Swiss songwriter and producer Urs Wiesendanger strikes gold with his second solo effort. An eleven track album that will take you on an amazing journey through sophisticated rhythms and sounds in the musical zone where pop, jazz and R&B converge.

The album kicks off with the enchanting title track, a gorgeous ballad sung by the unforgettable late Warren Wiebe together with newcomer Courtney Blooding. Blooding is currently the production assistant for David Foster and she wants to follow the footsteps of her mentor working behind the console. However, she is also a first class singer, and here she offers the listener a great performance. Jay Graydon, the legendary songwriter and producer, adds a spectacular guitar solo to the mix. The title song is also offered again at the end of the record with a different, jazzy arrangement co-produced by Tomi Malm, one of the best new talents out of Finland. The album is rich in haunting ballads like the bittersweet, acoustic "Your Love Was Special," beautifully sung by Michael Sembello, or the smooth, sultry, R&B number "Tell Me Where The Days Have Gone" with Thierry Condor on lead vocals. Bill Cantos, the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, leaves his mark on the record singing the delicate "The Final Reason Why," a love song that could be a winner on the Adult Contemporary charts. This song features session master Michael Landau on guitar and the extraordinary Robbie Buchanan on Fender Rhodes and piano. If you're looking for jazzy, refined stuff, listen to "If Only For A Day" and "If You Still Care For Me." "If Only For A Day" is an up-tempo jam with some great vocals courtesy of Swedish singer Frank Ådahl. This track is enhanced by the incredible work of Urs on the acoustic piano and Robbie Buchanan on Fender Rhodes, plus the incredible Porty on the guitar solo. "If You Still Care For Me" offers another outstanding vocal performance by Thierry Condor. "After We Make Love" and "Morning Light" are two numbers that find the Swiss producer in smooth jazz territory with soft rhythms and vocals underlying his superior keyboard playing. "I Remember" is a magic ballad with an evocative mood and atmosphere, sung by singer-songwriter Jeff Pescetto. Warren Wiebe is indisputably the star of "Hold Me," another wonderful love song with Robbie Buchanan on keyboards and James Harrah playing all the guitars.

Tracklist:

Somebody New
lead vocals by W. Wiebe and C. Blooding

Your Love Was Special
lead vocals by Michael Sembello

Tell Me Where The Days Have Gone
lead vocals by Thierry Condor

The Final Reason Why
lead vocals by Bill Cantos

If Only For A Day
lead vocals by Frank Adahl

After We Make Love
lead vocals by Chris Muzik

Morning Light
lead vocals by Urs Wiesendanger

I Remember
lead vocals by Jeff Pescetto

If You Still Care For Me
lead vocals by Thierry Condor

Hold Me
lead vocals by Warren Wiebe

Somebody New
lead vocals by W. Wiebe and C. Blooding

Holiday titles live a bit outside an artist's standard discography but if you look at Christmas Fantasy as a follow-up to the 2004 comeback My Everything it continues that album's looser feel, less concerned with the charts and all the better because of it. There are only nine tracks on Anita Baker's Christmas Fantasy but the album still clocks in at 45 minutes with most tracks letting things comfortably develop past the five-minute mark. Part of the reason for this is the band. With George Duke, Larry Carlton, Joe Sample, the underrated Ricky Lawson, and other top-notch folk involved, it would be a shame not to let these boys play, but as much as they get to vamp, it's still Baker's album, 100%. Her increasing love of scat singing finds her interacting with the musicians in cool urbanite fashion, free but neither languid nor shamelessly bold. The exciting Crescent City take on "Frosty the Snowman," "Frosty's Rag," may be the standout track at first glance but it's the cool interaction between singer and band on more subdued numbers like "O Come, All Ye Faithful" with the Yellowjackets and "Moonlight Sleighride" that makes the album worth returning to each holiday season. With its sparse, nearly-haiku lyrics, "Moonlight Sleighride" is far and away the best of the three original numbers here with "Family of Man" finishing second due to its mostly non-holiday lyrics that are clumsily tied to Christmas with a tacked-on final verse. A distant third, "Christmas Fantasy" feels to forced but all is forgiven when Baker closes the album with an effervescent "My Favorite Things," putting her own spin on a song despite all the "definitive" versions that have come before. Kudos to Baker for avoiding anything sugary or diva and delivering on the promise she makes in the liner notes. "I wanted Mom & Dad to have a recording that we could listen to with a glass of wine after the kids were in bed," she states. Christmas Fantasy is not only that but more evidence Anita Baker's Career Part 2 may be more sumptuous than Part 1. David Jeffries
1.   Frosty's Rag (Frosty the Snowman)
2.   Christmas Time Is Here
3.   I'll Be Home for Christmas
4.   Christmas Fantasy
5.   God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
6.   Moonlight Sleighride
7.   O Come, All Ye Faithful / The Yellowjackets
8.   Family of Man
9.   My Favorite Things

