Rocco

This is a great CD. I "liked" it for several weeks. Then kept it in the car and played it over several times. Now I LOVE it. I heard strains of Led Zepplin on some songs (Rocco can sound like Robert Plant - which is something!). But it is all very original stuff. It is so great to hear a band with talent and creativity. Rocco's voice will blow you away. Also had the privilege of meeting the guys after a performance. I was probably the oldest guy to get my CD signed. But good rock fans never grow too old! Buy this one. You won't regret it.

Rocco DeLuca & the Burden is another band that I was introduced to as a VH1 You Oughta Know artist. I didn't know that Kiefer Sutherland was promoting this album, but maybe I'm not alone, as not many people picked it up. And that's a shame because the album is quite good.

I Trust You to Kill Me is one of the most bizarre titles I have ever heard for an album, but you should find pleasure in numbers like "Gift", "Favor" and "Swing Low". "Bus Ride" is a nice romantic tune that's good for listening to on, well, a bus ride, and "Dope" is just that. And if you watch VH1 regularly, then you should already be familiar with the catchy "Colorful".

I wouldn't cry if "Gravitate" or "Soul" weren't on here, but the rest of I Trust You to Kill Me makes it an album worth owning. Pick it up.

Anthony Rupert

The sound fills up space and carries me away. great vibes!! I liked all the tracks and felt a soulful connection. Neat to hear some of the cuts used out there on shows. Looking forward to their next release.

I heard Rocco Deluca & the Burden for the first time at a John Mayer Performance at the Hollywood Bowl. I was in heaven. They have a great sound: classic rock and roll!
I bought the album and have not been disappointed!

I've been a Jude Cole fan for ages and have praccitally all his work in my admittedly oversized music collection...when I heard Jude had started his own label I was particularly interested in what kind of stuff we'd be seeing. Well, Lifehouse's stuff has had the Jude Cole treatment and I can't complain. That's why when I heard Rocco DeLuca was on Jude's label, I knew I had to check it out. This is some excellent stuff that needs your attention...very stripped down, very straight forward, very nicely done. I wish Jude would come out with another CD but to hear his touch on stuff like this is just as good. "Colorful"..."Bus Ride"...Mystified"...
all this stuff makes me want to hear more. I hope these guys are around for a LONG time to come. But don't take my word for it...go ahead and buy this one!

This is an awesome CD. Rocco Prestia, best known as the originator of "Fingerstyle Funk" bass as played by himself in the funkiest band around, Tower Of Power, has surrounded himself with fine & funky cohorts to really throw it down. Highlights include Brent Carter, Bill & Tamara Champlin, and Frank Biner on vocals, Chester Thompson on B-3 organ, Brandon Fields on sax, and many more.

If you like Tower Of Power, or Cold Blood, Earth Wind & Fire, and other great R&B / Soul / Funk groups, you will like this. It's all excellent!

This album is made up of a bunch of pretty good songs with amazing bass playing. The lead singers scream a tad too much in the beginning of the album, and aren't as tasteful about as TOP's Tom Bowes and Hubert Tubbs were. Not many horn parts in it, and when there are it isn't very strong or tasteful. Of course these are all the negative parts about it, but you still have to listen to it with a different ear. If you are looking for a real funky album TOP style, I would recommend TOP's In The Slot, or other good albums instead, but it is still a pretty nice album.

dandaman

You're probably thinking to yourself that this, in the tradition of bass player albums, is an exercise in musical self-gratification (to use a more polite phrase). Not so.

The man himself, credited for holding down the bottom end for acclaimed Soul/Funk band Tower of Power delivers what he has been doing best for the past 25 years. His signature style of 16th note muted fingerstyle funk is the driving force for all the songs on the album without once taking a solo.

With fellow TOP regulars Jeff Tamelier on guitar, David Garibaldi and Herman Mathews on drums, Nick Milo on Keyboards and Brandon Fields on Sax, don't expect this outing to deviate too much from the regular TOP formula of dishing up middle-of-the-road-funk, except with less prominent horns. Not to say that this isn't a musically proficient production, but rather the funk element comes off almost too clean and digitized rather than earthy inspired.

Still, the album is a good listen, especially for those familiar with the Bay Area Soul sound of the 70s. Recommended tracks are: Solid like the Rock, the remake of Express Yourself, and Don't need No Changes. In all, a good backdrop for showcasing the bass legend, credited for being an influence by no less than Jaco Pastorius.

Very impressive bass work and compositions. A must have for T.O.P. fans

Typical driving Tower Of Power. Nice variety of singers adds a new dimension to this distinctive sound. Track 2, "Express yourself" starts with a blaring guitar solo that's in your face.

I've had the cd 2 weeks and I still haven't found any tracks I don't like.

This is a great album.

This is a re-release of the RCA complete Caruso set from the late 1980's. The transfers were made in the late 1970's at the dawn of the digital era and were state of the art for that time. But in cleaning up the surface noise these old digital transfers seriously flatten out the sound of Caruso's voice.

I would suggest that people interested in Caruso check out the complete Caruso series on Naxos with new digital restorations by the great sound engineer/artist Ward Marston. (The Complete Recordings of Caruso and also on single discs). On the Naxos CD's the voice is preserved in a much more natural and subtle sound while all of the other noises are eliminated as much as possible. It's much more satisfying and true to the original recordings than these old RCA transfers. It's a little more expensive, but you should have the best available. It's only fair to Caruso.

