I have a handful of new CDs I’ve been working through.

Finally getting Deep Purple’s Perfect Strangers was a great look back at the mid-’80s reunion of the Machine Head band lineup.  Rolling Stone rated it two stars out of five back when it came out, so you know it’s really very good.  The title song is Ritchie Blackmore’s favorite song, according to Wikipedia, which means that’s probably not true.  But it’s still a great effort; it sounds very ’80s, which is not at all inappropriate, inasmuch as it was, at the time of album’s release, actually the ’80s.

I also finally got Disturbed’s latest album, Asylum.  I like it.  They manage not to simply regurgitate stuff from their first four albums, and even break some new ground, which is awfully rare when a band reaches album #5.

What is it with bands who won’t let you embed their YouTube videos?  Wouldn’t that be, like, free advertising?  Disturbed is one of those bands.  Go figure.

Nick Moss is a Chicago blues master I got to discover with my brother John’s help, thanks to his Christmas present of Nick’s latest album, Privileged.  Good stuff — he’s true to the the Chicago sound, but has his own take on some old classics.  Here’s one:

Last, and absolutely not least, is Black Country Communion. My three brothers were raving about their first album a couple months ago, and I got my own copy a couple weeks ago. Wow. My brother Rich is absolutely right when he says that every single song on this CD is great. Here’s my favorite: