Barbra Streisand - Live in Concert 2006

(2CD Set) Columbia/SonyBMG

Barbra Streisand's status as one of the most successful singers of her generation is all the more remarkable not only because her popularity has been achieved in the face of a dominant music trend--rock and roll--but also because, despite an amazing singing voice that has enthralled practically anyone who has heard her. She has always used singing as a mere stepping stone to other careers as a stage and film actress and as a film director.
In this two-CD set produced by Streisand herself alongside Jay Lander, Barbra Performs some of her acclaimed hits from "Funny Girl" to "Unusual Way" as well as getting back in touch with some material from her celebrated back-catalog. The ever elegant timeless songs sound better than ever and the additional commentary between songs (by Ms.Streisand) almost makes you feel as if she is performing just for you.

Boots Randolph - A Whole New Ballgame

Zoho/Allegro

Tenor saxophonist Randolph has been a very influential instrumentalist. He switched from trombone to tenor sax in high school. He scored with "Yakaty Sax" a novelty work co-written by James Rich. His plane was and is quite simple: pleasant memories, catchy themes and occasional use of vocal effects have made up his signature style.
"A Whole New Ballgame" is just another album to add to his list of revolutionary music making. All the experience of many years of music making with such performers as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis (just to name a few) really come out in every song. Each note is seamless, emotion grabs you with every transition. If you like jazz, or even if you don't, with this playing in the background...All one can say is: "How sweet it is" Right down to the swingin' rendition of "Let's go out to the Ball Game" that's guaranteed to make you do a little two step.

The Used - Lies for The Liars

Reprise/Warner Bros.

This is the third album released by The Used since they hit the mainstream world. The first single from this album "The Bird and the Worm" has already been voted number one "Most Viewed" and "Most Linked" music clip on YouTube among other acknowledgments.
The songs flow into one another quite nicely, fusing post punk emo melodies with hard hitting lyrics and hardcore breakdowns. Gracing the main stage at Van's Warped Tour, these young rockers will leave you not feeling used! Look out for these guys. At this rate they will be outselling Queens of The Stone Age.

Eilen Jewel - Letters from Sinners & Strangers

Signature

Letters from Sinners & Strangers" will be the will be the first national debut album for Eilen. Back in 2005 she started out with her self-released debut entitled "Boundary Country". At that time she had been compared to acts such as Lucinda Williams and June Carter Cash just to name a few. With good local response and some national recognition, the album did well, but was not the breakthrough she had hoped for.
So now chapter two begins with this new body of work. She really puts her emotion on the forefront. This album promises to get you moving and feelin' the vibe of her jazzy, soulful, blues we know as honky tonk or roots or just good ole music.
***Shelton's Favorite Single of The Week "Heartache Boulevard"***

Mark Farina - Mark Farina: House of OM

OM

Time to get your trance on! Brought to you by Om's number one DJ Mark Farina. Mr.Farina put this compilation together with the same style he brings to the dance floor in clubs all around the world.
This album is the result of many nights rocking the under ground "rave scene" in San Francisco after building an epic collection of vinyl which he is more than pleased to cut up for your listening pleasure. Don't mistake him for a vinyl villian...just some good get up and move beats are to be found here. Song number fourteen is his own creation, the drums he lays down are solid and the vocal overlay fits oh-so-perfectly.

John Craigie - A Picnic on the 405

Zabriskie Point

For the past four years John has toured across the western United States bringing his folkie singer song-writer music to a new level with every performance. His first album was recorded in a one room house that also doubled as a home in the mountains of Santa Cruz, Ca. This although rough, was and is still one of his most favored recordings. "I Always- ed You" was the kick start he needed to give us this new venture, two albums later, entitled "A Picnic on the 405".
This album really tells the story of life...real life. Love in it's glory and demise. Put this on and sip on some wine. You may just need it.

The Voodoo Jets - Supersonic

Independent

"Supersonic" is the debut album for these fresh to the mainstream rockers. Inspired by acts such as Cheap Trick and The Beatles, These boys unleash roots rock how it used to be...Ya know, before the 80's stuck with a vengeance. Solid power guitar solos that last under five minutes, (I know I can't believe it either) and solid transitions really make this the new, old sound of rock.
With an already buzzworthy stage show this album has been anticipated by many. If you like good simple yet whole sounding rock check these guys out. If not, don't bother....you may find it a bit boring in spots.

