Artist: Keb' Mo'
   Album: Back By Popular Demand
   Label: Sony
   Year: 2004
   Genre: Blues
   Format: FLAC
   Time: 00:39:48
   Size: 224.10 MB

   The velvety voiced Mo' shifts away from his usual matters of the heart to matters of the world on this disc of predominantly covers. He has also abandoned his bluesier roots in favor of a slicker, jazz-based pop. The result is a protest album for the double-latte crowd, most of whom can hum along to chestnuts from the Rascals ("People Got to be Free"), John Lennon ("Imagine"), and Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A-Changin'"). While a jaunty banjo- and fiddle-flecked version of the Nick Lowe-penned "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" (popularized by Elvis Costello) uses a questionable rearrangement to convey the song's message, Mo' really connects when he raids the soul vaults for tunes by Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, and Donny Hathaway. It's a pleasant, subtle, and always professionally performed detour that's as comfy as a warm cup of hot chocolate on a chilly day.
    --Hal Horowitz

     Artist: James Cotton
     Album: High Compression
     Original Release Date: 1984
     Number of Discs: 1
     Label: Alligator Records
     Format: MP3 V0
     Size: 00:39:35
     Time: 67,23 MB


     One of James Cotton's best studio albums, HIGH COMPRESSION neatly splits the difference between traditional '50s and '60s Chicago blues and more contemporary funk influences. About half the cuts feature his '80s touring band, who put a modern on Bobby Bland's "Ain't Doing Too Bad" and have a ball covering Steve Miller's "Ying Yang."
     The other cuts feature veteran Chicago sidemen Magic Slim and Pinetop Perkins. The sound gets low down and Muddy Waters-esque, particularly on "23 Hours Too Long," which gives rise to one of Cotton's most impassioned performances ever, both vocally and on harp.

     Artist: Janis Joplin
     Album: Anthology
     Original Release Date: 1990
     Number of Discs: 2
     Format: MP3 320 kbits
     Label: Sony Music
     Size: 187,62 MB
     Time: 01:21:33


     Import only double-CD collection of vintage Janis Joplin culled from Big Brother and the The Holding Company albums as well as her later stellar solo performances. Tracks include 'Piece Of My Heart', 'Kozmic Blues', 'Trust Me', 'Ball And Chain' ... Full Description& 'Mercedes Benz'. 19 tracks in total. Slim-line double jewel case. Sony.

     Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
     Album: Christmas Time Again
     Label: Sanctuary Records
     Year: 2000
     Format: MP3 - CBR 320 kbits
     Size: 82.58 Mb

It's a long way from Jacksonville, Florida, to the North Pole, but first generation Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd put antifreeze in the old touring van and set a course for Santa's workshop with this seasonal outing. The band, which now consists of three founders and a handful of later recruits, mix Yule warhorses ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Greensleeves") and more recent fare ("Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'," "Run Run Rudolph," Eddie C. Campbell's customized-for-Christmas take on "Messin' with the Kid") with a smattering of originals. Guests Charlie Daniels and .38 Special check in with one song apiece, giving the whole project a kind of TV variety-show feel--that is, if you can picture a bearded Perry Como with a stack of Marshall amps at his back. ~ Steven Stolder

     Artist: Clifton Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana Band
     Album: Live at Grant Street
     Label: Arhoolie Records
     Year: 2000
     Format, Mp3 -new V0
     Size: 100,65 MB


Clifton Chenier recorded this 73-minute performance in Lafayette, LA, on April 28, 1981, backed by the Red Hot Louisiana Band. That group featured Cleveland Chenier on rub board, C.J. Chenier on alto sax, and Robert Peter on drums; oddly, the guitar and bass players for this specific gig remain unidentified. No surprises here -- just a good energetic set by the king of zydeco, with a full-sounding band and pretty good fidelity. As usual, he varied the set between traditional-sounding zydeco and numbers with a heavier soul and blues flavor (on which the saxophone comes much more to the fore), including a cover of the old Chuck Willis hit "What Am I Living For." ~ Richie Unterberger , All Music Guide [b]

     Artists: V.A
     Album: Big Blues Extravaganza - The Best Of Austin City Limits
     Year: 1998
     Label: Sony
     Genre: Blues
     Bitrate: Mp3 - CBR 320
     Size: 155,04 MB

     Here's a bountiful blues buffet from deep in the heart of Texas, courtesy of the long-running Austin City Limits television series. Texas talents--including Lightnin' Hopkins, represented by a suitably idiosyncratic "Rock Me Baby"; the razor-sharp Albert Collins, ripping through "Travellin' South" in front of a horn-powered band; and W.C. Clark, the godfather of the Austin blues scene, who sparkles on a song by hometown hero Willie Nelson--make the most of their spotlight time. And, naturally, there's Stevie Ray Vaughan, who leads Double Trouble through a tight and tasty "Love Struck Baby." Jimmie Vaughan's tribute to his blues brother, "Six Strings Down," follows in an example of the collection's creative sequencing. In like manner Gatemouth Brown's "Born in Louisiana" leads into Dr. John's New Orleans version of "Since I Fell for You," and Clark's rendition of "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away" segues into B.B. King's personalized cover of Nelson's classic "Night Life." The honorary Austinites, including a rambunctious Buddy Guy and a solo Rory Block, also make considerable contributions, the best probably being Taj Mahal bouncing through "Queen Bee" with Ben Harper on slide guitar, although Keb' Mo's straightahead "Tell Everybody I Know" isn't far behind. ~ Michael Point

Artist: Christine McVie
Album: The Legendary Christine Perfect
Format: MP3 VBR
Size: 109,73 MB
Label: Blue Horizon
Total time: 00:37:09


In 1976, Sire Records issued the first U.S. release of what was a mega-import of the Blue Horizon 1970 U.K. release, an album called simply Christine Perfect, the maiden name of Christine McVie. You don't need a crystal ball to tell you the album is classic and tremendous -- the big surprise is that it didn't go multi-platinum in this country. Record executive Seymour Stein's liner notes are excellent, Stein having worked at Billboard magazine before becoming the industry legend; indeed, it takes a record man like Stein to actually give the fans hardcore facts not usually found in essays that decorate the backs of album covers. There are 12 tracks, and the liner notes declare "I'd Rather Go Blind" went Top Ten in the U.K. It deserved to, but there's more here than the very good reading of the Etta James hit that "I'd Rather Go Blind" was. "When You Say" has strings and production that sound hauntingly like a Marianne Faithful track on London or Nico's work on Immediate. The big difference is that, by the time this album was released in America, Christine McVie was pretty much a household name. It doesn't sound like Fleetwood Mac but, surprise of surprises, John McVie and Danny Kirwan of the Mac are performng on that tune. "Wait and See" is a real treasure, while "And That's Saying a Lot" is such a shift in mood that it starts to sink in what a complex and complete recording this is. The listener really has to stand back from McVie's fame and just hear the music for what it is, a superb presentation by a commercial voice with solid backup. "No Road Is the Right Road" changes the vibe again, and maybe that's a result of the array of talent, from Chicken Shack (her original band), to Yardbirds guitarist Top Topham, to Rick Hayward (later of Savoy Brown). As for the arrangements, Terry Noonan, John Bennett, and Derek Wadsworth all lend their talents. "For You" is neo-rockabilly with that Dave Edmunds sound from "I Hear You Knocking," but try on "I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around)" -- what a stunner -- Fleetwood Mac performing a '50s-style ballad. This could have been such a huge hit when Fleetwood Mac started to flounder a bit after all the dysfunction -- dipping into the bag of old tricks would have been a neat ploy for radio play. With all the attention on her major band, too many copies of this Sire release ended up in cutout bins. What a sin, as there is much more to The Legendary Christine Perfect Album than just hype. From liner notes to cover photos, and the phenomenal sounds within, when fans of Fleetwood Mac need a fix for their obsession, this is the album to pull out and play. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

