If Champions of Wonder were a vinyl LP, it would be a tale of two sides, with Side A being quite entertaining and Side B perhaps making you wish they had pared the record down to an EP. The first five tracks make for a charming sequence of plunderphonic techno-pop, for lack of a better description. It begins with "Snow Queen," which combines chopped-up vocals, vibraphones, old-school synths, and stuttering drum-machine beats into a tidy, very catchy song structure -- although where all those samples ...   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

Smithsonian Folkways has a long and distinguished reputation as champions of the maritime tradition, and the long overdue reissue of the 32 tracks on their Classic Maritime Music compilation is a wonder to behold. None of the records that these songs originally appeared on is in print, and the compilers have done a commendable job at choosing representative tracks from the large array of artists whose work has graced many a turntable over the course of the last 60 years. Opening the set are two cuts ...   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

It's a wonder what took Luis Miguel so long to enlist Latin maestro Manuel Alejandro to write and produce one of his projects. As one of the most prolific and respected songwriters in Latin pop -- his clientele is a who's who that includes Julio Iglesias, Plßcido Domingo, Raphael, and JosT JosT, to name but a few -- the tunesmith's timeless, smooth compositions are a natural fit for the crooner. But C=mplices is more than just their first all-out collaboration: it's the first time {$Mi...   [ read more ]

CD $18.03