Raw, rough yet beautifully crafted, Taylor’s music is pure, honest and riveting in its unadorned simplicity.

The sound on these remasters crackles, revealing musical and lyrical nuances along with spotlighting how critical Mark Ortmann’s in-the-pocket drumming is to the vibe.

While a number of other covers grace the set like Merle Haggard’s “Working Man Blues” and Johnny Cash and June Carter’s “Jackson,” the group also penned some fantastic originals.

The bulk of these songs feature clichéd lyrics and arm-waving call and response construction.... That said, there is talent and maturity in the song craft, production and playing.

His latest, instead, is rife with sumptuous arrangements steeped in gorgeous layers of piano and organ, with much subtler licks of guitar sliding in like skin on silk sheets.

Maybe Jagbags would be better if it were tighter, but you’d lose the crucial impression of a man whose primary mission is now to entertain himself.

Even though its origins are a bit unique, And I’ll Scratch Yours is still your garden-variety tribute album, subject to all of the perks and limitations that such projects tend to contain.

High Hopes plays very much like a sequel to Wrecking Ball, but Springsteen is less angry and blameful, more cheerfully weary this time around.

All in all, Blue Rider is a stirring experience, one that elicits emotions with the most subtle of brush strokes and simplest of sounds.

Benson may jump at a Raconteurs reunion should it ever appear, but with a release as strong as You Were Right, he deserves to be playing mid-sized halls as a headliner in his own right.

The performances themselves are well-arranged and played in virtually all aspects, although as a full listening experience, it gets a bit repetitive by album’s end, even at a scant 45 minutes.

Live At The Cellar Door sounds like Neil Young with his head down playing to an exceedingly polite crowd.... But the real gems here are the pared down Everybody Knows tracks.

Like the most powerful of drugs, it will initially make you feel queasy. But once that passes, there’s a tangible bliss to be had... it’s the stuff addictions are made of.

This well-intentioned exercise in nostalgia is an enticing 52 minute ride (three more are on a the deluxe edition), and if it sends Gen X’ers back to the archetype versions and keeps them out of the karaoke clubs, it’s more than done its job.

Even though On Air-Live At The BBC Volume 2 might not be the most revelatory release, it’s still a couple of hours’ worth of The Beatles in their prime, and that makes it essential listening.

Ultimately, Back To Land is a little too much “vibe” and not enough “oomph”--a not unpleasurable 40-minute cruise, but one which sometimes feels lo

Their apparent lack of restraint more often translates to ridiculous indulgence.... Antiphon is, however, an impressively executed album, and a true feat of musicianship in a genre that is more typically driven by songwriters lacking technical ability.

Once you hear any of them, you’ll want more, especially since this compact 32 minute disc ends way too soon.

Magpie is chock full of tracks that show the Avett Brothers are (very wisely) growing their sound, while remaining true to their core principles and what listeners like about them to begin with.

Surveys of his life and work still manage to produce fresh revelations, and American Radical Patriot, Rounder Records’ just-released collection of government-related Guthrie recordings, provides extraordinary new insight into the complex mind of this simple-sounding folk icon.

There seems to be a slightly less edgy approach to these ten tracks, some of which could have used a dose of the hyper-caffeinated style TDM3 whip up in front of an audience.

A predominantly lush, lovely rendered debut that is never less than pleasant. Unfortunately, it’s seldom more than that either as these amiable tunes drift on a dreamy haze that threatens to slide into a memorable chorus or melody, but seldom does.

They’ve recorded another stunning album that’s going to be a bear to follow up.

It adds up to a challenging, taut, and inspirational 39 minutes of music you won’t be humming after the first spin. But, because of its confidence, integrity and diversity, you’ll be back for repeated visits.

Ultimately, there’s not a single song here that fails to resonate or emphatically evoke emotions.

In its original, and here remastered, 10 track format (a somewhat superfluous if clean 5.1 remix, audio only DVD is also included), it’s every bit as memorable, timeless and nearly as entertaining if not quite as challenging as Astral Weeks.... But hearing so many working versions of these songs can be a trying, time consuming yet occasionally enjoyable experience.

Part of what made Nirvana’s final studio album so monumental was everything that made Nevermind a classic--an abrasive retooling of the pop songwriting handbook.

12 Stories, a record full of humor and pain, remorse and reckoning, is one of the very best country debuts of 2013.