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John K. Samson, Tanya Tagaq and Colin James top this week's new music

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Colin James
Blue Highways


All roads lead to the blues. Or in James’ case, back to the blues. The veteran singer-guitarist pays homage to his favourite 12-bar classics on his unvarnished umpteenth release, authentically covering everyone from Muddy and Wolf to Robert and Tommy Johnson — while cutting loose with plenty of fretboard fireworks. Just call it his hoodoo voodoo thing.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)



John K. Samson
Winter Wheat


Fallow no more. Four years after his solo debut, singer-songwriter and ex-Weakerthans fronter Samson is back on fertile ground. While more acoustic and spare than predecessors, this retains his literate lyrical mix of whimsy and wistfulness, voiced in reedy tones and coloured with gently rootsy colours (and a dash of Neil Young prairie-rock). A welcome return.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)



Tanya Tagaq
Retribution


Revenge is not always best served cold. On her fourth full-length and followup to 2014’s award-winning Animism, Tagaq dishes out hers with red-hot anger and undiluted intensity, setting her otherworldly throat-singing against aggressively heavy drumming and grimly noisy, haunted soundscapes. A sublime cover of Nirvana’s Rape Me seals the dark deal.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)



Lizzo
Coconut Oil


Lizzo works fast. Less than a year after her breakthrough album Big Grrrl Small World, the sharp-witted Minneapolis singer-rapper is back with this killer EP. Another way she doesn’t waste time: In under 20 minutes, she’ll have you laughing out loud, dancing in your chair, loving her empowering lyrics — and wondering how long you’ll have to wait for her return.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Slaves
Take Control


You gotta fight for your right to stick it to the man. Which is precisely what British punks Slaves are up to on their second full-length. Noisily underproduced and endorsed by Beastie Boys’ Mike D, this 42-minute firecracker crackles with live-wire energy and first-take abandon — while showcasing their evolution with sharper hooks and more topical lyrics. Brilliant.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Cherub
Bleed Gold, Piss Excellence


Sexy or sexist? It’s in the eye of the beholder. Especially those beholding this Nashville synth duo’s latest. But however you feel about timeless poetry like, “Ya got an a** like a dancer, tryin’ to play it cool like a Cancer,” their woozy treated vocals and downtempo jams put them slightly ahead of feckless forebears like LMFAO and 3OH!3. Pour the mimosas.

RATING: 2.5 (out of 5)

The Pretty Reckless
Who You Selling For


Reckless will only get you so far. And on their 2014 sophomore album Going to Hell, raspy frontwoman (and erstwhile actress) Taylor Momsen and her hard-hitting band of bros rode it to the top of the charts. This collection of derivative, meat-and-potatoes guitar-rock and STP-style post-grunge might keep them there — but truthfully, they’re playing it pretty safe.

RATING: 2.5 (out of 5)

Suzanne Vega
Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers


No, Vega’s not that old. She didn’t really pal around with late Southern Gothic novelist McCullers. The Luka singer-songwriter’s eighth album is a concept disc based on her own play Carson McCullers Talks About Love. But you needn’t be familiar with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter to appreciate these intimate folk-rock tales inspired by McCullers life and career.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Tom Chaplin
The Wave


Out of the dark and into the light. That’s the path Keane frontman Chaplin treads on his first solo album. Inspired by a recent relapse into drugs — ironically prompted by anxiety over his solo career — Wave traces his journey from “wandering ghost” to man at peace. Meanwhile, his yearning vocals and Britpop ballads prove he’s a man capable of going it alone.

RATING: 3 (out of 5)

Two Door Cinema Club
Gameshow


Welcome back to Rock ’n’ Roll Jeopardy! Today’s Final Jeopardy category is Instantly Forgettable Albums. And the answer is: This faceless Irish pop-rock trio’s third disc claims to be influenced by Bowie and Prince — and while it does nick elements from both, it ends up being generic ’80s synth-funk and R&B topped with piercing falsetto vocals. Good luck!

