Omar Dykes clearly possesses a deep-seated passion for the rumbling joys of old Howlin’ Wolf records — both his gruff howl, and the work of his flinty guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Luckily, he doesn’t let that passion turn into mimicry. You May Also Like: How ‘London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions’ Gave BoomerRead More

Pianist Jan Luley has fashioned an album in Blues Gumbo: Down in Pianorleans with a lasting sense of place – of second-line parties, and swampy regret, and spicy passions – despite having studied piano not in the Big Easy but in Holland. No matter. Listen as Luley reanimates the classicRead More

We’d like to make the argument for those times when Sammy Hagar’s edition of Van Halen, affectionately known as Van Hagar, was pretty good.

Its very name speaks to the old ways, and keeping them as they always were. And for a long time, maybe too long, that’s the way it’s been with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Until now. You May Also Like: Dr. John, Preservation Hall + others: Music framed initial journeyRead More

For Mickey Thomas, a summer stop as part of the Raiding the Rock Vault series hosted by Asia’s John Payne is a kind of homecoming. The two singers know each other well, and share a bond having carried forward with established bands You May Also Like: Remembering Paul Kantner’s Flight,Read More

Abigail Riccards has decamped to Chicago, where she continues to ply her trade as an intimate and involving singer — not to mention a respected educator. But time spent in New York, which exposed her to the work of Artsrides, still resonates. You May Also Like: Sasha’s Bloc + JaneRead More

The standard for making this list is that these projects — some lavish remastering jobs, others new live interpretations — illuminate corners of an artist’s work that we’d never noticed before. You May Also Like: Greg Lake picks his favorite Emerson Lake and Palmer album: ‘Where it all comes together’

Kim Kalman, whose grandfather was mid-century big band leader George Kindler, reconnects with the sounds and styles of that bygone era on At Last – and reanimates some shopworn classics along the way. You May Also Like: Kim Cypher – ‘Love Kim x’ (2019) Simon Phillips – Protocol 4 (2017)

Deliriously unself-conscious, and funky as hell, “Nothing But Your Butt” rumbles out like a throwback, sex-obsessed ’70s soul number — right down to Ironing Board Sam’s recitation of his love interest’s physical dimensions. You May Also Like: Chairmen of the Board – Greatest Hits (1973): Forgotten Series Micky Dolenz onRead More

An intriguing mixture of old-school chanteuse and tough-minded modern woman, Hadiza Dockeray puts her foot down on “Somebody Better” — and then uses it to kick the ever-loving ass of some no-account. You May Also Like: There’s a reason the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz plays drums that way: ‘I know it’sRead More