Army May 2017

Country music legend Johnny Cash was a force of nature - part rocker, part rebel, part gospel crusader - and his influence was as immediate and profound. Just as Hank Williams inspired an army of sound-a-likes, so too did the Man in Black, and this collection of Cash-inspired contemporaries throbs with his very particular brand of swagger and soul. Featuring contributions from the likes of underappreciated West Coast rockabilly Bobby Wayne and honky tonk colossus Sleepy LaBeef, it's a wild, irresisitible musical ride, full of Cash-tastic rhythms and attitude.

Mungo Jerry are one of rock's great one-hit successes. Outside of England, they're known for exactly one song, but that song, "In the Summertime," is a seasonal anthem known by listeners who weren't even born when it was released. Mungo Jerry was a solid blues outfit as well – in fact, one suspects they were the kind of blues band that purists Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies would have loved, had they ever intersected – and knew how to get the most out of their jug band sound, which helped them survive for decades.

The third-and-final album from the Baker Gurvitz Army doesn't quite live up to the high standards reached on the outfit's previous efforts, but it's still an enjoyable work. Formed after the two, London-born Gurvitz brothers Adrian(guitar) and Paul(bass) absorbed ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker and the curiously-named singer Mr Snips into what was essentially a new formation of their own Three Man Army outfit, the Baker Gurvitz Army produced slick, dynamic and technically-assured rock music tinged with a hint of prog colour…

The classic Riot logo, the face of Johnny on the cover artwork and a four years long wait since 2002's Through the Storm came out. Yet, not much has changed in the Riot headquarters. That's because 2006's Army of One was recorded in 2003. So hold your horses when the straight up power metal of "Army of One" opens the album, or you might be disappointed soon after…

Raised in New York City, Anastacia came from an entertainment-oriented family: her father was a singer, and her mother an actress in musical theater on Broadway. Despite being diagnosed with the chronic intestinal illness Crohn's disease at age 13, she developed a career as a dancer, appearing on Club MTV and in such music videos as Salt-N-Pepa's "Everybody Get Up" and "Twist and Shout." In 1999, she was a finalist on the MTV talent contest show The Cut, which attracted the interest of record labels. She signed to the Daylight custom label of Sony Music's Epic Records and recorded her debut album, Not That Kind, which was released internationally in 2000.