Jeff Lynne’s ‘Armchair Theatre,’ released this month in 1990, struggled to live up to its opening track’s promise – but often charmed us, anyway.

Bassist Harvie S and guitarist Sheryl Bailey’s ‘Plucky Strum’ shows how chops can be played unselfishly to make the other musician — and the music itself — sound at its best.

Tal Bergman, Joe Bonamassa and the rest of the Rock Candy Funk Party gang are back with a new, hard-groovin’ song “Don’t Be Stingy With the SMPTE.”

Here is a review of the freaky fun psychedelic improv free jazz/rock jam ‘Raoul’ by the Spanish Donkey, featuring Joe Morris, Jamie Saft and Mike Pride.

This Mid-Year Best of 2015 list also includes Boz Scaggs, Pops Staples, Papa Mali, Wes Montgomery, Robben Ford, the Word, Steve Earle and Beth Hart.

Here is a review of Sam Trapchak’s solid second album, ‘Land Grab,’ with Greg Ward, Tom Chang and Christian Coleman.

The hard-rocking, unjustly overlooked Rugbys certainly had good ideas and a rich imagination, so there’s a lot of neat stuff going on here.

‘Planetario’ may be Novalima’s most accessible release to date, but the Afro-Peruvian electronica group still packs quite a wallop.

‘Hydra,’ Toto’s second album, confounded critics and fans alike upon its release in October 1979, but it has aged well.

Bad Company was better than they were given credit for. And Paul Rodgers, these reissues make clear, ranks among the best rock singers of all time.