Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade. A mere glance at RoundAgain’s line-up is enough to arouse a sense of collective hysteria among jazz fans. The original members of Joshua Redman's first quartet haven’t recorded together since MoodWing was released in 1994. “We would have done it ten years ago if it were up to me”, explains Mehldau, “Josh, Christian and Brian are all my heroes. It’s like playing with The Avengers!” It’s a worthy comparison seeing as these four really are considered superheroes in today’s jazzosphere. In almost a quarter of a century, their aura and playing has developed in an exponential way, to the point that the quartet has achieved an irrevocable spiritual chemistry. On this brand-new album (three compositions by Redman, two by Mehldau, and one each for McBride and Blade), they immediately show off a bond which allows them to perform extraordinary and colossal swing. Under the hood of this sparkling, perplexing yet vintage Rolls Royce of a record, RoundAgain is a meaningful four-way conversation. From beginning (Undertow) to end (Your Part to Play), mutual respect is at the heart of their drive and direction; even Redman’s verbose saxophone never steals the spotlight. Let’s just hope that we won’t have to wait another 26 years before they do it all again… © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Lionel Richie's solo career began while he was still in the Commodores, as he wrote and sang (as a duet with Diana Ross) the theme to the Brooke Shields romance Endless Love, which became a bigger hit than any of the group's singles, thereby setting the stage for his departure and his 1982 self-titled solo debut. He wasn't working in unfamiliar territory, or with new musicians. The Commodores decided to work as their own band, so their producer, James Anthony Carmichael, was able to devote his energy to working on Richie's album. Using the pop-crossover ballad style of "Endless Love," "Three Times a Lady," and "Easy" as their template, the duo turned Lionel Richie into a sleek, state-of-the-art record that, at its best, provides some irresistible pop pleasures. The key to its success -- and the reason it was scorned by some Commodores fans -- is that Richie doesn't even make a pretense of funk here, leaving behind the loose, elastic grooves of his previous bands (a move that makes sense, since his voice never suited that style particularly well), choosing to concentrate on ballads and sparkly mid-tempo pop, peppered with a few stylish dance grooves. The ballads, of course, provided two big hits with "My Love" and "Truly," two numbers that illustrate that he was moving ever-closer to mainstream pop, since these are unapologetic AOR slow-dance tunes. The other big hit, "You Are," is an effervescent, wonderful pop tune that showcases Richie at his sunniest; it's one of his greatest singles. Throughout the first part of the record, the dance numbers are served up and they're very good -- "Serves You Right" has a shiny, propulsive groove, while "Tell Me" jams nicely. After "You Are," the record bogs down with a couple of ballads that are on the wrong side of adult contemporary -- too formless, too hookless to really catch hold -- but they don't hurt the first seven songs, which form a dynamic mainstream pop-soul record, one of the best the early '80s had to offer. It's the sound of Lionel Richie finding his solo voice, and, the next time out, he knew how to use it even better than he does here. [The 2003 reissue of Lionel Richie includes two bonus tracks: a solo demo of "Endless Love" which not only fits perfectly with this record, but is less cloying, and an instrumental of "You Are" whose primary worth is to hear the detail and expertise in the production Richie and Carmichael assembled.]© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

They’re back again! Stereophonics are back with their new album Oochya!, their 12th full-length album in 25 years. This Welsh band have no need to worry about empty stadiums or being taken off the airwaves, as they’re still charging their way through the British rock landscape with the same energy they’ve always had. There’s a lot of fuel left in this band’s tank for a while yet. Their longevity is, in the most part, owed to their tried and tested formula: fast, catchy rock melodies, simple choruses that stick in your head, and the stadium-busting energy of frontman Kelly Jones. The amazing Hanging on your Hinges opens the album with its fat riff, Forever hooks you with its well-defined loops and youthful 90’s momentum, Seen that Look Before sounds like a soundtrack from an 80s romcom, while Jack in a Box offers an intimate banjo ballad. A well-conceived album with the classic Stereophonics sound that’s always seamlessly executed. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz

