self-released
Fans of Allman Brothers Band instrumentals are guaranteed to love this tastefully executed instrumental electric guitar album with plenty of slide. But besides the southern-rock vibe, Pennsylvania-based Roth impressively channels jazz masters such as Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour and, to a lesser extent but just as effectively, funk greats like Steve Cropper and Leo Nocentelli.
Surfdog
Three studio albums into his 21st-century comeback, Hicks is squarely in the groove. Taken as a whole, the melodies, lyrics, vocals and musicianship on “Tales” are nearly as good as on 1972’s “Striking It Rich,” arguably the artistic zenith for his heady mixture of good-time/old-time swing, folk, country and jazz with a lyrical dose of wry humor that never fails to bring a smile.
Vanguard
It’ll be 10 years ago in November that Sahm, 58, went to sleep at a New Mexico motel and never woke up. Since then, there have been enough releases to keep fans happy while preserving his legacy: “The Return of Wayne Douglas” (his final sessions, 2000); “The Songs of Sahm” (the Bottle Rockets’ covers disc, 2002); two limited-edition reissues — “The Genuine Texas Groover” (“Doug Sahm & Band” and “Texas Tornado” with more than an album’s worth of outtakes, 2003) and “The Complete Mercury Masters” (the Sir Douglas Quintet’s six original Mercury/Smash albums plus bonus material, 2005); and “Live From Austin, Texas” (a 1981 “Austin City Limits” performance, 2006).
Underworld
His curriculum vitae now consists of five studio albums, two collaborations and a “best of,” as well as three discs with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, yet Suhler remains a relative unknown.
Powerhouse
A white-boy-blues album as delicately balanced as “American Landscape” would be hard to find. Ten well-chosen covers and two originals, running the gamut from R&B to rock to jazz to soul to country, are tied together so neatly that one wishes it were Friday night at the local no-cover-charge watering hole in perpetuity.
