Long-time Protocol leader and former Toto drummer Simon Phillips returns with ‘Five Steps on the Sun’ from multi-instrumentalist DarWin’s self-titled group.

Preston Frazier’s Best of 2023 Rock and Pop list includes Steve Lukather, Yes, Downes Braide Association, Derek Sherinian and Simon Phillips, and others.

Derek Sherinian, Simon Phillips and Jamie Leonhart are part of the latest edition of Five for the Road, an occasional look at music that’s been in my car lately.

For those who favor fire-breathing fusion as their progressive music of choice, ex-Dream Theater member Derek Sherinian’s ‘Vortex’ nicely fits the bill.

As the reigning champ of blues-rock guitarists after Clapton’s generation, Joe Bonamassa attracts notice whenever he issues new music (and to the great delight of his fans, he does this often). You May Also Like: Joe Bonamassa – Blues of Desperation (2016)

The pity of it, really, is how perfectly named this album is. See Afterglow, a thunderous delight, arrives just as Black Country Communion appears to be falling apart. It’s a shame. You May Also Like: How Black Country Communion’s Debut Brought Back ’70s-Style Hard Rock Derek Sherinian – ‘Vortex’ (2022)

The intrigue of compilations like this is when seemingly incongruent artists successfully combine, or when somebody turns a familiar tune inside out.