In 2021, my vinyl collection grew substantially — and for me, it’s evolved into a bit of an addiction.

FISHBLOT’s ‘small talk’ culls together music from Danny Fisher-Lochhead / Ryan Blotnick sessions that is easily relatable but impossible to categorize.

Self-proclaimed “alt-folk rock” songwriter Dan Tedesco joined Erik Ritland to discuss releasing albums “horizontally instead of vertically.”

Through it all, John Mayall resisted the commercial call and just played a mean, authentic and very defiant British boogie-rocking and heaven-sent blues.

Steely Dan closes the ‘Northeast Corridor’ live album with a genteel performance of a blues-jazz song Joe Williams made famous.

With ‘Oddly Enough,’ Gordon Grdina’s own stringed-based expedition into the works of one of current jazz’s most esoteric composers sheds yet more light on the character, shape and genius contained in these scores.

“Begin Again” asks for things to change and, typical of Archie the Goldfish’s humor, adds that good music is always consolation if they don’t.

Recent albums from Steffie Moonlady and Dennis Haklar, and Hans Joachim Rodelius and Dallas Acid demonstrate the incredible variety of ambient music.

Casting a hymn-ish quality, North Carolina singer-songwriter Mike Browning’s “Raise It Up” is a lovely and inspiring anthem not to be missed.

The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s ‘Cold as Weiss’ doesn’t mess with the soul-funk-jazz formula of maximal instrumental party music straight out of the ‘Mad Men’ era; it’s just adding more of that same sweetness.