​The tried-and-true cliché "not to be taken for granted" seems to have been invented for Daan Stuyven. His work defies conventions and ticks multiple boxes. His ‘Housewife’ is a benchmark in Belgian dance history, he evoked Johnny Cash with 'Icon', provided soundtracks for various films, composed a blazing indictment of right-wing political parties with 'Landmijn', et cetera. In April 2023, he surprised and baffled all by covering 'Intro' by Metejoor as a spoken word parlando for TV show 'Liefde voor muziek'. On paper it sounded like a recipe for disaster, but in Daan's hands it became an instant classic.
 
New album 'The Ride' is vintage Daan. In 'High' one can recognize the click track from 'Da da da' by the German Trio. The Casio VL-1 drum computer is one of Daan's favorite working instruments, which he buys at flea markets. 'Morning Sun' resembles a slowed-down 'I Want to Break Free' by Queen, although that was anything but the songwriter's intention. 'The Dancer' is described by the maestro as 'the evil beastie, an annoying song,' but it's refreshingly cool. The absolute highlight of ‘The Ride’ however, is the opening track of the B-side, ‘16 Men’. In the song, Daan apologizes to women for not being able to be everything. He very generously replaces himself with sixteen other men. The song's close harmony is reminiscent of The Temptations’ or The Four Tops’ best work. An incredibly catchy, danceable song that will haunt your head for weeks to come. Today alone, I sang it out loud four times.
 
'The Ride' lives up to its title. It's quite the ride. Great record

Sherri Anne lets the band speak with messages and eclectic compositions from folk, reggae, blues to rock. Fine album with a few superb songs.

​New Flemish songs from the talented Eva De Roovere, songwriter-singer-producer.  Once again very atmospheric and cheerful popsongs.

​Melancholic ambient popsongs that can’t confirm the expectations. Except the single ‘Highly Overrated’ which convinced me of the band’s potential.

Tender and powerful psychedelic songs, with a lot of emotion.  Definitely one of the best albums of the year.  Just love it, John!

​Wonderful journey into the musical intelligence of singer-songwriter Allan Thomas.  Poetic and spellbounding. Very Recommended!

​After the previously released first volume, 'Rockin' Rollin' Covers' now also gets a sequel. Again you get 30 songs, most of which you definitely know in the original version. Some of these tracks have been covered countless times, while you rarely find a cover version of other songs. In short, enough reasons to go on a voyage of discovery.
It is a fact that only the very best covers were selected. 'Rockin' Rollin' Covers, Vol. 2' is highly recommended.

​The third album of Blue and Broke will entertain you from start to finish, and beyond.  Made with love and skills, surprises included.  Night Shadows grows with time!

​Adam Douglas loves the soul expression with (jazz)horns and a background choir.  His way to find the better angel in himself.  A positive vibration flows into the listener.

​Usually hits are original songs by the respective performing artist (s). Usually, but not always. Sometimes they revert to already existing songs, which could not generate hit status in the original performance. Provided that the arrangement was modified, another performer could score with it. Sometimes you still recognize the original number, but very often you don't know about the original either. The Jasmine label dug into the past of a few hits and came to surprising conclusions.
This album contains no less than 33 songs in their original version. Original versions that are usually not inferior to the hit versions.

​Enjoy the catchy popsongs from Aiala.  She’s not Amy Winehouse but definitely more creative.  Love her music!  She has it all!

Travelling gives inspiration with ups and downs, a smile and a tear.  Strong contemporary popsongs with good vibes.  

​With his recordings Jimmie Rodgers, not to be confused with the country artist of the same name, managed to hit the American and English charts more than twenty times between 1957 and 1962. Although he was previously portrated as a folk or pop artist, he was still allowed to assume the status of a teen idol. The teenagers saw in him more of a rock and roll artist. That is certainly not surprising, because a number of his songs flirt with rock and roll and have a groove that the young folks of the time certainly found a connection with. In addition, his sweet pop songs will certainly have contributed to this.This compilation contains Rodgers recordings made for the labels Roulette and Dot and in addition to his hits you also get some rare recordings.

