Patti Smith-Twelve (2007)

After nearly four decades in the business, in 2007 Patti Smith, the punk rock muse, feminist icon, and staunch human rights advocate, returned to delight us with a new album after several years of silence. This time, Smith boldly opted for a covers album, which, far from overshadowing the original versions, showcases the singer's remarkable flair in choosing an arsenal of iconic songs by artists such as Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Neil Young, Tears for Fears, The Allman Brothers, The Doors, and Nirvana. With the invaluable collaboration of guitarist Lenny Kaye, drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, and bassist Tony Shanahan, Smith brilliantly unfolds each song, imbuing it with her distinctive vocal style and indomitable spirit. Thus songs like "White Rabbit", "Soul Kitchen", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Changing Of The Guards", "Midnight Rider" or "Everybody Wants to Rule The World", offer an excellent different and peculiar musical approach.

Leslie West-Blue Me (2006)

Considered one of the greatest guitarists in American rock, Leslie West showcased his immense talent and genius for five uninterrupted decades, from his beginnings in the 1960s with the Vagrants, through his time leading the legendary Mountain in the 1970s and the iconic trio West, Bruce and Laing. In addition to all this, he had an extensive solo career, releasing a dozen albums, many of them veritable explosions of the best American blues rock. In 2006, West paid tribute to some of the blues classics with his album "Blue Me", featuring ten contemporary classics such as "Four Day Creep" by Humble Pie, "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles, "Sinner's Prayer" by B.B. King, "Standing Around Crying" by Muddy Waters, and "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. In all of them, West demonstrates that so many years later he is still in enviable shape, with his peculiar and unique sound that he knew how to get out of his Gibson Les Paul and his tremendous voice that seems to have been born for the blues.

Wishbone Ash-Here To Hear (1989)

In 1989, the original Wishbone Ash lineup reunited to release their fifteenth album, "Here to Hear", more than fifteen years after their last studio album together ("Wishbone Four" in 1973). It's clear that we won't find the sound that made them famous in the seventies here, with the progressive and hypnotic sounds of "Argus", or the exciting and melodic twin-guitar hard rock of albums like "Pilgrimage", "Wishbone Four", "There's the Rub", or "New England". In this reunion, the band, composed of Martin Turner (bass, keyboards, vocals, and production), Ted Turner (guitars and vocals), Andy Powell (guitar), and Steve Upton (drums), opted for a sophisticated rock style, with impeccable compositions, some of them incredibly catchy, and excellent production. The elegant guitar rhythms are present, as is usual in the band, in all the songs, highlighting the initial and pulsating "Cosmic Jazz", the rhythmic "Mental Radio", the attractive "Lost Cause in Paradise" and "Why Don't We", or in the instrumental "Hole In My Heart (Part Two)".

Neil Young-Living With War (2006)

With his twenty-ninth album, Canadian Neil Young continued his politically charged themes, this time focusing, as the title suggests, on the wars waged by the American administration. This time, his target was the foreign policies of George W. Bush and his crusade in the Iraq War. Lyrically, it's very close to the protest folk that reigned during the 1960s, while musically it showcases Young's most furious and raw side. Distorted guitars, powerful rhythms, plenty of spontaneity, and a stark, honest rock sound are what we find here. Great vocal melodies, rhythmic grooves, poignant lyrics, and intense, gritty guitar riffs are present in tracks like "After The Garden", "Living With War", "Shock And Awe", "Families", "Lookin' For A Leader", and "Let's Impeach the President". Without a doubt, this is one of the most narrative and timeless albums from the brilliant Canadian musician.

Arena-Songs From The Lion´s Cage (1995)

In the mid-nineties, two of the finest instrumentalists of neo-progressive rock, Clive Nolan, keyboardist for Pendragon, and Mick Pointer, former drummer for Marillion, joined forces to found Arena. In mid-1995, they released their monumental debut album, "Songs From The Lion's Cage", considered one of the gems of the progressive rock genre of the nineties. For this first recording, the two musicians collaborated with Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery, guitarist Keith Moore, bassist Cliff Orsi, and vocalist John Carson. Arena's approach on this first release was based on the progressive sounds of early Marillion, with echoes of the great bands of the 70s like Genesis and Yes. The sounds of Clive Nolan's eloquent and omnipresent keyboards, Mick Pointer's formidable precision on the drums, and the outstanding guitar and bass work combine to create an album as spectacular as it is surprising, featuring the epic and progressive "Valley of the Kings" and "Solomon", the powerful "Out of the Wilderness", the melodic "Jericho", and the atmospheric "Crying for Help IV". From this point on, the band would regularly release a series of high-quality works, such as the subsequent "Pride" (1996), "The Visitor" (1998), and "Contagion" (2003), among others, culminating in "Double Vision" (2018), the latest major contribution from this formidable neo-progressive band.

Jeff Lynne´s ELO-Alone In The Universe (2015)

2015 was the year chosen for Jeff Lynne's return to recording, with the release of "Alone In The Universe", an album that was well-received by nostalgic fans of his original band, Electric Light Orchestra. With this work, Lynne's aim was simply to satisfy the cravings of his millions of fans, while also not seeking to recruit new ones; he merely wanted to release and record a series of songs he had composed in recent years. Lynne's solo career, aside from the aforementioned ELO and his numerous collaborations with other artists, has always been relatively unproductive, and one would have to go back fourteen years to the release of the album "Zoom", a more organic work that, to some extent, returned to his 70s style. This time, despite being credited as Jeff Lynne's ELO, it is actually a personal project, featuring no former members of his previous lineups, with Lynne playing all the instruments himself. Even so, songs like the title track and other cuts such as "When I Was A Boy", "Is It Alright", and "Dirty To The Bone" sound like traditional ELO, mainly due to the keyboard and guitar sounds. Others, like "Ain't It A Drag", leave us with a taste of the Travelling Wilburys, another of Lynne's projects, while the rest retain the exquisite instrumental melodies and addictive vocal harmonies so characteristic of the iconic British musician and producer.