Otherwise known as Chan Marshall, Cat Power has long been one of the most popular and creative artists making so-called "sad core" or emotional pop and rock. She first made a name for herself in 2000 with a collection of unusual interpretations of songs by the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and more. On her latest CD, Marshall steeps her songs in classic soul and rhythm & blues.
Cat Power
CD: The Greatest Song: "The Greatest" Label: Matador
This CD by the former singer for the chamber pop group Belle and Sebastian is delicate and melancholy. For this album she collaborated with Mark Lanegan, the former singer for the grunge group Screaming Trees -- an odd pairing that marries Campbell's wisp of a voice with Lanegan's bassy rasp.
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan
CD: Ballad of the Broken Seas Song: "The False Husband" Label: V2
Alison Balsom here performs the music of Bach on trumpet. None of the works on this CD were originally written for trumpet. But Balsom performs them beautifully with cellist Mark Caudle and Allistar Ross on harpsichord.
Alison Balsom
CD: Bach Works For Trumpet Song: "Trio Sonata in C" Label: EMI Classics
Lee Rocker was the bassist for the '80s rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats. Since the band's breakup in 1983, Rocker has collaborated with former David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick, Carl Perkins and Dave Edmunds. Rocker's latest solo CD is a collection of passionate, brash roadhouse romps.
Lee Rocker
CD: Racin' With the Devil Song: "The Girl From Hell" Label: Alligator
The Refugee All Stars are six Sierra Leonean musicians who've been living as refugees at a camp in the Republic of Guinea. They were forced from their homes during a civil war that began in 1991. Their struggle and ultimate solace found through music is the subject of a new documentary film.
The Refugee All Stars
CD: Living Like a Refugee Song: "Big Lesson" Label: Sodapop Productions
Visit the documentary's Web site for more information on this recording.
The Mighty Sparrow is Slinger Francisco, a singer with a sweet voice who rose to popularity in the 1950s with the Trinidadian calypso hits "Jean and Dinah" and "Carnival Boycott." He learned to sing in a boy's choir at a catholic church in Grenada and eventually became one of the most successful artists from the Caribbean.
The Mighty Sparrow
CD: First Flight Song: "Jean Marbunta" Label: Smithsonian Folkways