​When releasing a single, a record company naturally chooses to put that song on the A side that contains the most hit potential and will therefore generate generous income. Usually that is the case and the B side is filled with a discard. And yet, if you listen to this compilation, there are quite a few singles with hits on both sides.
The Jasmine label bundles on this compilation 32 of those B sides of hit singles that came out from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. As it concerns hit singles, this album contains only well-known artists, who stormed the charts with pop, rock and roll and instrumental songs. Nice compilation!

​In the 1950's, Ricky Nelson was the most famous teenager in the U.S.A.. Not surprising when you know that both his parents were TV personalities. They had the program ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’, which also featured Ricky. The in 1961 recorded ‘Hello Mary Lou’ made him a million seller. It was actually a single with two A sides, as ‘Travellin’ Man’ was also very successful. This Jasmine compilation contains all the hits Ricky scored in the period from 1957 to 1962. It not only gives a nice picture of his career, but is also a nice tribute to the then prevailing music. In addition, the album contains the song ‘Someday’ which was a top 10 hit in the UK but was never released as a single in America.

​You probably don't know the name Billy Strange, yet chances are you've heard him and he might even be in your record collection as a companion to your favorite artists. Besides this work as a session musician, he also recorded under his own name.
What is striking is that Strange cannot be pinned down to one music genre. Whether he was hired for swinging rhythm & blues and rock and roll, a light jazzy feel, country, cowboy songs or pop, Billy always carries out his task with an enormous dose of talent and craftsmanship.
With ‘Climb Aboard The Hell Train’, compiler dee jay Mark Armstrong not only pays tribute to Billy Strange, but also makes Strange's work more public.

​On ‘Cherries On The Lose, vol. 1’ we already discovered that many hits were already recorded by others long before the artist who sang them into eternity. Atomicat continues his quest on volume 2 of ‘Cherries On The Lose’. And yes, even now there are others to discover. For example, the album opens with ‘I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door’, a song that landed a very young Eddie Hodges in the charts in 1961. What few knew at the time was the fact that the Isley Brothers were the original performers.
You will discover this and much more on this compilation, which contains great songs but is also enlightening. Recommended!

​The beautiful voices, the superior songs and ditto arrangements, make that De Havilland has a ticket to a golden future with this first EP. To discover!

‘Baby Sittin’ Boogie’ may have been his biggest success, but it should be noted that the songs brought together here, which are a mix of rock and roll and pop, are well worth it. Buzz also more or less give an own direction to the covers he recorded. Nice retro album!

​I remember her last album ‘Fuck You’ as an eclectic pop/rock attempt.  These two singles emphasize her emotional strenght.  To follow up.

​The English Embassy Records was a budget label that released covers of famous hits. These vinyls were sold exclusively at the Woolworths supermarket at a lower price than the original recordings. The showpiece of Embassy was Maureen Evans. Later she managed to achieve some success through Oriole Records.
This collector, released by Jasmine, bundles Maureen's recordings that she made between 1958 and 1962 for both Embassy and Oriole. Recordings that are still worth listening to, also because of Maureen's beautiful voice. Too bad she was overshadowed in the early 1960s by the careers of a Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. Nevertheless, this compilation is a wonderful release.

​Sun, sea, beach, holidays, terraces and fun, they are all part of the summer. A summer that will look different this year, due to Covid-19. For some a disappointment, others try to make the best of enjoying those exceptional months. Something that will certainly help you to get through these times is the collector ‘Good Old Summer Time’ published by Bear Family Records. Pop, rock ‘n’ roll, mambo, surf and a lot more……!
‘Good Old Summer Time’ turns your ‘vacation’ into an unforgettable ‘staycation’, which will inevitably lead to a real party. Enjoy! Highly recommended!

​Just like volume 1 in this catchy 'Pajama Party' serie, volume 2 is also definitely recommended for pajama and other parties ......!

​Happy funky songs with a lot of humor will definitely ring a bell to all fans of Joost The Vanished Dutchman.  Very accessible album as a teaser for new listeners, but the advanced listener will prefer earlier work.

​This second album is a surprising introduction for me with this artist.