During the '90s, ever-changing guitarist John Scofield paired with saxophonist and fellow Berklee alum Joe Lovano, drummer Bill Stewart, and bassists Charlie Haden, Marc Johnson, and Dennis Irwin, respectively, for three highly praised albums, Time on My Hands (1990), Meant to Be (1990), and What We Do (1992). Those albums found the oft-electrified Scofield, who played with Miles Davis in the '80s, investigating songs of a more acoustic, often straight-ahead, pre-fusion jazz style. After an over 20-year break, Scofield reunited with Lovano and Stewart for 2015's Past Present. Also joining the group this time is longtime Scofield associate bassist Larry Grenadier, who replaces the late Irwin. As with the quartet's previous work, Past Present is a largely acoustic jazz album, with Scofield playing on an amped, semi-hollow-body guitar. Scofield also supplies all of the compositions on Past Present, some of which, poignantly, were inspired by his son Evan Scofield, who died from cancer at age 26 in 2013. While the music on Past Present harks back to jazz's pre-rock-influenced golden age, there's nothing retro, staid, or unadventurous about the group's performance. This is propulsive, often angular and kinetic music that touches upon low-down blues ("Slinky"), Horace Silver-esque soul-jazz ("Get Proud"), and airy, swinging post-bop ("Museum"). In that sense, it brings to mind the '70s work of Scofield contemporary Pat Martino. Barring 2003's Oh! by the supergroup ScoLoHoFo, Past Present is one of the few times Lovano has recorded with Scofield in recent years and it's invigorating to hear them together; Lovano's warm saxophone dances against the crunchy decay of Scofield's guitar. It's that burlap-on-velvet combination that gives cuts like the languid "Hangover" and the moody "Season Creep" an organic, tactile quality. There's also a gleeful, almost comedic nature to the quartet's interplay, as if the musicians are sharing an inside joke. "Chap Dance," a bright, Western-swing-meets-soul-bop cut, is clearly a somewhat cheeky nod to saxophonist Sonny Rollins' take on "I'm an Old Cowhand." However, the comedic quality sometimes takes on a nuanced, melancholic tone, as on "Mr. Puffy." A reference to Evan Scofield's appearance while undergoing chemotherapy, the song starts out sounding sad, then quickly transitions into a tougher, overtly funky midsection anchored by a guttural, low-end riff from Lovano. Ultimately, the track, as with all of Past Present, is rife with love and in-the-moment energy inspired by Scofield's past experience, but created with a hopeful eye to the future.© Matt Collar /TiVo

After completing the Both Ways Open Jaws tour, the Dø looked for a new creative path. Finding inspiration in the abstract electronics of Fuck Buttons and Kanye West's Yeezus, they emerged with Shake Shook Shaken, a set of songs trading kitchen sink experimentalism for sharp-edged electropop. It's a transformation for the better -- even though Mouthful and Both Ways Open Jaws had plenty of eclectic charms, the clearly defined aesthetic here allows them to concentrate on making pop that's addictively weird and catchy. The brightly bittersweet opener "Keep Your Lips Sealed" and the buzzing "Going Through Walls" recall the tart, hooky songs the Knife wrote before Silent Shout, while "Despair, Hangover & Ecstacy"'s sugar-coated melodrama calls to mind La Roux. The Dø's songwriting takes just as big a step forward as their sound, tackling the uncertainty of emotional fault lines and unwelcome but necessary change with vivid imagery and melodies. Olivia Merilahti's higher, slightly pained register suits turbulent songs such as "A Mess Like This," where she sings "You were the worst idea I ever had" with equal amounts of frustration and affection, and "Miracles (Back in Time)," an elliptical recounting of heartache with sentiments that pierce like arrows. Things get even more complicated on "Lick My Wounds," which teeters between joyous and bittersweet so often that it erases the line between them, while "Anita, No!" disguises its plea for closure in a pun. Though the album loses a little focus after its near-flawless first half, Shake Shook Shaken is the Dø's finest work yet and a pointed and poignant document of change and its aftermath. © Heather Phares /TiVo

