Arturo Sandoval - Dear Diz

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:28
Size: 159.0 MB
Styles: Afro-Cuban jazz, Trumpet jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[8:17] 1. Be Bop
[6:45] 2. Salt Peanuts! (Mani Salado)
[5:15] 3. And Then She Stopped
[6:02] 4. Birks Works (Ala Mancini)
[7:07] 5. Things To Come
[5:05] 6. Fiesta Mojo
[5:56] 7. Con Alma (With Soul)
[6:49] 8. Tin Tin Deo
[6:12] 9. Algo Bueno (Woody And Me)
[7:18] 10. A Night In Tunisia (Actually An Entire Weekend!)
[4:38] 11. Every Day I Think Of You

Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval's 2012 tribute to legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is a big-band Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz tour de force. Showcasing Sandoval's long-storied titan bop trumpet chops, Dear Diz frames the Cuban-born virtuoso with layered big-band arrangements on many of Gillespie's best-known compositions. Produced by Gregg Field and Sandoval, the album also features a bevy of name jazz musicians, including Hammond B-3 master Joey DeFrancesco, vibraphonist Gary Burton, tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, and many more. Included here, among others, are such Gillespie songs as "Salt Peanuts!," "Birks Works," "Con Alma," and, of course, Gillespie's trademark theme, "A Night in Tunisia." Gillespie was Sandoval's biggest musical influence and, after the two met during Gillespie's tour of Cuba in 1977, he became one of Sandoval's most ardent champions, mentors, and friends. In that sense, Dear Diz is clearly a labor of love, a sentiment that permeates this joyously exuberant album. ~Matt Collar

Dear Diz

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Steely Dan - 2 albums: The Old Regime / Katy Lied

Album: The Old Regime
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:06
Size: 101.0 MB
Styles: Jazz-rock, Album rock
Year: 1987/2013
Art: Front

[3:03] 1. Brain Tap Shuffle
[4:04] 2. Come Back Baby
[3:16] 3. Android Warehouse
[2:37] 4. Charlie Freak
[3:07] 5. The Old Regime
[6:05] 6. Brooklyn
[3:59] 7. I Can't Function
[3:35] 8. Mock Turtle Song
[3:58] 9. Yellow Peril
[3:02] 10. Let George Do It
[2:20] 11. Stone Piano
[2:05] 12. You Where I Go
[2:50] 13. Sun Mountain

Collecting ten studio tracks that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker recorded between 1968 and 1971 (prior to their 1972 debut album), OLD REGIME provides a fascinating look at the duo as they work on perfecting the sound that would make them one of the most critically respected rock acts of the seventies. Though the sound quality of these recordings is not quite as pristine as that of Steely Dan's celebrated albums, OLD REGIME makes for some wonderful listening.

All of the ingredients that would comprise the "Steely Dan sound"--the inventive arrangements, quirky lyrics, classy songs, tasteful musicianship (including the guitar work of Denny Dias) and the soulful voice of Donald Fagen--are already in place on these recordings. Featuring only one track ("Brooklyn") that would appear on an official Steely Dan album, songs like "Brain Tap Shuffle," "Yellow Peril" and "I Can't Function" are welcome additions to the Steely Dan catalog and they are superb examples of how Becker and Fagen were able to blend their pop, jazz and R&B influences into an exciting, unique style that has never been replicated.

The Old Regime

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Album: Katy Lied
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:59
Size: 80.1 MB
Styles: Album rock, Jazz-rock
Year: 1975/2011
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. Black Friday
[3:17] 2. Bad Sneakers
[3:02] 3. Rose Darling
[3:12] 4. Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More
[3:53] 5. Doctor Wu
[3:42] 6. Everyone's Gone To The Movies
[4:10] 7. Your Gold Teeth Ii
[2:58] 8. Chain Lightning
[3:52] 9. Any World (That I'm Welcome To)
[3:12] 10. Throw Back The Little Ones

