Dark and glistening. Like a cave on the French Riviera. That’s where Jagger and Richards' band – living as tax exiles - recorded the immense Exile on Main Street, a musical feast with dishes served as country (Sweet Black Angel, Sweet Virginia), gospel (Shine a Light), blues (Shake Your Hips) and visceral rock'n'roll (the opening of Rocks Off and the cult track Happy with Keith Richards on vocals). The Rolling Stones may have been at the height of fame, but this masterpiece came from the heart and soul, with a dark and dirty sound and a sincere and raw style. American roots music (country, blues, folk) had rarely sounded so original. Jagger sings like an inspired old sage. Richards unleashes sharp, sublime guitar riffs. After all these years, we still can’t find the slightest flaw in this double album which many consider to be The Rolling Stones’ best... © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Dark and glistening. Like a cave on the French Riviera. That’s where Jagger and Richards' band – living as tax exiles - recorded the immense Exile on Main Street, a musical feast with dishes served as country (Sweet Black Angel, Sweet Virginia), gospel (Shine a Light), blues (Shake Your Hips) and visceral rock'n'roll (the opening of Rocks Off and the cult track Happy with Keith Richards on vocals). The Rolling Stones may have been at the height of fame, but this masterpiece came from the heart and soul, with a dark and dirty sound and a sincere and raw style. American roots music (country, blues, folk) had rarely sounded so original. Jagger sings like an inspired old sage. Richards unleashes sharp, sublime guitar riffs. After all these years, we still can’t find the slightest flaw in this double album which many consider to be The Rolling Stones’ best... © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

Bluesman Walter Trout returns with a record a little different than his usual output. Survivor Blues is comprised exclusively of covers, and he has chosen to record mainly obscure, old blues songs rather than more well-known picks. The album follows 2017's We're All in This Together and features his take on Jimmy Dawkins' "Me, My Guitar and the Blues."© Bekki Bemrose /TiVo

Who would have thought that in 1981, after a pair of limp, unfocused studio offerings, and two mixed -- at best -- live outings, that the once mighty Blue Öyster Cult would come back with such a fierce, creative, and uncompromising effort as Fire of Unknown Origin. Here was their finest moment since Agents of Fortune five years earlier, and one of their finest ever. Bringing back into the fold the faithful team who helped articulate their earlier vision, producer Sandy Pearlman, Richard Meltzer, and Patti Smith all helped in the lyric department, as did science-fiction and dark-fantasy writer Michael Moorcock. The band's sound was augmented by a plethora of keyboards courtesy of Allen Lanier, but nonetheless retained a modicum of its heaviness, and the sheer songwriting craft that had helped separate the band form its peers early on was everywhere evident here -- especially the gloriously noir-ish Top 40 single "Burning for You," written by Meltzer and guitarist Buck Dharma. Other standouts on the set include the plodding, über-riff pyrotechnics of "Heavy Metal: The Black and the Silver," and the Mott the Hoople- and Queen-influenced glammed up roots rock of "Joan Crawford." The terrifying images of desecration and apocalyptic war in "Veteran of Psychic Wars," with words by Moorcock, feature huge synth lines, dual leads by Dharma and Eric Bloom -- as well as a tom-tom orgy from Albert Bouchard -- offered a new pathway through the eternal night of the Cult's best work. Fire of Unknown Origin has aged well, and deserves to be remastered in the 21st century.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

This marriage of four players with impressive pedigrees proved to be the success story of 1982 when Asia's debut lodged itself at the top of the U.S. album charts for two months. The album spawned a massive number four single in "Heat of the Moment," a follow-up Top 20 hit in the sweeping "Only Time Will Tell," and a handful of other tracks that received heavy radio play despite going against the grain of the new wave styling of the day. Produced by Mike Stone, Asia's strengths were the powerful vocals of John Wetton, the nimble, classically tinged guitar work of Steve Howe, Geoffrey Downes' majestic keyboard playing, and anchoring the band, Carl Palmer's propulsive drumming. The lyrics are overwrought at moments, but there's no denying the epic grandeur of the music, which provided some much-needed muscle to radio at the time, and did so with style.© Tom Demalon /TiVo

The trio hit their stride with second album Solid State Survivor, a brisk and confident set of synth-disco-pop that continues along the line drawn five years before by Kraftwerk. Fun-loving and breezy where Kraftwerk had been ponderous and statuesque, the album sets out YMO's template for electronic pop with less minimalism and a more varying use of synthesizer lines. The English lyrics, written by Chris Mosdell but sung by YMO themselves, make for hilarious listening especially on a cover of the Beatles' "Day Tripper."© John Bush /TiVo

1982 was an interesting year for mainstream rock. Listeners were still a few years away from the chart-topping pop-metal bands, and a few years removed from the oft-indulgent '70s rock era. As a result, people were left with an era that was mostly populated by bands that wore headbands and largely modeled their sound after Foreigner. In other words -- bands that attempted to appeal to both the pop and rock audiences, by combining arena-worthy choruses and tough guitar riffs, topped off with a healthy scoop of melody. A perfect example would be Survivor, and their third release overall, Eye of the Tiger. With the group's first two releases barely causing a ripple on the charts, it was Tiger that catapulted the band to the top, thanks to the chart-topping title track, which was used as the theme song to the hit movie Rocky III the same year. Despite this, the Eye of the Tiger album is often overlooked, even though it almost topped the charts as well (peaking at number two). The reason for this was that while the group managed to appeal to both aforementioned audiences -- as evidenced by the Zeppelin-esque "Hesitation Dance" and the power ballad "I'm Not That Man Anymore" -- nothing here really scales the same height as the title track. But as a memento of mainstream rock circa the early '80s, Eye of the Tiger is a faithful snapshot.© Greg Prato /TiVo

Reba McEntire published Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots in 2023, accompanying the book's release with Not That Fancy, a 14-song collection of acoustic versions of her biggest hits as produced by Dave Cobb that featured the new song "Seven Minutes in Heaven." The bulk of these versions are pulled from the "Revisited" disc of 2021's triple-CD Revived Remixed Revisited, so hardcore fans will be familiar with them, but these stripped-back interpretations are enjoyable in any context.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Following in the footsteps of the wildly successful Appeal to Reason, Rise Against deliver another blast of driving, politically charged, melodic hardcore with Endgame. While their sound isn’t as fiery as it used to be, the band has dialed up the intensity with their message, telling a tale of an America that’s been through one disaster after another, and the kind of world that we might be able to find on the other side of the darkness, providing listeners with a rallying cry to get up and do something about the world if they don’t like the way it is. Musically, Rise Against are as solid as ever, but this time around, it feels like a lot of the heavy lifting is being done by singer Tim McIlrath. At times, McIlrath seems to be channeling the thought-provoking lyricism of Greg Graffin (and even sounds like him here in there), providing listeners with a frank and honest picture of what’s going on in the world, concerning himself more with what he thinks people need to hear than what they want to hear on tracks like “Broken Mirrors.” Though it could be said that Rise Against have ditched their punk roots for a more radio-friendly approach, the sound of Endgame feels more like a logical progression than a good old-fashioned selling out. As the band has grown as both individuals and musicians, so has its sound. The great thing about punk is that it’s not how you say something, it’s what you’re saying, and Rise Against are still a band with plenty to say. All the d-beats and raw vocals in the world don’t mean a thing if you don’t have a message you believe in.© Gregory Heaney /TiVo

Apart from David Sanborn, probably no living saxophonist has a more instantly recognizable voice than Jan Garbarek; actually, given the fact that Sanborn's sound is so widely copied, Garbarek's may be easier to identify in a blindfold test. This album in particular puts that sound front and center. Garbarek's the show; he composed all of the music, and is essentially the only soloist. The music (much of which was composed as soundtrack material for film or video) is quintessential Garbarek, full of the world music influences that have characterized his work since the 1970s. Garbarek's resonant, carefully articulated tenor and soprano tone suits the spacious, minor/modal themes. He's as much a singer as instrumentalist. Garbarek also plays digital synthesizers, mostly as string or flute pads underneath the folkish melodies. The record's most notable secondary player is Garbarek's ECM labelmate, the bassist Eberhard Weber, whose lyric sensibility is a virtual mirror of Garbarek's. This is quiet, contemplative music for the most part -- attractive, but not superficially pretty. Its grooves are less celebratory than melancholic. There's an intensity here borne of deep concentration and commitment to beauty. Garbarek has come a long way since his early days as a quasi-free jazz experimentalist. This music is not jazz, nor is it experimental. But it is compelling in its way, representative of a first-rate creative musician, beyond category.© Chris Kelsey /TiVo

After a six-year gap between albums -- during which time she was involved in a drawn-out legal back-and-forth with her former label -- English-Albanian singer Rita Ora finally issued her sophomore effort, the aptly titled Phoenix. Despite the behind-the-scenes drama that threatened to derail her burgeoning career, Ora maintained public presence with a series of well-performing singles, many of which are included here. Much like contemporary releases from Jess Glynne and Dua Lipa, the strength of Ora's effortless, R&B-inspired vocals carries Phoenix, despite varying musical styles and recording periods, which stretched over two years from 2016 to 2018. As its on-the-nose title suggests, Phoenix is duly triumphant and uplifting with nary a dud to be found on this set. The purest pop moments arrive in the form of the effervescent "Let You Love Me"; the Ed Sheeran-penned "Your Song"; and her chart-topping duet with Liam Payne, "For You," from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack. Meanwhile, electronic anthems with collaborators Alesso (the uplifting "Anywhere"), Rudimental (the skittering "Summer Love"), and Avicii ("Lonely Together," originally found on the late producer's AVĪCI [01]) amplify the album's brightness and energy. Fellow pop singer Julia Michaels appears on "Keep Talking," but it's the star-studded (and controversial) "Girls" that delivers the album's big, bold statement, recruiting Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, and Charli XCX on a saucy, sex-positive anthem for the 21st century. Considering for a moment that a second album's existence was in limbo for years, Phoenix could have opted to coast by on its harrowing backstory alone. And still, Ora delivered a confident pop gem that stands tall on its own.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

An honest title for this disc would be Several #1's, a Bunch of Top Tens, and a Couple New Songs, but #1's obviously has a greater -- if false -- ring to it. #1's isn't formatted any differently than scores of other anthologies packaged in time for the holiday shopping season, but it's also timely in that it comes after four Destiny's Child albums, all of which produced a handful of hits and roughly twice as much filler. Few problems could be had with the track selection. Containing each of Destiny's Child's charting singles, with the exception of "Brown Eyes" and the inconsequential "8 Days of Christmas," the disc reaffirms that Destiny's Child released some of the biggest R&B singles of the late '90s and early 2000s. For instance, you didn't have to be a fan of R&B, or even music, to cross paths with the likes of "Survivor" -- an overblown song with a form of success that had more to do with its mega-anthem quality and opportunistic title (the show of the same title was extremely popular at the time). As strategic as Destiny's Child were, they still have enough substance in their discography to place them as one of the best R&B groups of the '90s and early 2000s. Though they didn't follow the previous top female R&B group, TLC, with nearly as much brilliance or finesse, they've left behind several singles that will be remembered for something other than their mainstream success.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