     Artist: Buckwheat Zydeco
     Album: One for the Road
     Year: 1992
     Label: Paula Records
     Size: 85,98 MB
     Format: CBR 320 kbits


Contemporary zydeco's most popular performer, accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural was the natural successor to the throne vacated by the death of his mentor Clifton Chenier; infusing his propulsive party music with strains of rock and R&B, his urbanized sound -- complete with touches of synthesizer and trumpet -- married traditional and contemporary zydeco with uncommon flair, in the process reaching a wider mainstream audience than any artist before him. Dural was born in Lafayette, Louisiana on November 14, 1947; with his braided hair, he soon acquired the nickname "Buckwheat" (an homage to the Our Gang character), and by the age of four was already touted as a piano prodigy. Although often exposed to traditional zydeco as a child, he preferred R&B, and by the mid-1950s was playing professionally with Lynn August; Dural's notoriety as a keyboardist quickly spread, and he also backed notables including Joe Tex and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. In 1971, Dural founded Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers, a 16-piece funk band which he led for the next half-decade; however, in 1976 he finally fell under zydeco's sway when recruited to back Chenier -- a friend of his father -- on tour. Originally brought on as an organist, Dural picked up the accordion within two years and began learning from the master himself; rechristening himself Buckwheat Zydeco, he formed his own combo by 1979, the Ils Sont Partis Band (translated as "They're off!, " so named in honor of the cry heard at the beginning of each horse race at the Lafayette track). Upon signing to the Blues Unlimited label, the group debuted in 1979 with One for the Road, followed in 1980 by Take It Easy, Baby. After 1983's 100% Fortified Zydeco, the group moved to the Rounder label, where they issued the Grammy-nominated Turning Point; its 1985 follow-up, Waitin' for My Ya Ya, was similarly honored. In 1986, New York-based music critic Ted Fox helped Buckwheat Zydeco land a deal with Island Records, in the process becoming the first zydeco act ever signed to a major label; Fox subsequently acted as their producer as well. The group made their Island debut in 1987 with the acclaimed On a Night Like This, another Grammy nominee; that same year they also appeared in the hit movie The Big Easy, further increasing their public visibility. Taking It Home followed in 1988, but after 1990's Where There's Smoke There's Fire, Buckwheat Zydeco was dropped by Island, signing to Charisma for 1992's On Track. The years to follow saw the band drifting from one label to another, signing to Warner for 1994's Choo Choo Boogaloo, then hopping to Atlantic for 1997's Trouble; although their commercial fortunes may have dipped, they remained hugely popular as a live attraction, despite purists' charges of commercialism, and celebrated two decades of music in 1999 with The Buckwheat Zydeco Story: A 20 Year Party. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

     Artist: V.A.
     Album: Hungarian Jazz Anthology
     Years: 2005
     Format: MP3 CBR 320 kbits
     Style: Hungarian Jazz
     Size: 310 Mb


Their rarely-made tunes and remixes have been regularly played by Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, the Jazzanova, Rainer Trьby, Nicola Conte and Tom Wieland among many other respected djs.This compilation is about 70s funky fusion with a lot of groove. If this is what you are after then every track here is the winner. Some of the big names from the Hungarian scene at that time, like Gabor Szabo, haven’t been included because they were building their careers abroad. This compilation is concentrated just on Hungarian releases. With this selection you will get not just the section through Hungarian rare records and the part of jazz history from that country that you can enjoy listening at home but also a nice selection for your DJ bag if you are into jazz dance and funky fusion. Some of the tunes like Dimenzio’s Bamba already has conquered the club scene and were reworked and sampled by trendy DJs and producers.