Burgers is perhaps the most eclectic Hot Tuna offering, a well-rounded mix of acoustic work, romantic songs, instrumentals, traditional, and good old psychedelic infused rock. Jorma Kaukonen’s guitar work is always interesting, but his under-rated talent as a composer and singer are also well-represented on this recording. His vocal style and twists in the melodic phrasings of his songs are unique, giving tunes like “Sea Child” and “True Religion” an infectious originality. Bassist Jack Casady’s talents are showcased on the achingly beautiful “Water Song”, with Jack and Jorma trading off lead and rhythm roles. “Keep on Truckin’” has been a Tuna concert staple and “Let Us Get Together Right Down Here” is the Rev. Gary Davis cover, which are a fundamental for any Jorma/Tuna recording. “Sunny Day Strut” is another instrumental, featuring Papa John Creach’s bluegrass-tinged violin work. Burgers is Hot Tuna at its best, and you will find it becomes stronger with each listen.

This combination of guitar and vibes creates a warm unique listening experience. Burton and Daniels lay down very tasteful solos, never self-indulgent. They allow the talented sidemen to shine(Mulgrew Miller is in fine form)and the whole band swings between driving, upbeat selections and thoughtul quieter pieces. A very pleasant work.

With clean, melodic alto saxophone floating lyrically over a string orchestra's backing, "Desmond Blue(Desmond with Strings)is a wonderful showcase for one of the most tasteful instrumentalists of the West Coast "cool" jazz school. The strings never seem obtrusive; instead, the backing seems to accentuate Desmond's solos. He weaves melodically over these standards, lilting over the strings, and trading solos with the always-incredible Jim Hall's. When Hall takes the lead, his guitar work echoes Desmond's understated leads. "I Should Care" and "Late Lament"(one of two Desmond compositions) are two of the strongest offerings.

The songs on "Tales of 1001 Nights, Vol. 2" are culled from later studio recordings in this band's regrettably short career.The offerings from the album "Novella" showcase the band's jazzier side, including a nice trumpet solo. The "Song for All Seasons" album is well represented, and Annie Haslam's striking vocals are showcased on the melodically-pleasing "Northern Lights". "Azure d'Or" was much maligned by even the most devoted fan of Renaissance, but "Winter Tree" is a pleasant pop song, reminiscent of 80's synth pop.

Finally, there is a 24 minute live version of the elegiac "Ashes are Burning", which builds from Annie's vocals into a tasteful piano solo by John Tout. Jon Camp, one of the most underrated bassists of the period, uses his bass effectively as lead instrument, soloing to a dramatic build that breaks with Mike Dunford's chiming harmonics on the acoustic guitar, bridging into the return of the whole band and the orchestra, and Haslam's final vocal run. It is truly a sublime piece of music.

Renaissance was an incredibly talented ensemble and featured one of the loveliest voices in rock music. I still enjoy listening and find their music appreciates with time.

As he often does, Todd is the sole musician on this outing, which is one of his most spiritual/introspective releases. While the opening songs feature intelligent clever lyrics and his usual hook-laden pop, it is Healing Part I, II, II that are stand out. A treatise on mediation, the music is dense without being dull, and the finale, breaking out of the slower, quieter Part II is an ecstatic adrenaline rush.