It’s easy to think of “Black Sun” as Death Cab for Cutie’s layered farewell to Chris Walla. Instead, it feels more like a new beginning.

Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay,” released 47 years ago this month, was a labor of love for his friend and musical companion Steve Cropper.

Robert Earl Keen’s take on Bill Monroe’s “Footprintw in the Snow” is this the best kind of cover song — timeless but personal.

Despite leading his own groups for decades, Nils Lofgren still enjoys the challenge of collaborating with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Diana Krall is better than these arrangements, better than this album, better than she’s too-often presented — even though those records sell the most.

‘Freedom Highway Complete’ makes viscerally clear that the Staple Singers, though they’d moved far afield of gospel, could still rattle the back pews.

“Beryl” reminds us of why Mark Knopfler became famous in the first place – even as it seems to retrace the steps that led him away from that fame.

If Bob Dylan’s new song is any indication, ‘Shadows in the Night’ could end up surprising more than a few naysayers. It’s certainly changed my mind.

‘Complicated Game,’ James McMurtry’s first album in seven years, finds his narrative rigor once again in sharp focus.

With ‘XIV,’ Toto has produced a visceral, entirely present return, one that acknowledges their best moments even as it builds upon them.