Album Reviews

Last week was indeed a tough one for those of us who listen to a lot of music on vinyl that initially made literal waves in the latter half of the 20th Century. Just two days prior to Beach Boys architect Brian Wilson’s passing at age 82 on June 11, 2025, funk/soul pop pioneer Sly Stone also passed away at age 82 on June 9, 2025. In the following in-depth analysis, AP editor Mike Mettler and our chief album reviewer Mark Smotroff combine forces to give us their collective overview of Sly’s best moments on vinyl. . .

File this one under, “Reborn under a good sign.” Craft Recordings recently announced a Deluxe Edition release of In Session, the legendary December 1983 collaboration between the late, decidedly great blues guitar icons Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as an expanded 180g 3LP set on October 18, 2024 — as in, tomorrow! This historically important live performance — culled from King and SRV’s early-1980s joint TV appearance together in Canada — will be available in its entirety in various formats, but the best way to cue this one up is most definitely on vinyl. Read on to see AP editor Mike Mettler’s listening impressions of this new collection, what its three first-time-on-vinyl tracks are and how they sound, and what the SRP is for this new tri-gatefold set. . .

The two albums we’re reviewing today are exciting prospects for us here at AP, because they also happen to be the first two offerings from Interscope/Capitol’s new Definitive Sound Series (a.k.a. DSS). DSS releases partake in the vaunted One-Step process, and this new series’ initial offerings couldn’t be more different. Said inaugural DSS releases are 180g 2LP One-Steps for a) alt-rock supergroup A Perfect Circle’s smash-hit May 2000 debut Mer de Noms, and b) ex-N.W.A rapper/producer Dr. Dre’s mega-platinum debut solo release, December 1992’s The Chronic. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why both of these DSS entries bode quite well for what’s to come in this exciting, ongoing series. . .

Talk about throwing it back to the 1980s! These guys channel Manifestoera Roxy, Brit/Industrial (Joy Division) and even Haircut 100 on their latest double LP set (CD included for easy iTunes/iPod loading).

What does it mean when a little-known album that hasn’t been reissued in 55 years becomes available again? In the case of Today’s Youth – Tomorrow the World — the 1969 debut from Texas-bred vocalist/guitarist Little Janice that was recently reissued as a 180g 1LP by Inner Groove Records — it means discovering some absolutely fantastic of-era soul, blues, and R&B music that’s been lost in the mists of time. Read Shanon McKellar’s review to see why Little Janice’s one-and-only LP deserves many a spin on your turntable. . .

He kept his eyes open all the time, and he also shot a man in Reno just to watch him die (or so he said). Of course, we’re talking about the one and only Johnny Cash, whose 1957 debut album on Sun Records, With His Hot and Blue Guitar, has just received a 180g 45rpm all-analog 1LP upgrade from Intervention Records. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s review to see why Intervention have once again worked their unique analog magic with another vintage classic LP. . .

Today, Houston, Texas seems like one of the last places on earth a bluesman would want to call home (send those emails!), but Sam “Lightnin' “ Hopkins called it home, once he left his small town birthplace, nearby Centerville (population under 1000). His first Houston foray, sometime in the late 1930's, where he accompanied his cousin, the blues singer Alger Alexander, was a bust, so after working on a railroad and singing in the streets he returned home to Centerville.