The Monkees

 

Artist:  The Monkees
Origin:  Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre:  Pop, Rock, Bubblegum, Sunshine Pop, Contemporary Pop

Original line-up:

Davy Jones:  Vocals, Tambourine, Bass, Guitar, Drums
Michael Nesmith:  Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Peter Tork:  Vocals, Bass,  Keyboards, Piano,Guitar, Banjo
Micky Dolenz:  Vocals, Drums, Moog, Synthesizer, Guitar

The Monkees are an American Pop Rock Band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1965 by Bob Rafeison and Bert Scneider for the American Television Series The Monkees, which the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and Englishman Davy Jones, and supervised by producer Don Kirshner.  The actor-musicians, however soon became a real Band.  ocals, Drums, Moog, Synthesizer, Guitar

The Monkees are an American Pop Rock Band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1965 by Bob Rafeison and Bert Scneider for the American Television Series The Monkees, which the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and Englishman Davy Jones, and supervised by producer Don Kirshner.  The actor-musicians, however soon became a real Band. 

Title:  The A's, The B's & The Monkees (2026)

Genre:  Pop, Rock, Bubblegum, Sunshine Pop, Contemporary Pop

Label:  Rhino Records

Rating:   ****

Format:  CD

Tracks:

Disc 1:

 1.  Last Train To Clarksville (2:44)

 2.  I'm A Believer (2:48)

 3.  A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You (2:39)

 4.  Pleasant Valley Sunday (3:09)

 5.  Daydream Believer (3:02)

 6.  Valleri (2:19)

 7.  D.W. Washburn (2:50)

 8.  Porpoise Song (Theme From Head) (4:04)

 9.  Rear Drop City (2:05)

10. Listen To The Band (2:32)

11. Good Clean Fun (2:16)

12. Oh My My (3:00)

Disc 2:

 1.  Take A Giant Step (2:36)

 2.  (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone (2:24)

 3.  The Girl I Knew Somewhere (2:38)

 4.  Words (2:51)

 5.  Goin' Down (4:01)

 6.  Tapioca Tundra (3:04)

 7.  It's Nice To Be With You (2:54)

 8.  As We Go Along (3:57)

 9.  A Man Without A Dream (3:06)

10. Someday Mann (2:42)

11. Mommy And Daddy (2:12)

12. I Love You Better (2:28)

The A's, The B's & The Monkees is the collection album by The Monkees, released on January 30, 2026 by Rhino Records.  Celebrating 60 Years of The Monkees of their Singles from 1966-1970.  For Fans of The Monkees.

Golden Earring

Artist:  Golden Earring
Origin:  The Hague, Netherlands
Genre:  Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Arena Rock, Contemporary Pop

Original line-up:

Rinus Gerritsen:  Bass, Keyboards, Guitar
George Kooymans:  Vocals, Guitar

Golden Earring is a Dutch Rock Band from The Hague, Netherlands, formed in 1961 by Rinus Gerritsen (Bass, Keyboards), and George Kooymans (Vocals, Guitar), and later along with Barry Hay (Vocals, Guitar, Flute, Saxophone), and Cesar Zuiderwijk (Drums, Percussion),  originally called "The Tornados" and was changed to The Golden Earringwhen they discovered that the name The Tornados was already in use by another group.  The band achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to No 1 on the Dutch Charts, reached the top ten in the UK and went to No. 13 on U.S. Charts.

Title:  Essential Earring (Limited Edition) (2026)

Genre:  Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Arena Rock, Contemporary Pop

Label:  Music On Vinyl

Rating:   *****

Format:  LP

Tracks:

Side 1:

 1.  Radar Love (6:26)

 2.  Back Home (3:52)

 3.  She Flies On Strange Wings (7:24)

 4.  Just A Little Bit Of Peach In Mt Heart (5:21)

 5.  Weekend Love (4:17)

Side 2:

 1.  Long Blond Animal (3:36)

 2.  Twilight Zone (7:55)

 3.  The Devil Made Me Do It (3:20)

 4.  When The Lady Smiles (5:40)

 5.  Quiet Eyes (4:12)

Personnel:

Rinus Gerritsen:  Bass, Keyboards
George Kooymans:  Vocals, Guitar

Barry Hay:  Guitar, Flute, Vocals, Percussion

Cesar Zuiderwijk:  Drums, Percussion

Essential Earring is the compilation album by Golden Earring, released on January 23, 2026 by Music On Vinyl.  Limited Edition of 4000 Copies on 140 Gram Turquoise Coloured Vinyl.

Lucinda Williams

 

Artist:   Lucinda Williams
Born:  January 26, 1953.  Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA.
Genre:   Folk Rock, Country Rock, Alternative Country, Heartland Rock, Blues, Americana
Occupations:  Singer, Songwriter
Instruments:  Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Lucinda Williams is an American Folk Rock, Country Rock Blues Singer and Songwriter.  Her first album in a traditional Country and Blues Style in 1978 and 1980 and she got her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994.  Her greatest success came in 1998 with Car Wheels On a Gravel Road and she was also named America's Best Songwriter by Time Magazine in 2002.