The second full-length album from Tennessee native Amythyst Kiah opens with a pretty clear, tone-setting statement: "Don't wanna hear your soapbox speech … You can keep your sophistry/ Save my brain from atrophy/ I have my own hand that feeds," she huskily declares on "Soapbox." The song inevitably reminds you of Tracey Chapman—so does "Firewater," its melody as delicate as a flowing creek—as well as Tori Amos and Brittany Howard's solo work: women who effortlessly exude both power and tenderness. Kiah knows how to wield music like a paintbrush or, perhaps, virtual reality. "Hangover Blues" sounds like the rattling noise and low-down heavy fog that pervades your head after a night of too much everything, its nagging guitar a sharp shooting pain. The effect is hypnotizing. "Opaque," which has a Lauryn Hill feel to it, is about finding out someone you love isn't who you first saw them as. Kiah wields instrumentation as clever punctuation: "Your veneer of perfect grace/ Was just a mouse's masquerade … Just like that"—dum dum dum—"she washed away." It's like the moment in a mystery novel when the surprise villain is unveiled. Lovely and bittersweet "Wild Turkey" opens so quietly then swells with a rising tide of emotion. The track is about Kiah's mother, who drowned in the Tennessee River when the singer was 17, and it's like audibly working through the stages of grief. She offers up precise introspection on the gorgeous country heartbreaker "Ballad of Lost," about spotting a lover with another woman. As pedal steel sighs and Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) harmonizes, Kiah weighs the truth: "I believe that I can forgive/ Can I forget?/ Never." There's also intensely personal reckoning of her relationship with alcohol, on "Wild Turkey" and "Hangover Blues," but also the haunting "Tender Organs," which ponders the wisdom of using it as a numbing agent. The stark blues shift to an uneasy breakdown that cracks into an insistent guitar wail, and you feel the emotion behind her realization: "The hands that healed me/ Now they're rotten." Producer Tony Berg, who has a history of working with smart singer-songwriters (Aimee Mann, Michael Penn, Edie Brickell, Phoebe Bridgers) knows how to add light to the shade, relying on the bullfrog croaks of a bass harmonica to buoy the country-blues lament "Fancy Drones (Fracture Me)" and its warning against finding purpose in workaholism. And Kiah revives her protest song "Black Myself"—previously recorded with the trad-folk supergroup Our Native Daughters, including Rhiannon Giddens— by reinforcing the old-time string version with stomping blues rock that matches the ugliness of quieter racism: "I pick the banjo up and they sneer at me/ 'Cause I'm black myself/ You better lock your doors when I walk by/ 'Cause I'm black myself/ You look me in my eyes but you don't see me/ 'Cause I'm black myself." It is, literally, devastatingly beautiful. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

"The world of LOWLIFE PRINCESS NOIR is vivid, BIBI has used her immense storytelling ability to create animated characters that are so easily able to be envisioned."© TiVo

Diana Ross is certainly a diva of goddess-like proportions. Whether joined by the Supremes, or out on her own, her voice is unmistakable and powerful, plus she possesses the uncanny ability to take songs penned by others and make them very much her own -- to imbibe them with her very soul. This collection of Ross' best-known and loved hits is perfect testament to her massive gift. Working closely with both singer/songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, as well as producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (both of Chic), Ross brought six songs to the top of the pop charts over a decade -- all included here. From the early classic gospel-inflected "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and the empowering chest beater "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," to the lite soul of "It's My House," Ross demonstrates full range. Also featured are the massive club hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out," cut with Rodgers and Edwards. Strong and up-tempo, both songs became disco manifestos across the country in the early '80s and helped to keep the genre alive just a little bit longer. And, of course, this compilation is completed, naturally, with both the sultry throb of "Love Hangover" and the Lionel Richie duet "Endless Love." If there is a failing at all, it is within the "Medley (With the Supremes)." This glossy track hits the highlights, but really, why butcher such amazing songs? Any one would be better off slipping a Supremes greatest-hits onto the old turntable. But for the casual listener, this probably hits the spot. It's heavy on the chart-toppers, and a sweet sonic masterpiece by anyone's standards.© Amy Hanson /TiVo

The edition of Sulk which was the most common to find while record shopping throughout the late '80s and '90s was originally the American issue. Heavy substitution and track reordering -- a typical enough move on the part of American companies no matter what the act -- resulted in a radically different record. For some strange reason, the European CD issue of the album relied on this American edition, something only finally rectified as part of an overall reissue program in 2000. All this said, while this second edition sacrifices some of the quirky edginess of the original, collecting all the major hit singles that made the band such a distinctive U.K. chart presence in the early '80s certainly isn't a problem at all. The three tracks from the second side of the original album -- the bizarro funk of "It's Better This Way," the swooning hyper-romance of "Partyfearstwo," and the nervy, sped-up rush of "Club Country" -- here lead off the record, followed by the OK-enough remake of Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" and the charming "18 Carat Love Affair." As for the remaining tracks, "Arrogance Gave Him Up," "No," "Skipping," and "Gloomy Sunday" are retained in a much different order, while "Bap de la Bap," "Nude Spoons," and "Nothinginsomethinginparticular" are removed in favor of early single "White Car in Germany" and "The Associate." All changes and switches aside, it's still very much the Associates at probably the best period of their career. Mackenzie's impossibly piercing cabaret falsetto rivals that of obvious role model Russell Mael from Sparks, while Rankine's ear for unexpected hooks and sweeping arrangements turns the stereotypes of early-'80s synth music on their heads. The bass work from ex-Cure member Michael Dempsey isn't chopped liver either, and the result is a messy but wonderful triumph no matter what version is found.© Ned Raggett /TiVo

