Rhino's Great Days: The John Prine Anthology is an excellent summary of John Prine's prime period, from his sublime 1971 eponymous debut to 1991's Missing Years. This (appropriately) draws heavily from his early recordings (including the aforementioned debut), but it also does a terrific job of finding songs on uneven albums, while giving weight to such classic albums as Bruised Orange. Although those previously mentioned albums are all worthwhile on their own terms (as are many of Prine's other records), this provides a nearly flawless recap of his career – so much so that it's not only for neophytes, but also reminds longtime fans why they loved him in the first place.

On her first outing in three years and her freshman offering for Verve's Forecast label, Susan Tedeschi digs deep into the soul and R&B fakebook for inspiration and comes out a winner. With an all-star band that includes guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, pianist David Palmer, organist Jebin Bruni, bassist Paul Bryan, drummer Jay Bellerose, and guests including husband Derek Trucks and the Blind Boys of Alabama, Tedeschi goes down into her own heart's well for inspiration. Wonderfully produced by Joe Henry, Hope and Desire is truly a singer's showcase of passion and class; she has signature phrasing and is an excellent interpreter.

It has the same name as the Crüe’s 1998 compilation, along with 13 of the same tracks, but the 2009 Greatest Hits is a different beast than its predecessor, weighing in at 19 tracks instead of 17 and sequenced chronologically instead of the year-skipping hodgepodge of 1998. These are all improvements, as are the swapping of a 1997 version of “Shout at the Devil” for the original and the addition of the 1983 song “Too Young to Fall in Love,” all helping to make this edition of the Crüe’s much-recycled Greatest Hits their best comp yet.