Jackie Bristow - Crazy Love

Craving

This singer-songwriter got an early start in her home country of New Zealand's South Island as a choir singer with her sister at age eight. By age fourteen the Bristow Sisters were seasoned professionals.
In 1995 she moved to Australia. As of recently, still located in Australia, she recorded "Crazy Love" all songs with the exception of two were written on her own. With lyrics like "I don't feel afraid of loving you this way/cause your swimming in my head, in my heart, my soul..." you can really relate to what she was going through while writing these songs. This woman makes you feel as if she's talking to you the whole way throughout the album; storming heaven's gates taking no prisoners as she goes. There are love songs throughout which will leave you breathless.

Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet - Memories of T

Concord

For those of you who don't know, here's a brief run down. Ben Riley lays the drums on this album. Back in the 1960's he played with Thelonious Monk himself until Monk's passing in February of 1982. Having been noted to once have said, "Once you really start listening to Monk and putting your mind to it, it's difficult to do anything else but try to get involved with Monk's music."
What makes this pseudo tribute/continuation of his life's work unique is the complete lack of piano in the entire album. When asked why this is so, Mr.Riley often reply's with "Just listen, you'll see"...And by god I see the light. Every time I put the album on I can't help but vision Monk playing along up in the clouds above. All I can say is; get it, put it on, and get ready for an experience that cannot be duplicated by any other.

The Little Heroes - Cinematic Americana

Wednesday

The Little Heroes' debut record, Cinematic Americana, explores the theme of personal distance in love, family, frienships and even the vast, eternal seperation of death. This album puts it's best foot forward, showcasing this band's passion--as songwriters, musicians. vocalists and most importantly, as friends.
The Little Heroes display brilliance ast it's absolute finest. This may sound like heresay top most music snobs, but I love them! They combine the fun catchiness of pop music with the overwhelming influence of indie rock, creating a roaring album with serious lasting power.

Mic Harrison and the High Score - Push Me on Home

Independent

"Push Me on Home" sounds as if it was written at a bar in the heart of the country...Sawdust on the floor, Hank Williams on the jukebox and Pabst Blue Ribbon soaking in my dark blue jeans.
From a love song to a story of dealing with the aftermath of a night that went a little too good, if you know what I am talking about. I think Mr.Cash said it best."With the mud, the blood, and the beer"

The Bastard Fairies - Memento Mori

Bastard Fairy/Adrenaline

This is the debut album for The Bastard Fairies. There have been many female singers in the rock world. Yellow Thunder Woman (AKA the lead singer) has a sum-what unique voice. At points throughout the album she sounds almost Ziggy-esque.
Like a baby eating a candy apple, encrusted with raiser blades, her voice cuts through the melodic rock performed with various instruments acquired through thrift stores and flea markets. "Memento Mori" which is latin for "remember death/remember to die" Is all to fitting for such an album. Aching vocals telling the stories of hell.

Pete Seeger - Headlines & Footnotes: A Collection of Topical Songs

Smithsonian/Folkways

Pete Seeger's achievements rests not on innovation but on conscience and commitment. He was born in New York City in 1919, and dropped out of Harvard in 1938. Pete began wandering the country, banjo in hand, and eventually befriended Woody Guthrie, a fellow traveler who had the gift of song.
Along the way he absorbed hundreds of songs--Folk songs, topical songs, blues, pop and songs from foreign lands--and began writing his own original tunes based on his experiences on the road and the lives he saw, Americans, especially those on the lower rungs of the social order, living.
He studied and developed an abiding faith in humanitarian socialism as a cure for societies ills; As his personal political views crystallized, Seeger became more vocal in the support of workers and labor unions and was quick to advance their point of view in his music.
Giving the brief history of what he has grown to represent in American musical history, this album is no different! He accompanies himself on a banjo or 12-string guitar, performing some his best-known songs about provident events and themes of the twentieth century~ the Spanish Civil War, union organizing, the civil rights and antiwar movement. Give this album a listen, get motivated and make a difference in your community. Even if that means something as simple as voting on local issues.