Saying that a band doesn’t sound like any others is almost like saying that it sounds like all the others. Nowadays, we live in the era of open stylistic borders and only listening to things on shuffle, making Sorry (a band that is 100% 2020) even less categorizable. With an authentic rock spirit and ideas that are about as tidy as a teenager’s bedroom, Asha Lorenz and Louis O’Bryen’s first album is one of the most astonishing albums at the moment. Time will have no doubt helped these two Londoners perfect 925 as they have known each other since secondary school. No competition here, just a great collaborative effort that sees them exchange the microphone over the course of the album’s thirteen tracks, and also sharing it, much like Sonic Youth did years ago. In fact, you often think of a softer version of their New York elders when listening to this record. Like them, Sorry doesn’t smile, instead pouting with lazy nonchalance that could push you away instead of pulling you in… and yet they are fascinating. The Guardian summed it up perfectly: Sorry is “the band making ennui sexy”. The band borrows from various genres and legends: a slacker attitude from grunge, guitars from Pixies (Perfect), sultry cheek from Garbage (Snakes), a certain junky imagery from The Kills (More), intoxicating saxophone from the no wave movement and a shadowy vision from post-punk. You have to listen to this Qobuzissime on repeat to appreciate its originality and end up being enchanted by it. An album you simply can’t miss: Sorry, no excuses. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

After nearly three decades of making sunny California skatepunk, the Offspring get autumnal with their reflective ninth album, Days Go By. Though the band still maintains the same driving, hooky sound that it's always had, the album feels less aggressive and more wistful and yearning. "Days Go By" seems like punk rock tailor-made for fall weather with its meditations on the impermanence of youthful anger, as if the Offspring are offering some sage advice for those coming up after them. A similar vibe courses through "All I Have Left Is You," which switches back and forth between smoothed-out verses and big, guitar-heavy choruses, like a much more adult version of the band than fans might have ever heard previously. While other parts of the album don't quite have the same adult contemporary punk feeling, the songs are generally more melodic and grown-up. While this kind of maturity is not only welcome, but expected, Days Go By also has moments that seem as if the Offspring might be starting to show their age a bit. "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" was corny back in 1998, making songs like "Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)" and "OC Guns" even harder to swallow 14 years later. Even though these missteps don't completely ruin the album, they seem over-produced and unnecessary amidst what is an otherwise well-crafted record. All in all, Days Go By is more for fans who have been with the band for a while than those just tuning in, and while die-hard Offspring followers will be able to see the shift in the band's sound as part of a logical progression, new listeners would be better served by checking out some of their earlier, more urgent work. © Gregory Heaney /TiVo

A longtime associate of Four Tet and Hot Chip, as well as the former guitarist for short-lived '90s pop-punk group Symposium, Hagop Tchaparian didn't begin releasing music as a solo artist until 2022. Appearing on Kieran Hebden's Text Records, Bolts blends synths, dance beats, acoustic instruments, and field recordings in a manner that won't sound unfamiliar to Four Tet fans, but Tchaparian's music is distinguished by his usage of instruments reflecting his Armenian heritage. For more than a decade, Tchaparian has made private recordings of street musicians and other happenings during his travels to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean nations, and these sounds are deftly edited into his compositions. Beginning the record in downtempo mode, "Timelapse" is a hazy piece grounded by an ear-catching loop of dhol drumming with whistling noises captured in the background. "GL" begins with a drone of horns and synths, switching to big room techno beats on a dime, bolstered by frenetic hand drumming. "Flame" has more delicate pacing, stretching its loops out over nine minutes, alternating between pounding kick drums and more reflective, glowing passages. "Right to Riot" is one of the album's most commanding fusions of ecstatic acoustic loops and moody synths, reaching fever pitch with a brief snatch of a zurna wailing like an alarm. The most successful track on the album is "Round," which suspensefully builds from a blippy microhouse beat, as haunting synth layers levitate. "Ldz" deconstructs samples of fireworks and applause, craftily arranging them into a beat and then a deep, resonating drone. Bolts tries out a lot of different approaches, from front-and-center club tracks to ambient experiments, and while the more exciting, beat-heavy cuts tend to work better, Tchaparian's work is undeniably unique and refreshing. © Paul Simpson /TiVo