Building from the jazz fusion foundation of Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan created an alluringly sophisticated album of jazzy pop with Katy Lied. With this record, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen began relying solely on studio musicians, which is evident from the immaculate sound of the album. Usually, such a studied recording method would drain the life out of each song, but that's not the case with Katy Lied, which actually benefits from the duo's perfectionist tendencies. Each song is given a glossy sheen, one that accentuates not only the stronger pop hooks, but also the precise technical skill of the professional musicians drafted to play the solos. Essentially, Katy Lied is a smoother version of Pretzel Logic, featuring the same cross-section of jazz-pop and blues-rock. The lack of innovations doesn't hurt the record, since the songs are uniformly brilliant. Less overtly cynical than previous Dan albums, the album still has its share of lyrical stingers, but what's really notable are the melodies, from the seductive jazzy soul of "Doctor Wu" and the lazy blues of "Chain Lightning" to the terse "Black Friday" and mock calypso of "Everyone's Gone to the Movies." It's another excellent record in one of the most distinguished rock & roll catalogs of the '70s. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Katy Lied

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Milt Jackson - Ain't But A Few Of Us Left

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:35
Size: 90.6 MB
Styles: Hard bop, Vibraphone jazz
Year: 1983/1995/2008
Art: Front

[7:24] 1. Ain't But A Few Of Us Left
[5:57] 2. Stuffy
[5:57] 3. A Time For Love
[5:55] 4. Body And Soul
[7:59] 5. If I Should Lose You
[6:21] 6. What Am I Here For

Despite the pessimistic title, all of the members of this particular quartet (vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Grady Tate) were still active into the mid-'90s. The music is unsurprising but still quite enjoyable and virtuosic as Bags and Co. perform blues, standards and ballads with their usual swing and bop-based creativity. Highlights include the title cut, "Stuffy," "What Am I Here For" and a vibes-piano duo version of "A Time for Love." ~Scott Yanow

Recording Date: November 30, 1981

Ain't But A Few Of Us Left

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Peggy Lee - Dream Street

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:41
Size: 79.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1957/1992/2007
Art: Front

[3:18] 1. Street Of Dreams
[2:56] 2. What's New
[2:48] 3. You're Blase
[2:21] 4. It's All Right With Me
[2:35] 5. My Old Flame
[3:37] 6. Dancing On The Ceiling
[2:58] 7. It Never Entered My Mind
[3:46] 8. Too Late Now
[2:44] 9. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
[2:26] 10. Something I Dreamed Last Night
[2:53] 11. Last Night When We Were Young
[2:13] 12. So Blue

Dream Street captures Peggy Lee at her most intimate and melancholy -- a song cycle exploring love and loss in uncompromisingly frank terms, it strips away the saccharine and schmaltz so common among the singer's Decca sessions to effectively create the first truly adult music of her career. Lee occupies the same harrowing emotional territory staked out by Frank Sinatra via the landmark In the Wee Small Hours, investing the material with the kind of heartbreak and longing that belies the whole "easy listening" tag -- this is music shorn of pretense and artifice, as intense as a primal scream yet beautiful in the way only art of this magnitude can be. ~Jason Ankeny

Recording Date: June 5, 1956 - June 7, 1956

Dream Street

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Cliff Jordan & John Gilmore - Blowing In From Chicago

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:08
Size: 105.6 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[5:33] 1. Status Quo
[5:53] 2. Bo-Fill
[6:35] 3. Blue Lights
[9:32] 4. Billie's Bounce
[5:11] 5. Evil Eye
[5:41] 6. Everywhere
[7:40] 7. Let It Stand

Like the scholastic background of Blue Note's first Chicago import, Johnny Griffin, both Clifford Jordan and John Gilmore were taught their musical ABC's by Capt. Walter Dyett at DuSable Hight School on Chicago's Southside. (Two of their classmates were bassist Richard Davis, now with Sarah Vaughan, and altoist John Jenkins, soon to appear on a Blue Note LP with Hank Mobley.)

Both are 25 years of age, and have had varied experiences playing most every type of popular music; Clifford with many of the blues bands in the area; John, most notably as solo clarinetist for two years in an Army Air Force Band, and more recently as featured tenor soloist with a large band that Earl Hines assembled for a nation-wide tour as part of a show with the Harlem Globetrotters. (He is now featured with the exciting experimental octet of Sun Ra). Clifford has been playing 11 years, John, 10.