Cover tunes. Nine of them. But before you think, “Oh, no…not another CD of cover tunes,” let me paint the picture for you. Rick Braun has put together a CD of tracks that have never been covered in a fully instrumental way. These songs have real meaning to him. These songs bring back amazing memories for him.  And as I listened to Yours Truly, even just the first time, it brought back memories and images from my own past… and I could not help but smile! This is Rick Braun’s first release on his own record label, ARTizen Music.

The CD opens up with a kickin’ version of the Earth, Wind and Fire tune “Shining Star.” Rick’s trumpet adds a whole new dimension to this. And no one can help but sing along. And the singing continues right along with “Holding Back the Years.” Rick makes this Simply Red tune sound fresh and new. Next up is “Love’s Theme,” a remake of the old Love Unlimited Orchestra song. Listening to this track made me think of my high school prom. But listening to Rick, I kept wondering if he ever breathes while playing.  His trumpet playing is amazing, powerful and exhausting for me!  “All Around the World” is an 80’s Lisa Stansfield tune that Rick truly makes his own. The trumpet gives it a whole new feel.

"Yours Truly" accurately represents this collection of great songs.  These songs are some of Rick’s favorites, presented to you in a new way and will once again be favorites of yours. 

- Bonnie Schendell from Smooth Views

Track List
1. Shining Star
2. Holdin' Back the Years
3. Love's Theme
4. All Around the World
5. Walk on the Wild Side
6. Daughters
7. Groove Is in the Heart
8. Kiss of Life
9. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?

When they first came together, Kenny Loggins was an acclaimed songwriter and Jim Messina a former member of both Buffalo Springfield and Poco. Live finds them revisiting the music that made them famous at a stop on their historic summer 2005 reunion tour. Features the Loggins & Messina favorites "Vahevala," "Watching The River Run," and "Your Mama Don't Dance." This DVD includes six bonus performances from a 1973 TV appearance on Midnight Special.
It's released by Rhino Records and also available on cd!

Tracklist:

WATCHING THE RIVER RUN
HOUSE AT POOH CORNER
LISTEN TO A COUNTRY SONG/HOLIDAY HOTEL
BACK TO GEORGIA
TRILOGY: LOVIN' ME / MAKE A WOMAN FEEL WANTED / PEACE OF MIND
YOUR MAMA DON'T DANCE
A LOVE SONG
SAME OLD WINE
CHANGES
VAHEVALA
ANGRY EYES
NOBODY BUT YOU
DANNY'S SONG

With over 65 minutes of the finest moments from those shows, this CD offers fans a special opportunity to enjoy high-quality and professionally mixed live performances without compromise. For those fortunate enough to acquire a copy of El Grupo live, this is a gem that surely compares with the quality of Luke & Larry Carlton’s Grammy Award winning No substitutions.

El Grupo’s club gigs set the standard for improvisation; their hard rocking fusion of jazz, funk and latino grooves never cease to astonish those of us who have seen a number of their shows. The truth is that any one of the takes which Bob Bradshaw recorded would have thrilled listeners. Unlike the production-drenched perfection of studio albums, this CD is completely unadulterated but for the splicing necessary to condense parts of a live performance to a single CD. Tasteful yet fiery licks abound, and as the tour flyer promised, fun is evident in large portions.