Sunny Sweeney - Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame

Big Machine

Here we have yet another Debut! Sunny, being a Texas native, has that honky tonk twang that's just as natural a hot dog and apple pie. She really puts country music back where it belongs...in the country, ain't no pop about it.
Like it or not country is here to stay, like a familiar smell you try to fan away, but you can't, it just sticks. Much like her lyrical content. Hank Williams said it best, "Say, hey, good lookin' what you got cookin'? How's about cookin' somethin' up with me?" Put back a shot of whiskey and get your line-dance on 'cause "you ain't gonna see my name on MTV..."

Acute - Arms Around A Stranger

Help/Tsunami/Fontana

Guess what!?...We have another Debut...'Tis the season for new releases. This Los Angeles based rock group used this album as a follow-up to their EP released back in 2006. The song entitled "Follow you Home" has been referred to by vocalist/guitarist Isaac Lekach as " It's probably the most violent I've ever felt in my life"
If this is the case, I'd take him any day. Hard sounding...sure if you only listen to pop rock and are a stalker. With a line like "These fists come small but will follow you home..." You'll raise your lighter at the show and again when you leave to make sure that no one is hiding in the trenches...waiting to "Follow you Home". These lyrics must have came to him in a dream, or in a jail cell.

Various Artists - Celtic Twilight 7: Sacred Spirit

Hearts of Space/Valley

"Celtic Twilight 7: Sacred Spirit" is the latest addition to the multimillion selling Hearts of Space Records Celtic Twilight series. Compiled by producer Ellen Holmes, "Celtic Twilight 7: Sacred Spirit" features the topnotch Irish choir Anu`na amongst others. This is a unique collection of sacred music performed by some of today's world class musicians in celtic and Irish music.

Cannibal Corpse - Kill

Metal Blade

Attention all Metal Heads... Hey that means you, put down your beer and your death to Metallica poster 'cause we got a new addition to the Cannibal family. "Kill" is the title of the album but really, it should be 'Long Live Cannibal Corpse!'
In this day and age with all the new rock music TV shows and short hair, it's nice to know that you can put on a newly released album such as "Kill" and feel like nothing's changed. I mean that in a good way. "Extreme pain is what they need to feel for the rest of their lives/Misery and despair leaves their souls when infinity ends..." Such a lyric is the opening line to the song "Make Them Suffer". Need I say More?!

Watermelon Slim & The Workers - The Wheel Man

Northern Blues/Big Daddy

Watermelon Slim made his first appearance on the music scene in the early 1970's as the only Vietnam Veteran to record a full length LP during the war. A few years back he was a full time industrial waste driver in Oklahoma. After a near-fatal heart-attack he had the epiphany that he could spend the rest of his time driving around band mates and performing music instead of waste.
And that's exactly what he did! With many nominations across the board for his never ending blues licks, he is the man to see. Now that many legends have left us, and with new ones forming, adding Watermelon Slim & The Workers to the list of must see blues acts would be the thing to do.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Various Artists - Music for Yoga

Domo/IDN

Yoga is a state of being where we are fully present to ourselves and the world around us. The ancient wisdom of Yoga offers many practices to achieve this heightened state of awareness.
Music for Yoga is designed to support your yoga practice on the mat and in life by transporting you into a state of harmony and balance, which is the state of Yoga. For the record, this should only be played during the actual practice of Yoga....

Spyro Gyra - Good To Go-Go

Heads Up

Founded in 1975 by altoist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra has consistently been one of the most commercially successful pop-jazz groups of the past forty years. Although originally a studio group, the band became a full-time venture in 1979 and has been touring ever since. They combine R&B and elements of pop with jazz, but it's live performances are stimulating, emphasizing danceable melodies.
They are a premier fusion ensemble containing catchy melodies, prominent backbeats with plenty of room for improvisational expression. They were and always will be at the top of the light jazz and fusion field. With the addition of new drummer Bonny B, who joined the group before recording this album, he has added a breath of fresh air to the group. Prompting the group to get back in touch with it's more live sounding tracks as opposed to an over produced studio record. This album would be oh so fitting for setting the backdrop to a nice summer night spent in the Caribbean.

