Frost-Milliontown (2006)

Frost was a one-off project led by keyboardist and producer Jim Godfrey, who wanted to venture into the challenging world of 21st-century progressive rock, composing highly enjoyable, high-quality material. To carry out this project, Godfrey enlisted some of the most renowned musicians of the neo-progressive rock scene at the time: IQ bassist and drummer John Jowitt and Andy Edwards, and Arena guitarist John Mitchell. The resulting album, "Milliontown", is a fascinating odyssey encompassing muscular and energetic passages, a wealth of electronic elements, and relaxing, atmospheric moments. All the tracks are built upon Godfrey's keyboard work, overlaid by a simply masterful instrumental explosion. From art rock pieces like "The Other Me", to the progressive metal of "No Me No You", passing through the progressive "Black Light Machine" or the superb pyrotechnic and musical display of the enormous suite "Milliontown", this record effort is a vigorous and impeccable work of the best modern progressive rock.

Rush-Roll The Bones (1991)

After four albums firmly rooted in synthesizer-driven, technological sounds, the Canadian band Rush began the 90s with a new work that recaptured their more direct, rock essence, while solidifying their melodic style and maintaining their unique sound, remaining, as was their custom, detached from the musical trends of the time. However, this shift was already hinted at in their previous album, "Presto", though still lacking the conviction and determination of "Roll The Bones". This melodic hard rock is present in the sublime "Dreamline" and "Bravado", two commendable tracks that, along with the instrumental "Where's My Thing", elevate the album to heights they hadn't reached in years. The rest of the album, while not reaching their peak, is still of a very high standard. To reaffirm this, there's the magnificent "Roll the Bones", a peculiar rock track with a short but interesting rap section; the ethereal "The Big Wheel", the frenetic "Face Up", the dark "Neurotica", and the melancholic "Heresy". In short, "Roll The Bones", despite not surpassing their best work, is composed of a series of very appealing tracks, both in terms of composition and instrumentation, demonstrating the trio's enormous capacity for constant evolution in crafting another excellent album.

Alice Cooper-School´s Out (1972)

It's curious how a single song can overshadow much of the rest of the tracks on an album, despite their immense quality. This is evident in Alice Cooper's fifth album, "School's Out", released in early 1973, which simultaneously became one of his most successful works and a peak moment alongside "Billion Dollar Babies" and "Killer". Recorded at the Record Plant studios in New York, Cooper enlisted the help of guitarist Dick Wagner and the esteemed production of Bob Ezrin, in addition to his regular band comprised of Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith, and keyboardist Michael Bruce. “School’s Out” was created as a concept album and contains certain progressive elements, at least in concept, and where the irresistible title track stands out, a classic of youth rock, the cabaret “Gutter Cat vs. The Jets”, the gritty and punk “Luney Tune”, the jazz-influenced “Blue Turk”, with a sound very close to The Doors, the Stones-esque “Public Animal #9” or the opulent “Grande Finale”, all of which make up a superb work, but which in a way unfairly unbalances the final result, due to the tremendous hit that was the single “School’s Out” and which to some extent buried a repertoire of great songs.

Michael Thompson Band-Future Past (2012)

Michael Thompson is a renowned and prolific American session guitarist who, in addition to collaborating on hundreds of albums for other artists, has also enjoyed a brilliant solo career. His numerous collaborations include artists of the caliber of Stephen Bishop, Michael Bolton, Kenny G., Joe Cocker, Brenda Russell, Neil Diamond, Bob Seger, Michael Jackson, and Al Jarreau. His first album with his band MTB (Michael Thompson Band), titled "How Long", was released in 1989, achieving overwhelming success on the American melodic rock charts thanks to hits like "Can't Miss" and establishing himself as an absolute masterpiece of AOR and melodic rock. In 2012, he released his fifth album with the Michael Thompson Band, "Future Past", another extraordinary record of elegant and energetic melodic rock, featuring sharp hard rock guitars and excellent vocal lines courtesy of the versatile singer Larry King. Textbook AOR songs like "Gypsy Road", "High Time", "Can't Be Right", "When You Love Someone", "End Game", "Can't Miss" or "Fight For Your Life", make it another gem of melodic rock.

Chris Duarte & Bluestone Company-396 (2009)

Another memorable album of high-voltage, gritty blues rock, this is the eighth release from Texas-born guitarist Chris Duarte, who, along with the Bluestone Co., has produced one of those essential albums of the best modern Southern blues. Here, his backing band is the Japanese Bluestone Company, a tight and precise instrumentation that doesn't let up for a single moment throughout the entire album. From the dusty Southern rock of "Chattahoochee Side" and "396", to the blues rock of "Mad As I Can Be", and including more conventional tracks like the bluesy rock and roll of "Put Up or Shut", the funk rock of "Funky Mama", the frenetic "Give It Back to Me", and the powerful "Angelina".

