Back in 2003, Las Vegas quartet the Killers were just another young act pushing angular indie that revived post-punk and new wave sonics for a new generation, scoring a minor hit in England with a little song called "Mr. Brightside." Over in the U.S., it took over a year for another single, "Somebody Told Me," to edge its way onto the mainstream charts, peaking in late 2004 in a landscape that featured competition from acts like Hoobastank, Linkin Park, and Green Day. One could be forgiven for thinking they were just a flash in the pan, destined to fade away like so many of their early-aughts peers. However, two decades later, they had enough hits (and then some) to craft their second greatest-hits compilation, Rebel Diamonds. Celebrating 20 years with 20 songs, the collection showcases seven studio albums and a trio of stand-alone singles that have kept the Killers on the radio, in stadiums, and on international festival stages since the band's inception, surviving the times with enduring hits and beloved favorites. Building upon 2013's Direct Hits set, Rebel Diamonds retains most of that first decade's tracks (major differences being "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" replacing "Smile Like You Mean It" for Hot Fuss representation; "For Reasons Unknown" getting axed; and "Be Still" performing double duty in the Battle Born era instead of "Miss Atomic Bomb" and "The Way It Was"). These changes are welcome, giving "Jenny" and "Be Still" some much deserved attention in the face of their more-famous album siblings. The relative tumult of the Killers' uneven second decade can be seen on the back half. After a five-year gap between albums, they returned in 2017 with Wonderful Wonderful, which yielded the strutting Bowie tribute "The Man" but not much else. At this point, it had been half a decade since they had a hit, and the future seemed a little uncertain. So when 2020's Imploding the Mirage landed to a flood of critical acclaim and fan adoration, it was a welcome comeback that reestablished the group with rousing, anthemic gems such as "Caution," "My Own Soul's Warning," and "Dying Breed." Even 2021's subdued, Americana-leaning Pressure Machine -- which added more emotional depth to their catalog with some of Brandon Flowers' most engaging storytelling to date -- kept the revival going, culminating in a triumphant international tour that found them performing on some of the biggest stages to date. In a generous move, the Killers added three fresh tracks to the album, produced with longtime collaborator and Day & Age studio man Stuart Price. These infectious, '80s-indebted nu-wave nuggets stand tall as some of the band's best non-album tracks, echoing Erasure ("boy"), Pet Shop Boys and New Order ("Your Side of Town"), and even New Order by way of Underworld's "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" on "Spirit." Showing just how far Flowers, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., and Mark Stoermer had come from just being stylish, Anglophile scenesters, Rebel Diamonds is a perfectly curated snapshot of two decades of indelible hits from one of the greatest American rock ambassadors of a generation.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Natty Dread is Bob Marley's finest album, the ultimate reggae recording of all time. This was Marley's first album without former bandmates Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, and the first released as Bob Marley & the Wailers. The Wailers' rhythm section of bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and drummer Carlton "Carlie" Barrett remained in place and even contributed to the songwriting, while Marley added a female vocal trio, the I-Threes (which included his wife Rita Marley), and additional instrumentation to flesh out the sound. The material presented here defines what reggae was originally all about, with political and social commentary mixed with religious paeans to Jah. The celebratory "Lively Up Yourself" falls in the same vein as "Get Up, Stand Up" from Burnin'. "No Woman, No Cry" is one of the band's best-known ballads. "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" is a powerful warning that "a hungry mob is an angry mob." "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Road Block)" and "Revolution" continue in that spirit, as Marley assumes the mantle of prophet abandoned by '60s forebears like Bob Dylan. In addition to the lyrical strengths, the music itself is full of emotion and playfulness, with the players locked into a solid groove on each number. Considering that popular rock music was entering the somnambulant disco era as Natty Dread was released, the lyrical and musical potency is especially striking. Marley was taking on discrimination, greed, poverty, and hopelessness while simultaneously rallying the troops as no other musical performer was attempting to do in the mid-'70s.© Jim Newsom /TiVo

A slick, carefully crafted follow-up to his debut, Rebel Yell was Billy Idol's catchiest, most consistent fusion of synth-driven new wave pop and hard rock guitar pyrotechnics (courtesy of Steve Stevens). The eerie ballad "Eyes Without a Face" gave Idol his first U.S. Top Ten hit, while "Flesh for Fantasy" and the title track became MTV staples. Like much of Idol's solo output, it's all calculated for maximum appeal, but Rebel Yell also works too well not to be an infectiously guilty pleasure.© Steve Huey /TiVo

