Gregg Belisle-Chi has mastered Berne’s idiosyncratic language and on ‘Mars’ he helps to place some of those brilliant puzzle pieces together alongside the creator.

Steely Dan’s “Glamour Profession,” reproduced in all its ’80s glory, is a fun look back.

Robert Lamm’s “Something’s Coming, I Know” isn’t about taking risks. Instead, it settles for being this Chicago album’s most effortlessly joyous moment.

Marty Penrose, Joe Mandica and Fortunato Isgro inject their signature styles into the session, creating one heck of a spine-tingling performance.

Committee of Vultures’ ‘Everybody Wants the Blues’ is the sound of musicians enjoying each other and their roots, delivering stellar performances.

Fred Phillips’ Best of 2021 Hard Rock and Metal also includes Black Label Society, Durbin, Ad Infinitum, Cody Jinks, Unto Others and Iron Maiden, among others.

Serving as an ode to a companion who makes life worth living, Richard Turgeon’s “Better With You” shimmers and shines.

Released 45 years ago today, Muddy Waters’ ‘Hard Again’ marked the kind of comeback you expect from the great ones.

No, there’s nothing transformational here; it’s just the Steely Dan band giving you the good stuff.

‘Inimitable’ is an intimate solo acoustic bass recording where Michael Bisio seemed to have plowed ahead and played with a lot of heart and instinct with not too much forethought.