On Blessings and Miracles, his twenty-sixth studio album, music legend and guitar master Carlos Santana delivers one of the most ambitious, inspired and flat-out magical records of his storied career. There’s thrilling feats of bravura musicianship that pair the guitar master with fellow icons like Chick Corea and Steve Winwood, knockout rockers with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Living Colour’s Corey Glover, and genre-bending, hook-filled celebrations featuring Rob Thomas, Chris Stapleton, G-Eazy, American Authors and Ally Brooke, among others. The record also features bravura performances from members of Santana’s touring band (including drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and singer Tommy Anthony), as well as impeccable vocals and keyboards by the guitarist’s son, Salvador Santana, and stunning lead vocals by daughter, Stella Santana.

Legendary guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen releases Blue Lightning on March 29, 2019 on Mascot Records To call Yngwie Malmsteen a 'maestro' or 'virtuoso' is to state the obvious. But such terms don't do sufficient justice to either his talent or impact. There are innumerable guitarists who have copied a small part of the vast musical spectrum that defines him, but nobody comes close to achieving what he has over a period of nearly four decades. Now, with 'Blue Lightning', the man highlights not only his enduring dexterity and diversity, but also pays homage to those from the blues world who have fuelled his artistic spirit for so long. Anyone who is expecting Malmsteen to copy exactly the way the original versions sound is in for a shock. Because that is not what he has done. He has masterfully transformed classics like Smoke On The Water, Purple Haze and While My Guitar Gently Weeps into his idiom, and wrote and recorded 4 new tracks for this album.

Heart's Ann Wilson is releasing a new record with Tripsitter, 'Another Door'. Prior to starting the 2023 tour, Ann Wilson and her band Tripsitter finished 'Another Door', a record of all-original material, which marks the first time since the '70s that Ann has written a full-length album collectively with a band. Tripsitter features Tony Lucido (bass), Ryan Wariner (guitars), Sean T. Lane (drums), and Paul Moak (guitars and keyboards). Tom Bukovac (guitars) was also a primary contributor.

Jimi Hendrix's sonic assaults and attacks hypnotized, frightened, and amazed audiences in the late '60s. His studio recordings helped him attain his reputation, but his live works validated it. That's the case on the 13 songs from a 1968 Winterland concert that made their way onto CD in 1987. Whether he was doing short, biting songs like "Fire" or stretching out for sprawling blues statements like "Red House" and "Killing Floor," Jimi Hendrix turned the guitar into a battering ram, forcing everyone to notice and making every solo and note a memorable one.

John Mayall's debut album, recorded live in December 1964, is a little unjustly overlooked, as it was recorded shortly before the first of the famous guitarists schooled in the Bluesbreakers (Eric Clapton) joined the band. With Roger Dean on guitar (and the rhythm section who'd play on the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton album, bassist John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint), it has more of a rock/R&B feel, rather like the early Rolling Stones, than the purer bluesier material Mayall would usually stick to in his subsequent recordings. The record doesn't suffer for this, however, moving along quite powerfully, and - unusually for a British R&B/blues band of the time - featuring almost nothing but original material, all penned by Mayall. Nigel Stanger's saxophone adds interesting touches to a few tracks, the songs are quite good…

The third release by Kim Simmonds and company, but the first to feature the most memorable lineup of the group: Simmonds, "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, Tony "Tone" Stevens, Roger Earl, and charismatic singer Chris Youlden. This one serves up a nice mixture of blues covers and originals, with the first side devoted to studio cuts and the second a live club date recording. Certainly the standout track, indeed a signature song by the band, is the tour de force "Train to Nowhere," with its patient, insistent buildup and pounding train-whistle climax. Additionally, David Anstey's detailed, imaginative sleeve art further boosts this a notch above most other British blues efforts.

Digitally remastered and expanded reissue of this 1967 album by Mayall and his Bluesbreakers, the only studio album to feature future Fleetwood Mac leader Peter Green on guitar. Features an additional 14 tracks including studio cuts and radio sessions.
Eric Clapton is usually thought of as John Mayall's most important right-hand man, but the case could also be made for his successor, Peter Green. The future Fleetwood Mac founder leaves a strong stamp on his only album with the Bluesbreakers, singing a few tracks and writing a couple, including the devastating instrumental "Supernatural." Green's use of thick sustain on this track clearly pointed the way to his use of guitar riffs with elongated, slithery tones on Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" and "Black Magic Woman," as well as anticipating some aspects of Carlos Santana's style…

Though it appears in the aftermath of their dissolution in 2014, and the deaths of both actual Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg, this 50th anniversary retrospective box set is arguably the only career overview of the band one can call representative. Arranged over ten LPs or five compact discs, Trouble No More examines in depth each incarnation and stage of the pioneering rockers. It convincingly formulates the argument that no other American band accomplished more musically (especially live) by seamlessly marrying rock, blues, jazz, and R&B to each other and to extended improvisation. This set compiles 61 Allman Brothers Band classics, live performances, and rarities – including seven previously unreleased tracks – all painstakingly remastered, with and a hefty 88-page book full of photos and a lengthy historical essay by ABB historian John Lynskey that recaps all 13 incarnations of the band's lineup.

Two years in the making, Santana IV marks the reunion of nearly all members of the 1971-1972 band, arguably its greatest lineup. Carlos Santana, conguero Michael Carabello, organist/lead vocalist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, and guitarist Neal Schon cut the landmark Santana III in 1971. It was a short-lived group as Schon and Rolie would depart in early 1973 to form Journey. Filling out the lineup are Carlos' longtime bassist Benny Rietveld and second percussionist Karl Perazza. Unlike the reunions of most classic rockers, this one proves its musical mettle, even when the album gives in to excess. The interplay between the guitarists is fiery, while Rolie and Shrieve have never been less than inspiring. The former is a far better (more expressive) vocalist than he was in his youth…

Led by John Kay, Steppenwolf's blazing biker anthem "Born to Be Wild" roared out of speakers everywhere in the fiery summer of 1968, John Kay's threatening rasp sounding a mesmerizing call to arms to the counterculture movement rapidly sprouting up nationwide. German immigrant Kay got his professional start in a bluesy Toronto band called Sparrow, recording for Columbia in 1966. After Sparrow disbanded, Kay relocated to the West Coast and formed Steppenwolf, named after the Herman Hesse novel. "Born to Be Wild," their third single on ABC-Dunhill, was immortalized on the soundtrack of Dennis Hopper's underground film classic Easy Rider. The song's reference to "heavy metal thunder" finally gave an assignable name to an emerging genre. Steppenwolf's second monster hit that year, the psychedelic "Magic Carpet Ride," and the follow-ups "Rock Me," "Move Over," and "Hey Lawdy Mama" further established the band's credibility on the hard rock circuit.