The rhythm section assembled by Blue Note for this session is a superlative one, indeed. Returning, on bass, from the Griffin LP is Curly Russell. The leader of the Jazz Messengers, Art Blakey, is our percussionist for the date, and his reunion with pianist Horace Silver, grooved herein for posterity, is an electrifying one. Both seemed to feel greatly the nuances and anticipations so necessary to create an integrated and interesting rhythmic pulse. Their help in stabilizing a young nervousness, most naturally encountered on a first solo record date, is of inestimable value. Horace, incidentally, is greatly responsible for bringing John and Clifford to Blue Note's attention. He bacame enamored of their talents jamming with them while appearing in Chicago with the "Messengers."

Clifford plays the lead parts in all of the ensemble work, and his mellower tone is readily distinguishable from Gilmore's harder, more punching sound. Throughout the album, I think you will feel the sincerity of these two young horn men, their obvious difference in tone and conception, and the freshness of their mid-western approach. For, with the brilliantly creative musical background that Chicago has given them, it is inevitable that John Gilmore and Clifford Jordan will make an important contribution to the world of Modern Jazz tenor playing. ~Joe Segal

Blowing In From Chicago

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Duke Robillard - 2 albums: A Swingin' Session / Tales From The Tiki Lounge

Album: A Swingin Session

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 52:04

Size: 119.2 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz, Contemporary blues

Year: 2008

Art: Full

[3:56] 1. Deed I Do

[6:42] 2. The Lonesome Road

[5:20] 3. Them That Got

[4:35] 4. Just Because

[3:29] 5. Meet Me At No Special Place

[6:49] 6. Red Dog

[4:52] 7. They Raided The Joint

[6:34] 8. When Your Lover Has Gone

[3:08] 9. The Song Is Ended

[6:34] 10. Swinging With Lucy Mae

Duke Robillard has always had one foot in the blues world and one in the swing/jazz universe. He loves both styles of music and enjoys not only playing them separately but combining them together. The founder of Roomful of Blues back in 1967, Robillard has led dozens of projects throughout his career, including collaborations with guitarist Herb Ellis, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Jay McShann. On A Swingin Session, he plays with some of his favorite musicians, many of whom originated (like he did) in Rhode Island. While six horn players participate, there are no more than four on any one selection, and some numbers do not have any. The contrasting tenor solos are fun to hear, with Scott Hamilton sounding smooth and mellow on his numbers while Sax Gordon is greasier and much closer to Illinois Jacquet.

Present throughout are Bruce Katz (mostly on organ), one of three bassists (usually Marty Ballou), and drummer Mark Teixeira. Robillard takes vocals on half of the selections in his personable way, but it is his guitar solos, which hint at both Charlie Christian and T-Bone Walker, that often take honors. Performing medium-tempo blues, jump tunes, standards, and good-time numbers, Duke Robillard shows listeners a fun time and clearly enjoys himself, too. ~Scott Yanow

A Swingin Session

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Album: Duke Robillard & Sunny Crownover - Tales From The Tiki Lounge

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 53:57

Size: 123.5 MB

Styles: Guitar jazz, Contemporary blues, Jazz vocals

Year: 2009

Art: Full

[0:16] 1. Intro

[3:08] 2. Bye Bye Blues

[3:22] 3. Occidental Woman

[3:24] 4. Besame Mucho

[3:15] 5. Just One More Chance

[2:38] 6. Tico Tico

[2:25] 7. I'm Still In Love With You

[2:54] 8. Sway

[2:35] 9. Put The Blame On Mame, Pt. 1

[2:01] 10. Put The Blame On Mame, Pt. 2

[4:25] 11. Smoke Rings

[3:30] 12. Kiss Of Fire

[4:06] 13. Crazy

[3:11] 14. Goody Goody

[3:54] 15. Romance In The Dark

[4:58] 16. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)

[3:48] 17. Sway

Tales from the Tiki Lounge is Duke Robillard and Sunny Crownover's tribute to Les Paul & Mary Ford. Robillard, an accomplished veteran guitarist with a background in blues and swing, demonstrates that he knows his way around a Gibson Les Paul model guitar in the ways that Paul played and overdubbed it on his series of hit recordings with his then-wife, Ford, singing from the early '50s to the early ‘60s.

Crownover, whose voice producer Robillard sometimes double-tracks or adds echo to in emulation of Paul's recording approach, has a warm tone consistent with Ford's. The selections include many of the Paul/Ford hits, including "Bye Bye Blues," "Just One More Chance," "Smoke Rings," and "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)," as well as songs Robillard has wisely selected that, while not actually recorded by Paul and Ford, can be performed in their style. These include "Occidental Woman," a song sung by Mae West in her 1936 movie Klondike Annie that sounds like it could have been written by Hoagy Carmichael on the same afternoon as "Hong Kong Blues" (it's actually by Gene Austin and predates the Carmichael composition by three years); "Put the Blame on Mame" (broken into two tracks with different verses and arrangements), the song lip-synced by Rita Hayworth (but actually sung by Anita Ellis) in the 1946 film noir Gilda; and "Crazy," Willie Nelson's song for Patsy Cline that became a hit in the early '60s. The selections thus predate and postdate the Paul/Ford era, but the music is all of a piece with it. The album title is slightly off-topic, but, despite Robillard's obvious affection for and appreciation of the music, there is an inescapably camp feel to it that helps it fit into the lounge/exotica style, especially given the frequent use of Latin rhythms including tango and rhumba. It's all in fun, of course, but Robillard effectively eulogizes Paul's guitar technique only a short time after his death. ~William Ruhlmann

Tales From The Tiki Lounge

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Kirk Whalum - Romance Language

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 125.6 MB
Styles: Crossover jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:30] 1. They Say It's Wonderful
[5:08] 2. Dedicated To You
[5:33] 3. My One And Only Love
[6:15] 4. Lush Life
[8:31] 5. You Are Too Beautiful
[5:02] 6. Autumn Serenade
[4:09] 7. Almost Doesn't Count
[4:46] 8. I Wish I Wasn't
[5:12] 9. I Wanna Know
[4:43] 10. Spend My Life With You

The 1963 Impulse! Records LP John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman helped to redefine the renowned jazz saxophonist by pairing him with a singer on a collection of standards, showing that Coltrane wasn't (or wasn't only) an avant-gardist bent on playing free jazz. Nearly 50 years later, Kirk Whalum's Romance Language isn't going to have the same impact on his career, even though he has recorded the same half-dozen tunes with his brother Kevin Whalum taking the vocals. Kirk doesn't have Coltrane's reputation for one thing, and for another, he and Kevin are not trying to re-create the Coltrane/Hartman sound on Romance Language; they just happen to be performing the same songs. In their readings, evergreens like Irving Berlin's "They Say It's Wonderful," Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," and Rodgers & Hart's "You Are Too Beautiful" are given smooth jazz arrangements typical of Kirk's other albums. Fellow musicians such as John Stoddart (prominently featured on electric piano on "Lush Life"), Kevin Turner (who solos on electric guitar on the long coda to "You Are Too Beautiful"), and Michael "Nomad" Ripoll (who launches "Autumn Serenade" with some flamenco-style acoustic guitar) join in to produce instrumental beds for Kirk to solo over in a warm, unhurried manner. And Kevin has a burnished croon more reminiscent of Nat King Cole than Hartman (who was in the Billy Eckstine school of singers). To fill out the disc to CD-worthy length, Kirk performs instrumentals of more contemporary material by the likes of Eric Benet and Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam Harris. And the brothers' 83-year-old uncle, Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, comes on to sing "Almost Doesn't Count" and shows them how it should be done. He is closer in sound and spirit to the album being paid tribute here, and his sole contribution whets the appetite for more. ~William Ruhlmann

Romance Language

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Lisa Linn - On Such A Wonderful Summer Night

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:39
Size: 149,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. I Love Being Here With You
(4:22)  2. I've Got The World On A String
(4:12)  3. I Concentrate On You
(5:02)  4. Only Trust Your Heart
(5:16)  5. Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home
(5:28)  6. These Foolish Things
(5:26)  7. Everthing I Love
(3:42)  8. I'll Be Seeing You
(5:02)  9. That Old Black Magic
(5:20) 10. I Should Care
(4:29) 11. So Sad
(4:18) 12. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(5:31) 13. Alone Together
(3:22) 14. It's So Nice When We're Together

