Talk Is Cheap is the debut solo album by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, released in 1988. Recorded and released during a long-standing falling out with Mick Jagger, Talk Is Cheap received positive reviews upon its release. Relations between Jagger and Richards had grown tense into the third decade of the Rolling Stones as they began to differ on the musical direction of their famous band; "You Don't Move Me" would be written about their feud. The image-conscious Jagger was keen to follow the trends and keep the Rolling Stones current, while Richards wanted to preserve their reputation and roots. When Jagger was more interested in pursuing his solo career instead of touring for Dirty Work in 1986, Richards began a solo project for the first time.

Like 1999's tribute to Gram Parsons, Return of the Grievous Angel, this successful collection revives the tired "tribute" concept and applies it in homage to a key figure in country music. Interpreting songs from across Hank Williams's short and troubled career, a range of high-profile artists use different approaches with equally gratifying results. Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, and Hank Williams III play familiar songs with traditional arrangements (Ms. Crow's yodel is an eye opener); Beck, Mark Knopfler, and Keb' Mo' stay closer to their own idioms. Keith Richards's reedy vocal makes "You Win Again" all his own, and Bob Dylan, who has only rarely lent his services to these sorts of projects, leads his touring band through a blues shuffle on "I Can't Get You Off of My Mind." The estimable Lost Highway label has assembled an illustrious cast to sing the praises of the artist who inspired its name, and in doing so it has created a far better testament to its musical mindset than can ever be captured in the term Americana.

Jimmy Rogers was very much a musician's musician – the kind of guitarist that earned accolades from contemporaries and successors alike – yet one who never wins a wide, mainstream audience. Blues Blues Blues was designed as the album that would find Rogers a larger audience, and as such, it has all the bells and whistles of a big-deal blues album. It has the classics ("Trouble No More," "Bright Lights, Big City," "Sweet Home Chicago," "Don't Start Me to Talkin'"), remakes of Rogers standards ("Ludella," "That's All Right"), cult covers (Muddy Waters' "Blow Wind Blow," which kicks off the album on just the right note) and an astounding number of guest appearances, including cameos from (get ready): Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, Lowell Fulson, Johnnie Johnson, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Ted Harvey, Carey Bell, Stephen Stills, and Jeff Healey.

Recorded on December 15, 1988, during the tour for Talk Is Cheap, Live at the Hollywood Palladium is a loose, groove-laden affair, featuring the best from Keith Richards' first solo album as well as some Stones classics – mostly tunes he took lead vocals on. Opening with "Take It So Hard," the first thing that hits the listener is the lack of the gloss that was probably the only drawback to Talk Is Cheap, which is a very good thing, because while the album was still leaps and bounds more real than, say, Dirty Work, this live collection is loose without ever getting away from the band, and has an organic feel not present in the Stones' work since the early '70s.

As the debut album on the Rolling Stone label in 1978, Bush Doctor benefited immensely from the involvement of Jagger and Richards, as well as the publicity inherent in the high-profile nature of the release. Thankfully, Tosh was up to the challenge, and although there are moments that are less roots than anything he had previously recorded, Bush Doctor is no slick sellout. It's bolstered by his incredible Word Sound & Power band featuring the legendary Sly & Robbie rhythm section along with lead guitarists Mikey "Mao" Chung and Donald Kinsey (fresh from his stint with Marley). Although the cover of the Temptations' "(You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back" single featuring Jagger's duet with Tosh seemed like an obvious ploy at crossover radio play, the rest is more roots conscious, and only slightly less compelling than some of ex-bandmate Bob Marley's work.

The Best of Peter Tosh: Dread Don't Die is an excellent compilation of the best of his '80s albums. While there are fewer of his trademark songs than on his more popular compilation Scrolls Of The Prophet, Dread Don't Die is a stronger collection. Also worth mentioning is that the sameness which hurt Scrolls Of The Prophet is absent as every track here is top notch.

In 1987, it was anyone's guess if the Stones would ever get back together. Sure, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were well known for their public disagreements, but when Jagger decided to tour in support of his second solo album, Primitive Cool, Richards was disheartened and finally succumbed to the idea of recording without the Rolling Stones…

Recorded on December 15, 1988, during the tour for Talk Is Cheap, Live at the Hollywood Palladium is a loose, groove-laden affair, featuring the best from Keith Richards' first solo album as well as some Stones classics – mostly tunes he took lead vocals on…

Keith Richards took his time to complete Crosseyed Heart. It arrives 23 years after Main Offender, his last solo studio album, but also 11 years after A Bigger Bang, the last official Rolling Stones record, but Richards hasn't exactly been quiet in all those years…