On what is billed as his 20th solo album, journeyman blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout seems to be intent on establishing himself as something more than a worthy successor to an older generation of blues originators, as well as a bevy of their better-known successors all old enough to be his older brothers. He has written all 12 songs himself and printed the lyrics to them in the CD booklet. Especially at first, his bid to be a singer/songwriter shows promise, with the self-deprecating and reflective "May Be a Fool" and "Open Book" leading things off, and, in fourth position, the spiritually oriented title song, "Common Ground," a prayer for universal understanding. Even on these tracks, however, the guitar solos stand out, and as the album goes on the songs tend to seem more and more like platforms on which Trout builds those solos. Stomps, shuffles, and ballads vary the tempos somewhat, and the styles range from country-blues ("Hudson Had Help") to Southern rock in the Allman Brothers Band mold ("Danger Zone") and Chicago blues ("Wrapped Up in the Blues"). But the tunes are predictable and the lyrics only serviceable; what matters is Trout's Fender Stratocaster, to which he pays tribute in the lilting "Song for My Guitar." He plays with authority, but at any given moment suggests any one of a number of his immediate predecessors, including Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Duane Allman, and so on. That tends to make him a more impressive figure when he's playing right in front of you in a club or theater than when he's heard on a recording.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Less of a hodgepodge than his debut album, In the Midnight Hour, Pickett's second album established -- if there had been any doubt -- his stature as a major '60s soul man. The 12 tracks include his monster hits "634-5789," "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)," "In the Midnight Hour," and "Land of 1000 Dances" (the last of which was his first Top Ten pop hit). Collectors will be more interested in the non-hit cuts, which are of nearly an equal level. These include covers of the R&B standards "Something You Got," "Mercy Mercy," and "Barefootin'"; several original tunes written in collaboration with Memphis soul greats Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, and David Porter; and Bobby Womack's "She's So Good to Me." It all adds up to one of the most consistent '60s soul albums ever.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

The third studio long-player from the Scandinavian melodic death/electro-power metal unit, the Spinefarm Records-issued Massive Addictive finds the group parting ways with chief growler Andreas Solveström and bringing in Henrik Englund to take over the more abrasive side of the vocal spectrum (co-founder Jake E. and ethereal crooner Elize Ryd continue to operate the clean side of things). Comprising 12 new tracks, including "Dynamite," "An Ordinary Abnormality," "Digital World," "Drop Dead Cynical," and the blistering title track, Massive Addictive was recorded in Denmark with Volbeat and Epica producer Jacob Hansen.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

The departure of Ronnie James Dio gave Ritchie Blackmore a chance to reinvent Rainbow, which he does to a certain extent on Down to Earth. Adding former Deep Purple colleague Roger Glover as bassist and Graham Bonnet as vocalist, Blackmore tones down some of the excess of the Dio years, particularly in terms of fantastical lyrics, and turns to straight-ahead hard rock, only occasionally adorned by prominent synthesizers. In general, their material is fairly solid, and "Since You Been Gone" easily ranks among the band's best songs, but overall the record is a little generic and sounds very much of its time -- namely, the late '70s, when album rock still ruled the arenas. Nevertheless, Rainbow has a distinct idea, primarily through the guitar artistry and mystical sensibility of Ritchie Blackmore. He sounds invigorated on the album, turning in muscular performances and strong solos on each cut; clearly, the reunion has revitalized him. Unfortunately, Bonnet tends to oversell his vocals, screaming a little bit too often, but he doesn't distract from the fact that Blackmore, Glover, and drummer Cozy Powell turn Down to Earth into a fine hard rock platter. It might not offer anything unique, but it delivers the goods.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