1977 was the year that Bob Marley became a superstar, but it was also the year that marked the beginning of the end. In January, Bob was exiled to London after being shot in Jamaica and recorded his new album, Exodus, in the Island studios. Packed with hits (One Love, Jamming, Three Little Birds, to name but a few), the album received universal acclaim after its release – its title track became No. 1 in England and Germany – and finally got him noticed by black American music stations. On 10th May 1977, the Wailers kicked off their international tour in Paris. During their stay in the French capital, Bob injured his foot and as the wound worsened, it was revealed that he had skin cancer. The tour was cut short, ending abruptly in London with four shows at the Rainbow Theatre.The performance on June 4th, which was also captured on video, has now been re-released on this album. Bob Marley is joined on stage by his legendary rhythm section composed of Carlton and Aston Barrett (drums and bass), Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin “Seeco” Patterson on percussion, Junior Marvin – who turned down an offer from Stevie Wonder to join the Jamaican – on guitar, and the I Threes on backing vocals. The tracklist is an extravaganza of his greatest hits (Trenchtown Rock, I Shot the Sheriff, No Woman No Cry and Lively Up Yourself, featuring a deeply soulful blues solo by Marvin). Also included are three excerpts from their newest album, The Heathen, Jamming and finally, Exodus for a frenetic finale expertly led by Tyrone Downie. A beautiful piece of history. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

Issued in commemoration of Cash's 70th birthday, this double CD is a good survey of 1955-1993 career highlights (and a different release than the similarly titled three-CD The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983). Is it a good place to start? That depends on what you have or don't have already, considering that so many greatest-hits compilations containing some or much of this material appeared prior to this, yet another repackage. All of his very biggest hits are here, and it leans very heavily on his first 15 years of recordings, with just eight of the 36 tracks postdating 1970 (and only one of them, his 1993 U2 collaboration "The Wanderer," postdating 1986). For that reason some may complain that it doesn't give some phases of his career proper weight, and certainly not evenly distributed weight. But let's be cold about this: Cash's best records were between 1955 and 1970, and focusing on his early work, as this compilation does, means higher overall quality. It's too bad nothing is included from his acclaimed, unadorned 1994 album, American Recordings, but otherwise this will serve as a quite satisfactory best-of for those who want both the familiar hits and a few good, not-so-overplayed ones, like his versions of "It Ain't Me Babe," "Jackson," and "If I Were a Carpenter."© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

Not counting the 2016 holiday LP Behold, 2018's Look Up Child is the follow-up to Lauren Daigle's breakout debut, How Can It Be, an album that topped the Billboard Christian chart and crossed over to the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. More stylistically diverse and notably more soulful, Look Up Child not only lives up to the potential of her debut but ups the ante in terms of arrangements, production, and performances. (It also outperformed her debut on the charts, going all the way to number three on the Billboard 200.) As if to re-set expectations, it opens with a dramatic, orchestral glissando before settling into the urgent "Still Rolling Stones," a choral call to faith. In terms of rhythmic diversity, she ventures into reggae on "Your Wings," and the syncopated title track experiments with African-inspired beats and gospel. Seeming to embrace higher volumes -- vocally speaking -- on much of the record, there is plenty of dynamic balladry here, too, including tracks like the choir-backed "You Say" and poignant "Love Like This." Offering respite from the album's frequent swelling climaxes, she offers more delicate interpretations on tracks like "Rebel Heart" and "Inevitable," the only song with solo piano for accompaniment. After 12 original songs, the album closes on a carefree, six-and-a-half-minute version of the traditional hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Throughout, Look Up Child's nuanced, soul-steeped vocal performances are bound to draw Daigle even more comparisons to Adele -- not the worst burden to have to endure.© Marcy Donelson /TiVo

David Bowie's first official compilation album, released in the wake of Station to Station and sharing that album's odd typography, Changesonebowie is a handy one-stop roundup of the last four years of hits, plus "Space Oddity" -- an American smash in 1973, but unavailable on a U.K. single since its first appearance in 1969. It soared to the top of the British chart, dragging Changesone with it -- the album eventually peaked at number two. The album's main charm for confirmed fans was the inclusion of "John, I'm Only Dancing." Never previously included on LP, the song was also making its American debut here, with the excitement soaring even higher when it was discovered that the "wrong" version had been included -- the regular 1972 U.K. single version was omitted in inadvertent favor of a 1973 re-recording. The error was corrected for subsequent pressings of the album. An unadventurous-looking track listing should not deter the keen fan. As with so many pre-CD age Bowie compilations, it's very easy to overlook Changesonebowie in favor of the more-bang-for-your-buck career-spanning collections that have since emerged. It remains, however, a charming time capsule, a reminder of the days when Bowie was as much a chart-topping pop star as an iconic idol.© Dave Thompson /TiVo

