Dan Go

Dan Baird is best known for his work as the singer/rhythm guitarist for the 1980s band Georgia Satellites. Baird left the Georgia Satellites in 1990 and has pursued a solo career since that time…

There are very few classic rock vocalists that you recognize after hearing just a few notes. The legendary Dan McCafferty, the former front man of Scottish rockers NAZARETH, is one of those vocalists. After nearly 50 years of road work with the band, McCafferty had to retire due to health reasons. However, that unique instrument — his voice — is still capable of blowing the roof off. With 15 tracks, "Last Testament" is a blistering album with a full mix of lyrical and musical styles. It arrives on October 18 via earMUSIC. There are out-and-out rockers, like "My Baby" and "Bring It On Back", for example. But at the core of this release is a newfound freedom to explore avenues of creativity.

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were remarkable craftsmen from the start, as Steely Dan's debut, Can't Buy a Thrill, illustrates. Each song is tightly constructed, with interlocking chords and gracefully interwoven melodies, buoyed by clever, cryptic lyrics. All of these are hallmarks of Steely Dan's signature sound, but what is most remarkable about the record is the way it differs from their later albums. Of course, one of the most notable differences is the presence of vocalist David Palmer, a professional blue-eyed soul vocalist who oversings the handful of tracks where he takes the lead.

Steely Dan hadn't been a real working band since Pretzel Logic, but with Aja, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's obsession with sonic detail and fascination with composition reached new heights. A coolly textured and immaculately produced collection of sophisticated jazz-rock, Aja has none of the overt cynicism or self-consciously challenging music that distinguished previous Steely Dan records. Instead, it's a measured and textured album, filled with subtle melodies and accomplished, jazzy solos that blend easily into the lush instrumental backdrops.