Dave Koz And Friends - Summer Horns II From A To Z

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:54
Size: 126,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:28) 1. Medley: Getaway / That’s The Way (I Like It)
(5:05) 2. More Today Than Yesterday
(4:50) 3. Keep That Same Old Feeling
(5:28) 4. Medley: From A To Z (Take The “A” Train / Make The Road By Walking)
(4:10) 5. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) (feat. Kenny Lattimore & Sheléa)
(4:55) 6. Before I Let Go
(5:09) 7. Late In The Evening (feat. Jonathan Butler)
(4:43) 8. If You Really Love Me
(4:44) 9. Conga (feat. Aubrey Logan & Gloria Estefan)
(5:58) 10. Earth Song
(5:19) 11. Route 66 (feat. Aubrey Logan)

It’s easy to see why Dave Koz wanted to record a part two to his Summer Horns album. Part 1, which dropped in 2013, brought together four of contemporary jazz’s best-known saxophonists Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, and Richard Elliott - to cover tunes from pop and R&B bands that had world famous horn sections. The original Summer Horns featured cuts by Chicago, Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, the Beatles and Earth, Wind & Fire (actually two EW&F songs, since their 1978 cover of the Fab Four’s “Got to Get You Into My Life” served as the inspiration for the track included on Summer Horns.)Summer Horns became a commercial and creative success, earning a Grammy nod, and receiving considerable airplay on terrestrial, satellite and internet radio. The band also spent two years touring following its release. With all that positivity surrounding the original, a sequel could be viewed as an economic necessity. However, the music industry is like a river in that artists never creatively cross twice. It’s been five years since the original Summer Horns dropped, and so it’s not surprising that the four principles were not in the same place.

Changing times presented Koz with an opportunity to make the same type of album different, and he took advantage on Summer Horns II: From A to Z by adding trumpeter Rick Braun and trombonist and vocalist Aubrey Logan to give the brass ensemble a larger and more diverse sound to accompany the returning Albright and Elliott. Summer Horns II also features more vocals from Logan, as well as Kenny Lattimore, Shelea, Gloria Estefan and Jonathan Butler. The addition of trumpet and trombone seemed to inform the album’s musical selections. “This Will Be,” the album’s best track, opens with a honking baritone saxophone and is joined in with the other players giving the track a big band sound. And while the balance of the track plays it pretty close to Natalie Cole’s original, the decision to turn the cut into a duet featuring Lattimore and Shelea pays off, as they transform Cole’s loving soliloquy about the eternal nature of that special love into a swinging yet sensual conversation between two lovers. The horns combine with the African infused percussion, backing vocals and Jonathan Butler’s acoustic guitar work and rangy vocals on the cover of Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening.” Whereas Simon’s vocals were subdued and wry, Butler brings elements of his gospel roots to this soulful rendition. Acoustic bass and the harmonic horn play combine with Logan’s vocals to create a swinging version of “Route 66.” The vocal tracks on Summer Horns II are so strong that I had to wonder if the group missed some opportunities with sticking primarily with instrumentals on several covers. I would love to see what creative arrangements Koz and his crew could have come up with if Lattimore had been turned loose on “More Today than Yesterday,” “Before I Let Go,” or if paired in duet with Estefan (who paired with Logan on a remake of her 1986 hit “Conga”) on “If You Really Love Me.” But, my desire for a few more vocals aside, this is a worthy follow up to the smash original collaboration, and an extremely enjoyable soundtrack to Summer 2018. Recommended. By Howard Dukes https://www.soultracks.com/album-review-dave-koz-summer-horns-II-from-a-to-z

Personnel: Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Gloria Estefan, Jonathan Butler, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot

Summer Horns II From A To Z

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Tony Bennett - Viva Duets

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:52
Size: 111.9 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:36] 1. The Best Is Yet To Come (with Chayanne)
[4:02] 2. The Way You Look Tonight (with Thalia)
[2:01] 3. Steppin' Out With My Baby (with Christina Aguilera)
[3:06] 4. For Once In My Life (with Marc Anthony)
[2:42] 5. Are You Havin' Any Fun (with Dani Martin)
[4:34] 6. Blue Velvet (with Maria Gadu)
[3:20] 7. The Good Life (with Franco de Vita)
[3:00] 8. I Wanna Be Around (with Ricardo Arjona)
[3:51] 9. Who Can I Turn To (with Gloria Estefan)
[2:38] 10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (with Michael Bose)
[4:00] 11. The Very Thought Of You (with Ana Carolina)
[2:16] 12. Just In Time (with Juan Luis Guerra)
[3:15] 13. Cold, Cold Heart (with Vicenteco)
[2:37] 14. Rags To Riches (with Romeo Santos)
[3:47] 15. Return To Me (Regresa A Mí) (with Vicente Fernandez)

