Sneaky Sound System
Sneaky Sound System's debut album leaves no uncertainty about the group's roots: this is a party-band through and through. The album opens with the group's most successful single to date, I Love It . Layered with catchy beats, a funky bass-line and an irrepressibly singable chorus, this song captures perfectly the essence of the first half of the CD. Read More>>

Blue King Brown
This Melbourne-based five-piece describes their highly percussive sound as a vibrant fusion of Latin American and Afro beats, overdubbed with elements of Reggae and Pacific Islander music. Read More>>

The Living End
The Living End are a remarkable and enduring Australian band featuring just three players: Chris Cheney on vocals and guitar, Scott Owen on double bass and vocals and Andy Strashan on drums and vocals.

Cutting to the chase, this album is superb and encapsulates all that is good about modern progressive pop music... Read More>>

Dappled Cities Fly
Dappled Cities Fly is one of those groups that seem to sit in a little niche all by themselves quite happily. Broadly, you could describe their music as experimental rock, in that the band explores unusual rhythms and unexpected harmonic and melodic material in the creation of their unique songs. Read More>>

Saffire
After a listen of Renaissance , the third album to be released by Australian guitar quartet Saffire, it is easy to understand why they are Australia's highest selling classical group. The album is a testament to the group's reputation as being artistically innovative masters of their instruments. Read More>>

Bob Evans
This very aptly named album from Bob Evans (aka Kevin Mitchell) captures the listener instantly with songs that are extremely well written, wonderfully varied in style and brilliantly performed Read More>>

Cicilia Kemezys
Australian composer and flautist Cicilia Kemezys and Indian singer Dya Singh have collaborated to produce an outstanding album of music strongly influenced by Indian culture and beautifully blended with jazz and Latin rhythms. The result is an eclectic meld of cultural diversity, so beautifully arranged, played and recorded. Read More>>

Bic Runga
New Zealand singer songwriter Bic Runga has released her third album - Birds. Most interesting stuff.

Little hints of The Whitlams and even Al Stewart are evident in terms of vocal line style and melodic progressions. Even so, this is definitely a new sound and Bic presents here a mostly ethereal and reflective collection, all written by her. Read More>>

D'Abruzzo / Reinhardt
The music on this album is eclectic. Some of the tracks are set in a style reminiscent of the earlier jazz rock fusion, but updated with modern vocal sounds and licks. Influences apparent to me include Earl Klugh, Bob James, David Sanborn, Deodato and Steely Dan / Donald Fagan... Read More>>

Elena Kats-Chernin
Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin composed the music for the ballet Wild Swans, which was choreographed by Meryl Tankard for the Australian Ballet, in 2003. Here, it is presented on this excellent CD, along with her Piano Concerto No. 2 and a single movement piece called Mythic. Read More>>

Clare Bowditch
She possesses a wistful, wandering voice, full of interesting textures and colour. All the material on this album is original, composed by Clare herself. She searches very deeply indeed amongst subjects so varied, but all within the great framework of life's ups and downs, difficulties, sadnesses and joys, loves and losses and so much more. Read More>>

Karlie Bruce
This very appealing new young singer from Sydney is quite reminiscent of Dionne Warwick. On some tracks the resemblance is quite striking. You can also hear influences from Geraldine Turner and Kerrie Biddell. However, there is much more to Karlie Bruce than simply being similar to someone else. She is a unique artist and that fact alone is even more important. Read More>>

Colours
Strazz has the rare musical gift of being able to make his guitars "sing" and therefore his material reflects a singer's choice almost, in terms of delicacy of tone, phasing, style etc. Pianists and violinists are always striving to achieve this singing quality to their sound. Only a handful of the very gifted ones ever achieve it. Read More>>

Tranquilo
An exciting new group of artists, with a new CD, comes across my desk. This is the full "commitment" thing. They wrote half the songs, did all the arrangements, recorded the album, paid for it all, printed the booklets, pressed the CD's and do much of their own promotion. Luckily now, they are signed to MGM, so we can all avail ourselves of this great new Latin American style group. Read More>>

Oceans Apart
The Go-betweens are a four piece contemporary Australian band comprising Robert Forster, Grant McLennan, Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson, with Forster and McLennan writing all the material. The band is supplemented by various guest musicians for the purposes of this album. Read More>>

Blue Joy
Here is a truly sumptuous album containing beautiful new arrangements of some seriously well written 70's and 80's classics, plus some excellent original material. Read More>>

Bittersweet and Blue
UK based singer and songwriter Gwyneth Herbert presents a superb repertoire of classics and originals on this recent release album. She is making a huge name for herself in the UK, and European Jazz Festivals and has also just returned from a highly successful series of concerts in New York's Oak Room. Read More>>

Sol de abril
If you're thinking of going Latin for a function or event, or you run an establishment which caters for South American tastes, then this could be the album for you. Read More>>

Love, Blues and other Fiction
With this new release from the amazing Joe Chindamo, he establishes once again that not only is he one of the outstanding pianists of our time, but also a highly talented composer. Add to this the sublime playing of saxophonist Graeme Lyall, who also establishes himself as a wonderful composer, and we have a very tasteful, unique, highly musical and superb album. Read More>>

SPIRAL
Australian jazz singer Kristen Cornwell’s second album is here. Now based in Belgium, the singer has called this one Spiral, and it combines some familiar standards from Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein and Fats Waller, with her own original compositions (sometimes with David Theak) and also a fabulous piece from Suzanne Vega entitled Calypso. Read More>>

crazy way of lovin
Melbourne based jazz singer Nina Ferro first came to my attention at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival in 1998, where she performed amongst other material, a very appealing bracket of songs as a tribute to Dinah Washington.
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SummerTown
Just when we need some new music for Spring and Summertime lunchtime alfresco dining, one little beauty comes along. It’s the new album from Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier, entitled Summertown.
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four Play
I’ve been wanting to review this CD for some time, after having heard bits of it on the radio, and been intrigued. Four Play are a Sydney based quartet of electric string players comprising Tim Hollo (viola), Lara Goodridge (violin), Veren Grigorov (viola) and Peter Hollo (cello).
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Black Grass
Australian singer and songwriter Ra Khahn features as guest vocalist (and lyricist) on this fantastic debut album by British band Black Grass. It is on international release and is easily available from most good music retailers.
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Alex Lloyd
Let's get back to some fantastic Australian pop and rock. This month it's the new Alex Lloyd album Distant light, which includes the tracks Coming Home and 1000 Miles, both released as singles.
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Steve Hunter
Condition Human is a remarkable new album show-casing the songs of Australian artist Steve Hunter and several of the finest Australian based singers and musicians available.
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The Idea of North
The eagerly awaited fourth album from the astonishing Idea of North is here! Out now on ABC Jazz, it once again demonstrates that this group is Australia's foremost and most highly talented a-cappella vocal ensemble and definitely one of the best in the world.
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Sounds Like CafE - Volume 3
What a great idea! Here is a CD of original music by Australian artists especially designed for cafés and coffee shops reflecting Australia's modern urban lifestyle. This is music to match.
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