CONTANTE & SONANTE – Highlights And Rarities

*

Specialized Westcoast AOR Record label Contante & Sonante may not be very productive, but their releases are always top notch. On the blog already featured Tom Snow Original Demos some days ago, now we are presenting “CONTANTE & SONANTE – Highlights And Rarities“.
“Highlights And Rarities” is a special album that showcases a collection of songs from the label past catalogue that includes the critically acclaimed 2009’s Fly Away / The Songs of David Foster, Steve Dorff’s magical 2004 release of Original Demos and two releases by Swiss music-maker Urs Wiesendanger, 2005’s Somebody New and A Christmas Eve in LA. originally issued in 2006.

But apart from tracks from the aforementioned releases (which all, btw, are out of print now), the treat with “Highlights And Rarities” is that also presents 8 unreleased songs from the label’s vaults, which come directly from those same recordings or have been especially produced for the occasion.
Among these rarities you’ll find many pleasant surprises like the never before heard ballad from Steve Dorff’s private archive, “My Angel’s Voice,” beautifully performed by the late Warren Wiebe.
“My Angel Voice” is another tender, moving performance by Mr. Wiebe that finally sees the light of day.
Additionally, “A Little Thing Called Life”, “Kindred Spirit” and “Somewhere In Time” are the selected numbers from the Steve Dorff original release added to the track listing.

Urs Wiesendanger’s contributions to “Highlights and Rarities” include eight tracks, four of them heard here for the first time. The previously unreleased gems are “Luckiest Man”, a smooth, sultry Westcoast number featuring world-renowned guitar player Chris Camozzi, plus great vocals courtesy of the talented Skyler Jett who was a singer for The Commodores.
“When I Think of You” is an extraordinary ballad featuring great Swiss singer Rey Thomas, backed up by the incredible Robbie Buchanan on Rhodes piano. Another couple of Wiesendanger’s goodies are beautiful renditions of the Christmas evergreens “Silent Night” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”. Both songs are performed by the fantastic singer and regular Weisendanger collaborator Thierry Condor.

“Highlights and Rarities” presents too Bill Champlin’s “In The Stone,” from the Fly Away project, with an alternate-beginning version included only on the Limited Edition EP plus Arnold McCuller’s refined take on “Jojo” and Ole Borud’s “Through The Fire”, which can only be found on the European CD release.
You have as well 3 previously unreleased numbers from the same Fly Away sessions, which remained uncompleted and have been re-arranged for this special occasion. All of them are produced and arranged by the very talented Tomi Malm.

Among these new songs, we have a haunting cover of “Forever”, a ballad originally sung by Kenny Loggins who co-wrote it with Foster for Loggins’ Vox Humana album. SunHo Lim, a fantastic new name from Korea, offers an outstanding vocal performance on this emotional take of the classic.
Another remarkable rarity is a stunning rendition of The Tubes’ rocking classic “She’s a Beauty”. Malm’s inventive arrangement truly brings the famous song into another dimension. Bjarne Langhoff’s amazing vocal, backed by a powerful rhythm section, add fire to the tune and takes it one step higher.

And best way to end this magnificent album is a new version of the David Foster / Boz Scaggs hit “Look What You’ve Done To Me”. This adaptation of the song that Foster considers to be one of his best ever gives the listener a new, light like the air version that features a different piano performance by Foster and also a new, wonderful lead vocal by L.A.-based singer Cecily Gardner. The song also features renowned guitar player Mitchell Long and Danish drummer Lars Daugaard.

I guarantee you that “Highlights and Rarities” isn’t the typical compilation album. It’s a superior release that will help you rediscover many familiar sounds from the past as well as new, fantastic secrets from Contante & Sonante’s amazing world of music.
As happens with all released from the label, there was 1000 copy limited numbered edition. There’s very few left in stock wordwide, so hurry up, this is a collectors item.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

01. A LITTLE THING CALLED LIFE
02. KINDRED SPIRITS
03. SOMEWHERE IN TIME
04. MY ANGEL’S VOICE *
Warren Wiebe – Lead Vocals
Steve Dorff – Piano, Keyboards
Produced and Arranged by Steve Dorff

