The guardians of the Gothenburg Sound, DARK TRANQUILLITY - still one of the most exciting bands in Melodic Death Metal. ”Construct” is the sound of perseverance. It’s also proof of the band’s ability to reinvent itself and stay relevant. It’s quintessential Dark Tranquillity while giving a fresh spin to the trademark sound.

UB40 fans intrigued to see how former frontman Ali Campbell would fare since his acrimonious departure a year previously could be forgiven for thinking the Brummie vocalist was in the midst of a midlife crisis, judging by the guest appearance of grime artist Sway and a cover of a Britney Spears song on his third solo album, Flying High. But while its star-studded roll call may be more suited to pirate radio than the Radio 2-friendly guest list of predecessor Running Free (Mick Hucknall, Katie Melua), it isn't the radical departure its credits suggest. Indeed, only the rather shoehorned quickfire lyrical delivery of the aforementioned South London MC on "It's a Crime" would sound out of place on his previous outfit's back catalog, as Campbell wraps his distinctive nasal tones around 14 tracks that stick rigidly to his well-worn formula of lilting reggae and breezy ska-pop.

Straight No Chaser's fifth full-length album, The New Old Fashioned, showcases the acclaimed a cappella ensemble's distinctive take on many of their favorite contemporary pop hits. The album follows up the group's 2013 effort, Under the Influence. As with that album, here we get the group's creative workings of popular songs from the recent past. Included here are such hits as the Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face," Hozier's "Take Me to Church," Radiohead's "Creep," Charlie Puth's "Marvin Gaye," and many others.

Argent were an English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies. They were best known for their songs "Hold Your Head Up" and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You." In Deep, released in 1973, is the 4th studio album by Argent; originally released by Epic Records. It features the original full-length recording of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", which reached No.18 in the UK charts (U.S. #114); when released as a single in edited form later the same year. It was later remade by Kiss as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991, when it was a massive worldwide hit. Nexus is the fifth album by British rock band Argent. Released in 1974 on CBS Records (USA: Epic Records).

David Benoit has been quoted as saying that when he started recording Earthglow, he wanted the entire album to have a very electronica-minded approach, "with long loops and lots of samples, with a little piano in the mix." But Clark Germain, who Benoit co-produced Earthglow with, felt that going too far in the electronica direction would be a mistake – and Benoit decided that Germain was right. That's a good thing because Earthglow, it turns out, is one of the more memorable albums in Benoit's catalog. "Will's Chill" (which was named after will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas) and "Straight Away" offer some acknowledgment of the downtempo/chillout/trip-hop aesthetic one finds on the softer side of electronica, but even then, Benoit doesn't allow the production to smother his musicianship.

This Norwegian folk outfit started out in the early 70s mixing acoustic instruments (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and piano) with the electric guitar, bass and keyboards. They created an earthy music made up of playful, catchy melodies with male/female vocal interplay. Despite important personnel changes over the years (their first-rate lead female singer was replaced, among others), they have managed to remain true to their sound and have churned out over ten fine albums between 1974 and 1998. Their material is pure, often foot-stomping folk with Norwegian vocals. Despite the mostly minor keys, it is fresh and exhilirating and dons some wonderful arrangements.

Titling an album America's Child in 2018 can't help but feel like a political move and, sure enough, Shemekia Copeland doesn't shy away from a statement on this, her eighth album. Copeland isn't interested in taking sides, per se. Instead, Copeland uses America's Child as a salute to how weird, wild, and wondrous America is at its best. Fittingly for an album whose aesthetic sees no borders, America's Child casts its net wide sonically, finding room for a number of rootsy sounds and a host of cameos. Working with producer Will Kimbrough, Copeland invites Rhiannon Giddens to play banjo on "Smoked Ham and Peaches," duets with John Prine on a new version of his old tune "Great Rain," sings harmony with Emmylou Harris, and is supported by a band that occasionally features guitarist Steve Cropper and members of the Time. Despite all of these stars, America's Child remains focused on Shemekia Copeland herself, who provides a powerful yet nuanced center for the album. It's not just that her singing is soulful and supple; it's how she views blues as a living, breathing art form, not a static sound.

John Hammond has dealt with issues of authenticity and origin, both musical and personal, and moved beyond them. This 18-song session, recorded live in 1983 and recently reissued on CD, may have been his definitive session. It was certainly a masterpiece, with Hammond doing confident, thoroughly distinctive versions of signature Delta and Chicago blues classics by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Son House and others. While "Dust My Broom," "Drop Down Mama," "Wang Dang Doodle" and all the rest have certainly been done to death, Hammond's spirited vocals, riveting guitar work on acoustic or bottleneck and his overall charismatic performances made them seem like fresh discoveries.

The inspiration behind Closer to the People was to get Tanita Tikaram closer to her road band: to record the singer/songwriter with a touring combo with serious blues and soul roots. Several of these players have done time with Van Morrison, a comparison that comes in handy for Closer to the People, not because her songs sound like Van's – they don't – but the record trades in jazz and soul influences while also spinning these familiar tropes into the realm of the personal. Tikaram specializes in sculpted, open-ended compositions – even when the tempo quickens her songs seem to unfold gracefully – and that means the hushed arrangements, underpinned by acoustic bass and brushed drums, seem like reflections of the song's soul.

British rockers Wishbone Ash gained fame in the 1970s for their twin-guitar attack and captivating blend of hard rock and progressive stylings. TENDER is a collection of tunes that showcase the softer side of the band's musical personality, including a number of latter-day tracks. Acoustic-tinged balladry and dynamics that veer towards the low end of the spectrum are the order of the day here, but if you want the harder stuff, check out this disc's companion release, entitled (what else?) TOUGH.

The companion release to the quiet-moments compilation TENDER, Wishbone Ash collection TOUGH represents the more hard-rocking side of this stalwart British band. Wishbone Ash made their name in the 1970s with their dueling guitars and epic tunes, but TOUGH features a number of latter-day selections from the long-lived band, proving that as the decades went on, they managed to retain that hard-rock bite that had always endeared them to their legions of fans.

How this opera grows in the affections. And how it strengthens the larger, ever-deepening appreciation not merely of Donizetti's work but of operatic conventions as such. I mean that the frequently derided forms of opera (the set pieces, aria-and-cabaletta and so forth) can increasingly be a source of pleasure and of perceived power in the writing. Here, for instance, part of the exhilaration arises out of the composer's skill in suiting the conventions to his dramatic and musical purposes. Elizabeth's first aria, meditatively hopeful yet anxious, fits the lyric-cantabile form; then the arrival of Talbot and Cecil with their opposing influences provokes the intensified turbulence of irresolution that makes dramatic sense out of the cabaletta. It is so with the duets and ensembles: they look like conventional set-pieces, but established form and specific material have been so well fitted that, with the musical inspiration working strongly (as it is here), you have opera not in its naive stage awaiting development towards freedom from form but, on the contrary, opera at the confident height of a period in its history when it was entirely true to itself.

The trio led by pianist Wynton Kelly, which also included bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb, first functioned as the rhythm section of Miles Davis' Quintet in 1958. In 1963, they left Davis' band and spent time as Wes Montgomery's backup group; the unit stayed together until Chambers' death on Jan. 4, 1969, a run of over ten years (Kelly would pass away two years later). Their final studio session, released for the first time domestically by Delmark in 1988, is unfortunately partly hindered by the inclusion of some unsuitable pop songs (including "Say a Little Prayer for Me," "Watch What Happens," "Light My Fire" and "Yesterday"), but typically, the musicians do their best to swing the tunes. Best are "Kelly's Blues" and "Castilian Waltz."