Baby Huey's only album, released after his untimely death, is titled The Living Legend with good reason. He was legendary in his appearance, a 400-pound man with a penchant for flamboyant clothing and crowned by a woolly Afro, a look that is best illustrated by one of several rare photos included in the Water Records edition that shows our man in a wide-lapeled polka-dot shirt with a lime-green jacket. Beyond his unusual appearance, though, he was graced with a stunning, fierce voice on par with Otis Redding and Howard Tate, wailing and howling one moment and oddly tender and sentimental the next. Nowhere on Living Legend is his range more apparent than the opening track, "Listen to Me," where listeners are introduced to both the enigma of Baby Huey and his diamond-tough psychedelic funk backing band, the Baby Sitters. The high-energy instrumental workout "Mama Get Yourself Together" is worthy of the J.B.'s and a hazy, spiraling ten-minute rendition of Sam Cooke's chestnut "A Change Is Going to Come" confirms that the Baby Sitters could hold their own with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Further lore that catapults The Living Legend from good to great: the production was helmed by Curtis Mayfield, reason enough to make it near essential, and is highlighted by three of his compositions, "Mighty Mighty," which Mayfield and the Impressions recorded a few years earlier; "Running," a classic Mayfield cut that can only be heard here ripped to glorious bits by a band that is trying to let every member solo; and "Hard Times," which Mayfield himself would revisit on his 1975 album There's No Place Like America Today, although Baby Huey's razor-edged reading remains the definitive version -- no small caveat considering Mayfield not only wrote the tune, but could rightfully be considered one of the architects of soul to boot.© Wade Kergan /TiVo

For a veteran band, there's often a fine line between writing and playing in a signature style and just going through the motions, and some of the time it's as much about attitude and intent as anything else. Social Distortion cut their first album in 1983, and well over 25 years later, they have a trademark style, if there's any such thing, a rough-hewn hybrid of punk rock guitar attack and rootsy melodies influenced by classic blues, country, and rockabilly. By now, Mike Ness and his bandmates could probably crank this stuff out in their sleep if they wanted, but 2011's Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is clearly the work of a band that still gives a damn about their rock & roll, no matter how familiar the surroundings. While 2004's Sex, Love and Rock 'N' Roll saw Ness digging deeper into personal concerns, Hard Times finds him stepping back a few paces; while "Can't Take It with You," "Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown," and "Still Alive" find Ness waxing philosophical, most of these songs exist in the world of cool cars, tough dames, and bad-luck guys who've been part of his regular cast of characters since the album Prison Bound in 1988. But if Ness isn't trying to reinvent Social Distortion in the 21st century, he still clearly knows what works for the band and what doesn't, and the songs are tough, memorable, and solidly crafted, while his guitar work remains solid, his vocals are expressive but with a shade less grit than usual and the faintest hint of vulnerability on songs like "Bakersfield" and a cover of Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken." This latest edition of Social Distortion -- Ness, guitarist Jonny Wickersham, bassist Brent Harding, and drummer David Hidalgo, Jr. -- can play their classic roots/punk sound with muscle and finesse and just the right amount of swing. And Ness produced the sessions for Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, showing he knows how to make this music work in the studio as well as he can make it come alive on-stage. Social Distortion sounds just as you would expect on Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, but that's to say they sound like a fine and fierce rock & roll who have beaten the odds and stayed around to keep making music long after many of their peers gave up, and the commitment that holds them together can be heard bubbling under each tune.© Mark Deming /TiVo

Although she will probably always be first remembered for her work as a member of the Mamas & the Papas, Cass Elliot had a surprisingly productive -- if abbreviated -- solo career after the group called it quits in 1968. She released five albums (and another in which she shared billing with Dave Mason) between 1968 and her death in 1974, and while it’s natural to wonder where this wonderful singer would have taken her talents had she lived longer, she left a larger recorded legacy than most people realize. This two-disc set (covering 1968 to 1971) includes material from her first two solo albums (plus related period songs like the single “Make Your Own Kind of Music”), leaving it as a nice summation of the first half of the post-Mamas & the Papas Cass Elliot story.© Steve Leggett /TiVo

The novelty success of Afroman's "Because I Got High" in 2001 was a commercial blessing for the underground rapper, but it wasn't a lasting success. When he returned in 2004 with his follow-up, Afroholic... The Even Better Times, he was no longer signed to Universal and enjoyed none of the benefits provided by major-label backing. He was an independent artist again, which is perhaps for the better (for both the artist and his fans). You see, Afroman is a one-man phenomenon: he writes his own songs, produces and engineers them, and markets them with his own website. He doesn't really need a major label. He can do it all himself, from the studio work to the live touring band he leads, and though he may not get a mass-market media push, he doesn't have to deal with major-label bureaucracy. He can release whatever music he likes, and he gets a much greater slice of the revenues. Such independence is the essence of Afroman and his music -- listening to Afroholic is like stepping into his own private world of warped West Coast rap parody. Since there is a whopping total of 33 songs here, and since they all sound fairly similar because they're all produced and rapped by Afroman, you can really get caught up in his little world, which seems to be shaped greatly by the similarly sly, rhetorically playful influences of E-40 and Too Short. Each of the songs here is like an extended skit. Afroman first lays down one of his patented aquatic basslines and some click-clattering drum programming, and then he delves into his comedy raps, many of which are plays on common topics (cars, weed, 40s, women, hustling, California, saggy pants) and many of which are interpolations (including those of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," "Just My Imagination [Running Away with Me]," and "No Thing on Me"). Granted, the production is lo-fi and sparse, sounding not unlike mid- to late-'80s hip-hop (mostly 808 and synth in conjunction), and the humor can drag on, given the enormity of the album and its lack of guests (the appearance of E-40 on "What If" stands out refreshingly). Everything considered, however, Afroholic is an impressive accomplishment. Like a West Coast Biz Markie, Afroman is often clownish, but it's easy to see him for the diverse talent that he is. Plus, it's nice to hear the rare rapper who doesn't take himself too seriously.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

A superb live album, one of the finest soul/funk concert dates ever released. Frankie Beverly and Maze managed to capture on this two-album set the energy, spontaneity, and nonstop excitement of their concerts, which have always been among the finest on the R&B/soul/funk circuit. The set functioned as both a greatest hits work and a wonderful introduction to people who'd never seen their live show. The album version of "Joy and Pain" became an international hit, and led to other singles being pulled and re-released in extended versions.© Ron Wynn /TiVo

Same Train, Different Time is Merle Haggard's affectionate tribute to Jimmie Rodgers. Haggard provides narration between the songs, offering tales of Rodgers' life and music. While the album is rooted in the past, the key to its success is how Haggard updates these traditional songs without losing sight of their roots. There are contemporary folk, country and blues influences scattered throughout the record, adding depth to the music and proving that Rodgers' music is indeed timeless.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Download not available

Download not available

Download not available