The recording of Black and Blue took place at the same time as the auditions for guitarist Mick Taylor’s replacement. It's for that reason that the sessions were stalled and dragged on long enough to see the departure of an exasperated Glyn Johns – one of the Stones’ most loyal sound engineers who was involved in the production of their most successful albums – and finally the official addition of Ron Wood. A former guitarist for Rod Stewart, Wood wasn't as virtuosic as Mick Taylor but he was still an experienced musician and most importantly, he got along marvellously with the original members of the band. While we often remember the kitsch and simple ballads, Fool to Cry, and Memory Hotel from Black And Blue, it's also worth mentioning the tracks that are closer to what the Rolling Stones originally envisaged when they made the album: an eclectic album with Funk influences (Hot Stuff), Reggae (Cherry Oh Baby), and sometimes even sophisticated Blues/Jazz (on the amazing Melody). That being said, it wouldn’t be a true Stones album if here and there they didn’t show off their talent for creating a unique musical identity with electric guitars (Hand Of Fate, Crazy Mama). © Iskender Fay/Qobuz

Titanic rap duo Run the Jewels returned with their third self-titled effort on Christmas Eve 2016. Bestowing the gift of Run the Jewels 3 weeks earlier than expected, El-P and Killer Mike managed to deliver a collection even more satisfying than 2015's sophomore installment. Whereas RTJ2 was the sound of multiple slugs to the chest, RTJ3 is as streamlined and focused as a laser blast between the eyes. Furious and hungry -- with endlessly quotable lyrical zingers to spare -- RTJ3's potency isn't as immediate as RTJ2. However, once it digs its claws in, RTJ3 reveals itself as their best work to date. The interplay between Mike and El remains the main draw, their chemistry elevating them above most contemporaries as they bounce back and forth on agile verses packed with enough outrageous boasts to fill a how-to guide on making more prudish listeners blush. The familiar RTJ sound is once again provided by the production team of El-P, Little Shalimar, and Wilder Zoby, with BOOTS making his return on a pair of album highlights. This time around, the roster of guest vocalists is as inspired as ever. Soulful singer Joi Gilliam smooths the pair's edges on the slinky opener "Down," while a wild Danny Brown verse unhinges "Hey Kids (Bumaye)." Trina holds her own and balances the brutal testosterone attack on the filthy "Panther Like a Panther (Miracle Mix)," the spiritual sibling to RTJ2's "Love Again (Akinyele Back)." While familiar themes (drugs, murder, sex) flow freely, the pair manage to pause the over-the-top boasting on a couple of intimately powerful tracks. Following Mike's time on the political campaign trail and the United States' tumultuous 2016, RTJ3 pulls no punches in addressing police brutality and social unrest. "Thieves! (Screamed the Ghost)" features TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and strategic Martin Luther King, Jr. speech samples concerning rioting. Brought together by BOOTS' guitar stabs and digital clang, "2100" protracts the fear and uncertainty of "Thieves!" with more atmospheric dread. Zack de la Rocha follows his standout appearance on RTJ2's "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" with an explosive turn on the second part of album-closer "A Report to the Shareholders/Kill Your Masters." A call to arms, the track distills all their rage and frustration, as they declare themselves the "gladiators that oppose all Caesars." While "Shareholders/Masters" is the fiery political centerpiece of the album, standout moment "Thursday in the Danger Room" is the heart of RTJ3. An ode to a pair of fallen friends, "Danger Room" is a powerful moment of grieving and forgiveness. Kamasi Washington's saxophone adds warmth and gravitas, a bittersweet requiem that hits as effectively as Donny McCaslin's work on Bowie's Blackstar. In short, RTJ3 is near perfect in its execution. They're so good at this that it seems almost unfair in its effortlessness.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Junior Wells’ first album released in 1965, Hoodoo Man Blues is one of the pillars of Chicago blues. The kind of pillar that holds up the ceiling in a smoky club on the West Side, with a leather-clad pimp leaning up against it. It's like being at Theresa’s Lounge, the legendary club in Chicago where Junior Wells spent his evenings blowing into his harmonica with his guitarist and friend Buddy Guy. Junior Wells is one of the greats of the blues harmonica, to the point of having won a long contract in Muddy Waters' band, replacing Little Walter. But on his first album, he doesn't get out his CV nor show off his skills. He's content with playing as if he was in a club with his band. In other words, it's funky. Tight, sensual, tense. Junior Wells and his band of dancing blues experts never overdo it, each note is in its place. All the magic of this record lies in the interaction between the musicians, like in jazz. Junior Wells is not the type to demonstrate his technical skills as a harmonica player. But he still explodes here on a virtuosic cover of Chitlins Con Carne, a piece by jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. The direct links between jazz and blues at the time are rare enough to deserve a mention. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz

And then, in a flash, Kanye was everywhere, transformed from respected producer to big-name producer/MC, throwing a fit at the American Music Awards, performing "Jesus Walks" at the Grammys, wearing his diamond-studded Jesus piece, appearing on the cover of Time, running his mouth 24/7. One thing that remains unchanged is Kanye's hunger, even though his head has swollen to the point where it could be separated from his body, shot into space, and considered a planet. Raised middle class, Kanye didn't have to hustle his way out of poverty, the number one key to credibility for many hip-hop fans, whether it comes to rapper turned rapping label presidents or suburban teens. And now that he has proved himself in another way, through his stratospheric success -- which also won him a gaggle of haters as passionate as his followers -- he doesn't want to be seen as a novelty whose ambitions have been fulfilled. On Late Registration, he finds himself backed into a corner, albeit as king of the mountain. It's a paradox, which is exactly what he thrives on. His follow-up to The College Dropout isn't likely to change the minds of the resistant. As an MC, Kanye remains limited, with all-too-familiar flows that weren't exceptional to begin with (you could place a number of these rhymes over College Dropout beats). He uses the same lyrical strategies as well. Take lead single "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," in which he switches from boastful to rueful; more importantly, the conflict felt in owning blood diamonds will be lost on those who couldn't afford one with years of combined income. Even so, he can be tremendous as a pure writer, whether digging up uncovered topics (as on "Diamonds") or spinning a clever line ("Before anybody wanted K. West's beats, me and my girl split the buffet at KFC"). The production approach, however, is rather different from the debut. Crude beats and drastically tempo-shifted samples are replaced with a more traditionally musical touch from Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann), who co-produces with West on most of the tracks. (Ironically, the Just Blaze-helmed "Touch the Sky" tops everything laid down by the pair, despite its heavy reliance on Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up.") West and Brion are a good, if unlikely, match. Brion's string arrangements and brass flecks add a new dimension to West's beats without overshadowing them, and the results are neither too adventurous nor too conservative. While KRS-One was the first to proclaim, "I am hip-hop," Kanye West might as well be the first MC to boldly state, "I am pop." © Andy Kellman /TiVo

It's difficult not to view Joanne through the prism of Artpop, the 2013 album where Lady Gaga's expanding fame balloon finally popped. Ambitious but muddled, Artpop debuted high but came crashing down to the ground, stalling out after the second single, the R. Kelly duet "Do What U Want." Gaga quickly retreated to the confines of cabaret, cutting a nicely accomplished standards album with Tony Bennett, a move that not only gave her the opportunity to work with a legend, but signaled that she considered Artpop a step too far: The camp of Cheek to Cheek was elegant, not garish, an acknowledgment that she was once again back in control of her joke. It set the stage for Joanne, a clever streamlining of the Lady Gaga persona that functions as the opposite of Artpop. All the excesses are excised while the eccentricities are used as accents on songs that are usually well-rendered pop. A few numbers take a passing glance at country music -- the title "Joanne" winks at Dolly Parton's "Jolene"; in a different arrangement, the ballad "Million Reasons" could be an adult contemporary crossover from Faith Hill or Shania Twain -- but Gaga's feet remain firmly planted in dance-pop even when she brings in Father John Misty, Beck, Florence Welch, and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age for collaborations. Homme co-wrote "Diamond Heart" and "John Wayne," two of the harder disco songs here, while Misty assists on the steady rolling "Sinner's Prayer" -- perhaps the best fusion of country and pop here -- and "Come to Mama," a buoyant throwback to Motown that finds a companion on the Welch duet "Hey Girl," an analog slow jam that floats in the shimmer light. These, plus the riotous "A-Yo" and the masturbation ode "Dancin' in Circles," don't necessarily find comfortable companions in the ballads peppered throughout the album, but executive producer Mark Ronson helps polish Joanne so it flows easily, which is its appeal. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