Though his 2019 album Hotel Diablo mostly continued the commercial rap style that made Machine Gun Kelly famous, the record closed with "I Think I'm Okay," a melodic rock song featuring guest appearances from U.K. vocalist YUNGBLUD and blink-182's Travis Barker. The catchy tune injected Machine Gun Kelly's emotionally raw lyricism into a template of spirited guitar-driven pop-punk and it became a huge hit. For fifth album Tickets to My Downfall, Machine Gun Kelly commits fully to the pop-punk style that was hinted at with "I Think I'm Okay," making a bold-faced turn from moody rap songs to blasts of distorted guitar, uptempo drums, and vocal harmonies right out of the early-2000s mall punk playbook. Travis Barker is again a frequent collaborator, producing the album as well as contributing drums and occasionally co-writing some songs. This direct association might be part of why Tickets to My Downfall sounds inarguably enamored with blink-182, with songs like "Bloody Valentine," pained ballad "Play This When I'm Gone," and the explosive "Title Track" following blink's blueprint of straightforward melodies, huge hooks, and cathartic choruses. The rap elements of the past aren't completely scrubbed clean, with trap drums added to the mix of tunes like "Drunk Face," and cameo appearances from rappers like Trippie Redd and Blackbear. Even still, when Trippie Redd shows up on "All I Know," he's not rapping as much as singing some melodic lines that play nicely with the emo-rock format of the song. The themes of self-destruction, tainted romance, and struggles with depression that were often visited on Machine Gun Kelly's earlier material translate seamlessly from tormented rap to heart-aching pop-punk. Songs like the lovelorn and dramatic "My Ex's Best Friend" might have a delivery that's worlds away from the brooding rap he's known for, but he's still singing about the same problems as always. The profound stylistic upset of Tickets to My Downfall will leave some listeners flat, simply because what they enjoyed about Machine Gun Kelly as a rapper might be harder to find in his pop-punk songs. For those willing to come along for the ride, the album serves as a sincere and somewhat nostalgic embrace of pop-punk from the Myspace era. Machine Gun Kelly's personality is still at the heart of every song, even when trading 808 beats for crunchy guitar riffs. While some songs are more interesting than others and some tend too close to blink-182 worship, Tickets to My Downfall succeeds more than it falters. While it would rank as a slightly above average album for any given pop-punk band, there's an added excitement in how risky this about-face is for a multi-platinum artist who could have easily turned in the same record he made last time.© Fred Thomas /TiVo

George Martin stopped working America as the '70s became the '80s. Truth be told, it probably wasn't that painful of a departure. The time had come to part ways with Martin -- not only had they spent a decade with the celebrity producer, they were moving toward a slick, radio-ready adult contemporary direction that was entirely too calculated for Martin. So, they split, and Sir George effectively went into retirement while America worked with Matthew McCauley and Fred Mollin for 1980's Alibi. Essentially, the album picks up where Silent Letter left off, meaning that it's a set of pleasant soft pop, but it's slicker and slighter than its predecessor. That's not to say that it's without moments; like its predecessor, Alibi opens strongly with a pair of winners ("Survival," "Might Be Your Love"), and there are moments (such as "You Could've Been the One" or "Right Back to Me," which has a nice, bouncy chorus) that deliver later in the album. Still, it meanders fast and it meanders far, even into such ridiculous territory as the faux hard rock (in the sense that the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" is hard rock) of "Hangover," whose lyrics are at least worth a chuckle or two. Ultimately, Alibi suffers from not only its uneven material, but from the production, which is nowhere near as invitingly lush as Silent Letter. Nevertheless, McCauley and Mollin's production does sound exactly like MOR radio in 1980, and fans of that era may find this to be an enjoyable artifact, even with its flaws. Nevertheless, Alibi doesn't qualify as one of America's better latter-day efforts (even though it's certainly not one of their worst). They did this sound better on the subsequent View From the Ground.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

