Live at the Greek isn't a landmark release, and hardcore Page, Black Crowes, and Zeppelin fans are likely to want this, no matter how vibrant and lucent these faithful interpretations are. But for those fans, they'll be quite pleased with how good, how strong Live at the Greek is.

1975 Prolific bassist Stanley Clarke's second jazz-rock album in the early '70s marked the beginning of what proved to be an extremely profitable collaboration with keyboardist George Duke. The album includes guest appearances from Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Lenny White, and Jeff Beck.

Although he made a name for himself as the guitarist for prog rockers Genesis and mainstream rockers GTR, Steve Hackett also possesses an admiration of tranquil, classical guitar-based work. This has never been more evident than on his 2005 release, Metamorpheus, which sees Hackett playing alongside the Underworld Orchestra -- comprised of violin, cello, double bass, flute, and horns. Fans expecting The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Pt. 2, may be in for a shock, but for relaxing,

Kasey Chambers' beautiful new album, Carnival, in store since August 19, was recorded in just over a week with producer and brother Nash Chambers on NSW's Central coast. Joining them were some hand picked special guests (many of whom had never worked with Chambers previously) including Midnight Oil's Jim Moginie, Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger), Tim Rogers (You Am I) ,and Michael Barker (John Butler Trio). It's this fresh approach and willingness to break the mould that only serves to cement Chambers' position as an evolving, unique and dynamic australian country artist.

Aurora "Rory" Block has staked her claim to be one of America's top acoustic blues women, an interpreter of the great Delta blues singers, a slide guitarist par excellence, and also a talented songwriter on her own account. Born and raised in Manhattan by a family that had bohemian leanings, she spent her formative years hanging out with musicians like Peter Rowan, John Sebastian, and Geoff Muldaur, who hung out in her father's sandal shop,

Magness, who won a 2004 W.C. Handy Award as Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist,
seems cut from the same mold as singers like Lou Ann Barton -- there's a lovely rasp and
conviction in her singing that brings sometimes mundane material alive. Working with a small
band this time around, she can focus more on her singing, rather than becoming lost in the
arrangements, and, in fact, it's the acoustic material here that serves her best, such as the interpretation of J.B. Lenoir's The Whale Has Swallowed Me.At times the ensemble (which features Colin Linden on guitar) sounds

B.B. King is more than just one of the greatest masters of electric blues guitar; he is also an extraordinarily gifted singer. His talents on his instrument are so great that they tend to eclipse his soulful and sophisticated singing voice, but any who might possibly have doubted his ability will do so no more upon hearing Heart to Heart. On this 1994 release, he joinspop-jazz balladeer Diane Schuur for ten surprising tracks. It is a very moody album, with the overall vibe being mainly of the drown-your-broken-heart-in-gin variety. Some of the string and synth arrangements come off as a little unnecessary, as
the music is ably framed by piano, guitar, bass, and drums. However, producer Phil Ramone should be credited for minimizing the schmaltzy moments on Heart to Heart as much as possible, as the music is already treading the fine line between sentiment and drivel. The fine vocal performances by Schuur and King carry much

Influenced by piano-stompers like Little Richard and Fats Domino , Herman Brood began studying at art school by the time he was 17; one year later, however, education became a secondary concern after he joined a group called the Moans. That band later became Long Tall Ernie & the Shakers before he joined one of the best Dutch blues combos of the '60s, Cuby & the Blizzards. He performed with the band during the rest of the '60s and into the '70s, but then broke off in 1974 to found a group named Stud. The following year's Flash & Dance Band was his first solo album, though the formation of the band Vitesse (with Herman Van Boeyen) in 1975 resulted in a group album as well, In Vitesse.

Mississippi native Otis Clay hasn't changed much with the times, as this live set recorded at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland in 2003 quickly makes clear. From the start of his secular singing career in Chicago on the One-derful and Cotillion labels in the 1960s, through his high watermark on Hi Records in Memphis in the 1970s (where he was the hardest vocal hitter Hi ever recorded), Clay has stuck fast to his gospel-fueled roots, and his gruff, impassioned singing continues to be the very definition of deep soul. Backed by Tyrone Davis' old group,

Soul has been through a lot of changes of late, and if there seems to be an oversupply of young divas-in-waiting today, you can probably thank Anita Baker for it. Baker was one of the few singers that bridged the old school to the new, and this 1986 album was--and is--a true soul classic.
An inspiration for everyone from Whitney Houston to Toni Braxton,

The late Eva Cassidy gained a loyal following in the Washington, D.C., area through appearances in small clubs, utilizing her pitch-perfect singing voice to interpret a variety of tunes ranging from standards to modern-era pop songs. A notoriously shy performer, Eva Cassidy had a somewhat stiff stage presence, but she endeared herself to her audiences by performing songs she obviously loved, combining elements of soul, gospel, blues, and jazz. Live at Blues Alley is an excellent showcase for her vocal talents and her ability to make even the most familiar tune uniquely her own. Admittedly, the titles on Live at Blues Alley seem like a set list for a bad Vegas lounge act; songs such as Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" have been done to death for decades.

Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (Old Highway 61 Revisited) continues Maria Muldaur's salute to women blues singers such as Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, and Lucille Bogan. Guests include Taj Mahal, who duets with Maria on two songs: "Ain't What You Used to Have," originally recorded by vaudeville/blues duo Butterbeans and Suzy; and "Take a Stand," a gospel song originally recorded in 1929 by Blind Willie Johnson. Taj also plays guitar and banjo on several tracks. Old friend and fellow blues singer Tracy Nelson joins Maria on the Bessie Smith/Clara Smith duet "I'm Goin' Back," and Alvin Youngblood Hartsings