Provogue
The press release advertises “guitar licks that explode into whistling comet trails,” but such effects are hard if not impossible to find. This sophomore release is simply a solid blues-rock album showing impressive songwriting growth from 2006’s “Torch.”
Fantasy
Things are looking up for Tex-Mex fans. Earlier this year, the reunited Texas Tornados (with Freddie Fender appearing posthumously and Shawn Sahm filling in for his pop, Doug) released “¡Esta Bueno!” Now, former Mavericks member Malo pushes the genre’s envelope with “Sinners & Saints.”
Swamp
After a couple of albums featuring guest artists on every song (2004’s “Heroines” and 2006’s “Covered”), it’s good to hear the Swamp Fox back in the groove — and on “The Shine,” it’s a deep one.
Shout! Factory
The Wolves are at the door, following up on 2006’s “The Town and the City” and 2009’s “Los Lobos Goes Disney” with a fresh set of original material birthed nearly entirely in the studio. For the first time in a long time, the roots rockers were all together in the same room — no demos made by members in their individual home studios as a starting point.