Featuring Lukather on guitar and vocals, Steve Weingart on keyboards, Oskar Cartaya on bass and Joey Heredia on drums & percussion, this collection features revitalised reworkings of Los Lobotomy’s Dismemberment, Michael Landau’s I’m buzzed, Weather Report’s Birdland, Jimi Hendrix’s Little wing and Jeff Beck’s Led boots. The results of the diversity of the band’s respective musical backgrounds is compelling; from an intricate passage of solo guitar to a latino party rumba, and from heavy funk to Heavy Weather, this collection is a totally honest representation of the performances on the night. As I sit writing this with the El Grupo live CD playing, I’m reminded of the great times I had at the European Summer Tour shows, partying along with Lukather’s passionately loyal fans who supported their musical hero with an open mind and keen ears for musical excellence.

The CD will exclusively be available for purchase at the forthcoming Steve Lukather & El Grupo shows in November 2005. There are currently no plans for this album to be issued on general release, either online or in record stores. To be sold on a first come-first served basis at the venues before and after shows, El Grupo hope to be able to sign and personalise as many CD’s as possible after each gig.

With a 16 show tour kicking off in New York City on 29 October 2005 before a further 3 week trip around more of Europe’s premier jazz clubs, the set list will undoubtedly be revamped to incorporate tunes from Lukather’s festive season album, Santamental.

Fantasy will celebrate the return of Fogerty with the November 1 release of The Long Road Home — The Ultimate John Fogerty · Creedence Collection, an aptly titled disc that honors the icon's musical journey from his early career to today. This comprehensive retrospective features, for the first time ever, all of the songwriter's most poignant and enduring hits. Included are seminal tracks from the Creedence catalog, along with the crème de la crème of his solo work, including "Centerfield," "Déjà Vu (All Over Again)," and "Hot Rod Heart" from the GRAMMY(R) Award-winning CD Blue Moon Swamp. Also on the disc are four new tracks recorded live by Fogerty during his 2005 tour of the United States: "Hey Tonight," "Bootleg," "Keep on Chooglin'," and a blistering rendition of "Fortunate Son."

In the meantime, Fogerty is excited about The Long Road Home, whose title, he notes, is apropos. "I've always wanted to create a greatest hits collection that represented my entire career, but it was always painfully impossible to do so," he says. "Now I can combine the Creedence songs, all of which I wrote, with my solo material. It's great that I can finally document the various changes I've gone through musically over the years without having to follow any artificial lines."

The Long Road Home Track Listing:

Born On The Bayou
Bad Moon Rising
Centerfield
Who'll Stop The Rain
Rambunctious Boy
Fortunate Son
Lookin' Out My Back Door
Up Around The Bend
Almost Saturday Night (live)
Down On The Corner
Bootleg (live)
Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
Sweet Hitch-Hiker
Hey Tonight (live)
The Old Man Down The Road
Rockin' All Over The World (live)
Lodi
Keep On Chooglin' (live)
Green River
Déjà Vu (All Over Again)
Run Through The Jungle
Hot Rod Heart
Travelin' Band
Proud Mary
Fortunate Son (live)

Frontiers Records welcomes legendary rock band SURVIVOR for the release of a brand new studio album in the spring of 2006 !

The story of SURVIVOR began in the cold winter of 1977 under the initiative of Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik, but only three albums and five years later this name became well-known all over the world, when the band composed “Eye of the Tiger” for the movie “Rocky III” with Sylvester Stallone, which went on to win the Grammy Award and to hit # 1 of the charts in many countries.

