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Here’s a treat for fans of the late, great Ray Charles. Concord Records is releasing Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters this week. Apparently producer John Burk stumbled upon unfinished recordings and demos by Charles in the vault. Burk took the tapes and completed the songs with a variety of musicians in the studio. Who knew there’d be new music after all these years from the legendary Ray Charles?

Highlights include a special rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me, Lord?” and a duet with Johnny Cash from 1981.

Also, the official Ray Charles website is currently offering a free download from the new CD. When you sign up for the download, you’re automatically entered for a drawing to win an 11 CD collection of Ray Charles music! Head over to RayCharles.com for the details.

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Talk about great timing! On the heels of Rush’s career spanning documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage”, Eagle Rock Entertainment just released the latest installment of their Classic Albums DVD series, Rush: 2112 & Moving Pictures. I’m a huge fan of the Classic Albums documentaries so it’s great to finally get an in-depth look at these two albums by Rush. 2112 was a significant release for the band since it came at a time when their record label was considering dropping the band. Thankfully Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson created a fantastic prog-rock album that grabbed the attention of music fans the world over. By the time they made Moving Pictures, Rush was a well oiled machine and that particular album is probably one of their strongest efforts to date.

While watching the DVD, one of the things that come to my mind is the fact that all three members of Rush are great storytellers, especially Peart. They’re very articulate which helps in a medium such as this since the bulk of the format are typically “talking head” shots.

I was a bit dissappointed that they didn’t expand the length of the show to accomodate two albums. Instead, the producers of the show condensed a lot of the details to fit the hour long format. Thankfully the DVD contains 54 minutes of extra footage for fans to enjoy. But even with the extra hour, they sadly weren’t able to cover every single track off of each album so songs like “The Camera Eye”, “Vital Signs” and “Tears” aren’t even mentioned at all.

The highlight (which is the case for every Classic Albums show) for me is the segment in the recording studio. For this installment, producer Terry Brown along with Alex and Geddy are on hand to go through some of the multi-tracks. “2112/Overture”, “Tom Sawyer” and “YYZ” are some of the songs that are featured at length. Again, I wish there was more time for these guys to go through the songs in more detail because there are a ton of intricate layers to these complex songs. Peart, Lee and Lifeson are phenomenal players so it’s always a treat to watch these guys play their instruments close-up. As a matter of fact, another favorite moment on the DVD is the footage of Peart warming up on the drum kit. I could just watch the man play all day. He’s awe inspiring on the drums. The segment is a must see for any drummer out there. You can find it in the bonus section of the DVD.

The Classic Albums DVD is definitely a must-buy for the Rush fans out there. As a fan, I would have liked a bit more detail and more footage especially since two albums were covered instead of the usual one album format. But for a studio engineer/musician-wannabe such as myself, I guess it’d take a three disc set for the level of detail I’d want.

retroGrade: A-

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You were near though I was distant
Disillusioned I was lost and insecure
Still mercy fought for my intention
You were waiting at the door, then I let You in

Holy are You God, Holy is Your name
with everything I’ve got
My heart will sing how I love You

written by Joel Houston
From the CD: Hillsong – Beautiful Exchange

I’m feeling a bit disappointed after listening to Lincoln Brewster’s latest release, Real Life. I’m a long time fan and think he’s a phenomenal guitar player and worship leader. But on this new album, it just feels like Brewster is simply coasting on autopilot. The CD is filled with run of the mill chord progressions and lyrical cliches. As listeners, we need something more substantial than lines like:

You are amazing, more than amazing, Forever our God, You’re more than enough… [More Than Amazing]
and
You are good so good all the time all my life… and I’m still singing because You are so good… [So Good]

Come on, I expect a bit more growth from an artist like Brewster. yes, I suppose it’s his choice to focus his songwriting toward “newbie” Christians which explains his none-too-deep themes/content but still, shouldn’t he, as an established artist, try to explore new ground other than simply “praise & worship”? With his chops, it would be far more interesting for him stretch out the instrumental arrangements a la prog-rock. Frankly, the simple chord structures and mundane lyrics are such a waste for an outstanding guitarist like Brewster.

And don’t get me started on the overall sound of the album. For some reason Brewster likes to highly compress the overall mix so that there’s no dynamic range to speak of. The result is a lifeless sound mix with no punch from the drums. Everything just sounds flat with no sizzle or excitement. The compressed mix probably sounds great on radio but on a decent sound system combined with the lackluster songwriting, results in a forgettable album.

retroGrade: C

Real Life by Lincoln Brewster
released: September 2010
record label: Integrity
Total Time: 45:48

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Hey, it has been a while since the last DVD giveway here on Retroblog so I guess it’s about that time for me to start up another one. To commemorate the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the classic concert film Ladies & Gentlemen… The Rolling Stones (which will be out in stores October 12, 2010), I’ve got one of the DVDs to giveaway here on Retroblog courtesy of Eagle Rock and Universal Music.
There are two ways to enter for the drawing –

1) Simply leave a comment here on this page and tell me, in your opinion, which Rolling Stones tour was the best and why. Please note that you need to leave a legitimate email address so that I can contact you in the event that you are selected. Don’t worry, your name/email address will not be sold or used in any other manner.

2) Or you can choose to post your opinion on the Best Rolling Stones tour on the Retroblog facebook page to qualify for the drawing.

Do both to double your chances of winning.

This contest/giveway ends at 11:59pm October 14th, 2010. A winner will be picked randomly from all entries and will be contacted by me via email by October 15th. Once the winner provides a mailing address, it will be forwarded to a rep at Universal Music who will be sending out the prize directly to the winner.

No purchase necessary and the contest/giveaway is only open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. By participating in this RetroBlog contest, you agree to allow RetroBlog to post the winner’s name and city on this site.

And for those that can’t wait, you can pre-order Ladies & Gentlemen… The Rolling Stones on DVD or Blu-Ray at CDUniverse.

good luck!