At the dawn of the '90s, Judas Priest were in sad shape: out of touch, seemingly creatively bankrupt, coming off the two worst albums of their career, and left for dead by many observers. Trying to right the ship, Priest jettisoned longtime producer Tom Allom and his tinny '80s sound, as well as the serviceable groove drumming of Dave Holland, and brought in veteran metal producer Chris Tsangarides and onetime Racer X skinsman Scott Travis. Most importantly, though, Priest stopped trying to be a stadium act in the midst of hair metal's heyday. All those changes come into sharp focus as soon as the title cut of Painkiller starts -- Travis' thunderous (and crisp-sounding) percussive maelstrom lights an immediate fire under the bandmembers' asses; Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing tear through a crushing, diabolical riff; and Rob Halford starts shrieking like a wicked witch, giving perhaps the most malevolent-sounding performance of his career. It's a startling statement of musical purpose that arrived seemingly out of nowhere, heralding a comeback that rivals George Foreman's. Once the leanest, meanest, darkest metal band on the planet, Priest were clearly giving up on the mainstream and instead embracing the thrash and speed metal underground they'd helped spawn. Not only do they come to terms with it here, they teach those whippersnappers a thing or two, marrying furious instrumental pyrotechnics to an unerring sense of songcraft. Spurred on by Travis' jazz-trained double bass assault, Painkiller never once lets up, slowing down only for the elegant menace of the prog-tinged "A Touch of Evil," and without an unmemorable tune in the bunch. That constant, balls-out intensity is a big reason why metal's younger generation has come to consider Painkiller perhaps the ultimate speed metal album. Older Priest fans will likely complain that the lyrics are silly, and they won't be wrong -- for all its fury, the title track is about the winged knight riding the monster motorcycle depicted on the front cover. However, there's a convincing argument to be made that this brand of comic book fantasy holds up better over time (and is more fun) than most would care to admit (and it can't be any sillier than, for example, members of Morbid Angel worshipping H.P. Lovecraft's fictional Ancient Ones as actual demonic entities). Thus, Painkiller's influence reaches further than many longtime fans might expect: traditionalist power metal bands wanting a harder edge adopted a good chunk of Painkiller's approach, yet its blend of chops and aggression also caught the ears of the emerging extreme metal movement, even inspiring a cover version of the title track on Death's final album, The Sound of Perseverance. In the end, Painkiller secured Judas Priest's legacy with the next generation of metal fans; it's the point where their contributions make the most sense to modern ears more attuned to metal extremes (and more affectionate towards lyrical clichés). It isn't the most important of the Priest classics, but it is the fastest, the meanest, and, well, the most f***ing metal album they ever released. Simultaneously a stunning revitalization and the last great album they would ever make, thanks to Halford's imminent departure.© Steve Huey /TiVo

As the title implies, this is indeed Bob Marley & the Wailers captured in performance at the Lyceum Ballroom in London during the final U.K. leg of the Natty Dread tour. Passionate and symbiotic energies constantly cycle between the band and audience, the net result of which is one of the most memorable concert recordings of the pop music era. With the addition of lead guitarist Al Anderson during the recording sessions for their previous long-player, Natty Dread, the Wailers took increasing strides toward a seamless transition into the consciousness of the rock music audience. Anderson's bluesy guitar runs liberate "Burnin' and Lootin'" as well as "Trenchtown Rock," the only new composition on Live! Anderson bobs and weaves his supple-toned fretwork among the somewhat staid rhythms common to reggae. The mutual affinity that binds Marley with his audience is evident in the roars of approval that greet the opening notes of "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)," "I Shot the Sheriff," and "Kinky Reggae." Likewise, "No Woman, No Cry" elicits a group singalong as the sheer volume of the audience challenges that of the amplified musicians. With this evidence, there is no denying that Bob Marley & the Wailers were becoming the unlikeliest of pop music icons. Additionally, Live! underscores the underrated talents of the Wailers as musicians. Older works such as "Burnin' and Lootin'" and "I Shot the Sheriff" benefit greatly from Tyrone Downie's keyboard punctuation and the soulful backing vocals of the I-Threes.© Lindsay Planer /TiVo

When they released The Big Black and the Blue in 2010, Johanna and Klara Söderberg were 20 and 23 years old respectively. The two Swedish sisters quickly made a name for themselves at the top of the charts thanks to their covers of songs by Fleet Foxes, Lorde, Jack White and even Black Sabbath… Though throughout it all, First Aid Kit imposed their own style. A sort of dreamy folk that was as fresh as it was mesmerizing, at the heart of which shimmered vocal harmonies… For their fourth album, the Söderbergs flew off to the West Coast of the United States. Written in California (Los Angeles) and recorded in Oregon (Portland), Ruins is without a doubt  their most beautiful achievement. It’s the strongest tie between their native Sweden and the America of their dreams. Produced by the wonderful Tucker Martine, an expert in classy country, this is a record that above all draws its inspiration from America's rich heritage (from the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris period to the recent Fleet Foxes) while staying true to its authors. Sparkling arrangements, smooth rhythmics, intense vocal harmonies and notable guests (Peter Buck from R.E.M., Glenn Kotche from Wilco and McKenzie Smith from Midlake), everything’s there to make their folk-rock even more luxurious than on The Lion's Roar (2012) and Stay Gold (2014). It’s almost impossible not to role out the old cliché: an album of maturity. © MD/Qobuz