This self-titled release, issued in February 1976, was Diana Ross' first album since December 1973's Last Time I Saw Him. It followed Ross' starring role in the Berry Gordy-directed Mahogany. That film's theme, a sweeping Gerry Goffin/Michael Masser ballad sung by Ross, topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 charts; though it appeared on the Mahogany soundtrack, it was also included here and leads a set that's as diverse as Last Time I Saw Him, with a total of nine songs involving 16 songwriters. "I Thought It Took a Little Time (But Today I Fell in Love)," a stately ballad with a commanding chorus, was a Top Five Adult Contemporary hit but wasn't nearly as successful with R&B radio. "Love Hangover," with its extended lead-in and hurtling and thumping yet graceful groove, was Ross' entry into the disco market, where she proved to be a natural fit, and it not only topped the dance chart but the R&B and pop ones as well. "Kiss Me Now" is another highlight, a frisky, showbiz jazz number where Ross feels free enough to throw in a quick impression of Louis Armstrong. That covers the album's first side. Side two is much more focused, generally sticking to contemporary soul. "One Love in My Lifetime," yet another one of Ross' Top Ten R&B singles, is the most notable of the five songs, with the Ashford & Simpson-penned "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe" a close second. Subsequently mired in a couple unfocused patchwork recordings, Ross wouldn't make another truly fine album until The Boss, written and produced in its entirety by Ashford & Simpson.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

Diana Ross would probably be offended by anyone who called her 1980 smash Diana a comeback, but let's face it -- after the flop of The Wiz, and the way that the disco revolution steamrollered so many of her Motown compatriots' careers, that's exactly what it was. Wisely hooking up with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (both the most traditionally rooted and most fearless of the major disco-era producers), Ross sounds more forceful than she had in years. The helium-toned style of her early hits with the Supremes is worlds away from the assertive way she rips into the funky hit "Upside Down." Even better, the joyous, celebratory "I'm Coming Out" is probably the best solo track of her career, and the heartfelt "Now That You're Gone" is one of her most subtle ballads. The glossy Chic production might sound a bit dated to some ears, but it's matured much better than many similar albums of the era. Overall, this is, in many ways, Diana Ross' best solo record.© Charity Stafford /TiVo

Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy raised the roof of Olympia in Paris. After promoting Shake Shook Shaken for a year on tour, the French-Finnish duo ended their round on the Boulevard des Capucines, where great names are written in red neon. Surrounded by the excellent Bastien Burger, Marielle Chatain and Pierre Belleville, The Dø manage to irrigate the cold stretch since their last release. Aside from Lick My Wounds and Nature Will Remain, this live recording includes all of the tracks on the album. A solemn version of Cole Porter’s I Love Paris with Jeanne Added, Aha and The Bridge Is Broken are the rare surprises from this bath of contemporary melancholy soaped with synthesizers. Without reinventing the wheel, the former lovers prove they can carve French-style electro-pop and bring it back to its former glory on stage. Elegant and boisterous, the result proves tastier than the digestible synthetic feel of its studio version. © CS/Qobuz

Sunset on the Golden Age is the fourth album from Scottish "pirate metal" outfit Alestorm and follows their 2011 album Back Through Time. Produced by Lasse Lammert, the album sees the group deliver another collection of pirate-themed power metal tracks.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

Alice in Chains' shadow has grown longer as post-grunge settles into homogeny. Every outfit from Godsmack to Soil claims them as an influence; Staind's Aaron Lewis even wrote "Layne" in tribute to the band's departed frontman. Zakk Wylde throws his own goatee into that ring with Black Label Society's Hangover Music, Vol. 6, a largely acoustic album that recalls both Jar of Flies and Wylde's own Book of Shadows. He handles vocals, piano, and acoustic duties himself, also contributing the occasional display of electric guitar wizardry just to remind listeners of where he came from. Ozzy's influence looms at least as large as Alice in Chains -- he and his family are thanked prominently in the liner notes, and material like the ballad "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" sounds like it could have been written for him. (Wylde also offers his own tribute to Staley, also called "Layne.") Hangover Music's restraint is admirable, considering Wylde's fretboard prowess; in fact, the album's pretty damn mellow. "Won't Find It Here" cops the melody from U2's "One," while standouts "Crazy or High" and "Queen of Sorrow" feature wails from Wylde's electric over Southern rock-influenced acoustic licks and a rhythm section that includes Crowbar drummer Craig Nunenmacher. "Takillya (Estyabon)" is a brief burst of acoustic fretboard magic, and the piano-led "Woman Don't Cry" finds Wylde shelving his normally tortured moan in favor of a heartfelt croon comparable to Axl Rose on G N' R Lies. It makes the track one of the album's highlights, since Wylde's vocals on the majority of Hangover Music suggest he's a much better guitar player than he is a singer. Still, fans eager for fiery guitar work will enjoy "House of Doom," which joins the lighter "No Other" as the most obvious Alice in Chains tributes (barring "Layne," of course). Hangover Music, Vol. 6 also includes an earnest, solo piano version of the Procol Harum classic rock radio fave "Whiter Shade of Pale." © Johnny Loftus /TiVo