The opening track from Steve Earle’s upcoming ‘Terraplane,’ a chugging Howlin’ Wolf-esque electric blues, works on two levels.

Ultimate Painting’s “Riverside” is one of those songs which drift slowly into your head, and it’s hard to resist a replay.

The Florida-based JJ Grey and Mofro return to make an absolutely heavenly, cross-pollinated racket — like a bourbon tabernacle hootenanny.

Randy Bachman catches a flinty blues-rock groove in the muscular trio style of the late 1960s. A guitar battle with Peter Frampton then ups the ante.

It’s easy to think of “Black Sun” as Death Cab for Cutie’s layered farewell to Chris Walla. Instead, it feels more like a new beginning.

‘Freedom Highway Complete’ makes viscerally clear that the Staple Singers, though they’d moved far afield of gospel, could still rattle the back pews.

The Jackson Browne-produced “Mohammed’s Radio” helped introduce Warren Zevon — with a key assist from Lindsey Buckingam and Stevie Nicks.

“Beryl” reminds us of why Mark Knopfler became famous in the first place – even as it seems to retrace the steps that led him away from that fame.

When I heard the Big Sexy’s theme song of comedian J-L Cauvin, I was intrigued. Figuring out who actually performed it was another matter.

Lundbom’s original tune “The Bottle” is a good indicator that there’s no let up from Big Five Chord in Jeremiah from their previous five records.