Dylan's talent for matching, smart plentiful (arguably too much so) words to chiming melodies supported by a solid, unpretentious rock band and sung with conviction has returned.

Ultimately, completists may debate the worth of this particular anniversary offering, due not only to the aforementioned repetition but also because of the definitive live Band recordings that accompanied the recent re-releases of The Band and Stage Fright. That said, a half-century anniversary makes any Band album well worth revisiting.

All in all, Greenfields is an admirable effort, and hearing these songs again, even in an altered context, serves their memory well. Any gift from the Gibbs, past or present, is still well worth cherishing.

The Body Wins stands as something of a transitional work for Jaffe, but it's an impressive album for wherever her musical journey takes her.

Give Mayer credit for keeping his languid country pop organic and as rootsy as someone with his honeyed voice can sound. Yet that only reveals the mediocre quality of the bulk of this material and is no excuse for his sleepwalking performance of it.

Kudos to Cameron for shoring up his strength and providing us with such a bold venture.

Some of the slick production, that drowned the last album for many, remains. Yet Daylight goes a long way to reassuring the roots/jam based audience Potter initially cultivated, that her time trying to be the next Taylor Swift is over.

Rose found a musical soulmate in Malo to help realize that sound in the studio. But even though he has helmed and guided her, this is her singular vision. And with two terrific worldwide releases to her name, she’s just getting started.

If there’s anything keeping Dying Star from being an outright classic, it’s that Kelly can so effortlessly conjure up the regretful young man’s blues that the nearly hour-long album can coast at times. But for the most part, Dying Star is a triumph.

A dozen effusive offerings that show off both their talent and tenacity. The tones and tempos vary from song to song, but nearly all provide an upbeat delivery that grabs the listener straight out of the gate with nothing less than an instant impression.

Born and Raised a prime example of the John Mayer paradox--it's good enough to satisfy even his most casual fans, but the old-school Mayerisms that remain will only anger his detractors.

LaFarge’s slight country drawl and understated twang nails the ’20s period the music evokes, and the effort is even more rewarding than Diana Krall’s recent endeavor in the same genre.

Ke$ha didn't really set the bar for intellectual heft too high on her debut, Animal, so it seems like hair-splitting to mention that even with guilty pleasures like "Cannibal" and, uh, "C U Next Tuesday," Cannibal seems to be skimping on the cleverness.

There's plenty more on Tao of the Dead that works. After years out in the cold as music critic whipping posts, this should go a long way toward reclaiming some lost luster for Trail of Dead.

The album does a wonderful job of creating and sustaining its mood. People looking for something a little bit more flashy or bold-faced from their music should probably look elsewhere.

Some may prefer an even more stripped down approach but these tunes benefit from a bit of polish which also helps distinguish Williams from her family’s gruffer music.

Regardless of Mixtape Vol. 1’s origins, it’s a fun, dynamic set. Let’s hope this is just the beginning of a series of likeminded follow-ups.

Hunt is at his most exciting when he fuses the past and the present (“Let It Down” truly shines bright) into ambitious creations that hint at even greater promise ─ but his second offering is largely a mixed bag.

At just over 30 minutes, it’s over pretty quickly so let’s hope this is just the beginning of a fruitful musical relationship.

At a conservative 35 minutes, there’s little fluff. Still, some songs feel longer than they are and the sheer abundance of words is sporadically exaggerated and tiresome.

God Willin', while a pretty record and certainly head and shoulders above so much of what has been released this year, it is nearly completely bereft of the emotion that we've come to expect from LaMontagne.

In the end, though, whether you're a Bennett fan or a follower of one of his duet partners, this album is nothing extraordinary, and it will be a rare listener who gives this disc more than a couple curious spins before turning to something from the Bennett catalog of yesteryear.

These 12 songs are as simple as it gets--just two musicians harmonizing and plucking away, making up in soul and pure joy what they lack in overstuffed arrangements.

The remastered sound for this spiffed up reboot is a big improvement over the previous one. The extras on the various editions, especially the Wings Over the World doc with fan interviews, backstage shenanigans and offstage prep for the shows, help bring the 1976 experience to life for a new generation, shameless nostalgia and all.

Ledges may not match the intensity of his stage performances, but the album does portray Gundersen as an exacting songwriter who never lets self-reckoning curdle into self-regard and as an imaginative producer with a careful hand.

The high bar he has set with a tremendous back catalog makes us yearn for just a bit more out of Mutineers.

Unlike other such projects that prop up ageing rockers with a surplus of headliners respectfully going through the motions, Lewis is totally in control as he cranks out these tunes with a fire and intensity that doesn’t seem to have dimmed despite his six decade career.

Hubbard has always been a lyricist of gritty honesty. Here though, with help from an infusion of blues, his music is equally as taut, dynamic and compelling.