Preston Frazier names albums from Steve Porcaro, Vernon Reid, Fernando Perdomo, Steve Morse and others as the Best of 2025 Pop and Rock. Click through titles for purchase information:
VERNON REID – ‘HOODOO TELEMETRY’: Vernon Reid has always been a restless innovator. As the driving force behind Living Colour, his guitar redefined what Black artistry could sound like in the late ’80s rock mainstream—equal parts metal, funk, jazz, and political urgency. With Hoodoo Telemetry, Reid returns to the solo spotlight, crafting an album that resists easy categorization. Yet another significant milestone in the career of a great artist who has had a series of important milestones, this is challenging, urgent work that demands our attention.
STEVE PORCARO – ‘THE VERY DAY’: Steve Porcaro, a founding member of Toto, makes a bold, intensely personal statement with The Very Day, highlighting his mastery as a songwriter while refusing to be confined by expectations. Nearly a decade after 2016’s Someday Somehow (2016), Porcaro finally embraces his own lane. Unburdened by the shadow of Toto, he delivers an album that plays like both a love letter to California and a declaration of independence.
DEBORAH HOLLAD – ‘I MADE IT THIS FAR’: No, the album isn’t Animal Logic III. Instead, I Made It This Far is a fresh, thoughtful and daring look at life and aging. Holland produced the 11 songs, recorded in various studios in California and Vancouver. Mature, sobering, and honest, Deborah Holland delivers a musical statement that will resonate regardless of your personal situation. I Made It This Far is an album that deserves your attention.
AMBIENT DEN – ‘AMBIENT DEN’: Prog rocker Ben Craven has been a favorite of mine since his 2016’s exquisite Last Chance to Hear. He’s produced several stellar solo works since then, occasionally teamed up with keyboardist Tim Bennetts (Seven Day Mask) (including their work on Progaustralis live) and drummer Dean Posey from Craven’s Frankenfido projects. Ambient Den represents a dedicated project for these three like-minded musicians. This LP features well-crafted, superbly written and excellently played progressive rock that stands out among other 2025 offerings in the genre.
TRAVIS HALL – ‘HEART MUSEUM’: Travis Hall’s debut is a genre-blending journey that fuses the elegance of classical opera with the soul-stirring essence of R&B and neosoul. Standout tracks include the introductory single “A Day,” featuring a roller-disco groove and gospel undertones that conjure classic 1970s R&B while also carrying the author’s unique stamp. Hall’s vocal and Bill Champlin-like backing vocal arrangements jump out of the speakers. The song has hooks for days. Jazz-infused “Fireflies” not only shows Hall’s acumen as a writer but also as a producer. The vocal introduction is immediately captivating, and the jazzy, keyboard-based arrangement features hooks uncommon in today’s pop music. This is thinking man’s music, yet Hall never seems to be talking down to his audience.
DANNY AYALA – ‘ONLY FOOLS LOVE AGAIN’: Only Fools Love Again is a throwback to an era of music when songs, not production tricks, ruled the music industry. Danny Ayala teamed primarily with producer/guitarist Fernando Perdomo to deliver 10 pop-rock songs that evoke the classic singer-songwriter era. “I Was Wrong” kicks things off in fine fashion. Ayala’s voice is eager with a wide emotional range. The song was written solely by Ayala, like all except for “I Wanna Come Back to You,” and it has a Beach Boys/Around the World in a Day-era Prince vibe. “Pluto” turns up the heat; it’s good, clean rock ‘n’ roll fun. What more could you want from modern pop-rock, besides good songs, good playing and good production? Only Fools Love Again delivers on all counts.
JAIME OSPINA – ‘THE VESSEL’: Working with a powerful group of musicians for five days in the Lechehouse Music studios in Buda, Texas, Jaime Ospina produced a challenging and innovative album. The founding member of the group Superfonicos enlisted Grupo Fantasma member Beto Martinez to engineer and mix 10 engaging songs and to play guitar alongside Fumihoito Sugawara and Mauro Lopez. Ospina contributed to the gaita and gauta, the wind instruments that are the album’s main melodic tools. The result is a fascinating journey with compelling elements that are rewarding to listen to while the whole is totally unique.
FERNANDO PERDOMO – ‘WAVES VOLS. 1-12’: Fernando Perdomo has contributed as producer and/or principal artist to several projects that made my Best of 2025 Pop and Rock list. His 12-album Waves series deserves special mention for its ambition, musicality and execution. When tasked with listing my favorites, I realized they change from day to day; however, the entire series demonstrates consistent quality. Perdomo has just released a Best of Waves compilation. That’s a good starting place for your journey.
JOE BAILEY – ‘TORRENTIAL PAIN’: In many respects, Torrential Pain picks up where 2023’s Splinters left off. Joe Bailey’s preference for hard-charging melodic rock and his ability to look in the shadows remain. The opening track, “Life Runs Out,” sets the tone with its usual path, its ominous keyboard textures and Bailey’s dark, powerful vocals. He has a gift of drawing the listener in with his frenzied hooks, then making them go back and direct the lyric. Torrential Pain is not easy listening, but it is ultimately rewarding.
STEVE MORSE BAND – ‘TRIANGULATION’: For a man whose guitar has spoken volumes for nearly five decades, Triangulation feels like both a reckoning and a renewal. The interplay between Morse, bassist Dave LaRue and drummer Van Romaine is precise yet organic, each riff and rhythmic twist part of a greater conversation. The music — an exhilarating blend of fusion, prog, blues, and chamber-rock flourishes — reminds listeners that Morse has never belonged to a single genre, only to the pursuit of melody and truth. With Triangulation, Morse doesn’t just reclaim his musical voice; he redefines it.
PROJEKT GEMINEYE – ‘THE DARK DAYS OF YESTERDAY‘: This is a powerful, intricately produced album that explores personal struggle, resilience and reflection. Across its tracks, Projekt Gemineye’s Mark Anthony K channels the dark chapters of his past into a cinematic collection of prog-rock compositions that reward both casual and deep headphone listening. The near-10-minute “A Voice in the Dark” is the album’s grand centerpiece, shifting between introspection and intensity. For fans of melodic prog-rock with attention to texture and narrative, The Dark Days of Yesterday stands as one of Projekt Gemineye’s most compelling releases to date.
- Steve Porcaro, Vernon Reid, Steve Morse + Others: Preston Frazier’s Best of 2025 Pop and Rock - January 19, 2026
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- Yes, Steve Winwood, Joe Walsh, Tim Morse + Others: Preston Frazier’s Best of 2025 Reissues - January 2, 2026
