Even without the obvious gravitas hovering over the project, this is an exceptional work and arguably Allman’s finest non-Brothers release.

While eight have appeared in different versions spooned out on releases ranging from 1976’s American Stars And Bars, Rust Never Sleeps from 1979 (three tracks), Decade (the Nixon diatribe “Campaigner”) and one even as late as 2010’s Le Noise, there is an intimacy and rawness to these performances that is riveting and subtly powerful.

Everything about Beast Epic feels true to Iron & Wine. Beam neither abandons his greater ambitions nor overindulges. He’s making a return trip to his roots, offering a gentle reminder of his early records’ simple beauty while allowing himself the freedom to build.

New liner notes from Barry Hansen provide essential background. But all you need is the music to understand that Arthur Alexander is one of the greatest “unknown” artists of the soul era, and one whose legacy is enhanced by this classy re-issue of one of his finest works.

Filthy Friends invites you to their party that pounds out a rugged, lived-in and honest rocking sound, delivered by a bunch of rock and roll lifers with nothing to prove who are clearly in this for the camaraderie and the music.

The combination of the sister’s voices on this material is stunning in its natural beauty. Stripped-down arrangements and producer Teddy Thompson’s light hand help accentuate the words, emotions and the interwoven singing.

It’s certainly one you’ll replay multiple times to appreciate the intricate sonic structure and imbibe Whitehorse’s often oblique wordplay with a sure sense of a hyphenated musical mixture that is elusively familiar and wildly idiosyncratic.

What’s so profoundly American about these songs are the way they often deploy humorous metaphor and simple, child-like storytelling devices to convey deeper, darker truths. Other times, the songs are simply funny stories without a larger lesson.

So view Everything Now as a glass half empty due to its inconsistency or as a glass half full of standout singles. You won’t be able to ignore it though, which, in today’s crowded musical landscape, is triumph in itself.

The optimism of Lust For Life is a pleasant surprise, though the album is still painted in the same shades as Del Rey’s previous releases. At times it’s some of her best material, but it seems like a record best experienced in pieces than as a proper whole.

With Goodnight Rhonda Lee, Nicole Atkins gets all the pieces to fit. The singer may not have been made for these times, but she creates a defining portrait of an artist whose grasp of the past creates ageless, enduring music for any year.

Cray has been criticized--rightfully at times--for repeating his distinctive if somewhat staid style for many of his almost 20 studio albums. But this one pushes outside those boundaries. It plays to Cray’s established vocal and guitar strengths while injecting just enough grit and grease to spur him to new heights.

There aren’t any revelations on Prayer For Peace, but the energy, excitement and intensity poured into every performance makes this a standout in an impressive Dickinson brothers catalog that doesn’t have any weak entries.

With a two-pack-a-day voice that combines the hard boiled/craggy rectitude of Tony Joe White, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and especially Waylon Jennings, anything Walls touches feels authentic and lived-in.

The twosome generates real sparks throughout and the natural camaraderie bursts through the speakers. You can almost see, and surely feel, their beaming faces on many selections. But even at its best, it’s hard not to wish this was a bigger showcase for Mahal than Mo’, with the latter’s notoriously slicker approach dialed down to allow the former’s gutsy soul to take the spotlight.

It’s the textured restraint on rockers like the closing “DDT,” which unexpectedly changing tempos mid-track, that shows the group’s maturation in their performance and songwriting chops. It indicates a leap forward in the Banditos’ artistic evolution and the potential to expand their sound even further in the future.

All of this impeccable accompaniment wouldn’t amount to much without terrific songs sung with emotion and drive, which is where Mae excels.

While City Music certainly doesn’t surpass Singing Saw, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to hear Morby take a walk on the wild side.

Song choice is everything with a project like this, and Tweedy is wise to generally stray from obvious selections.

DiFranco stretches musical muscles to stay inspired on Binary. She continues to speak her mind with the pride, ferocity and integrity that has shaped an impressively rebellious career.

While this may appear preachy, Mule’s tough, riff-driven attack along with Haynes’ raw, flinty vocals and the synergistic nature of the quartet, which functions as a well-lubed outfit honed through years of live work, keep you focused on the music.

Few acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as Cheap Trick deservedly was in 2016, are cranking out music as fresh, honest, energized and explosive as these guys have released in the past two years.

Like most double albums, this one could do with some judicious editing. It’s a logical reason to bring in an outside ear which, with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Sweet credited as producer, engineer and mixer, hasn’t happened here. Regardless, Sweet fans who are a bit of a cult at this stage, will rejoice with this reflective new music.

Albums like this one continue to burnish a musical legacy that is every bit as imposing as the ones to which Earle pays homage in these songs.

The Nashville Sound is another triumph in his incredible hot streak.

Even though this is unlikely to appeal to hard core Black Keys or Arcs fans, the songwriting effort (the sweet, sensitive “Never In My Wildest Dreams” could have come from Burt Bacharach’s pen) and detailed creativity of the arrangements is impressive.

Sonically, these remasters are full of life and a youthful, vibrant crispness that make you wonder why it took 50 years for the bulk of them to make an appearance.

This album delivers pop at its most intelligent and affecting, stuff that, in a cooler world, would be beaming out of radios everywhere.