I accidentally bought this CD thinking I was ordering the DVD. After listening to it all the way through a couple times I have to say that it's really a let-down. Manring's tracks are interesting, though slightly sloppy, and everyone has already heard Wooten's performances from this show somehow (.mp3s/friends), and aside from those, this disc is just boring. I was very disappointed in Rocco's performance. It wasn't nearly as funky as I expected, his tone was bad (a little too soft, and no punch at all) and he was very quiet in the mix. I'll probably never listen to this disc again, and would never even consider playing it for any of my bass-player friends either. I could have done something better with my money, like bought a couple packs of dental floss, or burned it.

"Bass Day '98" is a highlight disc of the event in New York City that featured some of the premier bassists of our time. The disc features Manring, Prestia, Gonzalez, and Wooten plus a jam with the addition of Oteil Burgridge and John Patitucci. The set opens with Michael Manring playing a couple of solo pieces. The Jaco classic "Teen Town" is covered first. Manring loops different bass tracks from different basses. The result is a version that is completely awesome. After the rhythm tracks have been put down Manring plays a distortion laced solo that quotes "Purple Haze" and is one of the best things that I have ever heard him play. The second Manring tune is a cover of "Sugar". This tune shows off Manring's two handed technique yet it still maintains the essence of the original. Mr Gonzalez only has one song and unlike the others he plays an upright bass. His technique is good but isn't something that can blow minds. However, his one song is still enjoyable. Francis Rocco Prestia is the bassist from "Tower of Power". He is joined by a three piece horn section and they cover a couple of "TOP" classics. Prestia proves that a bassist only needs to groove and he is one of the best at this. Victor Wooten is the last one on the disc to display his talents. "U Can't Hold No Groove" is his first tune. Victor not only holds the groove put he plays some of his trademark bass lines and is quite impressive during this song. "Amazing Grace" is Victor covering the piece in an unaccompanied context. Victor funks up the piece but still keeps the main ideas in tact. The last song is "Caravan" and has a jam atmosphere to it. John Patitucci and Oteil Burbridge join Manring, Wooten and Prestia for a rousing bass indulgent version. This disc is a lot of fun to listen to and shows how versatile the bass has become. Although it seems like it is intended for bassists anyone that appreciates someone that can play their instrument well will enjoy it. Manring and Wooten are unbelievable.

I'm a drummer from philly not a bassist; I truly enjoyed this video. The rythym section of T.O.P. was so tight, Rocco's playing is truly spectacular, talk about grove, WOW! I was blown away by Victor Wooten, he owns that instrument, the guy must practice 8 hours a day. No matter what instrument you play I think you can take away something from this video. I'm now looking into if there is a Bass Day '99.

This may not be easy to get in the USA for very long.....don't miss it.

This set gives you the opportunity to follow the entire recording career of one of the greatest singers in Operatic History. Enrico Caruso was the first superstar of the 20th century -- and this without the benefit of mass media. His person and his records were his greatest publicity.

The set begins with Caruso's Italian made recordings. They show a great raw talent. The artistry is lacking with many sobs, over acting and mistaken cues. The 1902 and 1903 clearly show a tenor with a lot to learn. But learn it he did. His 1904 sessions show a mature artist on par with any heard since. His voice matures before your very ears and by 1910, you wonder if you will ever listen to any other tenor the same way again.

The engineering used for this set is wonderful. There is no attempt at all to use the soundstream process of computer sound enhancement as heard on the RCA issued sets. These are near perfect mint conditioned discs copied by engineer extraordinary Ward Marston. They sound like natural 78s, they way Caruso himself must have heard the playbacks at the (RCA) Victor studios.

Also included are outtakes and extra takes. There is a "Celeste Aida" from 1908, complete with a broken high note, previously released by RCA in a 1973 set commemorating the tenor's centenary birthday. But there are new treasures here as well, including extra takes of two of Caruso's greatest recordings, the Italian song "L'Alba separa dalla l'uce ombra" and an aria from Rubinestine's Nerone. Listening to them, one wonders what Caruso could have possible thought inadquate in those long lost altenative takes.

Finally, there is the simple joy of hearing so many things so well sung. Caruso was the pinnacle of the tenor art. He can be compared to no other single tenor since ... he has the brilliant ring of Bjorling, the passion of Gigli, the beauty of Gedda, the youthful enthusiasm of Lanza, the warm tonal quality of Tucker, the pure strength of Corelli, the charasma of Pavarotti and the artestry of Domingo.

Whether you are an opera fan, a voice fan or just a music lover. This set is worth every penny.

Todd Kosovich

I sort of expected this recording to be really transcendent given that it got a Rosette from the Penguin Guide, but I think Salvatore Accardo sacrificed vitality for lush lines, and the piece suffers for me as a result. It is pretty and a very different interpretation from the others I've heard, but I prefer faster tempi myself. The concerti at the end that aren't part of the Four Seasons, one in b and one in F, are a treat.

This CD shows that not everyone making music is in it for the money, if you listen to this CD you can tell that Danny Rocco is really passionate about his music. The eleven songs are the perfect songs to listen to when you're in a good mood. And the harmonies are amazing!
he deserves five stars!!!! =]