Stevie Nicks had much to prove when she stepped out on her own for the first time and crafted Bella Donna. Despite attaining superstar success with Fleetwood Mac, the singer often took a back seat to the band’s other members — and, due to the group’s approach, faced limitations in getting her songs on an album. Along with Nicks’ status as a significant artistic force in her own right, that all changed with the timeless Bella Donna.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD of the 1981 benchmark plays with superb transparency, dynamics, and detail. Benefitting from extraordinary clarity, openness, and separation, it captures what went down in the studio with tremendous realism…
Category: soft rock
Paul Carrack is releasing a concert album recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 24, 2024, in celebration of 50 years of his first hit, “How Long,” recorded with Ace in 1974.
For One Night Only (Live in London) comprises two halves with Carrack joined by special guests SWR big band and orchestra playing songs from the album Don’t Wait Too Long and the second half featuring Carrack with his own band playing all his big hits. They’re joined on two tracks by a 150-piece choir, Funky Voices.
Dubbed by the BBC as “The Man With the Golden Voice,” Carrack’s breakthrough moment came when he wrote and sang “How Long” from his days with Ace. Paul also enjoyed great success as the voice behind numerous hits for…
Supertramp followed an unusual path to commercial success in the 1970s, fusing the stylistic ambition and instrumental dexterity of progressive rock with the wit and tuneful melodies of British pop, and the results made them one of the most popular British acts of the ’70s and ‘80s, topping the charts and filling arenas around the world at a time when their style of music was supposed to have fallen out of fashion.
Supertramp was formed in 1969 by pianist and vocalist Rick Davies. Davies had been a member of a group called the Joint, who had found a financial backer in Dutch millionaire Stanley August Miesegaes; Miesegaes had grown disenchanted with the Joint, but saw promise in Davies, and he offered to bankroll a new band if Davies wanted…
Digging even deeper into a personal archive of home-recorded tapes from another time, If You Wanna Laugh, You Gotta Cry Sometimes is the third volume of previously unreleased songs from the already obscure Georgia singer/songwriter Robert Lester Folsom. In the mid-’70s, when Folsom was just out of his teens, he self-released the studio album Music and Dreams. For decades, the psychedelic soft rock of Music and Dreams served as Folsom’s only public output, and its combination of quality, mystery, and rarity eventually made it a collector’s item. Folsom’s archive of demos, unreleased solo tracks, and tunes made with friends on his reel-to-reel four-track has proved just as interesting as the strange moods of Music and Dreams, and If You…
It’s unfair to say that Fleetwood Mac had no pop pretensions prior to the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the lineup in 1975. When they were led by Bob Welch they often flirted with pop, even recording the first version of the unabashedly smooth and sappy “Sentimental Lady,” which would later be one of the defining soft rock hits of the late ’70s. Still, there’s no denying that 1975’s Fleetwood Mac represents not just the rebirth of the band, but in effect a second debut for the group — the introduction of a band that would dominate the sound of American and British mainstream pop for the next seven years. In fact, in retrospect, it’s rather stunning how thoroughly Buckingham and Nicks, who had previously recorded as a duo and were…
…Sourced from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD presents the 1978 effort on what is the definitive-sounding digital version of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ biggest-selling record.
With Tom Johnston gone from the lineup because of health problems, this is where the “new” Doobie Brothers really make their debut, with a richly soulful sound throughout and emphasis on horns and Michael McDonald’s piano more than on Patrick Simmons’ or Jeff Baxter’s guitars. Not that they were absent entirely, or weren’t sometimes right up front in the mix, as the rocking, slashing “Don’t Stop to Watch the Wheels” and the bluegrass-influenced “Steamer Lane Breakdown” demonstrate. But given the keyboards,…
Following a 2025 Record Store Day Black Friday release, Linda Ronstadt’s The Early Years compilation comes to general retail on 2LP vinyl and single CD. The set from Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists label brings together 15 songs from Ronstadt’s 1967-1974 Capitol Records period (with some surprising omissions, such as “Desperado”). Selections include “Different Drum,” “Faithless Love,” “You’re No Good,” “Long, Long Time,” and “When Will I Be Loved.”
The Early Years is a stunning new compilation that celebrates the formative era of one of music’s most powerful and pioneering voices — Linda Ronstadt.
