In making ‘Magnetic’ such a collaborative, free-flowing effort, Terence Blanchard has fashioned one of his most layered studio efforts ever.

While much has rightly been made of the Moody Blues’ prog-defining successes around the turn of the 1970s, a newly released concert performance contextualizes later hits like this one — which in its own way broke new ground. You May Also Like: The Moody Blues’ John Lodge, “10,000 Light YearsRead More

Few CDs scream summer to me the way most of the albums Dragon released in the 1980s do. I’d argue that no other band captured the overall atmosphere and spirit of summer in musical form the way Dragon did. You May Also Like: Dragon – ‘O Zambezi’ (1978): Antipodean AprilRead More

Brad Wilk, who was plucked out of Rage Against the Machine by producer Rick Rubin, has come to think of his time playing drums on the forthcoming Black Sabbath reunion project in almost mythical terms. You May Also Like: Why Black Sabbath Went Out on a High Note With ’13’Read More

If there’s any question as to how off-the-cuff, how gloriously in the moment, this ultra-rare one-off concert collaboration in fact was, one need only hear the lead tune — a fizzy, improv-filled take on “Lullaby of Birdland.” You May Also Like: Jazz Reedist Daniel Bennett on How Musicians Can ThriveRead More

Mike Love, a founding member of the Beach Boys and the only one to have appeared in all of its many incarnations over the decades, tends to take the long view on their legacy. You May Also Like: ‘We do look like the Beach Boys’: Brian Wilson and Al JardineRead More

<<< BACKWARD (“Reelin’ In The Years [Live]”) ||| ONWARD (“Book Of Liars [Live]”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** The first of three Aja songs on Alive In America finally appears five tracks in, the brilliant yet fun party tune that caps that classic album, “Josie.” You May AlsoRead More

Sellout crowds. Onstage marriage proposals. Grasshopper infestations. Paul McCartney’s latest world tour has been eventful, finding him presiding over a successful marriage proposal and fending off insects pelting him as he performs “Hey Jude.” You May Also Like: Paul McCartney’s clunky ‘McCartney II’ couldn’t tap into new-wave zeitgeist ‘Wings OverRead More

A collaboration between Hank III and David Allan Coe has been long talked about and hinted at by III, something that’s been met with a great deal of excitement by both camps of fans. It’s finally here You May Also Like: Hank Williams Jr. – It’s About Time (2016) DavidRead More

Let England Shake is a masterpiece, battlefield correspondence from the frontline of the human heart. Apparently, the Imperial War Museum in London agreed. You May Also Like: Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Tomorrow Belongs to Me (1975): Forgotten Series Funkadelic – First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate (2014) The EverlyRead More