Returning to songs by the Beatles, Talking Heads, R.E.M. and others that – despite being pretty much incomprehensible – captured the public’s imagination.

B-Leaguers’ ‘Death of a Western Heart’ is crammed to the finish line with hooky punk-pop songs along the lines of the Buzzcocks, Undertones and Green Day.

Juggling pop rocking finesse with experimental episodes, Speed the Plough is still mixing and mashing genres. Democracy remains the key word on ‘Now.’

ZZ Top’s underrated ‘Tejas’ is like a forgotten middle child, having had the back luck to follow not just one, but two classic albums.

Left Lane Cruiser’s Freddy J IV and Black Diamond Heavies’ Van Campbell combined to make some of the most honest, inspired gutbucket blues-rock you’re likely gonna hear this year.

With ‘Let Me Get By’ the TTB is a full-time, fully mature and fully self-contained ensemble ready to conquer the world. Already, they’re well on their way to doing just that.

Earlier today the Eagles co-founder, singer and guitarist Glenn Frey became the latest entrant to a quickly overcrowding Rock ‘n’ Roll heaven, succumbing to a variety of maladies. He was sixty-seven years old. You May Also Like: Essentials by the Eagles’ Glenn Frey: Gimme Five Glenn Frey, “The One YouRead More

S. Victor Aaron picks the best of 2015’s non-jazz albums, including Erykah Badu, Shememkia Copeland, the Blind Boys of Alabama’s Sam Butler and others.

Joni Mitchell, Yes, Mr. Mister, Kevin Gilbert and David Baerwald find a home on Preston Frazier’s Best of 2015 list for reissues and box sets.

‘Waking Days’ is Jeff Crosby’s best thus far and one of the best singer-songwriter albums you’re likely to come across this year.