Featuring breakout hits like “Different Drum” and the Grammy-nominated “Long, Long Time,” The Early Years traces Ronstadt’s artistic…
Amanda Bergman has long been one of Sweden’s most quietly powerful singer-songwriters. Her best work to date, Your Hand Forever Checking On My Fever, was only just released in 2024, making it a fantastic surprise to receive embraced for a second as we die so soon afterwards.
Where Bergman previously folded her vulnerabilities into folksy arrangements, here she leans into a soft-rock warmth.
Songs like ‘grasp’ feature unashamedly ’80s arrangements, big open road melodies and hooks that feel almost Californian, somewhere between the glow of Dylan’s Infidels and the clean, sun-soaked sound of HAIM.
These songs exist in the space between despair and consolation. The grief-stricken never…
The perfectionism involved in crafting Fleetwood Mac’s Tango in the Night reached a level of intensity experienced by few artists before or since. Commercially and creatively, the painstaking efforts paid off. Recorded over the span of 18 months, the triple-platinum album spawned four hit singles and put Fleetwood Mac back at the center of mainstream conversation. Its demands also ultimately forced its primary architect, guitarist-singer Lindsey Buckingham, to leave the group shortly after its completion. Was it all worth it? A thousand times “yes.”
Sourced from the original master tapes Mobile Fidelity’s hybrid SACD of Tango in the Night presents the 1987 record in audiophile sound for the first time. Everything co-producers…
While most bands undergo a number of changes over the course of their careers, few of them experienced a more radical stylistic evolution than Fleetwood Mac. Initially conceived as a hard-edged British blues combo in the late ’60s, the band gradually evolved into an incredibly popular and influential pop/rock act over the course of a decade. Originally, guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer provided the group with their gutsy psychedelic blues-rock sound, then the band moved toward pop/rock with the addition of keyboardist/songwriter Christine McVie….
Fleetwood Mac Live 1975 captures the incredible electricity of the band’s first tour with the legendary lineup of Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham joining Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, & Christine McVie.
…This release of ‘Buckingham Nicks’ – mastered from the original analogue tapes by Chris Bellman – marks the first time the album has officially been available on CD or digitally.
Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s a tough time to be a Fleetwood Mac fan.
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are still at loggerheads after the guitarist was turfed out of the band in 2018 – Nicks declared she was “no longer willing to work with him”; he suffered a heart attack soon after being fired – and the window has all but shut on what’s left of a Fleetwood Mac classic lineup reunion now that each member is pushing 80 and Christine McVie has gone. Holograms could be the answer.
But before the credits roll on this most…
Oscar and two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop launched his illustrious career with his debut smash album Careless in 1976. Now, he’s closing the chapter on 50 remarkable years in the music industry with his 20th and final album THIMK a lifetime of stories captured in one unforgettable album.
Debut single “Now That I’ve Hit The Big Time,” with guest artists Eric Clapton on guitar and Sting on vocals originally composed in the early 1970s as a heartfelt tribute to his mother, it captures his early musical roots and the lasting influence of a mother’s love. THIMK also features a stunning lineup of Bishop’s closest friends and legendary collaborators, including Art Garfunkel, Jimmy Webb, Graham Nash, Dave Grusin…
Insightful collaboration is at the heart of amazing jazz. Australian group Trichotomy joins with singer-songwriter Danny Widdicombe on Iridescence with conviction and conscientiousness. Jazz infused with roots and folk music makes this release something somewhat rare, featuring a variety of songs, from pure instrumentals to vocal tracks; these two artists achieve an amiable and inspired balance. There is a tender warmth, heartfelt devotion, and retro attitude that propels the ten originals.
From the first track, it might seem like this is a soft-rock album, perhaps by Graham Nash or Neil Young. “Ebb and Flow” enlists steel pedal guitar, reverb, and hazy vocals. It is a late-summer sort of track that might be included in…
A new wind reaches the sails of one of yacht rock’s defining masterpieces, courtesy of Omnivore Recordings. The label offer an expanded reissue of the self-titled debut album from Christopher Cross, the unforgettable 1979 release that became a commercial juggernaut and propelled the unlikely star to the music business’ upper echelon. The CD release will feature 11 bonus tracks including the rare non-album single “Mary Ann” and a slew of demos, six of which are made available for the first time anywhere – including several songs never before issued by Cross. (The set uses Bernie Grundman’s impeccable original album master, with engineer Michael Graves restoring the bonus material to prime condition.)