After the tinny sound quality of the band's debut, the second Bad Brains album came as a real blast of sonic fresh air. Producer Ric Ocasek is largely responsible, but the increased tightness and focus are also a function of maturation. This band was a weird bundle of contradictions from day one: black Rastafarian instrumental virtuosos playing hardcore punk, formerly the exclusive domain of white, aggressively atheist musical amateurs. That last contradiction would come to full musical flower on I Against I, but Rock for Light shows the band at the height of its punk energy. "P.M.A.," "Joshua's Song," and "Coptic Times" are typical examples of Bad Brains' unique blend of punk velocity and Rasta ideology. When they suddenly swing into mellow reggae (on "I and I Survive," "The Meek," "Rally 'Round Jah Throne," and the dubwise instrumental "Jam"), the effect is like some kind of pleasant musical whiplash. The 1990 CD reissue of this album was remixed by Ocasek and bassist Darryl Jenifer, and it includes several bonus tracks.© Rick Anderson /TiVo

With the robust ambience of Fugazi Hall in San Francisco at his disposal, Thelonious Monk recorded ten unaccompanied tracks over two days to create a long-awaited sequel to his immensely endearing Thelonious Himself long-player. As had become somewhat customary for Monk, he brought with him a healthy sampling from his voluminous back catalog, cover tunes, as well as a few new compositions. What is most immediately striking about these recordings is the rich and accurate sound stage at Fugazi Hall. The overtones are rich and thoughtful in their ability to animate Monk's recreations of some of his most endearing works, such as the pair that opens this set. "Blue Monk" still retains the proud stride and walking blues heritage of previous renderings. Adding a bit of off-tempo improvisation, Monk propels and emphasizes the rhythmic swing even harder. He is obviously also enjoying what he is hearing. The audible maturity guiding Monk through the familiar, albeit offbeat, chord progressions of "Ruby, My Dear" is striking. His nimble reflexes and split-second timing render this version superior. Again, the sound of the hall offers even more to enjoy from this performance. It is unfortunate that the playful solitude of "Round Lights" was never revisited. This freeform composition is framed within a blues structure, yet reveals all of the slightly askew freedom of a Monk original. The recreation of an old 1920s hit, "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie," is another of the highlights from Thelonious Alone in San Francisco that was never recorded again by Monk. The noir qualities are immeasurably enhanced by Monk's oblique phrasings as well as the eerie resonance of the Fugazi. This is an absolute must-own recording -- Monk enthusiast or not.© Lindsay Planer /TiVo

This is a typically tasteful Kenny Burrell record (reissued on CD) with the guitarist mostly emphasizing ballads. Five of the seven songs (which include "Make Someone Happy," "Since I Fell for You" and the theme from "A Streetcar Named Desire") find Burrell assisted by pianist Richard Wyands (who also played electric piano), bassist Reggie Johnson and drummer Lenny McBrowne. "'Round Midnight" is played by Burrell with pianist Joe Sample, bassist Johnson and drummer Paul Humphrey while "Blues in the Night" is an unaccompanied guitar solo. Although the music overall is well-played, no real sparks fly and the results often border on being sleepy.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

Imelda May's fourth studio album, 2014's Tribal, finds the Irish chanteuse balancing an '80s-influenced new wave rockabilly energy with a few of old-school '50s ballads and a bit of country twang. Produced by Mike Crossey, who previously helmed projects by Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg, and others, Tribal features all of the elements that have made May such a breakthrough artist since her 2003 debut, No Turning Back. Here we get her bright, puckered vocal attack showcased on a bevy of instantly infectious cuts. As with her past albums, Tribal is split down the middle between songs written by May and songs penned by her husband and longtime creative partner, guitarist Darrel Higham. There is also one track, the lyrical, '50s-inspired lullaby "Little Pixie," co-written by May and her brother Fintan Clabby. From the opening title track, which hints at Bow Wow Wow's Burundi beat style, to the fiery Cramps-meets-B-52s-sounding "Wild Woman," May digs deep into the kind of wide-eyed '80s punk-does-'50s-rock & roll that bands like Restless and the Escalators championed in the early part of the '80s. Elsewhere, she delivers a handful of equally compelling songs, including the jaunty country-swing of "It's Good to Be Alive," the yearning and moody "Gypsy in Me," and the cavernous and bluesy "Wicked Way." Ultimately, May has always been a Celtic rockabilly goddess, armed with her trademark front-rolled pompadour and Irish bodhrán drum. Tribal is her call to arms; her statement of purpose. As she sings on the title track," When you look in the mirror, tell me what do you see/Someone new or your ancestry?/You're a king, you're a queen, you're a wizard, a fool/Or if you're me, then rockabilly rules." Whether it’s an ancient Celtic tribe or a tribe of leather-jacketed rockers, May and her fans belong.© Matt Collar /TiVo