VIVA DUETS is the third duets-themed project from 17-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett, following the platinum selling and critically praised DUETS and DUETS II CDs. Featuring many top names in the Latin recording industry, VIVA DUETS finds Bennett performing his greatest hits with a celebrated roster of artists including Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, Ricardo Arjona, Chayanne, Franco De Vita, Gloria Estefan, Vicente Fernández, Juan Luis Guerra, Dani Martín, Romeo Santos, Thalía and Vicentico. A truly international endeavor, VIVA DUETS, features performances in English and Spanish, with artists representing nine countries and three continents.

Tony Bennett is known for recording duets live and VIVA DUETS was no exception, with sessions recorded in Ft. Lauderdale, New York, and in the case of famed Mexican performer Vicente Fernández, on his 400 acre ranch in Guadalajara. All of the tracks are from Bennett’s extensive hit catalog, with the exception of the duet with Vicente Fernández, which features an English/Spanish version of the song, "Return To Me," originally recorded by Dean Martin. VIVA DUETS presents Bennett's classic songs with an international flavor that will generate widespread appeal for this unique multi-lingual presentation. Working with this unprecedented list of Latin artist, many of whom he met for the first time in the recording studio, Bennett commented, “Each of these artists were so warm and welcoming that there was an instant rapport. Latin music has always been about melody and harmony and a lot of soul, so there was a very close artistic connection with each duet guest. I am absolutely thrilled about the record.”

Viva Duets mc
Viva Duets zippy

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Gloria Estefan - Into The Light

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:38
Size: 158,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:03)  1. Coming Out Of The Dark
(4:23)  2. Seal Our Fate
(4:01)  3. What Goes Around
(4:39)  4. Nayib's Song (I Am Here For You)
(4:34)  5. Remember Me With Love
(4:46)  6. Heart With Your Name On It
(3:43)  7. Sex In The 90's
(4:29)  8. Close My Eyes
(4:15)  9. Language Of Love
(3:52) 10. Light Of Love
(4:14) 11. Can't Forget You
(4:37) 12. Live For Loving You
(3:29) 13. Mama Yo Can't Go
(4:09) 14. Desde La Oscuridad (Coming Out Of The Dark - Spanish Version)
(4:18) 15. Don't Wanna Lose You (Portuguese Version)
(4:59) 16. Words Get In The Way [Live]

In early 1990, when she was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Gloria Estefan suffered a broken vertebrae when her tour bus was struck in an accident, and her miraculous recovery from that near tragedy greatly informed her successive album, Into the Light. Though often noted as a "comeback" album, that descriptor is misleading. Yes, Into the Light is a comeback -- a comeback from her accident, that is. It's not a comeback in the sense that her previous album, Cuts Both Ways, had been a failure or even a disappointment. No, Estefan hadn't fallen off, so to speak, with that album. Quite the opposite. It was a monster hit, breaking into the Top Ten and scoring a couple of high-charting ballads: "Don't Wanna Lose You" and "Here We Are." 

It also marked a drastic shift away from the unabashed dance-pop of her Miami Sound Machine output toward a more respectable adult contemporary appeal. This shift affected not only her image but also her audience as a result, and that shift is even more apparent on Into the Light. In fact, the shift seems complete, as this is full-fledged adult contemporary album with serious themes and toned-down production. It sounds pleasant while playing, for sure, smoothly gliding from one song to the next, highlighted by a pair of memorable singles: the hit ballad "Coming Out of the Dark" and the cooing singalong "Live for Loving You." But there's not much else here that's all that exciting. In fact, Into the Light is so streamlined and safe that it seems plain and even bland, if not outright boring. Sure, Estefan's work with Miami Sound Machine had been silly and adolescent at times, but it was fun and lively, too. For every cheeseball song like "Surrender" or "Love Toy," you would get a pop gem like "1-2-3" or "Betcha Say That," not to mention the token slow-dance ballads and get-on-your-feet jams. But to lament the end of Miami Sound Machine is beside the point, for Estefan would move on after Into the Light to make occasionally exciting albums like Mi Tierra. The thing is, from this point forward in her career, Estefan's best work would almost always be Latin in nature. Yet for those listeners not interested in the sticky-sweet dance-pop of Miami Sound Machine or the Latin confetti of her latter-day highlights, there are albums like Cuts Both Ways and Into the Light, albums that aim for widespread adult contemporary appeal. And as far as those such albums go, they don't get much more inspired than this "comeback" album, which admittedly was wonderfully triumphant upon its 1991 holiday season release, when it soared to number five on the Billboard 200 chart, driven largely by its chart-topping lead single, "Coming Out of the Dark."~ Jason Birchmeier https://www.allmusic.com/album/into-the-light-mw0000313994              