PSYCHODRAMA, Dave's visionary debut album, was empowered by its fiercely local perspective. The stains and triumphs of London living trickled through the record's very fibers, manifesting in direct homage to "Streatham," sly references to Brixton and Bow, and the localized minutiae of "Lesley." Yet with his second album, We're All Alone in This Together, the scope has opened somewhat. The Dave of 2021 is rallying against Middle Eastern refugee crises and deepening his Nigerian ties -- a rapper with his feet planted in London, but with a gaze stretching worldwide. With his acute pen, Dave folds international concerns into the London diaspora: "Three Rivers" poignantly examines three eras of British immigration, "Lazarus" pings between London and Lagos, and "Heart Attack" contextualizes cyclical violence with its "Somali dad ran away from a war, now his son's in a war." PSYCHODRAMA's localization is far from gone -- "Verdansk" kicks the album off with Brick Lane wisecracks and a "three-car convoy in Sutton" -- but the project, like its cover, feels refreshingly open, floating contemplatively amid global contexts and local tales.As with all of Dave's works, WAAITT is defined by its statement pieces. The album's seven-plus-minute monoliths employ his talents to different ends: "In the Fire" is an awe-striking Avengers Assemble of U.K. rap, "Both Sides of a Smile" folds conflicted romances into James Blake's harmonies, and "Heart Attack" provides another meditative masterwork. They are brought to fulmination, like the "Question Time"s before them, by the rapper's ageless insight and evocative lyricism. "In the Fire" employs a reference to Jakub Błaszczykowski as not just a triple entendre but a brutal allegory for losing a parent to immigration services. Among the set's shorter cuts are a wealth of staples: the minimalist strut of "Titanium" and "Funky Friday" finds a solid counterpart in "Verdansk" and "Clash," while PSYCHODRAMA's sublime opener/closer combo is matched by "We're All Alone" and "Survivor's Guilt." Dave even manages to succeed where Fredo's "Hickory Dickory Dock" so publicly fell, nailing nursery-rhyme trappings on "Twenty to One." The only dip in excellence is with the airier "Law of Attraction" and "System," which feel out of sync with the album's core in a way that "Purple Heart" and "Location" didn't. Adrift on the open sea, Dave makes a potent second statement. His first steps outside of PSYCHODRAMA's concrete sphere of influence continue to cement his generational talent.© David Crone /TiVo

Even diehard Robert Cray fans admit that over the course of the last decade, the singer/guitarist/songwriter has crafted albums that are practically interchangeable. Although Cray has created his own niche with a slick but powerful Memphis-styled R&B/soul/blues stew, his sound become repetitious; even though the songs' quality remained way above average. Since leaving Ryko (after two albums), he and keyboardist Jim Pugh -- an increasingly pivotal player in Cray's work -- produced this 13th disc between labels. That provided them the freedom to experiment without corporate intervention. While his "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" ethic allowed multiple Grammy wins, Cray clearly wanted to step outside the box he built, resulting in a slightly different direction this time around. Those who enjoy the comfy fit of his previous work have little to fear; there is plenty of the love-lost/found R&B that he's known for. In particular "Lotta Lovin'" is a pleasant ballad that is about as novel as its pedestrian title. "Spare Some Love" likewise treads familiar musical ground although lyrics about finding love before getting old and frail ("I can only hang so long/ if I go another week/ I might have just passed on") show Cray may be feeling his mortality. But the slightly off-kilter Sly & the Family Stone horns from Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini on "Your Pal" twist that tune towards a more edgy approach. On the album's leadoff track, Cray unloads more unusual -- at least for him -- material. The opening tune, "Survivor," is a protest tune about the Middle East war ("you take a little schoolboy and teach him who to hate/ then you send him to the desert for the oil near Kuwait") with Pugh's minor key piano adding a curious boogie-woogie feel. "Distant Shore" is likewise anti-war with a deceptively bubbly percolating beat. "Up in the Sky" finds Cray debuting on electric sitar. It's a slightly psychedelic slant, more commendable for the guitarist dipping his toes into unlikely musical waters than for its clunky and slightly depressing lyrics about an older couple wanting to die together. It is also one of two tracks accompanied by the Turtle Island String Quartet, another unique addition. "Back Door Slam" -- likely a play on the "Back Door Man" cliché of so many blues tunes -- might be the funkiest Cray has gotten; and his shimmering guitar solo is just tangled enough to push the song into more exotic territory. While he's not making radical moves, Time Will Tell is a promising route for Robert Cray. If anything, he hasn't gone far enough afield from his MO to attract a new audience. Meanwhile, established fans should welcome the few newfound twists in the soul/bluesman's approach.© Hal Horowitz /TiVo