​Sweets are timeless. It may increase the chance of a visit to the dentist, but few people can resist the lure of chocolate, all kinds of candies, chewing gum and so on. In the fifties the candy store was often the meeting place for teenagers in America. That led to the creation of songs that put the 'sweets' in the spotlights. This compilation contains no fewer than 31 songs, in the most diverse genres, with the 'sweets' as their subject. Doo-wop, rock and roll, country, swing, mambo, latin, fifties pop and instrumental tracks, you'll find them all on this album.
'Meet Me At The Candy Store' is a fun themed compilation and……..you really don't need to have a sweet tooth to enjoy this.

​Bluegrass, folk, country and rockabilly all included in swinging songs and intriguing ballads, Paint This Town became a very enjoyable colorful album.

It is commendable that the Bear Family label pays attention to Hank Ballard and his inseparable The Midnighters in their 'Rocks' series. As we have mentioned several times here, it was Ballard who created 'The Twist' in the late fifties, but unfortunately could not reap the full benefits of it. Those were for Chubby Checker. It goes back to Hank that he had a lot more to offer and that he rocked long before Checker came on the scene. It is precisely these rocking rhythm & blues that forms the basis for the 30 superior tracks on this compilation.
The whole story about Hank Ballard, as well as all info about the tracks, can be found in the 36-page booklet, which, as always, is beautifully illustrated.
These 30 tracks recorded for King and Federal contain high quality danceable rocking rhythm & blues. So when this album blasts through your speakers, you know what to do.

​Jim “Dan Dee” Stefanuk on vocals/guitars, Bobby Sewerynek on saxophone, newcomer Dwayne Lau on bass, and Shawn Royal on drums are the ideal rhythm section for this sound. Authentic blues infused with a modern rock swagger. Hell yeah! 

​Shaggy Dogs is a quintet of celebratory rock and rhythm'n'blues, from the Paris region and heavily inspired by Dr. Feelgood that needs no introduction! For more than 20 years they have been galvanizing, smooth-haired and always dressed to the last detail, taking the stages of France, Europe, Canada and even Japan with their relentless groove and their infectious energy. After seven albums, the last album 'All Inclusive' dates from 2018, they are back with a five-track EP. They almost apologize, but their new pitch 'Sorry For The Delay' suddenly makes up for it. The five songs are penned together by Laurent Bourdier and produced by Sam Miller. Exciting rock 'n' roll, and a rare ballad... Let's roll!

​Kloot Per W’s love for the French chanson gets a pop rock layer on Arbre à Fille.  

​Ticket West is the project around the brothers Pascal and Walter Wilhelm. The duo got the blues, as it were, with the spoon through their father. The band has realized their most divergent record with '49 Park St. Blues'. This is a celestial release..

​Instrumental album with flemish melodies of the eighteenth century, with subtility upgraded to our modern times.

​With 'On The Dancefloor' the German Bear Family is starting a new series, on which Joey Dee & The Starliters fill the first release.
In the early 1960s, The Peppermint Lounge in New York City was the place to be for celebrities. The nightclub, located at 128 West 45th Street, was only too happy to welcome the jet set. Famous names such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Jackie Kennedy, John Wayne, Greta Garbo and Salvator Dali were all too happy to visit. Why the Peppermint was so popular? Well, one of the reasons why, was the house orchestra Joey Dee & The Starliters. For over a year, the band played six sets a night, six days a week. Their energetic sets, brimming with pumping rhythms, filled the dance floor again and again. When you have to play six sets a night, you are forced to include the hits of the moment in the playlist in addition to your own songs. This compilation contains a mix of own songs and covers.
Recently Joey Dee gave an interview. In addition to the information about Dee and the tracks, you will also find this in the liner notes. Liner notes that are also packed with nice photo material.
The first release in the series 'On The Dancefloor' fully lives up to its promise. This is party music par excellence!

​While having their feet planted in roots music, The Bennett Matteo Band (BMB) is extremely improvisational, a breath of fresh air to the music world. Their debut CD ‘Shake the Roots’,  was produced by multi-Blues Music Award nominee Kid Andersen and Gino Matteo, with all songs written by Gino Matteo & Jade Bennett. Jade Bennett has a heavenly soul straw that can handle a lot of styles. And then that tight rhythm section comes into the spotlightThe disc was recorded, mixed and mastered at Greaseland Studio in San Jose, CA. Highly recommended! 

​Fortunately, music does not take skin color into account. While the black population in America still suffered greatly from the prevailing discrimination and struggled for equal rights, black artists were already mixing their rhythm & blues with the white country & western. Like volume 1, the second volume again features 28 black artists who pushed musical boundaries and merged genres.
It is clear that the 'Rhythm & Western' series is the umpteenth series that attaches great importance to quality and is a must have for the true music lover. True to tradition, these, like all other Atomicat editions, also bathe in a beautiful contemporary sound quality.

​Boston, Massachusetts-based Anthony Geraci’s ­fifteen Blues Music Award nominations and 2021 BMA win reflect four decades of musical excellence both in studio and onstage. Following his chart-topping Daydreams in Blue (Shining Stone, 2020), Anthony Geraci returns with Blues Called My Name, a dynamic collection of original compositions featuring esteemed special guests Anne Harris, Walter Trout, Sugar Ray Norcia, Monster Mike Welch, Erika Van Pelt and The Boston Blues All-Stars. The release ‘Blues Called My Name’ on Blue Heart Records, is a very divergent album. Highly recommended!

​‘Ghosts Of this time’ is the new album from Belgian indie band called Handkerchief. Seven great emotional songs. Very recommended indeed.

​Krewe De Groove is Denver’s hottest funk unit. This is a mixture of gumbo and funky originals with a heavy dose of New Orleans, classic 70’s funk and disco, rock, jams, soul and beyond. Nick Daniels III was born in New Orleans. He has a soulful voice and an undeniably funky bass playing style. Nick has played bass for The Neville Brothers, Uptown All-stars, Zachary Richard, The Wild Magnolia Indians, Allen Toussaint, and Etta James. In 2006, Nick joined the currently popular band, Dumpstaphunk

​If a dance craze that originated in America was so powerful to break through worldwide, it was 'the twist'. Hank Ballard may have been the architect of it, but it was Chubby Checker who popularized the dance with 'The Twist' and 'Let's Twist Again' and established himself as the 'King of Twist'. You will of course also find the one and only 'The Twist' by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters on this compilation. Following in Checker's footsteps, several artists tried to profit from this success. They recorded songs, with or without the word 'twist' in the title, but above all, all these songs lent themselves to performing the movements associated with 'the twist'.
'Twist-A-Rama, Volume 1' is therefore an album that lets you experience the nostalgia of the twist craze in a great way.
All you have to do now is to put the furniture aside, put on your dancing shoes and get in the right mood with these twisted gems recorded from 1959 to 1963. Bet it will be a pleasant 'home workout'?

​The release 'Blues For Breakfast' is an amazing record. The members of The Phantom Blues Band can be proud of their accumulated musical experiences, but they know that this project is something special. The songs diverge and range from Chicago blues, great soul, a dash of reaggea and some funky arrangements. As a tribute to Mike Finnigan, the proceeds from the new CD will be donated to 'The Mike Finnigan School of Music' at the Stiefel Theater in Salina, Kansas. It is certainly an honor that Finnigan, a resident of Kansas, would smile at.

With his first album ‘Issiktane’ or ‘Memory’ Sidi Abdallah honors his father with desert blues in true Tuareg tradition and gives a glimpse of his further evolution.

​Recently you could read the review of the first volume in this new series 'R & B Goes R & R' launched by Atomicat on this site, or number two is already in our cd player. Volume 1 was titled 'My Baby Left Me', the review of which you can read here. Based on rhythm & blues, the genre has developed in such a way that the second volume is simply titled 'Rock And Roll Music'. Again 28 tracks that 'rock and roll' that it is a delight. Although rock 'n' roll was mainly a white affair, the artists were only too happy to 'borrow' from their black colleagues.
The fun and exciting thing is that compilations like this introduce you to versions of well-known and lesser-known songs that you've never heard before. While some versions stay close to the original, there are also artists who completely gave the song an own twist and even change the music genre of the original. 'R & B Goes R & R' is therefore a series that is more than worth buying.

​In the footsteps of the great Django Reinhardt, Steeve Laffont offers a beautiful gypsy jazz album, full of emotion and with splendid virtuosity.