While the world spins around us, there is peace and solace to be found in music. Thankfully, we are living in an age where music is better and more accessible than ever.
Case in point, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown deliver Jerry Lee Lewis with “Bloodshot Baby.”
The high octane Rattlebacks scorch the earth with their Pearl Jam by way of GN’R dusted “How Calm The Silence.”
And, Joanne Shaw Taylor channels her inner Bonnie Raitt with “Hell Of A Good Time.”
And the riches keep getting better. Here are five highly excellent albums to drill into your earholes.
Sam Fender – People Watching
Starting with the openening title track that travels down the highway like the best of Don Henley’s drivable tunes, Sam Fender and his latest, People Watching” is the kind of friendly, all-inclusive record the likes of Bryan Adams and John Fogerty used to make.
Riding on the coattails of his highly excellent 2021 release Seventeen Going Under, this latest release evokes a certain “Springsteenism” in the songwriting as Fender grapples with growing fame and increased expectations.
Patterson Hood – Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams
The blueprint has not changed much for Patterson Hood whether he is driving by with his main gig as head honcho of the Drive-By Truckers, or here on the batch as a solo act.
The Delines-centric other side of the tracks characters are all alive and well here with the sparse instrumentation, often just Hood and his piano adding to the foreboding atmosphere on this one.
With guest sit-ins courtesy of Kevin Morby, Steve Berlin, Lydia Loveless, and Waxahatchee, this one deserves a secluded listen in a safe space.
The Stylistics – Falling In Love With My Girl
Remarkedly, Falling In Love With My Girl with the original members of The Stylistics is more listenable than it really should be. With collaborations-aplenty on this set of original songs, singer Airrion Love seems to be in fine vocal form.
With Elton John original band members Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone setting the foundation there are plenty of notable performances delivered courtesy of Shania Twain, Billy Gibbons, Ray Parker Jr., Tower of Power, and Justin Hawkins from the Darkness. Feel free to slide right on by “Don’t Leave Me Here,” a song that features the vocal prowess, or lack thereof of Gene Simmons.
Give this on a listen, the production is spot-on, and who doesn’t need a bit of Tower of Power in their life?
Mandrake Handshake – Earth-Sized Worlds
If Laura Nyro and Grace Slick had a love child together the resulting spawn might sound a bit like Mandrake Handshake.
Self-described on their various platforms as a multi-dimesional collective showcase of ‘flowerkraut’: a hedonistic brain-frying feast of Krautrock, art-pop and psychedelia, sliced with enigmatic grooves and fearless improvisations, this one is a hippy-dippy feast for the ears.
A grower after several well-induced listens for sure.
The Liminanas – Faded
Lionel and Marie Liminana, the curators of their band The Liminanas have birthed a band that is tailor-made for a Tarantino soundtrack or a vampire movie.
This one features a bunch of guests including Bobby Gillespie, Jon Spencer, and French actor Bertrand Belin all adding to the sultry-cool atmosphere.
Spend some time with “Space Baby.” Where else are you going to hear Bridgette Bardot’s classic single “Contact” wedged into a song?
Come for the Francophile swagger of Bertrand Belin on “J’adore le monde,” but stay for the epic Francoise Hardy cover, “Ou Va La Chance.”
Rock Is The New Roll 