The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band-How I Go (2011)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of the youngest bluesmen on the current scene. Born in the late seventies, his solo career began when he was just eighteen, releasing his first full-length album, "Ledbetter Heights" (1995). However, at only thirteen, he participated in several events alongside bluesman Bryan Lee, a fact that caught the attention of talent scouts who waited until he came of age to sign him to a record deal. From that moment on, Kenny Wayne Shepherd was in demand by many bluesmen of the era, playing with artists such as B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Jonny Lang, among many others, and opening for Aerosmith, The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Rolling Stones. A five-time Grammy nominee, he has won several of the most prestigious awards in the blues music industry. "How I Go", released in 2011, is his sixth album, steeped in the dusty sounds of the American South. On tracks like "Cold", Wayne demonstrates that he has little to envy in his contemporary blues guitarists, showcasing an enviable technique on the six strings. In his version of the classic "Oh, Pretty Woman", the guitarist delivers a track brimming with blues passion, and on other songs like the rocking "Come On Over" or the blues-rock "Never Lookin' Back", Wayne also makes it clear that he knows how to rock like few others. The more serene blues ballads are present in the radiant "Show Me The Way Back Home", "Anywhere The Wind Blows", and "Who's Gonna Catch You Now", where singer Noah Hunt also shines.

Gamma Ray-Land Of The Free (1995)

Taking inspiration from the iconic 1970s German progressive rock song Birth Control, guitarist and composer Kai Hansen formed Gamma Ray, a band that followed the same musical principles as his previous band, Helloween. After three albums of tremendous power metal, in 1995 they released one of the cornerstones of epic and grandiose metal with "Land of the Free." On this album, Hansen himself took over vocals from former vocalist Ralf Scheepers, while the rest of the lineup consisted of Dirk Schlächter (guitar), Jan Rubach (bass), Thomas Nack (drums), and Sascha Paeth (keyboards), in addition to a guest appearance by his former Helloween bandmate, Michael Kiske. Composed of a series of extensive compositions full of dynamism, power and epicness, here are cuts such as the thrilling "Rebellion In Dreamland", the incisive "Man on A Mission", the emotional "Farewell" or the brilliant "Time To Break Free", resulting in an essential album within the epic heavy metal of the nineties.

Hogjaw-Sons Of The Western Skies (2012)

Another of those devastating albums of Southern rock and 21st-century American rock is the one released by Hogjaw in 2012, a band formed in 2006 in Arizona. On this release, aptly titled "Sons of the Western Skies," this group comprised of Jon Boat Jones (vocals and guitar), Craig Self (lead guitar), Elvis DD (bass), and J. Kowalski (drums) delivers everything from pure Southern bangers like "Midnight Run to Cleator", "Dirty Woman", "Spoonfed", "Hells Half Home of Mine", and "Road of Fools", to bluesy tracks like "Mainstream Trucker" and "The Sun of All Things", and swampy cuts like "Everyone's Goin' Fishin' ". Without being entirely original, Hogjaw retain their own personality, rescuing with their music and their southern spirit, the enormous legacy left by the great bands of the golden age of American roots rock.

Syd Arthur-Sound Mirror (2014)

Founded at the beginning of this century, Syd Arthur is a British progressive and psychedelic rock band from Canterbury. The band consists of Liam and Joel Magill (guitar and bass, respectively), drummer Fred Rother, and keyboardist Raven Bush. With their debut album, released in 2006, the band showcased their immense potential with a work that draws on a wide range of influences, from jazz and rock to blues and folk. Evoking the sounds of the great bands of the seventies (Camel, Jethro Tull, Genesis, and King Crimson), this quartet continued to evolve, producing another superb, dynamic, and versatile album in 2014. Psychedelic tracks ("Chariots"), progressive folk ("Backward Stepping"), intricate pieces of progressive rock ("Singularity"), mainstream rock ("Hometown Blues"), and relaxed, accessible tracks ("All And Everything"), combine to create an elegant and enjoyable album of contemporary progressive rock.

Grand Funk Railroad-On Time (1969)

Grand Funk Railroad rose from the ashes of a local band in Flint, Michigan, called Terry Knight & The Pack, which included guitarist Mark Farner, drummer Donald Brewer, and singer Terry Knight. In 1968, Farner and Brewer recruited bassist Mel Schacher, thus forming the first lineup of this power trio, while Terry Knight took on the role of manager. Knight himself secured the band a performance at the prestigious Atlanta Pop Festival in mid-1969, achieving overwhelming success that earned them a contract with Capitol Records. Shortly after, they made their recording debut with their first album, "On Time", in which they superbly showcased their credentials with a vigorous and powerful style of hard rock with hints of blues and soul. Composed of ten songs, some featuring extensive instrumental passages like "Into the Sun", "Heartbreaker", and "T.N.U.C.", melodic and dynamic hard rock tracks like "Are You Ready?", intense blues rock like "Time Machine", and forays into the psychedelia prevalent at the time with the frenetic "Anybody's Answer" and "High on a Horse". A top ten hit on the Billboard charts and over a million copies sold made it one of the best debut albums in late 1960s rock music.

Walter Trout-Unspoiled by Progress: 20 Years of Hardcore Blues (2009)

Walter Trout is one of the most dedicated disciples of John Mayall, the father of British blues, who invited him to join his Bluesbreakers in the mid-1980s. However, prior to that, Walter Trout already had an extensive career as a blues guitarist, collaborating with artists such as John Lee Hooker, Percy Mayfield, and Canned Heat. In the late 1980s, Trout began his solo career, releasing his first album, "Life In The Jungle" (1989). Since then, he has released around thirty albums, both solo and with his various bands: Walter Trout Band, Walter Trout and The Free Radicals, and Walter Trout and The Radicals. "Unspoiled by Progress: 20 Years of Hardcore Blues" is an essential historical document that captures a significant part of his career, featuring fourteen tracks, some of them previously unreleased, that perfectly define his trajectory, showcasing some of his intense blues and his immense feeling and talent on the six strings.