Into The Light

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Dionne Warwick - My Friends And Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:48
Size: 109.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, R&B, Adult Contemporary
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Walk On By (Feat. Gloria Estefan)
[2:58] 2. Message To Michael (Feat. Cyndi Lauper)
[3:58] 3. Close To You (Feat. Mya)
[4:17] 4. I'll Never Love This Way Again (Feat. Gladys Knight)
[2:25] 5. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (Feat. Kelis)
[3:55] 6. Déjà Vu
[3:06] 7. I Say A Little Prayer (Feat. Reba Mcentire)
[3:42] 8. Anyone Who Had A Heart (Feat. Wynonna Judd)
[3:24] 9. Then Came You (Feat. Lisa Tucker)
[3:01] 10. Wishin' And Hopin' (Feat. Olivia Newton-John)
[4:55] 11. Love Will Find A Way (Feat. Cheyenne Elliott)
[3:25] 12. The Windows Of The World (Feat. Deborah Cox)
[5:44] 13. Do You Know The Way To San Jose (Feat. Celia Cruz)

My Friends & Me, Dionne Warwick's collection of duets that revisit her classic recordings, benefits from her many talented friends in the music industry, but most of all from a family member. Her son Damon Elliott has worked with his mother for close to ten years, when he's not producing for contemporary hitmakers Pink, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Kelis, and Mya. Elliott's production for this record is engaging and charming, right up to the minute digitally on the rhythm end, but with plenty of space within the tracks to echo the airy productions of Warwick's long-time producer, Burt Bacharach. Also, Elliott kept most of these versions piano-based and added a tight backing chorus that is virtually necessary for anyone familiar with the original "Walk on By" or "Anyone Who Had a Heart." Dionne Warwick's voice, however, hasn't aged as well as her contemporaries, and the record often resembles a tribute album whose subject only stops by occasionally. (More often than not, the guests are featured more than Warwick herself.) The only track with radical changes is "The Windows of the World," which is presented with no less than four vocal guests (Angie Stone, Chanté Moore, Deborah Cox, Da Brat) and in a version that allows Da Brat to rap on the state of the world between the lines of the verses. Elsewhere, highlights come with Cyndi Lauper's quiet, pleading version of "Message to Michael," Kelis' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and Wynonna Judd's surprisingly smoky "Anyone Who Had a Heart." ~John Bush

My Friends And Me

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Gloria Estefan - Soy Mujer

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:19
Size: 148,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. No Llores
(5:01)  2. Por un Beso
(5:00)  3. Me Voy
(3:46)  4. No Pretendo
(4:37)  5. Mi Tierra
(3:40)  6. Hablas de Mi
(4:35)  7. Con los Años Que Me Quedan
(3:18)  8. Renacer
(4:38)  9. No Será Fácil
(3:30) 10. No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar
(4:06) 11. Si Voy a Perderte
(4:09) 12. Desde la Oscuridad ((Coming Out of the Dark) [Spanish Version])
(5:07) 13. Heaven's What I Feel (Corazón Prohibido)
(4:52) 14. El Día Que Me Quieras
(3:41) 15. Sonríe (Gloria Solo Version)

As one of the biggest new stars to emerge during the mid'80s, singer Gloria Estefan predated the coming Latin pop explosion by a decade, scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare. Born Gloria Fajardo in Havana on September 1, 1957, she was raised primarily in Miami, Florida, after her father, a bodyguard in the employ of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. In the fall of 1975, Fajardo and her cousin Merci Murciano auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. With their addition, the group was rechristened Miami Sound Machine and four years later, Fajardo and Estefan were wed. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and in 1979 the group issued their first Spanish-language LP on CBS International. Despite a growing Hispanic fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until "Dr. Beat" topped European dance charts in 1984. With 1985's Primitive Love, Miami Sound Machine recorded their first English-language effort, scoring three Top Ten pop hits in the U.S. alone with the infectious "Conga," "Bad Boy," and "Words Get in the Way." For 1988's triple-platinum Let It Loose, the group was billed as Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, reeling off four Top Ten hits "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Can't Stay Away from You," the chart-topping "Anything for You," and "1-2-3." 1989's Cuts Both Ways was credited to Estefan alone and generated her second number one hit, "Don't Wanna Lose You"; however, while touring in support of the album, on March 20, 1990, her bus was struck by a tractor trailer. 

She suffered a broken vertebrae that required extensive surgery and kept her off the road for over a year. Emilio Estefan and the couple's son were injured in the crash as well, but all three recovered. Estefan resurfaced in 1991 with Into the Light, again topping the charts with "Coming Out of the Dark," a single inspired by her near-fatal accident; two more cuts from the album, "Can't Forget You" and "Live for Loving You," secured her foothold on the adult contemporary charts. With 1993's Mi Tierra, Estefan returned to her roots, recording her first Spanish-language record in close to a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album; on the follow-up, 1994's covers collection Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me, she also recalled her dance-pop origins with a rendition of the Vicki Sue Robinson disco classic "Turn the Beat Around." Another all-Spanish effort, Abriendo Puertas, earned the Grammy as well, while Destiny featured "Reach," named the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics. As Latin pop made new commercial headway thanks to the efforts of acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Estefan reigned as the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history, with international record sales close to the 50 million mark.

 In 1999, she also made her feature film debut alongside Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, recording the film's title song as a duet with *NSYNC and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination in the process. A new Spanish-language album, Alma Caribeña, followed in the spring of 2000. Several months later, Estefan was awarded a Grammy for Best Music Video for "No Me Dehes de Querer" at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her husband, Emilio, won for Producer of the Year. In 2003, she released Unwrapped, an English-language effort that met with a lukewarm reception from consumers and critics. She didn't return with another new album for several years, as stop-gap compilations such as Amor y Suerte: Exitos Romanticos (2004), The Essential Gloria Estefan (2006), and Oye Mi Canto: Los Éxitos (2006) were released from time to time. When she did return, with 90 Millas in 2007, it was with a splash. The Cuban-themed, Spanish-language effort hearkened back to Mi Tierra and was a big hit on the Latin music scene; its lead single, "No Llores," quickly scaled Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart, and the album itself was a chart-topper as well. Estefan returned to English-language pop with 2011's Miss Little Havana, a dance-pop album produced by Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes. Estefan went in the opposite direction for her next album, tackling the Great American Songbook on the aptly titled 2013 album The Standards. ~ Jason Ankeny https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/gloria-estefan/id485022#fullText

Soy Mujer

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Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas

Styles: Vocal, Latin Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:26
Size: 167,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. Me Odio
(4:12)  2. No Llores
(4:14)  3. Lo Nuestro
(3:33)  4. Píntame De Colores
(3:21)  5. Caridad
(3:42)  6. Yo No Cambiaría
(3:53)  7. Bésame
(2:59)  8. Refranes
(3:43)  9. A Bailar
(3:51) 10. Esta Fiesta No Va' Acabar
(3:47) 11. Volveré
(4:41) 12. Esperando
(4:13) 13. Morentia
(3:15) 14. 90 Milas
(3:38) 15. Vueltas De La Vida
(4:01) 16. No Llores

Ever since Gloria Estefan split from Miami Sound Machine in 1989 to go solo, her best efforts tended to be her Spanish-language ones, and her fourth such album, 90 Millas, is no exception. In fact, it might be her best overall effort  regardless of language since Mi Tierra (1993), which was her first to be sung entirely in Spanish and an instant, best-selling classic. In a couple ways, 90 Millas is a follow-up to Mi Tierra. Both are heartfelt albums inspired by Cuba and Cuban music whereas Abriendo Puertas (1995) and Alma Caribeña (2000), Estefan's other two prior Spanish-language efforts, were more broadly Hispanic and Caribbean, respectively, in their influences and intent and both 90 Millas and Mi Tierra are graced by some of Latin music's most gifted instrumentalists, many of them legends. In this case, the featured guests include Papo Lucca, Johnny Pacheco, Candido Camero, Paquito d'Rivera, Nelson González, Andy García, Sheila E, Carlos Santana, Orestes Vilato, Israel "Cachao" López, Generoso Jiménez, Giovanni Hidalgo, India, José Feliciano, Arturo Sandoval, Sal Cuevas, and Luis Enrique. It's an impressive lineup of musicians; for instance, the album's lead single, "No Llores," alone boasts Carlos Santana on electric guitar, José Feliciano on acoustic guitar, Sal Cuevas on bass, Sheila E. on timbales, and Luis Enrique on congos and bongos.

That's not all, though. 90 Millas also boasts an ace production and songwriting team: husband/impresario Emilio Estefan (of course) and the Gaitán Bros. (Ricardo and Alberto). Then there's Gloria herself, who is the vehicle for this superstar project. She's in good voice here as well-mannered and graceful as usual and co-writes many of the songs. Yet it's the musicianship and the songs themselves, surprisingly few of them ballads, that shine brightest here on this love letter to Cuba, that oft-romanticized, and fiercely politicized, island 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Though born there, Gloria left as a child. In her heart, however, she never left her homeland behind, as this album and its predecessor, Mi Tierra, make clear, for both albums are among the best and certainly most poetic and impassioned efforts of her long, illustrious career. Practically every song here is a gem, and they're a rarity in 2007, a year in which traditional Cuban music like this couldn't have been further away from the mainstream of Latin music in America, where regional Mexican and urban dominated the marketplace. ~ Jason Birchmeier  http://www.allmusic.com/album/90-millas-mw0000482833

Personnel: Gloria Estefan (background vocals); Gloria Estefan; India (vocals); José Feliciano (guitar, acoustic guitar); Carlos Santana (guitar, electric guitar); Marco Linares (guitar, cuatro); Juanito Márquez (guitar); Lionel Delao (electric guitar); Nelson Gonzalez (tres); Johnny Pacheco (flute); Paquito d'Rivera & The United Nation Orchestra, Paquito d'Rivera (saxophone); Chocolate Armenteros, Arturo Sandoval (trumpet); Generoso "El Tojo" Jiménez (trombone); Papo Lucca (piano); Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Sal Cuevas (bass guitar); Daniel Berroa (congas, bongos, guiro, maracas, percussion); Orestes Vilató (congas, bongos, timbales); Luis Enrique (congas, bongos); Candido Camero (congas); Andy García (bongos, bells, bell); Sheila E. (timbales); Jesus Cruz (unknown instrument); Gaitán Bros., Cheito Quinonez (background vocals); Giovanni Hidalgo (quinto, congas, bells); Pedro Alfonso (violin); Ed Calle (clarinet, saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Herman "Teddy" Mulet (trumpet, trombone); Braily Ramos (trombone, horns); Javier Concepcion, Paquito Hechavarria (piano); Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, bata, guiro, shekere, timbales, percussion).

90 Millas

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Gloria Estefan - The Standards (Deluxe Edition)

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 82:28
Size: 188,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Good Morning Heartache
(4:02)  2. They Can't Take That Away from Me
(3:41)  3. What a Difference a Day Makes
(4:10)  4. I've Grown Accustomed to His Face
(3:35)  5. Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
(4:50)  6. The Day You Say You Love Me
(3:58)  7. Embraceable You
(4:11)  8. What a Wonderful World
(4:26)  9. Call Me Irresponsible
(4:14) 10. How Long Has This Been Going On
(3:41) 11. Sonríe (feat. Laura Pausini)
(4:06) 12. The Way You Look Tonight
(3:58) 13. You Made Me Love You
(4:18) 14. For All We Know
(4:08) 15. Young at Heart
(3:41) 16. Smile
(4:52) 17. El Día Que Me Quieras
(3:41) 18. Sorridi (feat. Laura Pausini)
(3:35) 19. Yo Sé Te Voy a Amar
(4:51) 20. Natural Woman (feat. Carole King)

Global star Gloria Estefan has returned to her longtime label, Sony Music Entertainment, for a multi-album agreement that begins with the release of her upcoming English-language album, "The Standards," due out this Fall.

As its name implies, the album is a set of American standards, but the repertoire included has special significance to Estefan, beginning with "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Good Morning Heartache," which she performed at her very first "Tonight Show" appearance in 1985 with Miami Sound Machine.

Estefan spent 30 years in Sony, releasing albums in both English and Spanish, both as a soloist and with Miami Sound Machine. Then, in 2011, she took a hiatus and released "Miss Little Havana" via a worldwide distribution and marketing deal with Verve Forecast & Universal Music Group. In the U.S., the physical album was sold exclusively through Target. Now, Estefan has returned to Sony and will be worked through both its Latin and Masterworks arms.

"Gloria is one-of-a-kind in any language, in any genre," said Afo Verde, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment for the Latin Region, Spain and Portugal. "Masterworks is thrilled to be a marketing partner with Sony Latin and Gloria Estefan on this very special project," added Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks. "It represents another landmark in the career of an artist who continues to be a creative inspiration in all styles of popular music."  http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin-notas/1555881/gloria-estefan-returns-to-sony-will-release-standards-album-in

The Standards (Deluxe Edition)

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