Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record. The productions, more funky than jazzy, were tighter overall -- but the big improvement, four years after their debut, came with Q-Tip's and Phife Dawg's raps. Focused yet funky, polished but raw, the duo was practically telepathic on "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" and "The Chase, Pt. 2," though the mammoth track here was the pop hit "Award Tour." A worldwide call-out record with a killer riff and a great pair of individual raps from the pair, it assured that Midnight Marauders would become A Tribe Called Quest's biggest seller. The album didn't feature as many topical tracks as Tribe was known for, though the group did include an excellent, sympathetic commentary on the question of that word ("Sucka Nigga," with a key phrase: "being as we use it as a term of endearment"). Most of the time, A Tribe Called Quest was indulging in impeccably produced, next-generation games of the dozens ("We Can Get Down," "Oh My God," "Lyrics to Go"), but also took the time to illustrate sensitivity and spirituality ("God Lives Through"). A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders was commercially successful, artistically adept, and lyrically inventive; the album cemented their status as alternative rap's prime sound merchants, authors of the most original style since the Bomb Squad first exploded on wax.© John Bush /TiVo

Though there are a few queasy pop/vocal tracks, Moroder's soundtrack to Midnight Express earns points for an array of exploratory synthesizer pieces (including "Wheel" and "Cacaphoney") as well as its opener, "Chase." One of Moroder's biggest hits, the track bounces back and forth between melodic disco and hypnotic sequencer trance just one step removed from the likes of Tangerine Dream.© John Bush /TiVo

Released without prior fanfare during the waning days of a long, violent summer, Long Violent History is an understated protest album from Tyler Childers, one that attempts to place the political protests of 2020 within a broader context. Childers makes his intentions plain only at the end of the record, when its title track -- the only original song here and the only one with vocals, too -- asks his fellow white Kentuckians that if they lived through the same experiences as their black neighbors do, would they then acknowledge that institutional racism exists? When "Long Violent History" was released as a single, Childers accompanied it with a six-minute video explaining his goals and why he's a supporter of Black Lives Matter, and while those interviews do provide context for Long Violent History, the album itself is powerful enough to stand on its own. For the first eight songs, Childers and his band run through eight instrumental -- almost all bluegrass -- standards (the opening "Send in the Clowns" is a bit of a ringer), giving them such a high lonesome reading, they're nearly mournful. All of this sets up the gut punch of the closer, a song that pulls this mountain music into focus, helping to suggest that Kentuckians are bonded by a culture that stands above racism. It's the rare protest album that doesn't need words to shout, and it's all the more powerful because of it.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Talk about ambitious. This two-LP set finds guitarist Al di Meola performing with his quintet of the time (featuring keyboardist Philippe Saisse), with studio musicians, solo, in a reunion with pianist Chick Corea, singing a love song, and welcoming veteran Les Paul for a version of "Spanish Eyes." Most of the music works quite well and it shows that di Meola (best-known for his speedy rock-oriented solos) is a surprisingly well-rounded and versatile musician.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

It seems strange that folks like Ray Wylie Hubbard once lived such wild lives but have been able to make solid comebacks later in life. Strange, because Hubbard, on Delirium Tremolos, sounds as good as he ever has. Better yet, the album has a nice, mellow country sound, and Hubbard has discarded, for the time being, his penchant for preachy, comic songs. It doesn't hurt that the album's been produced by Gurf Morlix, nor that he's joined by great harmony singers like Patty Griffin and Eliza Gilkyson. Hubbard's choice of songs are solid too, combining deep but real lyrics ("And the rock and roll gypsies are ridin' tonight/ On the carnival strips they'll stay") with good melodies and hooks. The first three songs, "The Beauty Way," "Rock and Roll Gypsies," and "Dallas After Midnight," are all keepers, and a beautiful start to a solid album. Other good songs include "This Mornin' I Am Born Again," a gospel-flavored hymn that even pagans should dig. Delirium Tremolos only runs 45 minutes, which means that Hubbard and Morlix resisted the temptation to fill the disc with less than satisfactory material. Roots fans and anyone who enjoys good songwriting will want to pick up a copy. © Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo

Roni Size may have won the 1997 Mercury Music Prize, while Goldie's Timeless may be considered one of the decade's most innovative dance masterpieces, but for all its critical acclaim and unquestionable credibility, the '90s drum‘n'bass scene never really produced a breakout star in the same way that garage (Craig David), grime (Dizzee Rascal), or big beat (the Prodigy) managed to create. Apart from M-Beat's 1994 hit "Incredible," drum‘n'bass artists never really threatened the Top Ten, and by the end of the decade, the whole genre appeared to have retreated back into the underground where it came from. However, since Pendulum's 2005 debut, Hold Your Colour, the sound has witnessed a surprising renaissance, a development capitalized on more than anyone else by London duo Saul Milton and Will Kennard, aka Chase & Status, whose accessible blend of frenetic beats and pop hooks on debut album More Than Alot led to production duties on tracks for Rihanna and others, a far cry from their humble bedroom DJ beginnings. Their second album, No More Idols, ups the commercial ante even further, with a whole host of star-studded guest performances, both predictable (in-vogue MC Tinie Tempah on the ironically titled grimey "Hitz") to the downright unexpected (doom-laden post-punk trio White Lies on the atmospheric "Embrace"). While this concerted effort to conquer the mainstream may sit uncomfortably with the drum'n'bass purists, its genre-hopping anthemic nature has actually provided the scene's most consistent and inventive offering to date. Avoiding the repetition that plagues many dance albums, each of its 15 tracks is bursting with ideas, as evident on the opening three tracks: "No Problem," an invigorating fusion of fast-paced acid-rave synths and tribal African rhythms; "Fire in Your Eyes," which combines Lenny Kravitz-style guitar solos with emerging acoustic hip-hop artist Maverick Sabre's reggae-tinged vocals; and "Let You Go," a ferocious club banger whose sinister lyrics provide the best stalker anthem since the Police's "Every Breath You Take." Elsewhere, the duo tackles brooding trip-hop (the Clare Maguire-featuring "Midnight Caller"), blistering nu-metal (the manically intense "Hypest Hype"), and menacing dubstep (the Cee-Lo Green-fronted "Brixton Briefcase"), all of which creates a whirlwind of sound that constantly keeps the listener guessing. But it's Chase & Status' two huge Top Ten singles that provide the album's highlights. The melancholic guitars, pulsating breakbeats, and Plan B's understated reflective vocals on Harry Brown theme "End Credits" provide a cinematic backdrop to a hugely powerful account of a man's dying moments, while "Blind Faith" is an authentic old-skool rave-inspired anthem that somehow manages to make the ubiquitous sample of Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation" sound both fresh and beautifully uplifting. The rather aimless and derivative '90s drum'n'bass homage "Hocus Pocus" aside, No More Idols is a consistently impressive and intriguing listen that has the potential to be the drum‘n'bass genre's defining studio album.© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Duoud, the pairing of oud players Mehdi Haddab and Smadj, does indeed prove to be a wild serenade. Playing in unison or off each other, they complement each other well -- but the real wildness comes with the arrangements. In addition to Smadj's computerized loops and atmospheres, there's electric cello, electric guitar, violin, drums, and percussion -- all splendidly played and not afraid of getting frenetic when asked. Although its starts out very rootsy with the demanding "Yarimo," it's not long before the band is heading for the outer limits with "Racailles," where the cello provides interesting counterpoint and texture over a complex rhythm, with some virtuosic oud work followed by Pierre Fruchard's screaming guitar. And anyone who decides to cover Giorgio Moroder's "Chase" possesses great imagination (equally intriguing is the remix of the track "Midnight for Dancing With Friends in Your Living Room"). And if you think you've heard the violin played before, check out "For Nedim." This is a disc that pulls no punches and is all the better for it, where the acoustic integrity of the oud mixes perfectly with the electric intensity of the other instruments. It may not be the Middle East of tomorrow, but it's the world fusion of today. © Chris Nickson /TiVo