While Children of Bodom are used to personnel shakeups, the departure of longtime guitarist Roope Latvala before the recording of I Worship Chaos posed a challenge. A member since 2003, he was an integral part of the band's sound. This left vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho handling all six-string chores alone for the first time, making this COB's debut as a quartet. It was recorded in a converted warehouse rather than a conventional recording studio, and delivers a more spacious sound. Laiho and bassist Henkka Seppälä tuned half a step lower for each song, resulting in a much darker, heavier attack. Opener "I Hurt" is classic COB with a knotty, technical death metal riff, labyrinthine scalar flights, and piercing melodic interludes. The band's characteristic mastery of rhythmic syncopation is heard best on "My Bodom (I Am the Only One)," with drummer Jaska Raatikainen adding counterpoint as he alternates between martial cadences and blastbeats and the whole tune crisscrosses time signatures. The new bottom-end string throb is most punishing on "Horns" and "Suicide Bomber," insanely tempoed, blackened thrashers heavier than anything COB has recorded in a decade. Keyboardist Janne Wirman becomes more integral to the mix. He adds force to the band's classic melo-tech death metal charge, and provides utterly seductive, sinister atmospherics in these new songs. He can either create swirling chordal backdrops -- as on the crunchy, doom-tinged "Prayer for the Afflicted" -- or powerful, fleet, single-note exchanges with Laiho -- as on the glorious "Morrigan." The latter is a medium-tempo groover and a clear single. Its riff is fueled by an infectious guitar hook as the drums alternate between pronounced swing and double-timed frenzy. It contains a chanted chorus and spiraling crescendoes. This passes for a stadium rock anthem. "All for Nothing" is an outlier even in COB's loopy catalog. It has an Iron Maiden-esque guitar and bass riff, with eloquent acoustic piano lines and transcendent melody atop thundering drums. Laiho delivers a screaming extended solo followed by one from Wirman on synth as they trade lines to take it out. The songwriting on I Worship Chaos is impressive, as if the quartet format forced COB to focus on delivering tunes of real substance before anything else. The performances are equally inspired -- the material is so good, it challenge the musicians to pull it off. This is the sound of a grown-up COB; it may not be as unhinged as their earliest records, but it's nearly as misanthropic. This band still has very sharp teeth, a nasty disposition, and a dark, even malevolent sense of humor. © Thom Jurek /TiVo

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On her first outing in three years and her freshman offering for Verve's Forecast label, Susan Tedeschi digs deep into the soul and R&B fakebook for inspiration and comes out a winner. With an all-star band that includes guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, pianist David Palmer, organist Jebin Bruni, bassist Paul Bryan, drummer Jay Bellerose, and guests including husband Derek Trucks and the Blind Boys of Alabama, Tedeschi goes down into her own heart's well for inspiration. Wonderfully produced by Joe Henry, Hope and Desire is truly a singer's showcase of passion and class; she has signature phrasing and is an excellent interpreter. Henry proves that Tedeschi is one hell of a singer. From the roots-country blues of the Jagger and Richards opener, "You Got the Silver," to the hardcore soul of Otis Redding's "Security" (her version is closer to the Etta James reading than Redding's but Tedeschi puts her own hard spin on it), the garbage-can blues guitar of Percy Mayfield's ripping "The Danger Zone," and the finger-poppin' R&B of "Tired of My Tears," Tedeschi proves she's second to none by wringing every ounce of truth from these classic tunes. In addition, her subtle, to-the-bone reading of Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child" (with great Dobro work by Trucks), a definitive version of Iris DeMent's "Sweet Forgiveness," and Dorsey Brunette's "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" offer solid proof that Tedeschi can sing gospel as well. In fact, based on the evidence here, she can sing any damn thing she likes and move your heart, making you believe every word and wail in the grain of a song. That's as high a compliment as one can pay.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

An early studio recording featuring perhaps the best, or at least most popular, backing band lineup, Danger Zone is not up to the standard of Sammy Hagar's best material: be it the earliest, hardest rocking music (most notably, the debut Montrose effort) or his very successful early '80s MOR rock. "The red rocker" does put together a couple nice moments, displaying the deft songwriting that would keep him on top of the hard rock sales and radio charts for well over 20 years. Songs like "20th Century Man" and "Love or Money" definitely drive this relatively heavy Hagar offering, and the Bay Area musician slows things down nicely on "Run for Your Life." There are a couple soft spots on the Danger Zone's track list, and when that is coupled with that fact that no real essential Hagar anthems or radio hits exist on this release, it can only be recommended to serious fans of the artist.© Vincent Jeffries /TiVo

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