A simmering new melding of Southern rock and R&B arrives with the new JJ Grey album, while the Replacements and Shuggie Otis — yeah, you read that right — return with their first new music in ages.

Todd Rundgren’s State offers an ultra-contemporary fusion of rock and electronica, while Mike Keneally revisits his thrilling 2012 collaboration with XTC’s Andy Partridge, adding previously unheard music, demos and remixes.

Yes fans joined in a celebration of Peter Banks’ life after the guitarist passed last month, and dug into a pair of talks with Jon Anderson as the founding vocalist explored his old band’s shared legacy.

Spock’s Beard hasn’t sounded so Spock’s Beard-y in years, as they return with a new lead singer and a throwback new release that recalls the glory years with Neal Morse. (It helps that Morse contributes two songs, as well.)

Both Depeche Mode and the Waterboys are back with equally improbable returns to form. They get there by recalling everything you loved about their work in the late 1980s.

A sprawling retrospective set provides new vistas for experiencing the shooting-star genius of the late Duane Allman, and we return once more to an emotional reminiscence from Miles Davis which would ultimately be his last major concert.

David Bowie and Eric Clapton return with albums that recall their glory years, while Shooter Jennings — both as a solo artist and as a producer with Fifth on the Floor — makes two appearances on our list.

Every once in a while an artist puts it all together. Memphis, a Boz Scaggs project that is by turns silky smooth and then a raucously grooving delight, is that record. Elsewhere, the Replacements make a triumphal return, as well.

Neo-progger Steven Wilson’s stirring new album spends a second month in the reader’s poll at Something Else!, joined by new tributes to Wings’ Henry McCullough and the Band’s Levon Helm.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds return with an R&B-soaked groover. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell combine for a long-awaited Americana reunion. Johnny Marr is ready to reclaim his throne as a guitar god for a new generation.