RATING: 2 (out of 5)

Beth Hart
Fire on the Floor


Hart doesn’t waste time. Fire on the Floor is singer-songwriter’s seventh release in as many years. As usual, it showcases her mighty pipes, intense delivery and ability to pivot from blues to jazz to R&B to rock with ease. But this time, her earthy songs are played by a crack band that includes guitar hero Waddy Wachtel. Waste no time getting your mitts on it.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

CeDell Davis
Even the Devil Gets the Blues


He’s not getting older, he’s getting hipper. Now pushing 90, confined to a wheelchair and unable to play guitar due to a stroke, gravel-throated Arkansas bluesman Davis nonetheless delivers his most accomplished album — thanks to the help of Seattle pals like producer Barrett Martin, Pearl Jammer Mike McCready and guitarist Scott McCaughey. Play it loud.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Deap Vally
Femejism


Deap Vally play rough. Make that rougher. On their sophomore album, L.A. singer-guitarist Lindsey Troy and drummer Julie Edwards kick it up a notch — emotionally, musically, sonically and any other way you can imagine — with a fearsome set of personal, pointed fare that toes the line between rock, blues, metal and riot-grrrl punk. Don’t give then any lip.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Jeff Rosenstock
Worry


Old punks have two options: Stick to your guns or evolve. Thankfully, ex-Arrogant Sons of B*****es/Bomb the Music Industry! singer-guitarist Rosenstock has chosen the latter. And on his latest solo set, the New Yorker showcases his increasingly mature songcraft without abandoning the soaring yowl, serrated guitars and gang choruses of his youth. No sweat.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Matthias Arfmann
Ballet Jeunesse


The classics get reclassified. And electrified, thanks to Matthias Arfmann. The German producer updates symphonic masterworks from Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and others, augmenting them with dance grooves, synth lines, electronica sonics and cameos from the likes of Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke and rapper KRS-One. He’s one step ahead.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Brujeria
Pocho Aztlan


Build all the walls you want. You can’t keep Brujeria out. The Mexican-American death-metal supergroup (which includes several Brits from Napalm Death, Carcass and Cradle of Filth) storms back to life with their first disc in 16 years — and lays waste to the surroundings with furiously grinding grooves and sulphurous vocals. ¡Viva la revolucion de metal!

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Suicidal Tendencies
World Gone Mad


Suicidal Slayer? Believe it, man. The SoCal thrashers’ latest lineup features ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. But make no mistake: Even his complex precision and double-bass propulsion can’t overshadow these metal-flaked tracks — or OG frontman Mike Muir’s ragged vocals and lyrics about Ozzy, one-finger salutes and kids today. Hit the pit.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Yellowcard
Rest in Peace


They aren’t kidding with that title: The Jacksonville alt-punks’ 10th album in nearly two decades is also reportedly their swan song. But along with a fitting dose of nostalgia, they make a pretty solid attempt to go out with a high-energy, full-throttle bang — or at least as much bang as a commercial punk band with a full-time violinist can truly muster.

RATING: 3 (out of 5)

Goat
Requiem


Unplugged but not unmasked. Mysterious Swedish psych-jammers Goat — the band that truly puts the cult in cult heroes — mellow out and stretch out on their fourth disc, lowering the volume and pace to let their hypnotically jangling melodies and drum-circle grooves breathe and evolve inside their pan-cultural bong-hit haze. Tune in, turn on, drop the needle.

RATING: 3 (out of 5)

Opeth
Sorceress


Progressively regressive. Sure, it’s a contradiction in terms. But these Swedish vets make it work. As usual, their 12th studio set toes the line between genres and eras, fusing the technical complexity and soaring beauty of ’60s prog with the beefy muscle of ’70s rock and the aggressive edge of ’80s metal. It won’t change your world, but it will rock it briefly.