The story of Christopher Cross’ breakthrough…
Night Moves dust a little disco sparkle into their rootsy twang for 2025’s Double Life. It’s an evocative sound and one which nicely fits into the group’s conscious throwback ’70s vibe. Co-produced with Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Purple Mountains, and Waxahatchee), Double Life is the kind of album the Minneapolis band has been threatening to make for years. Certainly, both 2016’s Pennied Days and 2019’s Can You Really Find Me already found them jazzing up their earnest, denim-toned sound with keyboards and falsetto harmonies. Here, they take it one step further, slipping into a stylish pair of musical bootcut designer jeans and framing singer John Pelant’s throaty coo with fluorescent dancefloor synths and boogie-ready grooves.
The idea of putting together songs like impressions of a feeling rather than a collection of recordings from a certain decade or style or genre was at the heart of a discussion I had with Norman in 2019. It was a warm July day on the Riviera. I had just finished putting together the sound system for our first and only festival. “It should paint a picture”…
We began a work of compiling. Norm would send tracks and we would try to situate them on the spectrum of a large “carte postale” encompassing in one corner the kitsch resort balneaire, in the other the sail boat in a Caribbean creek, with sandy beaches and glimmering waves in between. With the certainty that the French only seem to possess in matters of taste (my wife Emma is the same), Norm would go: “ah ca c’est 100% Blue Wave”…
If every significant artist has an underrated gem in its catalog, then Mirage is that album for Fleetwood Mac. An obvious return to relative simplicity after the dramatic tension of Rumours and experimental ambitions of Tusk, the 1982 album finds the band re-grouping after a brief hiatus and again climbing to the top of the charts. Extremely well-crafted, well-produced, and well-performed, the double-platinum effort distills the group’s hallmark strengths into a filler-free set that never runs short of addictive pop hooks or daft accents.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD presents Mirage in reference sound. The efforts co-producers/engineers Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut went to capture the splintered albeit…
Monkey House bring together smooth contemporary jazz and classic singer/songwriter soft rock hooks in the vein of Steely Dan on their seventh studio album, 2025’s Crashbox. It’s an evocative, sophisticated style the Canadian band has been perfecting for roughly 20 years, and one that largely showcases the talents of lead singer, songwriter, and pianist Don Breithaupt.
Blessed with a soft, natural croon, Breithaupt is the relaxed center of Monkey House, the stylish and urbane everyman who’s just looking for love and a little bit of truth. He underlines the vibe throughout the album, as on “Disappear in Plain Sight” singing, “Let’s fade away in the downtown light.” Other cuts, like “Return of the Mayfly,” “Someplace on Madison,” and “Sundaying,” are laid-back,…
Are you gonna do it without the fez on? 1976’s The Royal Scam, Steely Dan’s fifth album, is returning on June 6 in a variety of formats to conclude the band’s reissue campaign which began in November 2022 with Can’t Buy a Thrill. Like the past titles in this series encompassing the Dan’s ABC/MCA discography, The Royal Scam reissued on 180-gram vinyl from Geffen/UMe while an audiophile-aimed UHQR 45 RPM, 200-gram vinyl edition and a hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players) will arrive from Analogue Productions. All formats have been newly remastered; Bernie Grundman has mastered the UHQR and SACD iterations from the original tapes while Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound handles the standard 180-gram LP. The latter has been sourced…
Don Henley essentially sat out his ’90s recording contract, waiting until he could sign to another label that would allow him greater artistic freedom and royalties. He finally signed to Warner and released his fourth solo album, Inside Job, in the spring of 2000.
Considering his long absence from recording, it shouldn’t come as a total surprise that the album sounds as if it could have been cut in 1990 or even 1986 (check out the obnoxious synth solo on the opening track). That is not entirely a bad thing, however. It would have been rather embarrassing if Henley was trying to run with the young boys, and he sounds very comfortable settling into a role that is something less than an old master and something more than a crotchety…