After the next album “Caught In The Game”, the former COBRA shouter Jimi Jamison was introduced to the fans, making his debut on the worldwide hit (soundtrack of “Rocky IV” and # 2 in the US charts) “Burning Heart”. The following album, in 1984, “Vital Signs” is still counted nowadays among the milestones of melodic rock, with tracks like “Can’t Hold Back” or “High On You”. “Can’t Hold Back” entered the Top Ten of the US charts and the second single release “The Search Is Over” reached Nr. 2 on the hot 100. The following album “When Seconds Count” kept the typical trademarks of the Survivor sound and reached the USA Top Ten again with the single “Is This Love”. “Too Hot To Sleep” was the title of the last Survivor record in 1988, which is still considered by many as their best record, containing the singles “Across The Miles” and “Didn’t Know It Was Love”.

This was the last sign of life from SURVIVOR up to now, besides two “Greatest Hits” compilations which were quite popular by the fans. Now, 17 years later and with a line-up featuring Frankie Sullivan along with long-time members Jimi Jamison and Marc Droubay, plus Chris Grove and the new face Barry Dunaway (DOKKEN; YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on bass, SURVIVOR are back! “The present line-up, with the exception of our bass player, has been playing together since 1997” says Frankie Sullivan, “so really we’ve been together a long time and Barry Dunaway, our newest member solidified this line-up all the way”.

When asked as to “why now?”, Sullivan explains: “We have spent a lot of time in the studio working even though we have not released a record of all new SURVIVOR material in all these years. The “Greatest Hits” and “Essentials” on the band have been amazing in so far as the demand for us to continue to do them. We are glad that phase is now over and we set our sights on the new studio record. Most of all, we feel the fans deserve it more than anyone or anything. They have waited a long time and are overdue for new material. Having a CD of all new material to give them is first and foremost and what it is all about.

“The fans can expect us to stay true to who and what we are”, says Sullivan. “There is no plan to change the SURVIVOR sound. There is no what I call “target” writing or any attempt to make a 2005 “hip” version of SURVIVOR. I believe one must be true to themselves. Our fans can expect the SURVIVOR they have come to know and love during the years”.

The band is currently busy in the recording studio working hard on the new material. Some of the song titles set to make it to the album include: “Fire Makes Steel”, “One More Chance”, “Give Me The Word” and “Seconds Away”.

SURVIVOR are also planning some live appearances in Europe to coincide with the release of the record. “Nothing makes this band happier than to play live” explains Sullivan, who finally concludes “We thank all our fans, from the bottom of our hearts, for being there with us. Now, Are you Ready To ROCK...!?!?”.

Frontiers Records is immensely proud to announce the signing of TOTO for the release of their forthcoming new studio album Falling in between. The album will reach the shops early February 2006. Lukather: "If this is the last record we ever make (it won’t be, I hope), I can walk away knowing we threw DOWN the best we got. I hope the fans will all enjoy and appreciate the love and passion that went into making "Falling in Between, see you all very soon on tour!"

The final tracklisting will include songs like the title track Falling in between, Simple life, Dying on my feet, Bottom of your soul, Let it go, Nowhere in sight, Spiritual man, Ain't your world, The reefer man and Hooked. Lukather: "Our old singer Joseph Williams came back and did a duet with me that's total radio, almost like Africa part 2", plus there is Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), the Chicago horn section, L. Shankar (Peter Gabriel), Lenny Castro, Steve Porcaro, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and more guests. I think when people hear it everyone will have a smile on the face. EVERYONE in the band brought their best to the party! Got mix #5 and we are on a roll. Wait till you hear the FINAL music wilth all the overdubs and great mixes."

Lukather: "Frontiers, that's belief! WAY better than fucking Sony Records who we made 250 MILLION dollars for! Not even a "reach-around" after 25 years. Fuck them, hahaha. For real. Shit, if we counted records we did outside of Toto JUST for Sony, forget about all the other labels, we could own the fucking place. Hahaha BUT... I digress... As for being "Dated"… well, yeah we are dated. I am gonna be 48 Friday and I am the youngest guy in the band. We have spent over 8 months and OUR $$ and time on our own to TRY and do our personal best for you and US. Now, having said that I know whatever we do someone will not dig it and others will."