New Albums - Page 90

If you dig the classic R&B of the late ’60s and early ’70s, you’ll want to check out the new album The Right Time by Ural Thomas and The Pain. Thomas was a soul singer back in that very era and released a few singles including “Can You Dig It,” though he was forced to find other work to make...

High on Fire has released Electric Messiah, an album inspired by the late metal bass god Lemmy Kilmister. The band’s frontman, Matt Pike, wrote the title track after a dream. “When Lemmy was still alive I always got compared to Lemmy, so I had this dream where he got pissed at me,” says Pike. “He gave me a bunch of...

Previously only available on vinyl, Ben Allison’s 2016 release, Quiet Revolution, is now available on CD and digital formats. The trio album features guitarist Steve Cardenas and saxophonist/clarinetist Ted Nash in a subtle setting that pays homage to the work of jazz greats Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre. “Those records were made in the late ’50s, through the ’60s and...

Jazz trio Phronesis has released their eighth album, entitled We Are All. The band, which was formed by bassist Jasper Høiby, dig deep to create expressive textures with a unified sense of melody. We Are All is a continuation of their unique instrumental sound, but it also leans on the message of togetherness. “More than ever before, we feel we...

Donny McCaslin has released Blow., an album his website says “fully realizes [David] Bowie’s influence and McCaslin’s evolved artistic direction.” The saxophonist worked with the pop megastar on Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, which was released just days before Bowie’s death in 2016. “Before working with him, things like this didn’t seem possible to me,” McCaslin explains. “The affirmation of that...

Last year, jazz and fusion guitar legend John McLaughlin performed a tour of the U.S. that he says was his final outing in the States. The “Meeting of the Spirits” tour saw him exploring his past work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in a different setting with his band the 4th Dimension featuring drummer Ranjit Barot, keyboardist Gary Husband, and bassist...

Joe Bonamassa has once again tapped bass groove monster Michael Rhodes to anchor his new album, Redemption. The blues-rock guitarist’s 13th studio release compiles 12 original songs that span a variety of styles while revolving around the themes of redemption and salvation. “We all need to be redeemed at some point in our lives. It’s this yearning to redeem yourself...

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators have followed up 2014’s World On Fire with Living the Dream, an album that the Guns N’ Roses guitarist says expands their sound. “It’s a natural progression from World on Fire, for sure,” Slash states. “I think it has a little more diversity—some of the ideas are not really what I would consider...

Master jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter has blended his music with the visual arts on Emanon. The triple album, which is only available in physical releases, is accompanied by an 84-page graphic novel penned by Shorter with Monica Sly and illustrated by Randy DuBurke. Shorter borrowed the title Emanon, which is “no name” spelled backwards. “When Dizzy Gillespie had a piece...

Bassist Barre Phillips is noted for being the first musician to record an album of solo double bass, which was his 1968 record Journal Violone (also known as Unaccompanied Barre or Basse Barre). Fifty years later he has released End to End, which he says is his final solo album. “It is a beautiful and moving musical statement,” ECM Records...

Suicidal Tendencies has been bringing their flavor of heavy music to the masses for 37 years, and they’re still keeping it real. That’s proven in their new album, Still Cyco Punk After All These Years, which is the second full-length to feature the dynamic rhythm section of drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist Ra Diaz. The new record is, in fact,...

Jonathan Scales has always had great bassists for his band and his new album only ups the ante. Pillar, which is the steel pannist’s third Fourchestra album, features his full-time bassist E’Lon JD as well as low-end guests Oteil Burbridge, Victor Wooten, and Mononeon. Burbridge anchors the opening track, “Fake Buddha’s Inner Child,” while the latter two are featured together...