's newest.
In Take the Weather With You, Buffet returns to his country roots with breezy ballads, a version of Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" and mariachi horns in "Cinco De Mayo In Memphis." A tribute to the historic bars along the Gulf Coast in "Bama Breeze" is flavored with sublime Southern riffs, and Buffet fulfilled a dream of playing with Mark Knopfler, who wrote and guests on "Whoop De Doo."

Driveblind - Driveblind

Geffen

Aberdeen, Scotland. That is a very unlikely place to begin the story of the most exciting band to break out of L.A. October 24th Geffen Records released the self-titled debut of Driveblind. This is a hot band. The message in the songs may be familiar stories, but the boys from Northeast Scotland tell them straight from the heart.
Driveblind has carefully constructed itself into a hand-picked band with six members. They are, duo-vocalists, Terry McDermott and Nick Tyler, guitarist, bassist Jack Morrice, drummer Dave McKay, Dave Nicholson on keyboard and Cameron Taylor on acoustic guitar. They've performed all over the U.K. and after being signed to Geffen they quit their jobs back home and moved to L.A. Since arriving they worked hard recording and writing the original pieces on the new release.
The debut has unique songs like "Silhouette," a song that revolves around a friend of McDermott, trying to find love. "Leaving Home," is actually the second song the band ever wrote. The record ends with "Autumn Red" a beautiful song McDermott wrote in dedication to his late mother who was terminally ill."I actually played it for my mother," he says, "so she got to hear it and she loved it." It is hot. I mean sizzling.

Neurosonic - Drama Queen

Bodog

I was taken back by the whining in these songs. They were too negative for me to want to listen to them. I did however like the techno-metal sound and beats. They sound like a mix between M.S.I and Korn, with a Gwen Steffani cheer beat. I hope to not be inspired to go dig my brain out through my ears. It is too confusing. Better luck next time guys. Jon Davis already did the pity me I am a whinny white guy.

Billy Sheehan - Prime Cuts

Magna Carta

In the history of rock there have been precious few bassists as prolific and grand in stature as Billy Sheehan. In his every move, there is a little grace and danger. That is, when Sheehan takes command of a rhythm section, it is not with a torrid rush of notes but with a series of well-considered phrases. This is not to say that Billy plays it safe, he has a way of making a song threatening and foreboding.
As you will hear in Billy Sheehan: Prime Cuts, Magna Carta Records founder Peter Morticelli has assembled a diverse collection of tracks. Pete's recollection of the bassist go back to an era when Billy was proving to Buffalo and upstate crowds that he was born for the stadium.

Well there's many a strange impulse out on the plains of west Texas
There's many a young boy who feels things he can't comprehend.
And a small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes.
No a small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men.

And I believe to my soul that inside every man is the feminine,
And inside every lady there's a deep manly voice loud and clear.
Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women,
But the ones that brag loudest are the ones that are most likely queer.

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other.
Say what did you think all them saddles and boots was about?
And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
And inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out.

And there's always somebody who says what the others just whisper.
And mostly that someone's the first one to get shot down dead.
So when you talk to a cowbody don't treat him like he was a sister.
You can't fuck with the lady that's sleeping in each cowboy's head.

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other.
Say what did you think all them saddles and boots was about?
And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother.
And inside every lady there's a cowboy who wants to come out.
And inside every cowboy there's a lady that'd love to slip out.

Political Article: Vermont Elects America's First Socialist Senator Guardian Unlimited (c) Guardian News and Media Limited 2006 By: Julian Borger Amid the furious debate over Iraq and the speculation that George Bush is now a lame duck after Tuesday's mid-term elections, an extraordinary political milestone has approached: after winning eight consecutive elections to the House of Representatives, a cantankerous 65-year-old called Bernie has become the first socialist senator in US history. His success flies in the face of all the conventional wisdom about American politics.He is an unapologetic socialist and proud of it. Even his admirers admit that he lacks social skills, and he tends to speak in tirades. Yet that has not stopped him winning eight consecutive elections to the US House of Representatives. "Twenty years ago when people here thought about socialism they were thinking about the Soviet Union, about Albania," Mr Sanders told the Guardian in a telephone interview from the campaign trail. "Now they think about Scandinavia. In Vermont people understand I'm talking about democratic socialism." Democratic socialism, however, has hardly proved to be a vote-winning formula in a country where even the word "liberal" is generally treated as an insult. Until now the best showing in a Senate race by a socialist of any stripe was in 1930 by Emil Seidel, who won 6% of the vote. John McLaughry, the head of a free-market Vermont thinktank, the Ethan Allen Institute, said Mr Sanders is a throwback to that era. "Bernie Sanders is an unreconstructed 1930s socialist and proud of it. He's a skilful demagogue who casts every issue in that framework, a master practitioner of class warfare." When Mr Sanders, a penniless but eloquent import from New York, got himself elected mayor of Burlington in 1981, at the height of the cold war, it rang some alarm bells. "I had to persuade the air force base across the lake that Bernie's rise didn't mean there was a communist takeover of Burlington," recalled Garrison Nelson, a politics professor at the University of Vermont who has known him since the 1970s. "He used to sleep on the couch of a friend of mine, walking about town with no work," Prof Nelson said. "Bernie really is a subject for political anthropology. He has no political party. He has never been called charming. He has no money, and none of the resources we normally associate with success. However, he learned how to speak to a significant part of the disaffected population of Vermont." Mr Sanders turned out to be a success as mayor, rejuvenating the city government and rehabilitating Burlington's depressed waterfront on Lake Champlain while ensuring that it was not gentrified beyond the reach of ordinary local people. "He stood this town on its ear," said Peter Freyne, a local journalist. "I tried to make the government work for working people, and not just for corporations, and on that basis I was elected to Congress," Mr Sanders said. He served 16 years in the House of Representatives, a lonely voice since the Republican takeover in 1994. He has however struck some interesting cross-party deals, siding with libertarian Republicans to oppose a clause in the Patriot Act which allowed the FBI to find out what books Americans borrowed from libraries. He says his consistent electoral success reflects the widespread discontent with rising inequality, deepening poverty and dwindling access to affordable healthcare in the US. "People realise there is a lot to be learned from the democratic socialist models in northern Europe," Mr Sanders said. "The untold story here is the degree to which the middle class is shrinking and the gap between rich and poor is widening. It is a disgrace that the US has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any industrialised country on earth. Iraq is important, but it's not the only issue." In a state of just over 600,000 people he also has a significant advantage over his Republican opponent, Rich Tarrant, a businessman who has spent about $7m on his campaign. "Sanders is popular because even if you disagree with him you know where he stands," said Eric Davis, a political scientist at Vermont's Middlebury College. "He pays attention to his political base. He's independent and iconoclastic and Vermonters like that."

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