05. THE FINAL REASON WHY
Bill Cantos – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Robbie Buchanan – Rhodes, Piano
Michael Landau – Electric Guitar and Solo
Thierry Condor – Background Vocals
Wolfgang Drechsler – String Arrangements
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

06. IF ONLY FOR A DAY
Frank Adahl – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Daniel Stern – Additional Percussion, Programming
Robbie Buchanan – Rhodes
Porty – Electric Guitar and Solo
Frank Adahl – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

07. LUCKIEST MAN *
Skyler Jett – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Chris Camozzi – Electric Guitar
Skyler Jett – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

08. WHEN I THINK OF YOU *
Rey Thomas – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Robbie Buchanan – Rhodes
Claudio Cervino – Electric Guitar
Thierry Condor, Janet Dawkins – Background Vocals
Wolfgang Drechsler – String Arrangements
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

09. THE CHRISTMAS SONG
Thierry Condor – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards
Chris Wiesendanger – Grand Piano, Bass
Daniel Stern – Drums, Percussion
Jim Duncombe – Acoustic Guitar
Bernhard Schoch – Horns
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

10. THIS CHRISTMAS
Miriam Dee – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Porty – Electric Guitar and Solo
Sabina Stokes, Thierry Condor, Urs Wiesendanger – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

11. SILENT NIGHT *
Thierry Condor – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

12. HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS *
Thierry Condor – Lead Vocals
Urs Wiesendanger, Gino Todesco – Keyboards, Bass, Drum Programming
Daniel Stern – Drums
Produced and Arranged by Urs Wiesendanger

13. IN THE STONE
Bill Champlin – Lead Vocals
Tomi Malm – Piano, Rhodes and Keyboards
Lenni-Kalle Taipale – Rhodes
John Robinson – Drums
Nathan East – Bass
Paul Jackson Jr – Electric Guitar
Janne Lehikoinen – Electric Guitar
Peter Friestedt – Electric Guitar
Michito Sanchez – Percussion
Frank Adahl, Bill Champlin, Lisa Lavie, Tomi Malm, Gabriel Raya, Rafa Hernandez and Eli Hernandez – Background Vocals
Horns arranged by Jan Glaesel and performed by the Danish All Star Horns
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

14. JOJO
Arnold McCuller – Lead Vocals
Tomi Malm – Piano and Keyboards
Aidan Zammit – Rhodes
John Robinson – Drums
Neil Stubenhaus – Bass
Paul Jackson Jr – Electric Guitar
Jan Glaesel – Flugelhorn Solo
Arnold McCuller, Bill Cantos and Joaquin Gonzalez – Background Vocals
Horns arranged by Jan Glaesel and performed by the Danish All Star Horns
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

15. THROUGH THE FIRE
Ole Borud – Lead Vocals
Tomi Malm – Piano, Keyboards and Bass
John Robinson – Drums
Michael Landau – Electric Guitar
Dan Warner – Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Joe Pizzulo and Bjarne Langhoff – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

16. FOREVER *
SunHo Lim – Lead Vocals
Tomi Malm – Piano, Keyboards, Bass
Porty – Electric Guitar
Gabriel Raya – Acoustic Guitar
SunHo Lim, Tomi Malm – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

17. SHE’S A BEAUTY *
Bjarne Langhoff – Lead Vocals
Tomi Malm – Piano, Keyboards
Lars Daugaard – Drums, Percussion
Antoni de Haro – Bass
Michael Landau – Electric Guitar
Porty, Tomi Malm – Electric Guitar
Gabriel Raya, Tomi Malm – Acoustic Guitar
Porty – Guitar Solo
Bjarne Langhoff – Background Vocals
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

18. LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO ME *
Cecily Gardner – Lead Vocals
David Foster – Piano
Tomi Malm – Keyboards, Bass
Lars Daugaard – Drums, Percussion
Mitchell Long – Nylon Guitar
Produced and Arranged by Tomi Malm

Tracks 1, 2 & 3 from Steve Dorff “Original Demos” (2004)
Tracks 5 & 6 from Urs “Somebody New” (2005)
Tracks 9 & 10 from “A Christmas Eve in L.A.” (2006)
Tracks 13, 14 & 15 from “Fly Away: The Songs of David Foster” (2009)
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Try Here:
www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8491863
.