Although the liner notes describe an outdoor concert on a football green with thousands seated on the grass and Lisa Linn singing from atop a lorry, Summer Night is actually a studio date recorded in March/April ’98 at Radio Sweden. So much for truth in advertising. As for the music, it’s pleasantly loose and swinging, but Linn may have fared better on the football green, as she’s not especially well recorded in the studio, whose cavernous ambiance enwraps her in a hazy veil. Linn’s voice is a smoky contralto, and while I don’t know anything about her background, traces of a Swedish accent surface only infrequently, and are never intrusive. She takes the occasional liberties with a lyric, most notably on “That Old Black Magic,” and seems more comfortable at slower tempos (most of her ten vocals are taken at a relatively unhurried pace including four ballads and the normally fleet footed “Bill Bailey,” which strolls nonchalantly into fiery choruses by Lundgren and Wickman). Speaking of Wickman, he is present on only five of the 14 tracks including three with Linn (his clarinet is featured with the rhythm section on “I Concentrate on You” and “Everything I Love”). There are two trio numbers, with Lundgren out front on “I Should Care” (a lovely reading) and Sylvén on “Alone Together.” 

Lundgren, one of the finest young pianists on the scene, takes several other first class solos as does Sylvén and he and the rhythm section are in admirable form in their supporting role. A well–framed session that is somewhere short of outstanding but well above the norm. ~ Jack Bowers  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/on-such-a-wonderful-summer-night-lisa-linn-four-leaf-clover-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php 

Personnel:  Lisa Linn, vocals; Putte Wickman, clarinet;  Jan Lundgren, Piano;  Patrik Albin, Lars Andersson, Bo Sylvén

On Such A Wonderful Summer Night

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The Chico Hamilton Trio - The Chico Hamilton Trio

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:11
Size: 92,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Broadway
(3:58)  2. Porch Light
(3:04)  3. Blues On The Rocks
(5:12)  4. Skynned Strings
(3:16)  5. Street Of Drums
(2:51)  6. What Is There To Say
(2:29)  7. Nuttye
(2:41)  8. Buddy Boo
(4:41)  9. Uganda
(2:16) 10. Lollypop
(2:55) 11. We'll Be Together Again
(3:41) 12. Autumn Landscape

Chico Hamilton's earliest bands in a trio setting featured two fine rising stars of jazz guitar in Howard Roberts and Jim Hall. With the always exceptional George Duvivier playing bass throughout, these three-piece bands laid a foundation for many of Hamilton's more famous groups in the '60s that sported sidemen Larry Coryell and Gabor Szabo. There are hints of the hardcore jazz swing and Latin boogaloo amalgam that Hamilton would perfect, but for this compilation of recordings originally for the Pacific Jazz label, you hear his immaculate work on brushes, more prevalent than his sticks, although many tunes combine the two as he switches off. The eight tracks with the refined playing of Roberts moves from a delicate, tasteful version of "Broadway," through the slow, somewhat abstract "Street of Drums," and the ballad "What Is There to Say?" But then the pace picks up with the quick "Nuttye" reinforced by backdrop scat, and the bass led bop-to-funk "Buddy Boo" where Hamilton's developing style is emerging. 

Rumbling and tribal drums for the late-night "Uganda" buoys the patient guitar of Roberts, while the two minute shortie "Lollypop" is a delicious call and response bopper. As polished as the playing of Roberts is, the sessions with the brilliant Jim Hall are the gems of the set, with all of the compositions penned by Duvivier. "Autumn Landscape" is a bit somber and regretful, while "Porch Light" reads angular à la Thelonious Monk with the guitarist stepping up. A unique, fluid, and dynamic voice at this stage of his career, Hall holds sway in a consistent mezzo piano volume for the bop tinged "Blues on the Rocks" before Hamilton's deft solo on brushes, but with the wire flanges plays his tom-toms in ultra melodic and inventive fashion for "Skynned Strings." 

An entry point recording for Chico Hamilton, it displays his savory good common sense well before being more trend and fashion conscious, as psychedelia and fusion took over commercialized jazz. What needs to be recognized is that Hamilton did not so much assimilate the trends, but modified and adapted his music to the sign of the times and his own unique talents. This CD represents him at a more innocent time when jazz was not so adulterated by more popular forms, and is a fine West Coast style time capsule for the era. [Fresh Sound reissued the CD in 2008.] ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-chico-hamilton-trio/id538201364

Personnel: Chico Hamilton (drums); George Duvivier (bass);  Howard Roberts (guitar); Jim Hall (guitar).

The Chico Hamilton Trio

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Louis Armstrong - Under The Stars

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:46
Size: 105,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:14)  1. Top Hat White Tie & Tails
(4:41)  2. Have You Met Miss Jones
(4:16)  3. I Only Have Eyes For You
(4:19)  4. Stormy Weather
(5:52)  5. Home
(3:16)  6. East Of The Sun
(5:00)  7. You're Blase
(4:56)  8. Body & Soul
(3:20)  9. East Of The Sun (Mono Master)
(5:49) 10. Body And Soul (Mono Master)

One of the lesser-known Louis Armstrong sets, this album was recorded on the same day that resulted in the similar I've Got the World on a String. The great trumpeter/singer is backed by a string orchestra arranged and conducted by Russ Garcia. He performs eight veteran standards, only one of which ("Body and Soul") had been associated with him in the past. Although the accompaniment is pretty straight and unadventurous, it is enjoyable to hear Satch's interpretations of such songs as "Have You Met Miss Jones," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Home," and "East of the Sun." Many of his trumpet solos in the medium-tempo material are brief but dramatic, and his singing is typically expressive and good-humored. 

~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/louis-under-the-stars-mw0000411323

Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet).

Under The Stars

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Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Love Over And Over

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 1982
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:25
Size: 100,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. Move Over Moon
(4:03)  2. Sun, Son (Shining on The Water)
(3:23)  3. I Cried For Us
(4:08)  4. Love Over And Over
(3:30)  5. Star Cab Company
(3:56)  6. Tu Vas M'Accompagner
(2:17)  7. On My Way To Town
(3:01)  8. Jesus Lifeline
(3:49)  9. The Work Song
(3:17) 10. St. Valentine's Day 1978
(5:42) 11. Midnight Flight
(3:04) 12. A Place In Your Heart

As beautiful as Kate & Anna McGarrigle's first two albums were, they were something less than radio friendly a bit too openly emotional, a little short on glitter and their third, Pronto Monto, was an only partially successful attempt by producer David Nichtern to give their work a bit more pop polish. After leaving Warner Bros., the McGarrigles retreated into regionalism with the Québecois-friendly French Record before showing they could make a much more pleasing pop record on their own with Love Over and Over. Without forcing the issue, Love Over and Over, which Kate and Anna produced themselves, is approachable, hooky, and often quite witty, especially on the astrologically minded "Move Over Moon," the modern-day blues of "The Work Song," and the title cut, which features a tasty guitar solo from Mark Knopfler. 

But while Love Over and Over is a sweeter pill than what the McGarrigles sometimes offer, they're still in touch with their darker sensibilities, most notably on the bittersweet childhood reminiscences "Star Cab Company" and "On My Way to Town," and their French-language revision of Bob Seger's "You'll Accompany Me" is wildly idiosyncratic, palpably passionate, and pretty darn rockin'. And, as always, Kate & Anna McGarrigle sing like angels who've seen enough of life on our plane to understand it very well. A great album, and not a bad place to start digging into their body of work. 

~ Mark Deming  http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-over-and-over-mw0000235087

Personnel: Kate McGarrigle (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, fiddle, accordion, piano, background vocals); Alun Davies (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals); Chaim Tannenbaum (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, background vocals); Anna McGarrigle (vocals, banjo, accordion, piano, keyboards, background vocals); Janie McGarrigle (vocals, piano, organ, background vocals); Dane Lanken (vocals, background vocals); Martha Wainwright, Pat Donaldson, Rufus Wainwright (vocals); Scot Lang (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Andrew Cowan (guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); Mark Knopfler (electric guitar); Gilles Losier (violin, fiddle); Ken Pearson (tack piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards); Gerry Conway, Jean Paul Robichaud (drums, percussion); Al DeBueno (drums); Paul Samwell-Smith (background vocals).

Love Over And Over

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