George Benson’s chart successes in the 1970s and ’80s as a breezy R&B crooner have largely obscured his initial promise as a boss jazz guitarist with a intelligent, liquid tone — an heir to Wes Montgomery’s throne. You May Also Like: Harry Benson – ‘Paul’ (2022): Books Paula Cole –Read More

Black Water Rising’s self-titled debut album was one of my favorites of 2009, and one of the best pure hard rock records that I’d heard in a long time at that point. You May Also Like: How Black Sabbath’s Self-Titled Debut Invented a New Genre of Music Why Black SabbathRead More

The celestial tones of “Emerald and Lime,” the opening track on Brian Eno’s Small Craft on a Milk Sea, would fit snugly on Music for Films or Another Green World. It feels like familiar ground You May Also Like: Brian Eno’s Small Craft on a Milk Sea has only gottenRead More

Ryan Michael Galloway’s All Dressed Up returns us to the underrated 1970s musical milieu, a period when folk- and country-inflected rock stars dug deep into their own emotional wellspring You May Also Like: How Seals and Crofts’ Heartfelt Stand on ‘Unborn Child’ Cost Them Everything How the Isley Brothers MadeRead More

As a 17-band menu of bands gathered for the three-day Holland Pop Festival in June 1970 outside of Rotterdam, Bob Hite of Canned Heat summed things up perfectly: “I feel less uptight here than I ever have anywhere.” You May Also Like: Gregg Rolie remembers Santana breakthrough at Woodstock: ‘WeRead More

A release date hasn’t been set for the new remaster of Emerson Lake and Palmer’s Live in Germany, recorded on June 24, 1997 at Munich’s Tollwood Festival, but here’s a free download to tide you over. You May Also Like: Greg Lake picks his favorite Emerson Lake and Palmer album:Read More

One of my favorite Rush songs is “The Trees.” I love that brief acoustic, Renaissance mannered intro with a full-bodied metal guitar suddenly bursting in You May Also Like: Bernie Chiaravalle, Guitarist With Michael McDonald: Something Else! Interview Bernie Worrell’s Improvisczario went well beyond the expected funk

Michael Wilton takes the high road when talking about the forthcoming Queensryche album, their first without the departed Geoff Tate. It’s easy to read between the lines, however, as he talks about working with new frontman Todd La Torre. You May Also Like: Queensryche – Condition Human (2015) Why Queensryche’sRead More