Circles Around the Sun isn't a band so much as a project; one that served a specific purpose. Neal Casal, guitarist for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood -- and occasional member of Phil Lesh & Friends -- was approached by Justin Kreutzmann to provide five hours of music to accompany his visuals that would play during the intermissions of the Grateful Dead's 50th anniversary sendoff Fare Thee Well concerts. Casal enlisted keyboardist Adam MacDougall (a fellow member of the Robinson Brotherhood and Lesh's bands), bassist Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks, Jonathan Wilson), and drummer Mark Levy (the Congress) to that end. They walked into a studio with engineer J.P. Hesser having nothing prepared, spent two days recording live, and left with their mission accomplished. No overdubs were added during post-production. Concert attendees were so responsive to what they heard that Rhino decided to assemble this double disc. The titles of these ten tunes offer clues -- some quite deceptive -- as to the origins of these jams. While this music often references the Dead's approach, just as often they follow the legendary jam band's example: it travels outside the given lanes to discover new paths. Only two tunes are under ten minutes. Opener "Hallucinate a Solution" is a gorgeous example of Casal's lyrical guitar soloing and interplay with his bandmates; it's adorned by silvery reverb and delay in trancelike, exploratory psychedelia. The two-chord foundation of "Kasey's Bones" is bright, danceable boogie. Horne's bass lays down an unshakable groove as MacDougall, on both Rhodes and organ, delivers irresistible solos with Casal adding lyrical fills. The set's longest (and strongest) number, "Farewell Franklins," offers a sparkling soul-jazz exposition before cracking itself open to psychedelic ghost conjuring, sparkling melodic pop, elliptical spacy jamming, and rocking jazz-funk over 25 minutes. And speaking of the latter, "Scarlotta's Magnolias," with its bluesy, relaxed pace, recalls the good-time music Jerry Garcia made with Merl Saunders, John Kahn, and Bill Vitt on Live at Keystone. "Hat and Cane" touches on the Dead's quiet, unhurried ability to make magic out of open and minor chords, while "Mountains of the Moon" is a graceful, loosely interpreted instrumental reading of the Garcia-Robert Hunter tune. Given the cultural pressure cooker Circles Around the Sun were inside to make this record, Interludes for the Dead is remarkable, not only as a series of of jams inspired by the Grateful Dead, but on its own merit. If a listener is at all open to music created in the moment, pushing itself as far as it will logically go -- and far beyond -- this is two and a half hours of pure pleasure. Only time will tell if this group plays together again, but based on what's here, let's hope so.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

Country has always enjoyed a faithful fan base. Although the genre's golden age has since moved on from honkytonks and the Texas of the 1950s, it is hard to rival the charm of Eric Church. The forty-something year old from North Carolina is keeping these American legends alive. Halfway between Tony Joe White and John Prine, he has been making country rock with songwriting at its heart since the release of his first album in 2006, Sinners Like Me. Church has become a touchstone and an icon, transforming every new record almost into some sort of national event. With Desperate Man, he has shown that his superstar status has done nothing to dampen his creativity. Co-written with the Texan Ray Wylie Hubbard, it's a country pop record with swamp influences and more than a little groove that gives life to the spirit of the American South. Far from Luke Brian or Tim McGraw, Desperate Man carries a real emotional charge.Here is a man looking for spiritual stability in a world which seems to have lost its bearings. The title track speaks of desperation after going to pray at the Joshua Tree: Eric Church winds up with a fortune teller who tells him that he has no future at all. So be it, he says. And so he decides to concentrate on doing what he does best. The album opens with the winding of a swamp snake around couplets recited in a deep and mysterious voice. This traditional swamp rock is swiftly swept away by the rhythms of Hangin’ Around. The head-nodding and foot-tapping is quickly overtaken by some sugary pop à la Hank Jr. on Some Of It. Church gets his measurements just right on every track. “Boo boo boo" base humour and Rolling Stones sounds on Desperate Man, steel guitar distortion on Solid and through it all, that faintly nasal voice. This ninth album, brilliantly produced by Jay Joyce (Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Iggy Pop…), definitely deserves its spot at the Opry. © Clara Bismuth/Qobuz

Moose's second album showed the band moving toward pure pop, though much of the acoustic jangle which Mitch Easter had encouraged on their debut album was abandoned. In its place, Moose returned to the skewed song structures and guitar effects which had characterized their first three EPs. "I Wanted to See You to See If I Wanted You" is the band's best single period, and though the album sounds disjointed (being the band's first in-house production credit), there are many pleasing moments, like the first single "Uptown Invisible" and "Joe Courtesy." A limited-edition vinyl pressing of Honey Bee includes a bonus 7" single. © John Bush /TiVo

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Featuring a minor guest appearance by Jon Bon Jovi, Cinderella's debut album, Night Songs, positions the band as a second-tier pop-metal outfit, with a mix of ballads ("Nobody's Fool") and rockers ("Somebody Save Me") one might find on an album by any similar '80s band with a high-pitched vocalist. It's not bad, just generic; the band does hint at the potential it would fulfill on later albums, but little of Cinderella's own personality shows through at this point.© Steve Huey /TiVo