Title:  World's Gone Wrong (2026)

Genre:   Folk Rock, Country Rock, Alternative Country, Heartland Rock, Blues, Americana

Label:  Highway 20

Rating:    *****

Format:  CD

Tracks:

 1.  The World's Gone Wrong (feat. Brittney Spencer) (5:07)

 2.  Someting's Gotta Give (feat. Brittney Spencer) (5:38)

 3.  Low Life (4:24)

 4.  How Much Did You Get For Your Soul (4:00)

 5.  So Much Trouble In The World (feat. Mavis Staples) (4:36)

 6.  Sing Unburied Sing (3:31)

 7.  Black Tears (5:39)

 8.  Punchline (5:38)

 9.  Freedom Speaks (4:04)

10. We've Come Too Far To turn Around (feat. Norah Jones) (4:59)

Personnel:

Lucinda Williams:  Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

Doug Pettibone:  Electric Guitar, Resonator Guitar, Piano, Vocals Background

Stuart Matis:  Electric Guitar

Mars Ford:  Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

David Sutton:  Bass, Upright Bass, Vocals Background

Brady Blade:  Drums, Djembe, Tambourine

Mickey Raphael:  Harmonica

Rob Burger:  Hammond B3, Vox Jaguar, Wurlitzer

Maureen Murphy:  Vocals Background

Siobhan Kennedy:  Vocals Background

Special Guests:

Norah Jones:  Piano, Vocals on Track 10

Mavis Staples:  Vocals on Track 5

Brittney Spencer:  Vocals Background on Tracks:  1, 2

World's Gone Wrong is the sixteenth studio album by Lucinda Williams, released on January 23, 2026 by Highway 20, featuring special guests:  Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Brittney Spencer.

Art Blakey

 

Artist:  Art Blakey 

Birth Name:  Arthur Blakey
Born:  October 11, 1919.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Died:  October 16, 1990 (Aged 71).  New York City, New York, USA
Genre:  Jazz, Hard Bop, Bebop, Jazz Instrument
Occupation:  Musician, Bandleader

Instruments:  Drums, Percussion

Art Blakey was an American Jazz Drummer and Bandleader.  He made a name for himself in the 1940s in the Big Bands of Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine.  He worked with Bebop musicians Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.  In the mid-1950s Horace Silver and Art Blakey formed The Jazz Messengers.  He was inducted into the Down Beat jazz Hall Of Fame in 1981.  The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame in 1991.

Title:  Free For All (Blue Note Classic Edition) (2026)

Genre:  Jazz, Hard Bop, Bebop, Jazz Instrument

Label:  Blue Note

Rating:   *****

Format:  LP

Tracks:

Side One:

 1.  Free For All (11:04)

 2.  Hammer Head (7:47)

Side Two: 

 1.  The Core (9:24)

 2.  Pensativa (8:19)

Personnel:

Art Blakey:  Drums

Freddie Hubbard:  Trumpet

Curtis Fuller:  Trombone

Wayne Shorter:  Tenor Saxophone

Cedar Walton:  Piano

Reggie Workman:  Double Bass

Free For All is an album by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, originally released on July 1965 by Blue Note, remastered and reissued on January 23, 2026 by Blue Note.  180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl.

Joe Henderson

 

Artist:  Joe Henderson 
Born:  April 24, 1937.  Lima, Ohio, USA
Died:  June 30, 2001 (Aged 64).  San Francisco, California, USA
Genre:  Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Traditions, Jazz Instrument, Saxophone Jazz
Occupation:  Musician, Saxophonist
Instruments:   Saxophone

Joe Henderson was an American Jazz Tenor Saxophonist.  He like to listen to musicians such as Lester Young, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker.  He played with Jack McDuff, Kenny Dorham (1962-1963) and with Horace Silver's Quintet (1964-1966).  In 1967, there was a brief association with Miles Davis's Quintet featuring Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.

Title:  Our Thing (Blue Note Classic Edition) (2026) 

Genre:  Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Soul Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Traditions, Jazz Instrument, Saxophone Jazz

Label:  Blue Note

Rating:   *****

Format:  LP

Tracks:

Side One:

 1.  Teeter Totter (8:33)

 2.  Pedro's Time (10:04)

Side Two:

 1.  Our Thing (5:36)

 2.  Back Road (6:19)

 3.  Escapade (8:05)

Personnel:

Joe Henderson:  Tenor Saxophone

Kenny Dorham:  Trumpet

Andrew Hill:  Piano

Eddie Khan:  Bass

Pete La Roca:  Drums

Our Thing is the second album by Joe Henderson, originally released on May 1964 by Blue Note,, remastered and reissued on January 23, 2026 by Blue Note.  180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl.

Kings of Convenience

 

Artist:  Kings Of Convenience

Origin:  Bergen, Norway

Genre:  Indie Folk, Folk Pop, Indie Pop, Adult Alternative Pop, Alternative Rock

Original line-up:

Erlend Oye:  Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Banjo, Trumpet

Eirik Glambek Bee:  Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Percussion, Banjo

Kings Of Convenience is a Norwegian Indie Folk Pop Duo from Bergen, Norway, formed in 1999 by Childhood friends Erlend Oye (Vocals, Guitar), and Eirik Glambek Bee (Vocals, Guitar), known for delicate Acoustic Harmonies.

Title:  Riot On An Empty Street (2025)

Genre:  Indie Folk, Folk Pop, Indie Pop, Adult Alternative Pop, Alternative Rock

Label:  Pias Recordings

Rating:   *****

Format:  CD

Tracks:

 1.  Homesick (3:13)

 2.  Misread (3:08)

 3.  Cayman Islands (3:02)

 4.  Stay Out Of Trouble (5:04)

 5.  Know-How (3:58)

 6.  Sorry Or Please (3:47)

 7.  Love Is No Big Truth (3:48)

 8.  I'd Rather Dance With You (3:29)

 9.  Live Long (2:57)

10. Surprise Ice (4:23)

11. Gold In The Air Of Summer (3:33)

12. The Build-Up (4:05)

Personnel:

Erlend Oye:  Lead Vocals on Tracks:  6, 12, Co-Lead Vocals on Tracks:  1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, Harmony Vocals on Tracks:  5, 9, 10, Guitar on Tracks:  7, 11, 12, Steel String Guitar on Tracks:  3_5, 10, Electric Guitar on Track 1, Bass on Track 8, Drums on Tracks:  5, 6, 8, 12, Piano on Track 8, Banjo on Track 6, Trumpet on Track 6

Eirik Glambek Bee:  Lead Vocals on Tracks:  2, 5, 9, 10, Co-Lead Vocals on Tracks:  1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, Harmony Vocals on Track 6, Guitar on Tracks:  2, 5-9, Nylon String Guitar on Tracks:  1, 3, 4, 10, Bass  8, Piaino on Tracks:  2, 5-9, 11, Drums on Track 7, Arpeggios on Track 11, Percussion on Track 11, Banjo on Track 7

Additional Musicians

Feist:  Lead Vocals (Outro) on Tracks:  5, 12

Davide Bertolini:  Bass on Track 7, Upright Bass on Tracks:  2, 4-6, Bowed bass on Track 11

Tobias Hett:  Viola on Tracks:  2, 4, 6, 8

Gary Peterson:  Trumpet on Track 6

Siri Hilmen:  Cello on Tracks:  2, 3, Cello (Outro) on Track 4

Peter Kates:  Additional Cymbals on Track 8, Hi-Hat on Track 8

John Arild Suther:  Trombone

Riot On An Empty Street is the second album by Kings Of Convenience, originally released on June 21, 2004 by Astralwerks, released on March 28, 2025 by PIAS Recordings, featuring "Homesick", "Misread", "I'd Rather Dance With You".

Leaves' Eyes

 

Artist:  Leaves' Eyes

Origin:  Ludwigsburg, Germany

Genre:  Heavy Metal, Symphonic Metal, Gothic Metal, Scandinavian Metal

Original line-up:

Liv Kristine Espenaes:  Lead Vocals

Alexander Krull:  Keyboards, Unclean Vocals

Thomas Bauer:  Guitars, Bass

Mathias Roderer:  Guitars

Chris Lukhaup:  Bass

Martin Schmidt:  Drums

Leaves' Eyes is a German Symphonic Metal Band from Ludwigsburg, formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine (Lead Vocals Ex Theatre Of Tragedy) and Alexander Krull (Keyboards Ex Atrocity), along with Thonas Bauer (Guitar, Bass), Mathias Roderer (Guitar), Chris Lukhaup (Bass), and Martin Schmidt (Drums).  In 2016, Liv Kristine left the band and replaced by Elina Siirala.

Title:  Myths Of Fate (2026)

Genre:  Heavy Metal, Symphonic Metal, Gothic Metal, Scandinavian Metal

Label:  AFM

Rating:   *****

Format:  CD

Tracks:

 1.  Forged By Fire (4:43)

 2.  Realm Of Dark Waves (4:58)

 3.  Who Wants To Live Forever (4:25)

 4.  Hammer Of The Gods (4:34)

 5.  In Eternity (3:39)

 6.  Fear The Serpent (4:30)

 7.  Goddess Of The Night (4:19)

 8.  Sons Of Triglav (4:55)

 9.  Elder Spirit (3:49)

10. Einherjar (5:12)

11. Sail With The Dead (4:42)

Personnel:

Elina Silrala:  Clean Vocals

Alexander Krull:  Growled Vocals, Keyboards, Samples, Programming

Mick Richter:  Guitar, Choir Vocals

Luc Gebhardt:  Guitar, Bass

Joris Nijenhuis:  Drums, Choir Vocals

Additional Musicians:

Ivan Ferenc:  Choir Vocals

Uwe Fichtner:  Choir Vocals

Thomas Roth:  Nyckelharps on Track 5

Lee-Sophie Fischer:   Fiddle on Track 5

Igor Gorewicz:  Additional Vocals on Track 5

Marcin Slezmir:  Additional Vocals on Track 5

Myths Of Fate is the ninth studio album by Leaves' Eyes, originally released on March 26, 2024 by AFM, remastered and reissued on January 15, 2026 by AFM.