It’s a somewhat revamped Ronin, but Nik Bärtsch saw opportunity with those changes and exploited them. ‘Awase’ can move both your mind and your soul but the deceptively fresh approach it takes to get under the skin like that is the brilliance of Bärtsch and his Ronin quartet.

Aimee Mann angered some fans 10 years go by focusing on keyboard-equipped instruments for the electric guitar-free ‘@#%&*! Smilers.’ Not me.

To Mike Zito, ‘First Class Life’ is taking joy in the place he finds himself in. For the rest of us, it’s just first class blues.

How did something co-written by Yes legend Rick Wakeman end up as a mostly forgettable song bordering on the pretentious?

Michael Franks’ ‘The Music In My Head’ continues his forty-five year tradition of delivering comfort music with intellect, wit and grace.

Keenly chiseled and immediately accessible, the Tol-Puddle Martyrs’ “One Drop In the Ocean” is a delightful slice of radio-friendly pop rock.

A newly unearthed demo reminds us of the genius of Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, and what a huge loss we suffered with his death.

Golden Dawn Arkestra combines Sun Ra, psychedelia, Fela Kuti and Talking Heads’ ‘Remain in Light’-era sound, with a dash of disco and a bit of Flaming Lips-style spectacle.

The evolution of Chicago’s “Mississippi Delta City Blues” helps us chart the more personal evolution of Terry Kath as a songwriter, arranger and musician.