Queen seems to have hit a responsive nerve in our latest 'Best of Band' Poll.  And it doesn't seem to be easy.  Many voters in this poll are evaluating even as they write their answers out.  They pore over the details and strengths of several albums before they finally settle on one uneasy choice.  I had in my mind what I thought would be the hands-down winner but I'm being proven wrong.  My own choice (Sheer Heart Atttack) has shown a lot of muscle at the start but so has Queen II, both albums I would have figured to be somewhat ignored.  Later albums that have brought in various new styles within the Queen sound  have fared well also.  Personally, I thought sure that A Night at the Opera would take out all comers but its been 'not-so-fast' for that one just as it has been for A Day at the Races.  Of course, all of that may change with a flurry of votes for those classic best sellers. 

We've allotted two weeks for this Poll to allow for some readers who catch up over time on TAP and who almost always send in Poll votes after a particular Poll closes, hence this extension of time.  Remember to give us your vote for the best album of Queen's career.  Feel free to put in all of the commentary that you want to backup your claim.  While it will not be used (most of the time), I love reading them.  They always reveal smart and dedicated fans and the true lovers of music.

Be sure to send in your selection to The Best of Queen Poll.  We'll run the results on Monday, May 18, enough time for everyone to get an idea on how everyone else seems to think.  Queen is a challenging band with so many ventures into many different styles.  Their music appealed to fans on many levels. 

We have several reviews for you today that include Roswell Six, a Progressive Symphonic Rock project based on a Fantasy novel. Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon is heady music. Also, we review an interesting hybrid of Bach and Afro/Latin music by Miami's Tiempo Libre and their new album, Bach in Havana.

See you on Friday.

Carina Round is getting ready to release her DD-only EP called Things You Should Know and she wanted you to have a remix of a track from this new EP due on May 12. Just click on the link of the song title to stream "Backseat - Remix", or right-click to download.

Eagle Vision will release a BD (Blu-ray)  for the 70th Birthday Concert for John Mayall.  The BD will be released on June 30 as an official John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers set.

Eagle Vision will also release a BD of a Ted Nugent Live set called Motor City Mayhem: 6000th Concert.  This is also expected to be released on CD and DVD.  Planned for June 30.

Also expected by Eagle Vision is a DVD from Black Crowes called Warpaint Live, also on June 30.

Mighty Loud! Records will release a CD and DD of Attraction by The Nigel Dupree Band.  They are being referred to a throwback to the glory days of KISS and AC/DC as well as Def Leppard.  It is worthy to note that Nigel Dupree is the son of Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl.  Attraction is slated for release on May 26.

Mighty Loud! Records will also release Red Carpet Material by 16 Second Stare on June 30.

Varese Sarabande will release a 'best of' collection for David Frizzell and Shelly West.  The Very Best of David Frizzell and Shelly West is slated for June 23.

Universal Records South have several Country album projects on the burner for late 2009.  One is for Joe Nichols (Sept 29), and the other is for Cross Canadian Ragweed (October 6).

Hip-O Records will release The Blue Thumb Collection for Sylvester & The Hot Band, slating the album for August 4.  CD and DD.

Lost Highway will release a 12-track album for Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses called Roadhouse Sun on June 2.

Concord Records will reissue Volume One and Volume Two of Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.  Originally, Volume One was released in 1962 and followed up by Volume Two.  Now, this Ray Charles classic set is being packaged together in an Expanded and Remastered set, with completely restored original artwork.  This set is planned for June 2.

Transmitter Failure by Jenny Owen Youngs is being released by Nettwerk Records on May 26.  Jenny Owen Youngs is being touted comparatively to Cat Power, Liz Phair, and other of the singer-songwriter style.

Eagle Vision will release a Live Diana Krall DVD called Live in Rio on May 26.  It will also be released in BD format on the same date. 

Reprise Records will issue 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day on vinyl LP on June 16.

Nonesuch Records plan to release Voltaïc by Björk on June 23 in both CD and 200g vinyl LP. There will also be a DVD of this Live offering. The Deluxe Edition of Voltaïc will include an extra CD of remixes of songs from the Volta album PLUS a DVD of Volta video clips

Curb Records will release 127 Rose Avenue by Hank Williams, Jr on June 16.

Watch for Octahedron by The Mars Volta on June 23, released by Warner Brothers Records.

Nonesuch Records will release Live by Shawn Colvin on June 23.

Warner Brothers plan to release a Rock title of the new Jack White project, The Dead Weather called Horehound.  The album is planned for June 16.

Reprise Records will release a Soundtrack and Video title called Chess in Concert: Live from Royal Albert Hall.  It is the Tim Rice production.  This will issue in a 2CD set as well as a separately available DVD.  In addition, Reprise will release a truncated single CD called Highlights from Chess in Concert.  These titles are planned for June 16. More info here.

On June 2, Elvis Costello will release an acoustic-based Country-styled album with 13 tracks, all produced by noted producer, T-Bone Burnett.  The album is called Secret, Profane & Sugarcane.  Release in digipak on Hear Music.

Concord Records will release, via their Original Jazz Classics imprint, a reissue of the 1982 Sonny Rollins album, Reel Life.  This CD release will be the first time that this album has been available on the format.  In addition, the album is digitally remastered.  Reel Life drops on June 2.

Nonesuch Records will release a S/T debut Pop recording for Christina Courtin on June 23.

Concord Records will release their next batch of Prestige reissues from the Rudy Van Gelder Remasters Series.  The next set will feature Coltrane (John Coltrane); The New Miles Davis Quartet (Miles Davis); and At the Five Spot, Volume 2 (Eric Dolphy), which will also contain two bonus tracks (“Number Eight (Potsa Lotsa),” “Booker's Waltz”).  These are pegged to arrive on June 2.

Warner Brothers would like to reissue The Soft Bulletin (1999) on LP (originally planned for April 18 - Record Store Day) by The Flaming Lips. They plan this 2LP, black vinyl, 180g in gatefold jacket reissue for June 23. The 2LP set will include a bonus 3-track CD ("1000 Foot Hands" - Final Mix, "The Captain" - Non-album track, "Satellite for You" - Non-album track).

Roswell Six is a band pieced together for the sake of creating a body of music based on the written SF novel, The Edge of the World. Many notable names become the core of Roswell Six as they work to create a durable companion to the novel. Good stuff, this album. Terra Incognita: Beyond the Horizon is an excellent work.

Ambient music is a set apart genre not normally visited byu the average Rock fan. It requires more than the usual involvement but can yield multiple satisfying results. Steve Roach has been making quality ambient works for decades. This 2CD Dynamic Stillness is his latest interpretation and is worth the investigation.

This Brooklyn band has created some exciting music that is exciting to hear in every way. With a string of self-released albums and EPs, they have already made a mark in the heart of New York City. What's best is that they have made ALL of their music freely available, downloadable from their site. If you feel the band's music is worth money, they have a way that you can pay for their music. We invite you to click through to their website and to their MySpace and Facebook pages to get a fill of their music.