Queen pictures from Artist Direct

"Take Cover" by Queensrÿche

If the prospect of Queensrÿche covering The O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" feels misguided, then perhaps the Seattle metal band's latest Take Cover is not for you. This bizarre collection of 11 interpretations—including originals by Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and, strangely enough, a song from the broadway show Jesus Christ Superstar—is a conceptually bold record, but in actual execution it inspires a fair share of bewildered head scratches. Could singer Geoff Tate really think his fans would appreciate a Carlo Marrale and Cheope track sung in butchered Italian (in interviews, Tate even admitted to not speaking a word of Italian. Crikey)? This is not to say that Take Cover as a whole is perplexing and pretentious—Queensrÿche also tackle some material fitting for a prog-metal band, such as Pink Floyd's hazy "Welcome to the Machine," Queen's epic "Innuendo" and Peter Gabriel's moving "Red Rain."

Published: 2007-11-30 Provider: Artist Direct

"and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand" by Robert Plant

From conception to finished product, Raising Sand is the sort of collaboration that's about as fail-safe as imaginable within the confines of the music industry: take iconic Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, introduce him to angel-voiced bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and, instead of asking for originals (a potentially daunting prospect, at least sans Union Station and Jimmy Page), let them guide you through an overlooked treasure chest of Americana from the likes of The Everly Brothers, Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt, among others. There aren't a lot of bold new ideas on Raising Sand, but the execution is flawless, guided by accomplished producer T-Bone Burnett and a well-credentialed house band. Plant and Krauss are tremendous but disparate talents, yet they fuse together like a veteran duo, alternating between lead and harmony. Both singers traditionally have a flair for the dramatic, but Raising Sand is grounded and earthy throughout. Some

Published: 2007-10-19 Provider: Artist Direct

"Orchestra of Wolves (Bonus Tracks)" by Gallows

The temptation to write off a "punk" band without even hearing them these days can be pretty powerful. Most are angsty pseudo-pop bands, probably whining about girls, parents and how hard it is to be famous. However, such is not the case for Gallows on their debut, Orchestra of Wolves. Given a chance, it becomes a little clearer why a band that isn't even that interested in being a band (singer Frank Carter has said that they won't last past 2009) is getting such ravenous attention. The notion that Gallows are a punk band is really more aesthetic than anything else—they have the look and the anger down. The music though, like punk rock of the late '70s and early '80s, is so heavily informed by metal that they split the difference right down the middle. About half the tracks on Wolves, especially "Just Because You Sleep Next to Me..." and "Black Heart Queen," would no doubt be heavy metal songs if the lads from Watford, England were a few years older and had

Published: 2007-09-24 Provider: Artist Direct