GERRY BECKLEY Unfortunate Casino [Human Nature Music] Since he burst on the scene in the early ’70s as one-third of the folk-rock hit machine America, Gerry Beckley has evolved into an accomplished pop tunesmith who plays to his strengths: catchy melodicism and an easy lyrical intimacy. His latest effort is a low-key collection highlighted by the bouncy title tune, with rueful observations like “I’m walking by a pool in Vegas, I see them on... 

PEARL JAM 1993-1995 [Epic/Legacy] REISSUE The period following the mammoth success of their 1991 debut album, Ten, was a turbulent period for Pearl Jam. The adjustment to stardom was a difficult one, and the strain only grew with the suicide of Seattle contemporary Kurt Cobain, its doomed antitrust lawsuit against promoter Ticketmaster, guitarist Mike McCready’s growing alcohol abuse and the bubbling internal personality conflict between Vedder... 

SOLOMON BURKE & DE DIJK Hold on Tight [Verve] It’s an odd pairing on the surface: Solomon Burke, the great soul colossus, fronting a Dutch band hardly known outside their native country. But the members of Amsterdam-based De Dijk (translation: “the dike”) sound as if they were born to back Burke. Recorded in Brussels in just six days in late 2009, Hold on Tight features the soul legend covering (in English translations) a splendid R&B-drenched... 

NEW YORK DOLLS Dancing Backward in High Heels [429] Dancing Backward in High Heels continues the New York Dolls’ remarkably unexpected, and just plain remarkable, reunion. On their third 21st-century release—more than they managed during their original ’70s run—surviving original members David Johansen and Syl Sylvain are joined by returning reunion-era drummer Brian Delaney, onetime Blondie guitarist Frank Infante and bass player Jason Hill.... 

RAY DAVIES See My Friends [Decca] Former Kinks leader Ray Davies’ all-star duets project seems at first like a gimmicky tease. As Springsteen and Bon Jovi growl and wail through some of Davies’ more delicate gems, one can’t help but wonder what the point of all this might be. But eventually the bigger names stop chewing up the scenery, and the pairings become more like true collaborations than curiosities. Lucinda Williams’ weary take on “Long... 

SARA EVANS Stronger [Sony Nashville] On her first album in five years, Sara Evans courts country radio with a firm determination. A slick package of twang pop, Stronger begins with more Hallmark schmaltz than Tennessee waltz: her remake of Rod Stewart’s late ’80s hit “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” marks the nadir of a middling first half. The second half is where you’ll find the winners: Songs like “Alone” and “Ticket to Ride”... 

MASTODON Live at the Aragon [Reprise] Prog-metal juggernaut Mastodon’s first-ever live album, a CD/DVD set recorded in 2009 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, offers an agreeably straightforward (if abbreviated) account of the band’s bruising stage show. The quartet plows through its most recent concept album, Crack the Skye, in its entirety and throws in a few oldies and a cover of the Melvins’ “The Bit.” The members’ performances are... 

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS All Eternals Deck [Merge] The title of All Eternals Deck ostensibly refers to a fictional set of Tarot cards, but the Mountain Goats’ latest draws less of its lyrical juice from fortune-telling than from scientific inquiry and the lives of faded Hollywood stars—as befits idiosyncratic singer and songwriter John Darnielle. It’s the latest in a continued evolution away from Darnielle’s one-man, lo-fi roots: The Mountain Goats... 

THE STROKES Angles [RCA] Angles marks the first time in the Strokes’ decade-long history that writing chores have been shared by all the members rather than dominated by lead singer Julian Casablancas. Perhaps the shift toward democracy explains why the scruffiness and arrogance that held the group’s previous records together share the stage here with new elements—sometimes the album is an invitation to an island-themed dance party, and sometimes... 

PAUL SIMON So Beautiful or So What [Hear Music/Concord] Elvis Costello, himself no stranger to conveying hard-won wisdom in song, pretty much nails it in his liner notes for Paul Simon’s first new album in five years: “This is a man in full possession of all his gifts, looking at the comedy and beauty of life with clarity and the tenderness bought by time.” Simon’s solo output has always been erratic, a zigzag of indisputable landmarks, most... 

DUNLOP JBF3 JOE BONAMASSA SIGNATURE FUZZ FACE Peachy fuzz FOR: In-your-face tone. The Fuzz Face has become nearly as much a tradition among rock’s most iconic guitarists as the wah-wah itself. Now you can add blues master Joe Bonamassa to an impressive list of Fuzz aficionados that includes the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour and Eric Johnson. A slight departure from the typical reissues of this famed fuzz box, the JBF3 was specially tuned... 

CRUZTOOLS GROOVETECH GUITAR PLAYER TECH KIT Road-worthy tools FOR: Fine-tuning. Whether you do your own setups or the occasional string change, this is one indispensable kit. The GTGTR1 Tech Kit comes with everything needed to perform a complete setup, including a convenient how-to guide. The tidy pouch conveniently holds the tools in place, has a pocket for strings and will fit in the cubby of your gig bag. What especially impressed us was the... 

M-AUDIO GSR-12 PA SPEAKERS Now hear these FOR: Playing small- to medium-sized venues. Whether you are a performer, DJ or venue owner, finding the right speakers is a unique challenge. The M-Audio GSR-12s are all-around excellent performers, blending versatility, footprint, price point and quality. Using them as front-of-house speakers, we were impressed with the four EQ presets and off-axis definition, and found the sound to be well balanced. Used... 

TAYLOR V-CABLE Precision volume control FOR: Acoustic-electric guitar aficionados. Playing an acoustic-electric in a live setting is fraught with hazards—particularly a constant danger of feedback. The smart folks at Taylor guitars have partnered with RapcoHorizon to produce the V-Cable, which features a patented in-line volume control to avoid such landmines. We found the taper on the pot (as opposed to the slider-style volume control found on... 

LINE 6 DT50 Totally tubular amplification FOR: Tube tones. Whether you’re a fan of modeling technology or not, you have to tip your hat to the folks at Line 6 for adding tube amplifiers to their array of sounds. Line 6 has been working with tube amp guru Reinhold Bogner for some time, and the resulting DT50 series amps are definitely going to turn heads. Powered by a pair of EL34 tubes, either of the DT50’s two channels can be configured on the...