Joell Ortiz - The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)

Koch

In the summer of 2006, while New Yorkers were debating the identity of the city's next big rapper, Joell Ortiz was excluded from discussion. He was in the lab making records. Unlike many of the city's other contenders, who've flooded the music biz with mixtapes, Ortiz limited his hustle to just one, Who The Fuck Is Joell Ortiz? Eventually, the mixtape landed in the hands of a real decision maker, Dr.Dre.
All of his rhymes are a reflection of the process of what it really means to rise up from the bottom. The glory of being a hustler and the fall that goes along with it. Yes that's right, not all hustling gangsta's get on top and actually stay there. Sorry to burst your Hollywood bubble. If you want to hear a story of a life in the Hip-Hop/Gangsta life style on the East Coast, check it. Word.

You've got a headache,
I've got some strange disease
Don't worry about it,
this pill will set your mind at ease
It's called Progenitorivox,
it's made by squabbMerlCo
It's a life-enhancing miracle, but there are
some things you should know
It may Cause...
Agitation, palpitations, excessive salivation,
Constipation, male lactation, rust colored urination
Hallucinations, bad vibrations,
mild electric shock sensations
But it's worth it for the drugs I need

My disease may not be fatal, but I can ease my fears
By taking two $12 pills each day for 50 years
They've spent billions to convince me,
so now I realize
Progesnitorivox beats diet and exercise

I've got insurance, at least for now I do
If I bought generic, It would cut my costs in two
But I want Progesnitorivox' cause I saw it on TV
Those families look so functional,
that paisley pill's for me

But it may cause...
Depravation, humiliation, debtors' prison
and deportation
dark depictions, dire predictions,
life as seen in Dickens' fiction
Empty pockets, court dockets.
may cause eyes to pop form sockets
But it's worth it...
(In Canada, they get this for a song)

Editor's Note: This incredible song is dedicated to Michael Moore's "Must see movie" against the health care corporate establishment. Check out SICKO!

Political Article: War Going Horribly---for Iraqis By: Amitabh Pal Back To Top ThereÕs something of a whiff of racism in claiming that the Iraq War is not going too badly because American casualties have been marginally lower last month. On purpose or otherwise, this analysis misses the larger purpose of why U.S. troops are meant to be in Iraq: to make life better for the Iraqis. As the numbers show, U.S. troops are spectacularly failing in this regard. July was a month that saw a whopping 23 percent increase in Iraqi violent deaths over June, with at least 2,024 Iraqis killed. And yet, the same AP story that pointed this out led with the U.S. troop statistic, starkly exposing the priorities of the media. The decline in U.S. casualties from June to July, according to numbers at icasualties.org, was 20. In the same timeframe, however, the number of Iraqi casualties increased by 384. Is one American life worth more than twenty Iraqi lives? The same disregard for Iraqis is shown in a New York Times analysis piece by Mark Mazzetti that cites the contrasting figures as a Ògood news, bad newsÓ scenario. But surely, the spectacular rise in Iraqi killings (topped off on August 1, the day the analysis was written, by a series of bombings in Baghdad that killed scores) more than offsets any decline in U.S. troop casualties. Or is the putatively liberal New York Times also revealing how it weighs American versus non-American lives? Not surprisingly, advocates of the war are eagerly grasping the straw of Ògood newsÓ to supposedly prove that the war is going well. ÒIn May, we suffered 125 casualties,Ó writes rightwing blogger Hugh Hewitt. ÒIn June, that number ticked down to 101. With July almost over, the number currently stands at 74. Each casualty is a loss to be mourned; still, the fact that the casualty figure has declined by roughly 20 percent per month while our troops have been most active and engaged is clearly an encouraging sign.Ó http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/issue5 Of course, thereÕs no mention of the civilian carnage the same month. Hewitt doesnÕt seem to have Iraqis on his radar screen. Hugh Hewitt is not the only one to be unthinkingly optimistic. So is Dick Cheney. On Larry KingÕs show just a couple of days ago, Cheney insisted that the surge is working. Of course, that fact that Cheney is full of it is not exactly a newsflash. But as Brian Whitaker reveals in The Guardian, the surge has so far been a failure on all fronts-civilian as well as military (since U.S. troop casualties are higher than in past Julys). Oblivious to the suffering of the Iraqi people, proponents of the war continue to ignore the grotesque consequences it has wrought.

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