Larry Carlton-Alone But Never Alone (1985)

Larry Carlton is one of the great jazz guitarists. His versatile style and immense talent have been demonstrated throughout a fruitful career spanning more than 50 years, leaving behind over thirty solo albums that have explored jazz fusion, jazz rock, blues, and rock. In addition to his solo albums, he has been a prolific session musician, collaborating on hundreds of recordings for other artists, including Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, and Randy Crawford, among many others. He has even composed various soundtracks for television and film series, such as the famous "Hill Street Blues", for which he won a Grammy Award in 1981. His first album, "With a Little Help from My Friends", released in 1968, was met with great acclaim from both audiences and critics worldwide. In the early 1970s, he joined the jazz-rock band The Crusaders, with whom he recorded eleven albums, beginning with "Crusaders 1" (1972) and ending with "Those Southern Knights" (1976). However, on the latter, he appeared as a guest musician, and he continued to participate in subsequent albums with the group, contributing his own compositions and melodic style with his famous Gibson ES-335 guitar. Carlton himself nicknamed this guitar "Mr. 335", even creating his own recording studio, which he called "Room 335". After leaving The Crusaders, Larry Carlton signed with Warner Bros. and released a string of great albums focused on jazz fusion. Among these albums, highlights include the debut “Larry Carlton” (1978), the live album “Mr. 335: Live in Japan” (1979), and the brilliant “Sleepwalk” (1981), “Strikes Twice” (1981), “Eight Times Up” (1983), and “Friends” (1983). All of them feature exquisite production, brimming with rich nuances and a wide variety of styles, encompassing jazz, rock, funk, soul, and blues. In 1985, with his ninth album, “Alone But Never Alone”, he reached number one on the Billboard Jazz charts, and even won another Grammy Award for the track “Minute by Minute”. He also received a nomination in the “Best Jazz Fusion Performance” category for his live album “Last Nite” (1986). In the late 1980s, he released his most rock-oriented album to date, "On Solid Ground", but before its release, an event occurred that would mark Larry Carlton's life. One night, outside the recording studio, an unknown assailant shot him several times, nearly killing him. This dramatic event led to a long hospitalization followed by endless and painful recovery sessions. Some time later, the guitarist began to rebuild his personal and professional life, drastically reducing his live appearances, although he gradually resumed his career as a session musician, reaching an astonishing number of nearly three thousand collaborations by the mid-1990s. At the end of the 20th century, he participated in the Fourplay project, a jazz supergroup formed by Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason, with whom he recorded a total of ten albums. 

Larry Carlton-Plays The Sound Of Philadelphia (2010)

In 2010, legendary jazz and blues guitarist Larry Carlton left his commitments with the fusion band Fourplay, resuming his solo career and releasing his twenty-eighth album. This time, Carlton ventures into a style less explored in his long career: soul. He covers songs by one of the most famous songwriting duos in history, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. This duo earned over 100 Gold and Platinum records over the years, in addition to more than 70 number-one hits worldwide. Carlton, with his distinctive blend of jazz, blues, and rock, has played on hundreds of recordings, from pop stars like Barbra Streisand, Kim Carnes, Albert Hammond, and Leo Sayer, to rock bands and artists such as Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Peter Frampton, and Christopher Cross, as well as blues and jazz greats like T-Bone Walker, Al Jarreau, James Ingram, Eumir Deodato, and Herb Alpert. In this tribute, Larry Carlton is accompanied by the velvety voice of Bill LaBounty, organist Paul Shaffer, pianist Tony DeSare, bassist Christopher LiNard Jackson, saxophonist Max Douthit, and drummer Andrea Valentini. Adapting many of the iconic songs to his characteristic style, highlights include “Could It Be I'm Falling in Love”, “You Make Me Feel Brand New”, and “I'll Be Around”, all with a fusion twist, while in “Back Stabbers”, the guitarist transforms it into a great blues number. Even more brilliant is “If You Don't Know Me By Now”, which retains the fluidity of the popular original but incorporates Carlton at his best, with a rockier sound.

Triana-Sombra y Luz (1979)

Triana's third album marked their commercial and creative peak, selling nearly half a million copies in the Spanish market, and completing the band's progressive trilogy that had begun four years earlier with their impressive debut album, "El Patio". In this new release, "Sombra y Luz" (Shadow and Light), the band achieved better production than their previous two albums, making the content shine with catchy melodies and an ever-growing commitment to their original musical philosophy. However, it's also true that they began to lose some of their initial progressive drive, showcasing a less grounded and more conventional sound. Even so, this doesn't mean they abandoned progressive sounds, as there is still plenty of impressive material here, brimming with enormous instrumental complexity, genuine passion, and that special magic that only flamenco can bring to the final product, making it sound truly progressive. The main reason for all this is Jesús de la Rosa's less forceful and more restrained use of synthesizers, as a counterpoint to the sounds of the electric and acoustic guitars. This allows the latter to steal the spotlight and, at many points on the album, lead to more aggressive and purely rock sounds. All of this is clearly manifested in the opening track, "Un Historia", a clear rock song with blues influences, full of melancholic serenity. As a counterpoint, there's "Quiero Contarte", a cheerful piece featuring excellent electric guitar work by Pepe Roca, one of the guest guitarists, along with Antonio Pérez and Enrique Carmona, who demonstrate their undeniable talent throughout the album. With the following track, "Sombra y Luz", Triana once again demonstrates its experimental style with a tour de force that includes touches of jazz-rock and psychedelic sounds. It's here that Jesús De La Rosa's synthesizers recapture the essence of their previous albums in a brilliant and memorable piece. Following this comes the epic “Hasta Volver”, a ten-minute epic track that, along with the previous one, is the album's highlight. The beautiful “Tiempo sin saber” showcases the group's flamenco side, while “Vuelta a La sombra y a la Luz” maintains the same musical structure as its namesake, “Sombra y Luz”, but with a much shorter and more restrained duration.