It’s tough and grimy but you have to wonder how many others are out there bashing out similarly trashy rock who haven’t gotten Booker’s breaks

For the first time, a new Spoon LP feels like business as usual, a creative step sideways.

It is a monumental album in everything from the scope of its subject matter to its grand instrumentation and production.

Unless you are a White fanatic, the few hard to find selections generally aren’t compelling enough to purchase lots of songs easy to obtain. That makes this an interesting but hardly essential stop-gap release until White’s next official project.

Hag’s lyrics always feel natural and lived in and Bogguss succeeds with his material because she doesn’t try to oversell it.

While others in the Americana field get stuck in a groove, that will never be a problem with the Sadies and Northern Passages is a worthy entry in the notable catalog of a now-veteran act who refuse to be pigeonholed.

Starting Over finds Stapleton not only maintaining his momentum, but also opting for diversity as well. While his influences are as obvious as always, he breaks out of the Southern rock mold he established early on.

Blue Smoke easily hits its mark of making us look within ourselves while laughing through our tears.

The absurdity and terror that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have so often courted aren’t absent on Push The Sky Away. They’re just muted, and rendered all the more seductive via lush arrangements and Cave’s crooning baritone.

Gloryland certainly stands as a glorious example of Americana songwriting.

An impressive effort that proves these relatives with impeccable musical synergy have more than just bloodlines in common.

It has taken 50 years of performing on the fringes of the music business, but with the sumptuous It Rains Love, Lee Fields is seizing his moment by showering us with the sizzling sounds of pure, undiluted soul.

A few more rockers on the order of the Armstrong co-write “Strangers & Thieves” would have raised the overall temperature, but each of these 14 tracks is an exquisitely constructed gem.

Only eight songs long, Encore builds momentum and then leaves the listener wanting for more. One can only hope that there’s a further encore for this Encore.

An album of warm colors and earthy textures, Lateness is an album for warm sweaters and hard ciders, backyard firepits and late-autumn barbecues.

I Speak Because I Can is composed of mature, sophisticated but relatable songs, performed as only Marling can perform them, showcasing not only a broader vocal range and more intricate guitar parts than on her previous album, but a new breadth of experience, resulting in a balanced album that can sound as enshrouded in shadow as it does enlightened.

The concept of “country rock” seems clichéd at this late date, but Shook and band exemplify how that amalgamation remains effective when the writing, singing, and lyrical concepts are as sharply conceived as on the illuminating Revelations.

McBride is still singing--and now occasionally even writing--songs that employ specific, substantial storytelling to speak to modern women's experiences.

Perhaps more Dr. John participation would have been a logical and welcomed addition to the show (Rolling Stones pianist Chuck Leavell and ex-Papa Grows Funk man John Gros effectively cover most of his piano parts) but this remains a terrific few hours of music that honors not only one of New Orleans’ most influential musicians, but the city that formed and defined his vision.

The disc is like the best jukebox you ever heard in a sleazy, punky country bar, perhaps like the broken down Seeburg pictured on the back sleeve. Plunk down your quarter and wherever the needle falls, you’ll end up on the dance floor.

Sonically, everything is slightly cleaner than before, with Lennon’s vocals made more prominent in the mix. But the difference will be most noticeable on expensive audio systems. The surround mixes bring a more expansive sound-field making it a reasonable upgrade for those interested. But for the rest of the earbuds-are-good-enough wearing public, this is a perfectly acceptable trawl through the solo Lennon catalog.

Though it’s by no means essential, McCartney 3 will likely still win over legions of compulsive Macca collectors.

While continuing to deliver the intimate songs of hopeless love and regret for his longtime fans, he stills finds ways to surprise as he works with his magician-like collaborator.

Darlingside is an act that has latched onto a unique sound and rides it for 40 glorious minutes on the gorgeous and confident Extralife.

An illuminating effort in absolutely every regard, Nothing Lasts Forever is easily one of the most memorable musical encounters you’ll hear this year.

Wyoming definitely has the feel of a second album, in that the band is now confident enough in their footing to try a little bit of everything. As a result, it’s hard to pin down this duo to a single musical approach, and that’s just fine because the diversity is refreshing.

While the result can’t be dismissed as a gimmick, the best tracks of both would have made a great single album. Spread out over two shorter ones, the effect is diluted.

If these results reflecting about two years of work in Rhodes’ home studio with producer Chris Price don’t quite capture the vibrancy of his earlier work, they are close enough not to disappoint those who stuck around waiting for them.