June 27th, 2007 at Amoeba music - the most popular record store in Hollywood - Paul McCartney steps on stage for an undisclosed, 90 minute performance, to a small but eager crowd. The venue is more like the Cavern Club than Wembley, which might have prompted this introductory statement: "Welcome to Amoeba - it's got to be the most surreal gig ever. The management has asked us to point out no shoplifting please”. Cue 21 songs, from his solo discography as well as his catalog as a Beatle. Four of these recordings would be released the same year in a limited edition: Only Mama Knows, C Moon, That Was Me, and I Saw Her Standing There. In 2009, these were republished in a CD version. But 17 other songs had yet to be made available to the public - until today. Backed by a very solid band, with Dave Arch (piano), Rusty Anderson (guitar), Brian Ray (bass) and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (drums), Macca is given free reign to sing his heart out. During the opener Drive My Car, his voice is strong and self-assured; as the show goes on, it is noticeably tinged with emotion. On an exceptional performance of The Long and Winding Road, the moment is crystallized - the sheer adoration of the crowd, and the clear enjoyment Paul seems to be taking out of the performance, clearly lend some sort of magic to the whole thing. Live at Amoeba 2007 is a grand slam from start to finish - usual business for Sir Paul McCartney. © Alexis Renaudat/Qobuz 

Although nominally a rap group, Black Eyed Peas call upon so many forms of songwriting and production that slotting them into hip-hop is like slotting Prince into R&B -- technically true, but very limiting. Elephunk, the group's third LP (and the first to feature Fergie), doesn't have top-notch rapping, but as driven by frontman Will.I.Am, it does possess some of the most boundary-pushing productions in contemporary, (mostly) uncommercial hip-hop, right up at the level occupied by Common and OutKast. The smart, brassy opening club thump "Hands Up" hits another level with a sly bridge flaunting some heavy metallic slide guitar, while the highly pressurized love jam "Shut Up" features great interplay between Taboo and new member Fergie. Space doesn't allow for description of each track, but suffice to say any Will.I.Am track is going to feature loads of ideas and fresh sounds, not to mention plenty of stylistic change-ups -- from the digital-step ragga of "Hey Mama" (featuring Tippa Irie) to the Latinized, loved-up "Latin Girls." Like a latter-day Digital Underground, Black Eyed Peas know how to get a party track moving, and add a crazy stupid rhyme or two ("bop your head like epilepsy" from the suitably titled "Let's Get Retarded").© John Bush /TiVo

Junior Wells’ first album released in 1965, Hoodoo Man Blues is one of the pillars of Chicago blues. The kind of pillar that holds up the ceiling in a smoky club on the West Side, with a leather-clad pimp leaning up against it. It's like being at Theresa’s Lounge, the legendary club in Chicago where Junior Wells spent his evenings blowing into his harmonica with his guitarist and friend Buddy Guy. Junior Wells is one of the greats of the blues harmonica, to the point of having won a long contract in Muddy Waters' band, replacing Little Walter. But on his first album, he doesn't get out his CV nor show off his skills. He's content with playing as if he was in a club with his band. In other words, it's funky. Tight, sensual, tense. Junior Wells and his band of dancing blues experts never overdo it, each note is in its place. All the magic of this record lies in the interaction between the musicians, like in jazz. Junior Wells is not the type to demonstrate his technical skills as a harmonica player. But he still explodes here on a virtuosic cover of Chitlins Con Carne, a piece by jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell. The direct links between jazz and blues at the time are rare enough to deserve a mention. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz

It's difficult not to view Joanne through the prism of Artpop, the 2013 album where Lady Gaga's expanding fame balloon finally popped. Ambitious but muddled, Artpop debuted high but came crashing down to the ground, stalling out after the second single, the R. Kelly duet "Do What U Want." Gaga quickly retreated to the confines of cabaret, cutting a nicely accomplished standards album with Tony Bennett, a move that not only gave her the opportunity to work with a legend, but signaled that she considered Artpop a step too far: The camp of Cheek to Cheek was elegant, not garish, an acknowledgment that she was once again back in control of her joke. It set the stage for Joanne, a clever streamlining of the Lady Gaga persona that functions as the opposite of Artpop. All the excesses are excised while the eccentricities are used as accents on songs that are usually well-rendered pop. A few numbers take a passing glance at country music -- the title "Joanne" winks at Dolly Parton's "Jolene"; in a different arrangement, the ballad "Million Reasons" could be an adult contemporary crossover from Faith Hill or Shania Twain -- but Gaga's feet remain firmly planted in dance-pop even when she brings in Father John Misty, Beck, Florence Welch, and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age for collaborations. Homme co-wrote "Diamond Heart" and "John Wayne," two of the harder disco songs here, while Misty assists on the steady rolling "Sinner's Prayer" -- perhaps the best fusion of country and pop here -- and "Come to Mama," a buoyant throwback to Motown that finds a companion on the Welch duet "Hey Girl," an analog slow jam that floats in the shimmer light. These, plus the riotous "A-Yo" and the masturbation ode "Dancin' in Circles," don't necessarily find comfortable companions in the ballads peppered throughout the album, but executive producer Mark Ronson helps polish Joanne so it flows easily, which is its appeal. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Canadian singer/songwriter Frazey Ford is best known as one-third of the folk group the Be Good Tanyas, and she comes from a family steeped in the French Canadian folk music tradition, so where the hell did all the R&B influences overflowing from her solo debut, Obadiah, come from? Apparently, Ford's love of soul music is a longstanding, deep-seated one, but it wasn't until she finally stepped out of the gravitational pull of the Be Good Tanyas for a moment that she was able to pursue that direction. You'd scarcely guess that Ford had such an extensive folkie CV -- much less Canadian folkie -- from listening to Obadiah. The inspiration of Hi Records-style ‘70s soul (Ann Peebles, Al Green, Syl Johnson) comes through loud and clear, but this isn't some slavishly imitative neo-soul outing either. Ford's unique vocal style, which mates a kittenish curl with a warm warble suggesting a lower-key, distaff cousin of Antony Hegarty, isn't exactly the sort of thing you'd hear on a playlist bookended by Macy Gray and Jill Scott. If anything, Ford comes off more like the female equivalent of early Martin Sexton, when he was using the acoustic singer/songwriter format to pursue his own love of sinuous, sexy, early-‘70s R&B. There's a laid-back, late-night vibe maintained throughout Obadiah, as Ford unleashes her moody croon over slow to midtempo tunes colored by piano, organ, and Tanyas member Trish Klein's guitar work and powered by mellow but funky, slow-rolling grooves. Admittedly, there are a few spots on the album where Ford's folkier inclinations peek out, like the lambent, country-tinged "Hey Little Mama" and "Goin' Over," and a cover of Bob Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee," but for the most part, anyone coming to Obadiah with the hopes of exploring more Tanyas territory is in for a soul-slathered surprise.© J. Allen /TiVo

