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Storytelling: The Oldest Art Tales from around the world told by Cris Riedel Website: http://www.storiesconnect.com $15.00 includes shipping & handling. To order email: [email protected] Reviewed By Linda Goodman This delightful CD, recorded live at Debbie’s Café in Wayland, New York, features familiar multi-cultural tales given new [...]

Deirdre of the Sorrows, by Diane Edgecomb with Margot Chamberlain, compact disc available from Diane Edgecomb, P.O. Box 16, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130 (617) 522-4335. Email: [email protected]. $15.00, plus $1.50 S&H. Suggested age range: 12 years through adult Reviewed by Linda Goodman To see Diane Edgecomb perform Deirdre of the Sorrows, accompanied by Margot Chamberlain on the [...]

Written and performed by Diane Ferlatte, with Erik Pearson. Order by emailing [email protected] or visit www.dianeferlatte.com Reviewed by Linda Goodman Diane Ferlatte has a rich, silky voice that is full of soul and heart. I could listen to her recite multiplication tables for hours and never feel board. Imagine how pleasant it is to hear her telling [...]

Norah Jones has the kind of timeless voice that I never tire of hearing. Her mellow, rich melodies envelope like a warm, fuzzy blanket and carry the listener away to a calm and slower paced world. Every time I listen to one of her albums I have the urge to grab a cup of coffee, sit in a comfy chair and observe the world as time passes by. The talented singer shows off her musical versatility in her newest album, ...Featuring Norah Jones. The album released last week on November 16th and is a collection of various collaborations with well known artists including the Foo Fighters, Ray Charles and Dolly Parton.

The 18 songs on the album were recorded over the last decade and showcase a wide range of musical styles. Some of my favorites include the "Virginia Moon" (with Foo Fighters) with it's jazzy, bossanova beat and "Ruler of My Heart" (with Dirty Dozen Brass Band), a bluesy song sung with attitude and heart. And, of course, November is the ideal time to listen to Norah's version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" (with Willie Nelson). The two banter back and forth together so perfectly, they could have wrote the spicy song. Another favorite toward the end of the album is a cover of an 80s song originally sung by Roxy Music, "More Than This" (with Charlie Hunter). Norah's sultry, jazzy style gives the song a whole new life. If you're a Norah Jones fan, make sure to add this album to your Christmas list.

And make sure to check out the interactive widget below. It is probably one of the coolest widgets I've come across. You can click on the names to hear snippets of the songs and watch videos of Norah discussing the various collaborations on the album.

Sarah McLachlan's CDs were some of my favorites in college including Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing. I can't tell you how many times I must have listened to those albums, and I still pull them out every so often. Her songs just flow with thoughtful lyrics and hauntingly beautiful melodies. This week McLachlan released a new album, titled Laws Of Illusion. It's been seven years since she released all new material, and I am delighted to have the chance to review it thanks to One2One Network.

The image on the cover of Laws of Illusion shows the singer happily over the moon, but once you start to listen to the lyrics closely it becomes quickly apparent that the image is an illusion and the songs are anything but happy. I haven't payed much attention to McLachlan's personal life, and had no idea that she had split up with her husband a couple years ago. Many of the emotion filled songs on this album deal with the pain, the frustration and the loneliness as she comes to term with this heartbreaking change in her life and the hope for tomorrow. I'll admit that at first I was actually kind of disappointed in the overall theme of the album, mostly because I felt that I couldn't connect with the songs. I'm still happily living the fairy tale. But, McLachlan is truly an artist, a true artist paints what she feels, and there is no denying the paintings in this album are works of art and that her voice and familiar style reside within each and every one of these songs.

The album starts off with a realization of love gone wrong in "Awakenings." "Illusions of Bliss" is one of my favorites and just flows with pure sounds, a classic McLachlan melody. "Forgiveness" sounds somewhat along the lines of "Adia" with lyrics "Through the year we'd had it all / The midnight whispers, the midday calls / This house of cards it had to fall / You ask for forgivness, you're asking too much. " The bouncy and upbeat "Loving You is Easy" is the album’s first single and is another one of my favorites. The harmonies blend beautifully in the hopeful, final song "Bring on the Wonder."