Hands Upon Black Earth -- Hands Upon Black Earth (Self-Distributed)

Who knew one of my reviews could make a difference? When I got an email one day from trip-hop composer Bobby Cochran, thanking me for my review of Sequoia Records ’ Hotel Tara release, which his group Hands Upon Black Earth was featured on, I was surprised and delighted. I was even more delighted when he offered a free copy of his CD. Score!

And a score it was. I am a big fan of trip-hop, with its languid beats, rhythms and grooves, especially when it can blend elements of rock, jazz and the like, while maintaining organization as opposed to going off into the disorganized land of the 24-hour rave. HUBE represents the former, maintaining a balance between head bobbing, hip swaying groove and solid songmanship. “Ghost Song,” featuring the soulful voice of Sharon Knight blends harmoniously with “Kalimayantra” and it’s incredibly infectious head bobbing beat. “Lastime” represents the rock well and I can see why Sequoia Records tapped “Inspiral” as a track to be featured on one of their chilled out compilations.

Only the overly stream of consciousness “Ovforever,” has kept me from upping this CD to 4.5 stars, but I definitely recommend giving this obscure artist a listen before he gets a lot bigger. And so long as he keeps getting his music out there, he’s bound to make a name for himself. -- 4/5 stars

Various Artists -- Saura (Gemini Sun)

If you’re a fan of flute-based instrumental music, you’ll probably be familiar with Nicholas Gunn. My brother Daniel first got me into this artist through his release on Real Music in the 1990s. A couple years ago, he decided to go it alone and founded Gemini Sun Records, which is home to his work and the work of a couple of other artists. Saura, which came out earlier this summer, is meant to show the label’s more Latin inspired moments but also serves as an introduction to the label itself.

Though only culled from two of his albums, The Great Southwest and Breathe, nine of the 13 songs on this CD are from Gunn, which is fine by me since he’s far and away the best artist. “Bamboo” off his 2004 Breathe album, is amazing, as is that album’s title track, also featured here.

Gemini Sun’s other two artists, Johannes Linstead and Loren Gold, are talented musicians in their own right, but given how little wiggle room they receive here, I wonder why Gunn didn’t just knock them off and make this a Greatest Hits package. That said it’s a cool, smooth, enjoyable album to listen to while reading Travel Magazine while getting bombed on Arbor Mist by your aboveground pool. -- 3.5/5 stars

Dragonland -- Starfall (Magick)

I usually don’t enjoy this epic kind of metal. But this European import, originally released last year by Century Media Records, is actually not that bad. A cross between power metal and progressive metal, with an unconscious nod to my fellow New Jerseyans Symphony X, Dragonland has all the technical prowess you’d expect, with some catchy hooks, meaty guitars, spacey keyboards and sparse programming flourishes to spice things up a bit.

There’s a reason Magick Records (a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records), brought this one over this year; it’s a solid release. Vocalist Jonas Heidgert never delves into annoying falsetto territory, though he could certainly get there, guitarists Nicklas Magnusson and Olof Morck get in some shred worthy solos without always resorting to excessive wanking and drummer Jesse Lindskog really knows how to keep a nice groove.

Lyrics can be a little hokey. With titles like “In Perfect Harmony,” “As Madness Took Me,” and “The Book of Shadows Part II: The Curse of Qa’a,” expect some of that overblown stuff one considers par for the power/prog metal course with such literary gems as “set me free and let me see all the beauty in this world.”

While I wouldn’t call it, as one reviewer determined, “album of the fu**ing year,” I would say Dragonland’s Starfall should be wholly welcomed by prog and power heads should it fall into their collective laps. -- 3.5/5 stars

Megadeth -- Greatest Hits: Back To The Start (Capitol)

Despite being a budding metal head through the 90s, I’d never gotten into Megadeth. Though I’d heard my share growing up, for some reason they never clicked with me. Maybe it was my idiotic anti-trend ways that moved me to more obscure artists, who knows? In any case, when this contract breaking greatest hits release landed on my doorstep recently, it took me a while to decide whether or not to give a crap. I’m glad I finally did. And you’ll be glad you did too.

The album is stuffed to the gills with all the Capitol and Combat Records material. Sorry, fans of The World Needs A Hero (2001) and The System Has Failed (2004), but at least “Dread and the Fugitive Mind” from their 2000 Greatest Hits package made its way onto one of those records. Hm, a greatest hits song on another greatest hits package. Surreal.

And of course some of the band’s biggest performances throughout their 20-year history are here: “Hanger 18,” “Holy Wars,” “Symphony of Destruction,” and “A Tout Le Monde,” making this a good start-up for those interested but not quite sure if they want to drop money on this band. It’s more than just a greatest hits package too, as fans themselves had been able to select a majority of the songs here through voting on the www.megadeth.com website. I say majority because, c’mon, who the hell voted for “Dread and the Fugitive Mind” anyway? At least Dave Mustaine didn’t decide to put “Crush ‘Em” on here. I’m pretty sure he’s still trying to bury that stinker. -- 4/5 stars

Iron Maiden -- The Essential Iron Maiden (Legacy)

Now, where the Megadeth Greatest Hits package seemed like some actual care was put into it (new layout, some limited involvement from fans in selection of songs, song order arranged in a pleasing way), Iron Maiden’s latest hits package is an example of the lamest cash-grab in its basest form.

The two CD set starts off with a pair of tracks from the band’s last album Dance of Death (2003). Now, I didn’t hear that album, but after hearing these two tracks, I’m not racing out to Best Buy to pick it up. This is what you call essential? The set continues in reverse chronological form, with two songs from each album. Brave New World (2000) is slightly better, as I remember hearing “The Wicker Man” on the radio as it touted vocalist Bruce Dickinson’s big return to the band. But really, that song’s not even that good. Did you ever listen to those lyrics?

Then you jump into the Blaze Bayley era with four tracks from two albums. Funny, the ultra lazy layout, complete with just a couple of photos culled from the archives, feature Bruce Dickinson, Paul Di’Anno, their original vocalist, but none with Bayley. Whether or not you desperately want to forget the mid to late 1990s, guys, the man still represented two of your albums. Of course, I don’t even think the band was involved in this release and if they were, shame on them.

The Essential Iron Maiden, far from essential, does little for me but solidify one thing in my mind: the only album I’ve ever really liked by Iron Maiden was Seventh Son of A Seventh Son and that was released 17 years ago. -- 1.5/5 stars