Hydra-Rock The World (1977)

Hydra was another interesting and forgotten American band belonging to the second tier of American southern rock. Founded in Georgia in the early 1970s by guitarist and vocalist Wayne Bruce, guitarist Spencer Kirkpatrick, and drummer Steve Pace, the band had a succession of bassists during its early years, including Trip Burgess and Orville Davis. During those years, the band built a strong reputation with their electrifying live performances in clubs and concert halls throughout Atlanta, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the executives at Capricorn Records, who signed them and released their self-titled debut album in 1974. On this debut, Hydra showcased their gritty Southern rock style with the energy of heavy rock, a style that would be softened on their second album, "Land of Money", when Capricorn's producers unilaterally added a horn section and keyboards, shifting the Southern style towards subtle soul and jazz sounds. After this second album, the band became a trio with Kirkptarick, Bruce, and Pace and released "Rock The World", which would ultimately be their last album and their best work. Most of the tracks on it have the classic Southern rock flavor of the 70s, with powerful guitars, melodic and catchy vocals, and a driving hard rock rhythm. Tracks like the frenetic "Shame", the powerful "Wating Time", the country rock "To The Willowed" or the attractive southern "Feel Like Running" and "Rock The World", make up an attractive album of the exclusive genre of the southern states of North America.

The John Butler Trio-Grand National (2007)

“Grand National” is the fourth album by The John Butler Trio, a phenomenal Australian roots rock trio comprised of John Butler, Shannon Birchall, and Michael Barker. Featuring a diverse repertoire brimming with harmonicas, banjos, and acoustic and electric guitars, all under a blanket of southern rock, blues, country, rock and roll, and bluegrass, this power trio delves into the roots of American rock with an accessible and catchy sound. Songs brimming with energetic vocals and captivating guitar lines, such as “Used To Get High”, blend with swampy tracks like “Better Than”, the deep-South Louisiana feel of “Daniella”, infectious melodies in “Funky Tonight”, appealing country rock in “Nowhere Man”, quirky reggae in “Groovin’ Slowly”, and funky southern rock in “Gov Did Nothin’ ”, this is what this band offers on this excellent album.

Black Sabbath-Vol. 4 (1972)

With their fourth album, Black Sabbath confirmed their tendency to experiment with heavy metal sounds. For this new album, titled "Vol. 4", Tony Iommi took the reins of production alongside Patrick Meehan, and this is reflected in the tuning of his guitar, which he altered even further than on the previous album, "Master of Reality", giving his sound a heavier and darker tone. Recorded in Los Angeles, their first album recorded outside the UK, it was marked, among other things, by the break the band had taken after a period of instability due to drug abuse by all its members and the exhausting tours around the world promoting the previous album. Despite not abandoning their roots, this new release no longer features such satanic or dark imagery in its lyrics, making it musically a less consistent work compared to their earlier albums. However, there are some memorable moments, such as the progressive heavy rock epic "Wheels of Confusion", in which Tony Iommi showcases his immense talent with impressive guitar riffs and solos. The distinctive Black Sabbath sound is still present in the heavy metal tracks "Supernaut", "Snowblind", and "Cornucopia", and in the frenetic heavy rock anthem "Under the Sun". The rest of the album consists of more predictable tracks like the stoner rock anthems "Tomorrow's Dream" and "St. Vitus Dance", and the melancholic ballad "Changes". Although for many fans this album was somewhat of a step backward in the band's career, it achieved multi-platinum status in the North American market and a gold record in the UK.

Howlin Rain-Magnificent Fiend (2008)

Another of the new roots rock bands is the American group Howlin Rain, a band from San Francisco, California, that keeps the flame of 70s rock alive. Formed in 2004 by Ethan Miller, their lineup has undergone countless changes, a constant throughout the group's career. Their first album, released in 2006, is a kind of revival of sounds that draw from the psychedelia of the Grateful Dead, the dusty rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the instrumental developments of The Allman Brothers Band. Two years later they returned with "Magnificent Fiend", a harder-edged work, incorporating more hard rock guitars and a greater prominence of the Hammond organ. In this second effort, Howlin Rain give us everything from strange interludes, a prelude to the cathartic and psychedelic "Dancers At The End Of Time", to moving and melodic cuts (at least in comparison with their intense improvisations), "Nomads" and "El Rey", passing through electric folk canvases "Riverboat", southern rock "Calling Lightning Pt.2" or hypnotism in abundance with "Lord Have Mercy".

Øresund Space Collective-The Black Tomato (2007)

Øresund Space Collective is a multinational Danish-Swedish project formed in Copenhagen in 2004. Since their music is essentially a free and improvisational style of space rock with multiple influences ranging from hard rock and krautrock to jazz and psychedelic music, their recordings are as diverse as they are varied. With over 30 albums released, most of them have been recorded with different lineups in a kind of band-association of musicians that has earned them considerable prestige in the European progressive and avant-garde rock scene. Albums such as their self-titled debut (2006), "The Black Tomato" (2007), "Good Planets Are Hard To Find" (2009), "Music for Pogonologists" (2014) or "West, Space & Love Vol II" (2016), are unique and exciting experiences of galactic sounds, impeccable hypnotic rhythms, spacey guitars and predominant and driving organ and synthesizer sounds.

Smash-We Come To Smash This Time (1971)

Smash were the pioneers of what would become known as Andalusian rock, and their influence on countless subsequent groups in the years following their breakup was fundamental to the development and popularization of this style. Hailing from Seville, this band was active between 1967 and 1973. After releasing two studio albums, "Glorieta de los Lotos" and "We Come to Smash This Time", as well as a dozen singles, they disbanded. However, they reunited sporadically in the following years to keep their legacy alive. Their lineup consisted of Gualberto García (guitar), Julio Matito (bass and vocals), Antonio Rodríguez (drums), Henrik Liebgott (guitar and violin), El Lebrijano (vocals), and Silvio Rodríguez (percussion). Their debut album, "Glorieta de los Lotos", released in 1970, showcased their original fusion of psychedelic music and flamenco, featuring powerful bluesy riffs and experimental elements. A year later they returned with their second full-length album "We Come To Smash This Time", a more avant-garde and experimental record, featuring classic symphonic rock tracks "First Movement", psychedelic pop "Don't Be Sad, Baby", a fusion between raga music and flamenco "Behind the Stars", folk rock "We Come To Smash This Time" or progressive hard rock "Fail Safe", making this album a true classic of Spanish rock.

Steve Miller Band-Let Your Hair Down (2011)

Just as with their acclaimed previous album, "Bingo", the Steve Miller Band's seventeenth album delves deeper into the blues; in fact, both albums were recorded simultaneously. For this recording, Steve Miller's band included vocalist Sonny Charles, harmonica player Norton Buffalo, and guitarist Kenny Lee Lewis, who, along with Miller himself, co-wrote the riffs and solos on this album. Composed of covers of blues greats, Miller manages to make each version his own while respecting the original's essence. Robert Johnson's classic "Sweet Home Chicago", John Lee Hooker's "No More Doggin' ", Willie Dixon's "Pretty Thing", Jimmy McCracklin's "The Walk", and Muddy Waters' "Can't Be Satisfied", sound so fresh and revitalized that their original composers would surely be pleased with the final result.

Toto-Mindfields (1999)

Before the end of the 20th century, the American band Toto released their tenth studio album, "Mindfields", which showcased a return to the sound that had propelled them to fame in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s: melodic rock brimming with irresistible choruses, rich arrangements, energetic hard rock guitar, and the rich influences of soul, blues, funk, and jazz. By this point, the band had undergone several lineup changes since their previous album, "Tambu" (1995), including the return of Bobby Kimball after some years away from Toto, and the addition of percussionist Lenny Castro, while core members Steve Lukather, David Paich, Mike Porcaro, and Simon Phillips continued to lead the legendary group. Featuring a wide variety of styles, this new release reaffirmed the Americans' status as one of the great bands of melodic rock. This eclectic fusion of styles is evident in the rock with reggae rhythms "Mindfields", in the soul-rock "Cruel", in the extensive blues "High Price of Hate", in the hard rock "Caught In The Balance", in the irresistible ballad "Last Love" or in the addictive and tremendously attractive AOR "One Road", "Melanie", "Selfish" or "Mysterious Ways".