This band is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and opened for Aerosmith just six months after they formed. Think Black Crowes, AC/DC, etc.

The first album by Pennsylvania's Rachelle Ferrell was a jazz project released only in Japan. This pop-soul followup curbs most of her jazz moves, but you can sense Ferrell's background in the way she slides gracefully through harmonies and in the way she brings a strong adult sensibility to the love songs. Like fellow jazz/R&B crossover artists Anita Baker and Oleta Adams, Ferrell is at her best on the smoldering ballads, where her smoky voice epitomizes sensuality. All the same, her Minnie Riperton-like wailing on the uptempo "It Only Took a Minute" will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. –Geoffrey Himes

The 22 tracks on Retrospective deftly chronicle the best years of the Animals, who were far and away the grittiest band in the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. Eric Burdon's magnificently raw vocals and the stabbing chords of Alan Price's Vox Continental organ gave their covers of American blues and R&B classic such as Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home" and John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" an authenticity that no other British groups could match. Their rough sound also gave songs like
"Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We've Got to Get of This Place" a real sense of rage and menace. By 1967 Burdon was the only remaining original member and he formed a new band that eschewed the blues and R&B of his early years in Newcastle in favor of a psychedelic, San Francisco-influenced sound. Songs like "When I Was Young" showed he had a real gift for the type of personal songwriting that was becoming popular in the late 1960s while the lyrically obscure
"San Franciscan Nights" and "Sky Pilot" suggested he spent too much time hanging out with hippies. Even when they stumbled, the Animals were interesting, and when they hit the mark, they were as good as any band from the British Invasion. –Michael John Simmons

The summit meeting of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson was a dream come true for guitar fanatics, and surprisingly, it actually met expectations. The trio toured successfully as G3 in 1996, which is when the recordings that comprise Live in Concert were made. Each guitarist has three solo tracks, and they perform together for three tracks. What makes the album work is that it's not simply a shredding showcase; it's a forum for three similarly minded guitarists to play in a sympathetic environment. Contrary to popular belief (at least among certain rock critics), these guitarists aren't simply speed and style demons, they're fully rounded musicians – and that's ultimately what impresses about Live in Concert. On the individual tracks and the massive jam sessions alike, they know how to deploy their speed-bomb attacks for maximum attack. It is true that when all three cut loose on "Going Down," "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama," and "Red House," it's a little overwhelming, but even at their most extravagant, G3 is tasteful and that's what makes this record a minor treasure for hard rock guitar fanatics.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide