Though many recording artists meld and straddle a variety of genres, few if any defy categorization by excelling in so many disparate styles as the late Eva Cassidy. The diverse offerings from the evocative thrush from Washington, D.C. -- who died tragically of melanoma in 1996 at age 33 -- run the gamut from the radio-friendly pop cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold" to a jazz chanteuse rendition of the standard Autumn Leaves to the soulful R&B of Curtis Mayfield's People Get Readyto her spine-tingling gospel delivery of ]Oh, Had I a Golden Thread. Cassidy's mastery of each is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that the Washington Area Music Association honored her (in 1996) as Best Female Vocalist in four separate categories: ...

The Deep End is majestic beast of a record, even by Madrugada's not-too-humble standards. This album, their fourth since their 1999 debut, managed to establish them as an award-winning, platinum-selling thinking man's arena rock band in their native Norway. Think a rockier, darker version of R.E.M. circa 1992. The first track is the instant classic "The Kids Are on High Street," a slow but grand epic where Sivert Høyem sings in a slightly higher pitch than his usually bassy croon, giving the vocals

Released the year that Loverboy decided to go their separate ways, Big Ones is about as thorough a hits compilation as one could expect from the group. There are a few singles missing – like “Queen of the Broken Hearts,” “Dangerous” and “Lead a Double Life,“ as well as Mike Reno's duet with Ann Wilson, “Almost Paradise” – but the core hits are all here:

By the way, ronaco told me that the Mp3's of Kiss me, kiss me are broken.
If somebody has the same problems, tell me. Of course it will be re-posted.

Despite well-deserved critical respect and a fervent cult following, Joan Armatrading has never had more than a smattering of commercial success. However, she had amassed quite a catalog of worthy material by the time Classics, Vol. 21 was released in 1987. Armatrading is blessed with a warm, expressive voice and writes sophisticated, intelligent lyrics.