GrooveOut Shorts

Laura Love

Welcome to Pagan Place

Vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Laura Love has an amazing voice. Love, referred to as a lesbian feminist, plays in a style she calls "Afro-Celtic" that is rooted in tradition with an emphasis on powerful rhythms. Her music is fused with inner-city funk and folk. Welcome to Pagan Place combines a wide variety of musical styles. From Koch Records (www.kochentertainment.com). For more on Love: www.lauralove.net. —Andrea Rodricks

Flare

Hung

The idea of an orch-pop record, in all the complications of marrying standard pop songs with complex string arrangements, is certainly admirable, but the songs on this record fail to really stand up to anything as grand as that idea. Openly gay songwriter LD Beghtol’s compositions are heartfelt and sincere, but often feel more stylistic than vital, failing to communicate substance in the spots you most feel it is most needed. His work is very ambitious without going over the top, though—something which makes the record very listenable. While there isn’t a bad song on this record, there also isn’t a standout, and perhaps that’s the idea—it is a record intended to be heard as a larger piece of music and not song-by-song. From Le Grand Magistery (www.magistery.com). —Lance Walker

Aphrohead

Thee Underground Made Me Do It

After being recognized by Spin magazine as the top DJ of 2002, Felix Da Housecat has elected not to ride the gravy train and has instead taken a turn in his career by resurrecting his alter ego Aphrohead. While it isn’t a complete change in direction from his highly-acclaimed 2002 work Kittenz & Thee Glitz, there aren’t abundant similarities either. His previous electro-synth productions stand out as brighter pop compositions, and while the consistency and flow on this record are comparable, where the form takes a real turn is in its tone. This record is infinitely more laid-back, with each track merging into the next and in doing so nearly providing background music in their subtlety. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or a Friday night. From Clashbackk Recordings (www.dusttraxx.com). —LW

Various Artists

Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen

Stormy Weather is a fitting tribute to the legendary American composer/pianist/vocalist Harold Arlen. The disc is a collection of haunting melodies of such favorites as Come Rain or Come Shine and Stormy Weather. Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Sandra Bernhard, and other contemporary musical artists breathe life into some of Arlen's classic songs. Arlen is best known as the Oscar-winning composer of Over the Rainbow from the classic film The Wizard of Oz. From Sony Classical (www.sonyclassical.com). —AR

Original Broadway Cast Recording

Redhead

Redhead, winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Choreography, starred musical comedy icon Gwen Verdon and was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. The legendary star of Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity, and Chicago, among others, Verdon received her fourth Tony Award for her performance in this show. This reissue contains three bonus tracks, performed and recorded for the first time ever. “It Doesn’t Take a Minute,” a song cut during the show’s New Haven tryout, is performed by Tony Award-nominee Liz Callaway (Cats, Miss Saigon). “You Love I” and “What Has She Got?” are performed by Jennifer Piech (Titanic, After the Fair) and Mark Price (Dance of the Vampires), and Faith Prince (Guys & Dolls, Bells Are Ringing), respectively. From Fynsworth Alley (www.fynsworthalley.com). —Troy Carrington

Air + Baricco

City Reading

Alessandro Baricco is arguably the most famous contemporary in Italy, known for his brilliant characterizations and a flowing, poetic writing style. Likewise, Air is very likely going to be remembered as one of the greatest bands ever to come out of France. Having composed the soundtrack to the gorgeous 2000 film “The Virgin Suicides,” they have continually hammered out their own unique place in modern music in recent years. Baricco has taken note of this and in 2002 contacted the band with the idea of marrying his writings with their music. The band eagerly agreed and the two performed together in Rome late last year, with Baricco’s deep, sexy Italian voice cascading wonderfully over Air’s dense but unintrusive background arrangements. Borrowing from Western cowboy tales in their storytelling candor, the songs yield a campfire-esque concentration in their obvious importance and with the manner in which they grab the listener. The music builds itself up when necessary and drops out at precisely the right moments, with that same restrained intensity the reader will get from Baricco’s original novel. It is a perfect marriage of music and writing, with still more possibilities on the horizon. On the sleeve the collaborators even ponder the idea of a video game… “But we’re not really sure about that.” From Astralwerks (www.astralwerks.com). —LW

Various Artists

Café Lounge

Café Lounge is a global fusion of addictively hip lounge music inspired by world beat, deep house and organic ambient grooves, and laced with beautiful female voices. It’s the perfect aural backdrop for everyday life, consistently diverse with a wide variety of sounds, yet each song retains a timeless sensibility that will carry through on each listen as each song tells a tale from a female perspective. From the sexy “River of Dreams” by Heavenly Creatures to “Fooling Myself” by King Kooba, Café Lounge is loaded with rare and import-only songs from global producers. From Neuordisc Records (www.neurodisc.com). —TC

Mary Fahl

The Other Side of Time

Former singer/songwriter Mary Fahl of the October Project has a distinctive sound reinforced by emotive vocals. The Other Side of Time draws on a variety of influences from traditional Irish, gospel, & jazz. Fahl executes a hypnotic and seductive interpretation of “Ben Aindi Habibi,” a traditional Moorish song from 14th-century Spain. The album also includes songs co-written and performed by Fahl on the soundtracks of the film Gods and Generals and The Guys. From Sony Classical (www.sonyclassical.com). For more on Fahl: www.maryfahl.com. —AR

A Band of Bees

Sunshine Hit Me

A Band of Bees is Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher. Butler is the multi instrumentalist muso with the technical know how, a self-professed music tech-head determined to find the secret that made the recordings he loves sound so good; Fletcher is the inveterate record collector/musical researcher whose lyrics range from the teasing to the emphatic and to the mind-bending. Sunshine Hit Me is where smooth jazz chords are easily accommodated in sweet pop tunes, where light brushes of Afro hi life nuzzle up beside Beach Boys harmonies and looping skank grooves. It’s where lovingly crafted curiosities and finely prepared delicacies are commonplace and musical freedom is the password. From Astralwerks (www.astralwerks.com). —TC

Various Artists

The Maury Yeston Songbook

The Maury Yeston Songbook, an all-new recording of songs by the Tony Award-winning composer of Nine, Grand Hotel, and Titanic, combines lush, powerful melodies that evoke the golden age of musical theater with a rich and sophisticated contemporary sound. The CD includes compositions from Yeston’s previously mentioned Broadway musicals plus songs from his international hit Phantom, the acclaimed song cycle December Songs, the little-known musical In the Beginning, and the world premiere of three songs. Songbook features many of our greatest theater and cabaret singers, from established stars Betty Buckley and Christine Ebersole to relative newcomers Sutton Foster and Laura Benanti. From PS Classics (www.psclassics.com). —TC

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