The albums are:
- Chrissie Hynde, Stockholm
- Pink Floyd, The Endless River
- Eric Clapton and Friends, The Breeze, an appreciation of J.J.Cale
- Willie Nelson, To All the Girls
Chrissie Hynde, Stockholm
I've always thought Chrissie Hynde, of The Pretenders, has an absolutely unique, beautiful, raw, powerful, haunting voice. One of the best. This is her first solo effort. The sound is fresh and unmistakably her own. Decidedly toned down from The Pretenders raucous rock. It's still rock, make no mistake, but with some techno upgrades and years of living life thrown in the mix.Pink Floyd, The Endless River
This album is a posthumous tribute, of sorts, to keyboardist Richard Wright. The album is almost entirely instrumental. It is a compilation of outtakes and unused tracks from previous sessions, that include Richard Wright. It has the definitive sound of David Gilmour on lead guitar. That's always a good thing. But, for me, it tends to drone on as good background music, but nothing has really jumped out. Snippets of melody and textures from previous recognisable songs overlay to keep it interesting.
Eric Clapton and Friends, The Breeze, an appreciation of J.J.Cale
This tribute to J.J.Cale, who was a great songwriter, guitarist, and artist, features Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, and more. How could it be anything but good? I love it. It's easy to give this a recommendation. If you enjoy a great smooth blues shuffle, you'll enjoy this. Nothing over the top. No big solos. No over-production. Simple perfection. These masters, paying tribute to one of their own.
Willie Nelson, To All the Girls
To All the Girls album is duets with Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Wynonna Judd, Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn and 10 more! Another easy recommendation. If you like Willie, you'll like this. I really like the songs "No Mas Amor" with Alison Krauss, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" with Paula Nelson (Willie's daughter). But all the songs are easy listening, twangy Willie style. I'm sure you'll quickly find your own favorites.
Good to Know
Good to know real music is not gone, lost, dead, forgotten. It scares me when I see the rap, hip-hop, pop slop that is passed off as music. It also scares me that I am probably saying the same thing critics said about Elvis, The Beatles, Hendrix and other artists of my generation. I'll continue to search for good current music, but for now, these albums all stand as testaments to great classic rock, blues, and country and the artists behind them.