RATING: 3 (out of 5)

DVDs

Bryan Adams
Wembley 1996 Live


Back in the summer of ’96, Adams and his six-string — backed by his quintet — rocked 70,000 kids in Wembley Stadium on his 18 Til I Die Tour. This long-overdue DVD captures the floppy-haired pop-rocker at his mid-career best, energetically delivering two-plus hours of hits, plus a few classic covers and a Melissa Etheridge cameo. A night to remember.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Santana
Santana IV Live at the House of Blues Las Vegas


IV and more. While their recent reunion disc is indeed the centrepiece of this Sin City concert, the reconstituted Santana band — including Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Mike Carabello and Michael Shrieve — play it smart by spiking their 135-minute set with classics like Evil Ways, Soul Sacrifice and other Woodstock-era classics. Time for you to all get down.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Peter Gabriel
Growing Up: Live | Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped


Here comes a flood of vintage live Gabriel. The former Genesis frontman doubles down with these Blu-ray upgrades, bundling his spectacular 2003 film Growing Up (including wire work, a giant hamster ball and a rotating circular stage) with his more traditional 2004 followup Still Growing Up (accompanied by a full-length doc). They’re also available separately.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Friends
Circlin’ Back: Celebrating 50 Years


Emphasis on Friends. NGDB have made plenty over the last half-century. And invite several — including John Prine, Jackson Browne, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss — to join them at Nashville’s historic Ryman for this freewheeling 90-minute PBS special celebrating Americana, songwriting and other things that, like NGDB, remain unbroken.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Justin Hayward
Live in Concert at the Capitol Theatre


Just a singer in a rock ’n’ roll band? Perhaps. But on this solo DVD, Moody Blues frontman Hayward unplugs his guitar and recruits a keyboardist and guitarist to back him up on an intimate 97-minute performance of songs from his 2013 album Spirits of the Western Sky — along with enough Moodies classics to keep the audience from rioting. Pleasant enough.

RATING: 3 (out of 5)

BOXES & REISSUES

Big Star
Complete Third


Beauty amid the chaos. It’s what a broken Alex Chilton and his disintegrating Big Star produced on their swan song Third (a.k.a. Sister Lovers). It’s also what this comprehensive three-disc box documents, compiling demos, acoustic takes, rough mixes and final masters to chronicle the painful birth of one of rock’s eccentric treasures. Thank you, friends.

RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)

Graham Parker
These Dreams Will Never Sleep: The Best of … 1976-2015


On the up escalator, going down all the cracks: Parker’s own words neatly encapsulate his shoulda-been career. Even more neatly than this box. Compressing the trenchant rock troubadour’s vast discography into three CDs leaves many essentials MIA, while four discs of admittedly great live fare (including a DVD) is a bit much. Still, beggars and choosers.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

Simple Minds
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)


We’ve all had recurring dreams. But the Scottish art-popsters’ exhaustive celebration of their breakthrough 1982 set pushes it. Over the course of six discs, you get the remastered nine-song disc, padded by umpteen different remixes, edits, extended versions, live radio performances and even 5.1 audio versions. Bottom line: Not enough gold, too much dross.

RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)

Peter Case
Peter Case


Beginnings don’t get much more auspicious. Former Plimsoul Case’s 1986 solo debut was helmed by T-Bone Burnett, played by an all-star cast and earned mucho kudos. Refresh your memories (or get up to speed) with this 30th anniversary edition, which expands his artsy roots-pop songcraft and sandy vocals with seven bonus tracks. It’s a new beginning.

RATING: 4 (out of 5)

IN THE PIPELINE


Oct 28

Jimmy Buffett, Tis the SeaSon
Kenny Chesney, Cosmic Hallelujah
CRX, New Skin
Neil Diamond, Acoustic Christmas
Empire of the Sun, Two Vines
Alejandro Escovedo, Burn Something Beautiful
Madness, Can’t Touch Us Now
Kacey Musgraves, A Very Kacey Christmas
Jennifer Nettles, To Celebrate Christmas
LeAnn Rimes, Remnants
She & Him, Christmas Party
Straight No Chaser, I’ll Have Another … Christmas Album
Tove Lo, Lady Wood
Iggy Pop, Post Pop Depression Live at The Royal Albert Hall DVD

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