It’s hardly a coincidence that Nathaniel Rateliff is at Stax. With his band The Night Sweats, the native of Denver has become a true ambassador of this muggy southern soul as it was practised on the infamous Memphis label at the end of the sixties. With his instrumental virtuosity, the soul of his songs, the ardour of their interpretation and the preaching of his organ, Tearing at the Seams glorifies the spirit of a vast heritage ranging from Otis Redding to Van Morrison, through Booker T. and the MG’s, Ray Charles and Creedence Clearwater Revival. As can be expected, the rhythmic turbine goes at a million miles an hour, the brass are as incandescent as possible and the voice of Reteliff is a furious rattle that is completely his own. This gang does not care to look in the rearview mirror despite assuming a rather nostalgic sound. © Max Dembo/Qobuz

Although nominally a rap group, Black Eyed Peas call upon so many forms of songwriting and production that slotting them into hip-hop is like slotting Prince into R&B -- technically true, but very limiting. Elephunk, the group's third LP (and the first to feature Fergie), doesn't have top-notch rapping, but as driven by frontman Will.I.Am, it does possess some of the most boundary-pushing productions in contemporary, (mostly) uncommercial hip-hop, right up at the level occupied by Common and OutKast. The smart, brassy opening club thump "Hands Up" hits another level with a sly bridge flaunting some heavy metallic slide guitar, while the highly pressurized love jam "Shut Up" features great interplay between Taboo and new member Fergie. Space doesn't allow for description of each track, but suffice to say any Will.I.Am track is going to feature loads of ideas and fresh sounds, not to mention plenty of stylistic change-ups -- from the digital-step ragga of "Hey Mama" (featuring Tippa Irie) to the Latinized, loved-up "Latin Girls." Like a latter-day Digital Underground, Black Eyed Peas know how to get a party track moving, and add a crazy stupid rhyme or two ("bop your head like epilepsy" from the suitably titled "Let's Get Retarded").© John Bush /TiVo

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Ry Cooder is not frequently considered a prolific recording artist, yet he has amassed a sizeable catalog of original albums and film scores over the decades. He has also participated in some truly and even historic projects from the 1960s on, including the Rising Sons with Taj Mahal, the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, Little Village, and the Buena Vista Social Club. Likewise, many of his collaborative dates are regarded as particularly noteworthy, especially his albums with Ali Farka Touré, V.M. Bhatt, Manuel Galban, and the Chieftains. This box collects in encyclopedic fashion Cooder's solo records for Warner beginning with his self-titled debut album and continues through his final album for the label proper, the brief yet classic Get Rhythm. In between, are Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, Paradise and Lunch, Chicken Skin Music, Show Time, Jazz, Bop 'Til You Drop, Borderline, and The Slide Area. None of his soundtracks from this period are included -- too bad, actually. When tolled and juxtaposed with more recent recordings for Nonesuch, including his L.A. trilogy -- Chávez Ravine, My Name Is Buddy, I, Flathead: The Songs of Kash Buk & the Klowns -- and even Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, it is obvious that Cooder has been mining a deep, rich vein in his exploration of North American, Hawaiian music, country, folk, blues, mariachi, Tejano, Norteño, rock & roll, swing, and more, placing them in a variety of contexts, all of which yield meaning as they underscore musical and cultural history and what gets lost as it evolves. He is not a preservationist, but one of our great historians. Each chapter in his recorded legacy is worthy of investigation. As is de rigueur in this Rhino series, each album is presented bare bones, in a paper LP-cover sleeve with original, scaled-down art contained in a cardboard slipcase sans bonus material or booklet. That said, given the price, having these records in one place -- as they've all been in and out of print over the past couple of decades -- is a real plus for fans.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

ReIdolized celebrates the 25th anniversary of W.A.S.P.'s The Crimson Idol -- Blackie Lawless and co. re-recorded the album for a new audience. Featuring all the original tracks, the album adds four unreleased songs that deepen the concept album's story.© Rich Wilson /TiVo